The Rimfire Report: Aguila Super Extra Short 29gr – Compact Power

Welcome back to another edition of The Rimfire Report! In this ongoing series, we’ve explored everything from obscure rimfire cartridges to the latest in modern firearms and ammunition. Today, we’re diving into a niche but intriguing offering from Aguila Ammunition: the Aguila Super Extra Short 29gr  .22 Short. Known for its compact size and high-velocity performance, this round is marketed as a go-to for pest control and small-game hunting with bolt-action rifles. But how does it stack up in 2025? We put this diminutive cartridge through our standard tests, this time using a Henry .22 Lever Action and at a much shorter distance. In addition, we’re back to using the  Garmin Xero C1 Pro Chronograph, to see how consistent this ammo is out of a very common platform we already know it won’t cycle in. Let’s get into it.

More Rimfire Report @ TFB:

• The Rimfire Report: Klimovsk’s “Junior” .22 LR in the Green Box
• The Rimfire Report: A Retrospective on the KelTec P17 Pistol
• The Rimfire Report: A Closer Look at the “New” HK G36 22LR

The Rimfire Report: Aguila Super Extra Short 29gr – Compact Power

Although not a frequent appearance here on TFB’s Rimfire Report, Aguila Ammunition, a Mexican manufacturer with over 60 years of experience, is a heavyweight in the rimfire world, producing millions of rounds annually with ELEY Prime technology versus the spun brass that we’re typically used to here in the USA. The Super Extra Short 29gr is part of their  .22 Short lineup, a cartridge often overshadowed by the ubiquitous .22 LR but valued by homestead pest controllers for its low recoil, low cost, and low noise. Introduced to offer shooters a high-velocity, lightweight option for bolt-action rifles, this round promises tight groupings and sufficient power for pests and small game. Unlike hyper-velocity .22 LR loads like CCI Stinger, the Super Extra Short sticks to the shorter .22 Short case, prioritizing compatibility with bolt-action, single-shot, or manually operated firearms over semi-auto cycling.

Product Overview

Product Link: https://www.aguilaammo.com/products/22-super-extra-short-high-velocity-copper-plated-solid-point

Looking for a low-recoil, high-velocity .22 Short round for your bolt-action rifle? Aguila’s Super Extra Short 29gr delivers consistent performance for pest control, small game, and plinking. Loaded with a 29-grain copper-plated round nose bullet, this ammo achieves a muzzle velocity of 1,095 fps, offering a flat trajectory and reliable ignition thanks to Aguila’s ELEY Prime technology.

• High-velocity .22 Short
• Optimized for bolt-action rifles
• Ideal for pests and small game
• Clean-burning with copper-plated bullets

Specs:

• Caliber: .22 Short
• Grain Weight: 29
• Bullet Style: Copper Plated Round Nose (CPRN)
• Muzzle Velocity: 1,095 fps (advertised, 24-inch barrel)
• Muzzle Energy: ~77 ft-lbs
• Ballistic Coefficient: ~0.080 (estimated)
• Package Quantity: 50
• Usage: Varmint, Small Game, Plinking
• Price: ~$4.50–$5.00 per box (~$0.09–$0.10 cpr, based on retail estimates)

Aguila Super Extra Short is a rare find in brick-and-mortar stores and can often be difficult to find even online. I managed to pick up a dozen or so 50-round boxes of this stuff a number of years back and since then, the packaging seems to have changed as well as a slight alteration of the name. This also seems to apply to some of their other offerings as well. Another small observation I made is that the “copper plating” (copper wash) seemed to be almost worn off or only lightly applied. That being said, I encountered no issues with cycling this oddball ammo out of the Henry .22 Lever Action.

Velocity Data

The first thing of note before we get into the velocity data marks a huge difference from other “short” ammo we’ve tested on TFB before, like .22 CB. Unlike CCI CB shorts, Agula Super Extra 29gr shorts are very loud. Make sure you wear hearing protection when using this ammo, as it is supersonic! According to our data, Aguila Super Extra Short out of the Henry lever action is consistently hitting over 1100 fps with a low-end outlier of 1,108 fps and a maximum velocity of 1,217 fps.

The smallest group I was able to put on paper at this distance with this gun was about an inch in size. I figure at 25 yards this is more than enough to nail a small pest animal without too much risk of missing - even with an iron-sighted rifle, your accuracy potential is probably much greater with a red dot or magnified optic. We can probably attribute most of this accuracy to the fact that the velocity data gave us a standard deviation of about 24fps, with my threshold for “good” being 20 or below.

Closing Thoughts

The Aguila Super Extra Short 29gr cartridge is pretty odd in the grand scheme of things. Its high-velocity design, combined with the traditional sub-sonic .22 short configuration, gives you a great option for pest control and small-game hunting with a decreased risk of overpenetration, which could prevent damage to your property or other livestock and animals. The ammo is also particularly good for shooters who value low recoil and affordability and could even serve as an even safer option for training new shooters. At roughly $0.09–$0.10 per round, it’s still a budget-friendly option that doesn’t skimp on reliability, thanks to Aguila’s ELEY Prime technology - to date, I’ve had zero dud .22 Super Extra Short rounds. However, its limitation to bolt-action firearms and very modest terminal ballistics compared to .22 LR loads like CCI Stinger or even plain 40-grain round nose mean it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution and any serious small game hunter will likely find themselves sticking to the high-velocity 40-grain hollow points versus this shrimpy gallery gun cartridge.

In my testing, the Super Extra Short 29gr proved consistent and accurate enough for its intended role, though it’s not without quirks—like the infamous “cat piss” smell of Aguila’s rimfire propellant, which might raise eyebrows at indoor ranges but I find it a refreshing change from the smell of CCI Mini-Mags. For rimfire enthusiasts looking to stock up on .22 Short ammo for their CZ, Ruger, or Savage bolt-action rifles, this round is great for backyard plinking too, although it is not often available on your local shelves or in stock at any of the bigger online retailers.