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A rimfire is a type of firearm cartridge. The most common is the .22 Long Rifle caliber. It is called a rimfire because, instead of the firing pin striking the priming compound at the center of the base of the cartridge to ignite it (as in a centerfire cartridge), the pin strikes the base's rim. This causes rimfire cartridges to be good for only one use, due to the deformation caused.
Rimfire cartridges are typically inexpensive, due primarily to large production quantities. A box of fifty inexpensive .22 Long Rifle cartridges typically costs less than 99 cents (US). Premium or match-grade .22 Long Rifle cartridges, as well as less common or out-of-production rimfire cartridges (such as the .22 Short, .22 Long, .32 Rimfire, .22 Winchester Auto, .22 WMR, and 5mm Remington) can cost substantially more.
A notable rimfire still in production is the 9mm Flobert, which can fire a small ball, or even a small amount of shot like a small shotgun shell. The 9mm flobert is often called a "garden gun" in the UK, as its power and range are minimal, and it is well-suited for use in gardens, where the next-largest shotgun (a .410 gauge) would be too devastating amongst the cabbages. The 9mm Flobert is used to eradicate vermin such as mice and rats, pigeons roosting in sheds, and the speedy, voracious snail.
Another new and increasingly popular rimfire is the 17 HMR, which is basically a .22 WMR with a smaller formed neck which accepts a .17 bullet. The advantages of the 17 HMR over .22 WMR and other rimfires are its much flatter trajectory, and it is highly frangible when used with a plastic tip. The key disadvantage of the .17 HMR is cost at present at over twice the price of .22 WMR.
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