5mm Remington Rimfire Magnum

The 5 mm Remington Rimfire Magnum or 5 mm RFM^[2] is a bottlenecked rimfire cartridge introduced by Remington Arms Company in 1969. Remington chambered it in a pair of bolt-action rifles, the Model 591 and Model 592, but this ammunition never became very popular, and the rifles were discontinued in 1974.^[3] About 52,000 rifles and 30,000 barrels for the T/C Contender pistol were sold during its brief production run. Remington discontinued the cartridge itself in 1982,^[3] leaving owners with no source of ammunition.^[4][5]

5 mm Remington Rimfire Magnum
5 mm RRM (left), .22 WMR (center) and .17 HMR (right).
Type	Rifle
Place of origin	United States
Production history
Designer	Remington Arms Company
Designed	1969
Manufacturer	Remington
Produced	1969–1973 (original production) 2008–present (current production)
Specifications
Case type	Rimmed, bottleneck
Bullet diameter	.204 in (5.2 mm)
Neck diameter	.225 in (5.7 mm)
Shoulder diameter	.259 in (6.6 mm)
Base diameter	.259 in (6.6 mm)
Rim diameter	.325 in (8.3 mm)
Rim thickness	.050 in (1.3 mm)
Case length	1.020 in (25.9 mm)
Overall length	1.30 in (33 mm)
Primer type	Rimfire
Maximum pressure (SAAMI)	37,000 psi (260 MPa)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy 38 gr. (2.5 g) Lead 2,100 ft/s (640 m/s) 372 ft⋅lbf (504 J) 30 gr. (1.9 g) JHP 2,410 ft/s (730 m/s) 410 ft⋅lbf (560 J)
Source(s): "Cartridges of the World",[1]

In 2008, the cartridge was reintroduced by Aguila Ammunition in collaboration with Centurion Ordnance.^[6][7][8][9]

Design

Remington designed a completely new, bottlenecked case that was somewhat similar to the older .22 Winchester Magnum, but stronger to handle the higher pressure of the 5 mm (0.20 in) at 37,000 psi (260 MPa).^[2][10]

Between 1982 and 2008, no ammunition was being manufactured. Some firearms manufacturers even created conversion kits to allow the existing 5 mm guns to shoot other more-common cartridges.^[5]

At the 2008 SHOT Show, Aguila Ammunition announced it would reintroduce the cartridge and begin commercial production of 5 mm RFM ammunition. Until 2019, the cartridges were sold in the United States of America under the Centurion brand. In 2019, Aguila Ammunition announced the company now offered two 5 mm RFM loads: one with a semi-jacketed hollow point bullet and a second with a full jacketed hollow point bullet. Both loads use a 30 gr (1.9 g) projectile and have a muzzle velocity of 2,300 ft/s (700 m/s).^[11]

Performance

The 5 mm RRM offers higher velocity and more energy than the .22 WMR and the later .17 HMR.^[6] It offers improved performance on small game and for varmint hunting, along with excellent accuracy.^[1]

5 mm Performance Comparison^[2]

Weight (grains)	Name	Brand	Type	Velocity (ft/s)					Energy (ft⋅lbf)					Trajectory (in)
				0 yd	50 yd	100 yd	150 yd	200 yd	0 yd	50 yd	100 yd	150 yd	200 yd	0 yd	50 yd	100 yd	150 yd	200 yd
17 gr (1.1 g)	.17 HMR	Remington	AccuTip-V	2,550 ft/s (780 m/s)	2,380 ft/s (730 m/s)	1,900 ft/s (580 m/s)	1,620 ft/s (490 m/s)	1,378 ft/s (420 m/s)	245 ft⋅lbf (332 J)	185 ft⋅lbf (251 J)	136 ft⋅lbf (184 J)	99 ft⋅lbf (134 J)	72 ft⋅lbf (98 J)	0 in (0 cm)	+0.1 in (0.25 cm)	0 in (0 cm)	−2.6 in (−6.6 cm)	N/A
38 gr (2.5 g)	5 mm RFM	Remington	C.L. HP	2,100 ft/s (640 m/s)	N/A	1,605 ft/s (489 m/s)	1,400 ft/s (430 m/s)	N/A	372 ft⋅lbf (504 J)	N/A	217 ft⋅lbf (294 J)	165 ft⋅lbf (224 J)	N/A	0 in (0 cm)	N/A	0 in (0 cm)	−4.3 in (−11 cm)	N/A
33 gr (2.1 g)	.22 WMR	Remington	AccuTip-V	2,000 ft/s (610 m/s)	1,703 ft/s (519 m/s)	1,495 ft/s (456 m/s)	N/A	N/A	293 ft⋅lbf (397 J)	219 ft⋅lbf (297 J)	164 ft⋅lbf (222 J)	N/A	N/A	0 in (0 cm)	+0.6 in (1.5 cm)	0 in (0 cm)	−4.5 in (−11 cm)	N/A

5 mm Craig centerfire conversion

When Remington discontinued production of 5 mm RFM ammunition, owners of Remington 591 and 592 rifles were left with excellent rifles but no ammunition for them. In 1994, Mike Craig of Seattle, Washington began working on a centerfire conversion of the 5 mm RFM, called the 5 mm Craig.^[12][13]

Firearms chambered for 5 mm RRM

For a brief time, Thompson Center Arms offered firearms in 5 mm Mag.^[5]

At the 2008 SHOT show, Taurus International introduced the first handgun chambered for the 5 mm Remington Magnum Rimfire.^[14]

See also

• Rimfire ammunition
• List of rifle cartridges
• List of handgun cartridges
• Table of handgun and rifle cartridges
• 5 mm caliber