5.6x52mmR

The 5.6x52mmR cartridge was created by Charles Newton and produced by Savage Arms in 1912. It is also known as the .22 Savage High-Power and .22 "Imp", and is based upon the .25-35 Winchester cartridge necked down to accept a .227in/.228in diameter bullet.

Its inherent accuracy, relatively high velocity and "shocking" power led to an initial surge of popularity, and the "Imp" was attributed with almost magical killing powers even on large and dangerous soft-skinned game such as tigers. However, following a well-publicized spate of fatalities and severe injuries among big game hunters who had merely wounded their quarry with the "Imp's" small, speedy bullets, the cartridge rapidly fell out of favor with safari and deer hunters. Some small-pest shooters in the USA have continued to use it into the 21st century, although the caliber fell into gradual disfavor in the United States shortly after World War I.

No ammunition or mass-market rifle-making company in the U.S. currently (2007) produces the .22SHP either as a cartridge or a factory chambering. Norma (company), Sellier and Bellot (company), and Wolf Ammunition (company) (through their "gold" line) still manufacture ammunition for the European market, and export it to the U.S. In the 5.6x52mmR designation this cartridge remains significant among hunters in Europe, where it is often a chambering in drillings and similar combination guns.

Specifications
Bullet diameter:  .227" Case length:        52mm Loads: 70gr @ 3100fps