The latest lightweight centerfire rifles and competition-ready rigs may steal the headlines, but don’t sleep on the lowly rimfires this year. Plinking is great fun, and it’s also the way most of us got our start in shooting and hunting.
However, the list of hot new rimfire rifles that debuted at SHOT Show 2025 in Las Vegas proves that rimfires have evolved into so much more. Here’s what we found on the showroom floor.
Bergara BMR-X
It’s always interesting when premier rifle builders venture into the rimfire space. This is not Bergara’s first foray into rimfires, but it is a noteworthy step. The company launched its new BMR-X this year. The line includes a pair of feature-laden premium rifle options for both rimfire competitors and small game hunters.
The newbies’ basis is the company’s scaled-down Bergara Micro Rimfire action with a precision match chamber. The stock is inspired by the company’s BXR design, with the BMR-X offering adjustable LOP, a vertical grip, flat forend, and the same overall metrics and feel as the company’s full-sized centerfire precision rigs.
There’s also a match chamber, 30-MOA rail, threaded barrel, and externally adjustable Bergara Performance Trigger. Two distinct variants are launching simultaneously as the BMR-X Steel and BMR-X Carbon. Both are available in .22 LR, .22 WMR, and .17 HMR. The BMR-X Steel is intended for competitive shooters. It wears a heavy-profile steel barrel with an overall weight starting at 6.6 pounds.
The Carbon model is meant to be more hunter-friendly with its lighter weight. It features an 18-inch carbon-fiber barrel and checks in at 5.7 pounds. The BMR-X Steel retails from $719, while the Carbon comes in at a higher $819.
Savage Revel
SHOT Show 2025 marked our first hands-on experience with Savage’s long-awaited re-entry into the lever-gun market: the rimfire Revel.
Though there will never be another Model 99, Savage’s lever-action return comes with the economical choice of either .22 LR, .22 WMR, or .17 HMR. There’s a steel barrel and aluminum receiver. Two variants were on display at SHOT Show, namely the Classic and DLX. Both use the same takedown features that define the Revel as a backpack-sized plinker. There’s a tubular magazine, walnut stock, and adjustable iron sights.
The receiver cover comes off for easier cleaning, and the Classic looks like a more basic English-style straight stock without checkering. The DLX, on the other hand, shows a contoured stock design with cutouts, a pistol grip, checkering, and a hooded front sight. The .22 LR is shipping now, while the .22 WMR and .17 HMR are expected sometime in the spring of 2025.
The Classic lists with an MSRP of $439, and the DLX comes in at $539.
T1x Ace Target
That’s right, folks. Tikka put out a precision rimfire as part of its 2025 product launch. It ought to do double duty as both a competition gun and training partner since it has many similarities to the company’s T3x centerfire rifles.
There’s a single-stage target trigger, 45-degree bolt throw, and detachable 10-round magazine. Speaking of magazines, the rimfire T1x Ace Target uses a uniquely designed magazine well that sets the stage for modularity.
The T1x Ace Target is a premium chassis build that will be available in either .17 HMR or .22 LR. Barrel lengths of 16 and 20 inches are available, each threaded, free-floated, and cold hammer-forged. The MSRP is set at $1,649.
Golden Boy Rimfire Revolvers
The cowboy world was shocked when the pioneer of lever-action rifles, Henry Repeating Arms, threw its cowboy hat into the handgun ring. Those first wheeelguns debuted in the Big Boy centerfire calibers.
The latest round of announcements includes a duo of downsized rimfire revolvers with the same build materials of highly polished brass, blued steel, and American walnut. The Golden Boy Revolver line now includes 10-shot, blued-steel, medium-sized, double-action handguns in .22 caliber.
Buyers have a choice of either a squared gunfighter grip model or a more compact birdshead grip. The pieces operate with a quick takedown button inside the trigger guard. Both use the same 4-inch round blued-steel barrel and iron sights.
There’s a fixed notch integral with the frame, which mates to a barrel that features three different screw-in blade sights to adjust for elevation. MSRP is set at $928, but these wheelguns make the perfect rimfire companion for the company’s lever-action Golden Boy rifles.
Browning BL-22 and SA-22
These guns are not new, but we are surely pleased to see that both throwback models remain in Browning’s current production catalog for 2025. For many decades, Browning’s SA-22 semi-automatic rimfire has wowed shooters with its curvy lines and quick takedown feature.
The variant on display in the company’s booth represented a high-grade option with fine engraving and lovely walnut furniture. Pictured with it below, though perhaps not quite as eye-popping, is the lever-action BL-22.
That BL-22 is another longstanding Browning rimfire. The short-throw rifle comes in multiple grades and finish options, including a sleek octagonal barrel.
Winchester Ranger
Though there were no new variants to report from the show, Winchester’s latest lever-action foray remains alive and well. The Turkish-built Ranger is chambered for .22 LR and comes with a satin-finished walnut stock and a machined aluminum receiver.
It wears a 20.5-inch round steel barrel with a matte black finish. The tubular magazine holds 15 rounds. The action cycles with ease, and the simple one-pin takedown means cleaning and stowing are also a breeze.
A grooved receiver aids in optics mounting, though iron sights come standard. The Ranger retails for $429.99.
Magnum Research Magnum Lite SwitchBolt
Magnum Research, the company known for beastly handguns like the BFR revolver and Desert Eagle, knows how to build rimfires, too. The Magnum Research Magnum Lite SwitchBolt caught plenty of eyes at SHOT Show ‘25.
We’ve seen different stock styles in the past, including synthetic thumbhole, wood, and Archangel. However, the star of the show this time around was a pair of new-for-2025 Luth-AR variants that use a Luth-AR MCA-22 stock system that’s fully user adjustable. Partner that with the 18-inch Ultra aluminum tensioned barrel, threaded muzzle, and 10-round magazine.
Built in the USA, SwitchBolt receivers feature an integral Picatinny rail and come equipped with a bolt handle on the left side of a right-handed action. It’s a fast-shooting rig for any righty whose trigger hand never has to leave the stock to charge the gun. The Luth-AR-stocked SwitchBolt retails for $861.
Ruger 10/22 Carbon Fiber
One of the most wildly popular rimfires of all time gets yet another look for 2025. Ruger announced the 10/22 Carbon Fiber, a semi-automatic darling so named for its 16-inch carbon-fiber barrel. There’s a threaded muzzle, Ruger’s BX trigger, and the expected 10-round rotary magazine.
The rifle will be available in two configurations. The first is dressed in a Magpul MOE X-22 synthetic stock with a lighter web finish and a more vertical grip design. The second is a real head-turner and features a match-grade 10/22 Custom Shop number sitting in a Grey Birch modular chassis with a folding stock.
That one offers LOP and comb height adjustments, Arca Swiss attachment, AR-style grip, 30-MOA Picatinny rail, muzzle brake, and handy rear cleaning port that allows quick access to the bore. The model dressed in Magpul furniture weighs 3.5 pounds and retails for $649, while the match-grade option lists at $1,129 and can also be ordered in a left-handed format.
Winchester .21 Sharp
Chalk this one up as a surprise, but not in a good way. Though it was announced less than a year ago, there was little fanfare for the .21 Sharp round and its rifles at SHOT Show. The idea is a sound one, and surely the Sharp continues to garner interest.
Naysayers are quick to claim the .21 Sharp will never unseat the .22 LR. While that’s certainly true, those folks are missing the point. In case you’ve missed it, the .21 Sharp uses a completely different type of bullet than the .22 LR’s heeled design.
Simply put, the heeled design means a .22 LR’s bullet has a narrower base, which is the part that fits into the rimfire case. The .21 Sharp uses the same casing but modernizes the bullet design to be a ballistically superior projectile.
What’s more, the .21 Sharp opens up the possibility of better all-around bullet options, including both jacketed and multiple lead-free choices. Winchester touts multiple factory ammo selections, but we’ve yet to find more rifles than those already available from Winchester and Savage.
CCI Suppressor Max 22
It’s not just firearms. While we’re rounding up all things rimfire, we might as well mention a few of the big hitters in the rimfire ammunition space. With the rapidly growing interest in all things suppressor-related, it’s not surprising to see more suppressor-specific loads.
To that end, CCI’s new Suppressor Max 22 load is a .22 LR round designed for subsonic, low-decibel shooting. Its muzzle velocity of just 970 fps helps with noise reduction, yet the company also advertises optimal accuracy and terminal performance.
There’s a 45-grain hollow-point bullet that’s intended to segment on impact, even at lower velocities. That should keep things plenty interesting for small game hunting and pest control. The Suppressor Max 22 we saw at SHOT Show comes in 100-round plastic sleeves.
CCI Uppercut .22 WMR
Whether you love or hate the idea of rimfires for self-defense, having proper ammunition options is never a bad thing. CCI dropped a nicely tailored load here with Uppercut. The new .22 WMR round packs a 40-grain jacketed-hollow-point projectile with nose skiving. It’s intended for the most full and reliable expansion.
What’s more, it’s advertised to perform across all platforms, including the short-barreled handguns that are commonly relied upon in protective situations. Uppercut .22 WMR comes in 50-round plastic boxes.
Remington Performance Wheelgun
Heretofore, Performance Wheelgun has focused on the major centerfire players in the revolver chambering game. New for 2025 is Remington’s rimfire-specific Performance Wheelgun .22 LR.
The new round is dressed with a 28-grain truncated cone bullet. Somehow, the company advertises that the new round is designed for lower noise but still has optimal performance. The cost for 100 rounds in clear packs is set at an MSRP of $14.99.
