.22 mag

I’ve got two handguns (Single Six and Taurus 941) and two rifles (Ruger American and Henry Lever) in .22 WMR. I read the earlier post saying that shooter has more FTF with the WMR. In my experience it’s the other way around and the LR has a higher number of FTF in both rifles and handguns... but that’s just me and mine and others will have different experiences with theirs.

I like shooting the WMR has round a lot more than the .22 LR for almost everything plinking and pest control wise... more pop, etc. But the .22LR is my go to for pot hunting small critters as my LR rifles are a bit more accurate and the LR doesn’t ruin as much meat with a body hit.

Stay safe.

jmr40 said:

I've had a few 22 mags over the years. If I were going back I'd consider another Ruger Single Six that comes with both cylinders. I no longer have one though. I find it either too much gun, or not enough. A 22 LR does everything I need done with a 22 rimfire. And a 223 in a centerfire costs less to shoot and does a lot more.

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Only if all you use is steel jacketed ammo.

I've got four .22WMR firearms. I started with Heritage Rough Rider that came with .22LR and .22WMR cylinders. Since then I've added a Ruger American Rimfire (bolt action, 9 rd rotary mag), a CZ 512 semiauto and, most recently, an RIA 1911 XT-22M. They're all fun to shoot, surprisingly accurate and not particularly finicky about ammo brands.

The 22 WMR is my go-to gun around the farm for pest control, hunting, and general woods bumming and possibly my favorite rim-fire cartridge. I have 2 rifles in WMR, a Marlin bolt action with 3.5x10 Bushnell rimfire scope for the longer shots, and a Henry H001M carbine. The carbine comes out more often as it's lighter and easier to carry, and it holds 7 more shots than the Marlin. Also have a HRR 6.5" with it's permanently installed WMR cylinder for those days when I can't carry my carbine (i.e.; on the tractor or while fishing). The RR is accurate enough that I can hit a possum-sized target at 15 yards, and that's plenty good enough for me. It isn't the prettiest revolver ever made, but it's dead-nuts reliable and will get the job done when needed. These 3 guns do the majority of the pest control around the farm, and have performed supremely well in that aspect. The WMR cartidge punches above it's weight, and for it's size is quite devastating. I have used mine for small game hunting, mostly squirrel and rabbit, and haven't observed any un-due meat damage or waste, provided I make a good shot. On the larger varmints (groundhogs, possums, etc) who cares? You most likely aren't gonna eat them anyway. Hogs and feral dogs don't stand a chance either when confronted with WW's 40 grn semi-jacketed hp round. I have also used CCI's sgb to good effect on the larger critters. It gives good expansion and penetration, though sometimes on the larger hogs it doesn't pass completely through. Honestly, I can't say enough good things about the cartridge.

But with the good comes the bad, too. One downside to the magnum is ammo cost. While the guns themselves are quite a bit cheaper than a comparative center-fire rifle, the ammo is pricey. Figure half again to twice the cost of 22 LR, depending on your location. The 22 mag isn't a "plinking" gun for this reason. Which leads into another shortcoming: since the WMR is "hotter" the the LR, you can expect the barrel of your gun to heat up faster. And when that barrel gets hot, like really hot, your accuracy suffers immensely. After just 24 shots (2 magazines) of WMR in the Henry, even slow firing, the barrel is so hot you can't touch it. So, when sighting in any 22 magnum it's best to take one shot, wait a bit, and then take another. That usually keeps the barrel cooler. Three shot groups generally are ok, and 5 can be acceptable. Any more than that and they'll start to "walk", in my experience. Finally, there's the ammo itself. Some WMR's can be finicky regarding ammo. Luckily mine aren't. But for example, my dad's old Marlin only likes WW hp's; My brother's (nearly identical) Marlin won't shoot 'em for beans, but he can get 5 shots in a dime at 50 yards with CCI hp's, while my (also nearly identical) Marlin bolt action will put 5 shots inside a quarter at 50, with most any 40 grain ammo. It doesn't shoot the 30 grain fodder nearly so well, but 1 to 1.5" groups are possible with it. My Henry will put whatever you feed it into about 1.5" groups at 25 yards; they open up a bit at 50 but are still under 2" until the barrel gets hot, then it can get squirrelly. Is this acceptable? For me, with my aging eyes and un-steady hands, it certainly is. For others here, perhaps not; That's for you to judge.

Having said all that, I leave you with this: the 22 WMR is one the finest small game cartridges available today. In the right gun with the right load, it is supremely accurate. It packs enough power to down game up to wild hog size, and could even be employed as a self-defense weapon should the need arise. So, why not try the Heritage RR? For the price it's cheap enough, and you can find out for sure whether or not you really want to spend the extra money on a "better" 22 WMR. Time will tell, but I feel certain that if you get your hands on one magnum, it won't be long until you want another.

Mac

About ten years ago i bought a left hand Savage model 93 rifle to hunt hogs on government property where centerfire rifles are illegal outside deer season. The rifle wears a 4X Redfield Widefield scope. The Accu Trigger is great and the rifle is very accurate.

HRR with 22 WMR cylinder is my go to for plinking and varmint control.

I carry my S&W Model 18 with the 22 mag cylinder when scouting and woods walking. It packs more punch than a 22 long rifle. My predator hunting rifle is a T/C contender carbine in 22 mag. It drops our new england coyotes pretty well with a shot to the boiler room. Oh by the way, In my home state of CT (the unconstitutional state) you cannot use a rifle larger than a .22 rim fire on state forest land. So my choice for predator hunting is the .22 mag or a muzzle loader in .32 or 35 caliber with Patched round ball. The .36 is the largest muzzleloader permitted on state land.

I have a Ruger SS (old model- 3 screw). Ruger offered to check the timing, add a transfer bar & set me up w/a new 22 Mag cylinder (they never said for how much).
Based on advice received here on HR I changed my mind about adding the transfer bar but still wondered if was worth paying for the 22 Mag cylinder.
Then a friend told me what he paid for 22 Mag ammo & that did it.
Why is it so darn expensive?

Why is it so darn expensive?

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Because it has 2.5 to 3 times as much powder and comes with a real jacketed bullet and not a soft lead plated bullet (except that crappy CCI plated stuff) like a 22lr round. The 22 mag has more energy at 100 yards from a rifle than a 22lr from a rifle has at the muzzle. Its a more expensive round to make and doesn't sell in the volume that 22lr sells in. My bud got a new burn barrel and wanted some holes shot it for ventilation. I used a 22 mag and every round shot through both sides of the barrel. I also shot a 22lr from a rifle and not one single round made it through both sides. I wish he had of had another barrel or two to set behind the first barrel so I could have seen how many barrels it would go through.

I have two single six guns with mag cylinders and two Marlin bolts, a 783 walnut and blued I bought new in 1982 for $115 from WM and an 883 I bought from a pawn shop for $135 OTD. Its stainless and laminate. Both shoot 1.25" to 1.5" groups. I prefer Winchester 40gr or Armscor 40gr loads. They both shoot to the same POI at 100 yards. I like the heavier bullets over the lightweight 33gr bullets.

I have 5,500 rounds on hand. Sportsmans Guide had a sale on the Armscor for $5.65 a box and free shiiping with the buyers clud. I bought 4,000 rounds. No its not really a plinking round. Its a round that was designed for hunters looking at game larger than the usuall 22lr game. You want to use it on squirrels and rabbits? Then make head shots. Thats what I do with regular 22 shots. I only do body shots with an air rifle on animals that small.

My bud and I were shooting turtles in his pond last weekend with ruger single sixes. He couldn't find his 22 cylinder so used the 22 mag. Shooting side by side there is no doubt the 22 mag is a big step up in power over the 22. I don't care for a 22 mag snub. Too much blast. I would rather use one of my S&W 32 longs or the just as loud 32 mag snub. But thats just me.

I would love to add a Henry 22 mag lever gun to my collection but right now health issues have me sitting on my money till I see what my heart cath finds out. My bud mentioned earlier had a Winchest 22 mag and I used to hand throw clay pidgeons for him and he would shoot them out of the air. I even did it a time or two. He hates himself for ever selling that rifle. I hate him too.

While we're on the topic of 22 magnums and Ruger single 6's I just chrono'd my single 6 convertible yesterday with the 22 Mag. cylinder in it to compare it to results from a previous chronograph session with the 22lr cylinder. CCI 22 Magnum "TNT Green" 30 gr. HP's clocked an average of 1503 fps from the gun while regular CCI Blazer 40 gr 22lr's did an average of 1164 fps. That's a difference of 339 fps in favor of the 22 Mag. although it does have 10 grains less bullet weight than the 22 lr.. It's interesting being able to fire both 22 lr & 22 Magnum from the same gun and while I'm real familiar with shooting 22lr handguns I haven't done that much with the 22 Mag.; as about 3 years ago when I got it, the 22 Mag. ammo was still kind of expensive. This is the first year that the gun will get a good amount of use with 22 Magnums and it's very interesting for someone like me with little 22 Mag. experience.

Now pick up a 22 mag rifle to go with your handgun. I promise you will like it. For many years now my bud has killed a spring turkey with his Marlin 883 in 22 mag. Birds drop where they stand. He shoots them high in the back and its dinner time.

TTv2 said:

One thing I don't like with .22 Mag is that I notice a lot more FTF's with it vs .22 LR. Idk if it's the particular ammo I'm shooting or if the brass in the rim is thicker or if there's something wrong with all of my .22 Mag revolver cylinders, but there are times I can go 100 rds with .22 LR and get no failures, but do that with .22 Mag and it's a guarantee 5 of them are not going off. Thankfully in a revolver I just go to the next chamber, but in something like the PMR 30, especially if it was when I'm on the clock in a competition or in a defense situation, that's a critical failure.

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Hmmmm....

I see just the reverse....22lr is made by the billions, and for what it is QC is pretty darn good....real good if it is not banged around.....but there are some duds in there from time to time.

22mag on the other hand is not made in anything close to those amounts and it seems they are a little better just all the way around. Chrono seems to back this up as well.

fpgt72 said:

Hmmmm....

I see just the reverse....22lr is made by the billions, and for what it is QC is pretty darn good....real good if it is not banged around.....but there are some duds in there from time to time.

22mag on the other hand is not made in anything close to those amounts and it seems they are a little better just all the way around. Chrono seems to back this up as well.

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With .22 Mag, the bullets are better made, they're actually jacketed, not plated, and the bullets are crimped more solidly in the case. Powder amounts are definitely more consistent than bulk stuff and other cheap .22 is.

Dunno what to tell you, but I just notice way more failures with .22 Mag. Not feed issues or ejection issues, just straight up click, no bang. I'm guessing it could be that due to the length of the .22 Mag case the priming compound pellets that get dropped in it before being liquefied and spun get hung up and the compound never gets down to where it can be forced into the rim. I've had good quality brand name .22 Mag ammo where I've rotated the case 90 degrees in the chamber, had 4 firing pin strikes on it, and didn't fire.

.22 LR I've had that happen, but with .22 Mag it's more frequent.

TTv2 said:

With .22 Mag, the bullets are better made, they're actually jacketed, not plated, and the bullets are crimped more solidly in the case. Powder amounts are definitely more consistent than bulk stuff and other cheap .22 is.

Dunno what to tell you, but I just notice way more failures with .22 Mag. Not feed issues or ejection issues, just straight up click, no bang. I'm guessing it could be that due to the length of the .22 Mag case the priming compound pellets that get dropped in it before being liquefied and spun get hung up and the compound never gets down to where it can be forced into the rim. I've had good quality brand name .22 Mag ammo where I've rotated the case 90 degrees in the chamber, had 4 firing pin strikes on it, and didn't fire.

.22 LR I've had that happen, but with .22 Mag it's more frequent.

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You must have some very old or very crappy ammo. I've never once, in all the years of shooting magnums, had a 22 WMR cartridge fail to fire. Ever. For that matter, I've only had a few 22 LR's fail to fire, and most of those were because the gun I was shooting was extremely dirty.

Mac

Charlie Martinez said:

Why is it so darn expensive?

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Ratshooter said:

Because it has 2.5 to 3 times as much powder and comes with a real jacketed bullet and not a soft lead plated bullet (except that crappy CCI plated stuff) like a 22lr round. The 22 mag has more energy at 100 yards from a rifle than a 22lr from a rifle has at the muzzle. Its a more expensive round to make and doesn't sell in the volume that 22lr sells in.

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I think it's much more that last phrase. I don't have any statistics on actual 22 LR ammo sales vs 22 Mag, but looking at any gun catalog we get sent by distributors, the number of .22 LR guns offered for sale is probably at least 3-1 LR vs Mag.

TTv2 said:

One thing I don't like with .22 Mag is that I notice a lot more FTF's with it vs .22 LR. Idk if it's the particular ammo I'm shooting or if the brass in the rim is thicker or if there's something wrong with all of my .22 Mag revolver cylinders, but there are times I can go 100 rds with .22 LR and get no failures, but do that with .22 Mag and it's a guarantee 5 of them are not going off. Thankfully in a revolver I just go to the next chamber, but in something like the PMR 30, especially if it was when I'm on the clock in a competition or in a defense situation, that's a critical failure.

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TTv2 said:

With .22 Mag, the bullets are better made, they're actually jacketed, not plated, and the bullets are crimped more solidly in the case. Powder amounts are definitely more consistent than bulk stuff and other cheap .22 is.

Dunno what to tell you, but I just notice way more failures with .22 Mag. Not feed issues or ejection issues, just straight up click, no bang. I'm guessing it could be that due to the length of the .22 Mag case the priming compound pellets that get dropped in it before being liquefied and spun get hung up and the compound never gets down to where it can be forced into the rim. I've had good quality brand name .22 Mag ammo where I've rotated the case 90 degrees in the chamber, had 4 firing pin strikes on it, and didn't fire.

.22 LR I've had that happen, but with .22 Mag it's more frequent.

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I have never had a FTF in .22WMR with my Marlin 883 and I've shot a lot of different brands of ammo thru it. I have, however, had problems with both of my Ruger revolvers. My LCR and LCRx .22WMR despise Winchester ammo....especially the Winchester in the white box from Walmart. A few years ago, with my LCR, I was having problems with multiple misfires and spent cartridges jamming in the cylinder. It was so bad that I had to tap on the ejector rod with a wooden mallet to get the empty casings out of it. With that same gun I did not have any problems with CCI or Federal ammo either in firing or ejection. Being as I wanted a gun that wasn't finicky regardless of any ammo I put in it, I sent the LCR back to Ruger. During the course of its stay at the mothership I received a call from a tech asking me if I would like him to upgrade the front site to the current offering. I took this opportunity to discuss the ammo issue I was having with it and what they had found out. He told me that they had installed a new cylinder, crane and firing pin. He said the majority of the FTF issues they received were from using Winchester ammo. I did notice when I received the gun back that the firing pin did seem to protrude out a little farther. Suffice to say, it has seen over 1000 rounds since without a single misfire and every spent cartridge ejects. I have not fed it any Winchester ammo nor will I. I had similar problems in my LCRx and they disappeared after I depleted my supply of Winchester ammo. I have found the Winchester white box to be filthy and poorly made ammo and now refuse to use it in any my firearms.

WheelGunMan said:

I have never had a FTF in .22WMR with my Marlin 883 and I've shot a lot of different brands of ammo thru it. I have, however, had problems with both of my Ruger revolvers. My LCR and LCRx .22WMR despise Winchester ammo....especially the Winchester in the white box from Walmart. A few years ago, with my LCR, I was having problems with multiple misfires and spent cartridges jamming in the cylinder. It was so bad that I had to tap on the ejector rod with a wooden mallet to get the empty casings out of it. With that same gun I did not have any problems with CCI or Federal ammo either in firing or ejection. Being as I wanted a gun that wasn't finicky regardless of any ammo I put in it, I sent the LCR back to Ruger. During the course of its stay at the mothership I received a call from a tech asking me if I would like him to upgrade the front site to the current offering. I took this opportunity to discuss the ammo issue I was having with it and what they had found out. He told me that they had installed a new cylinder, crane and firing pin. He said the majority of the FTF issues they received were from using Winchester ammo. I did notice when I received the gun back that the firing pin did seem to protrude out a little farther. Suffice to say, it has seen over 1000 rounds since without a single misfire and every spent cartridge ejects. I have not fed it any Winchester ammo nor will I. I had similar problems in my LCRx and they disappeared after I depleted my supply of Winchester ammo. I have found the Winchester white box to be filthy and poorly made ammo and now refuse to use it in any my firearms.

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None of the .22 Mag I shot was Winchester. Federal, Hornady, and Speer is what I shoot with .22 Mag.

Again, it's not like these FTF's are constant, they're just higher in frequency than .22 LR.

IME, if someone is having failures to fire with 22 Magnum, there's most likely an issue with the gun(s). Either that, or I have the best luck in the world with my ammo. I've only used Winchester, CCI, and mostly Hornady, but I've never had a FTF with a .22 Magnum (out of 2000 rounds or so).

And I'd say similar, only slightly less so for .22 LR. MOST of the FTFs that people experience are the gun, not the ammo. In my CZ rifles, I recall one .22 LR that I had to give a 2nd try (eject, reorient/reinsert into the chamber) out of the past approximately three thousand rounds I've fired. Ammo was a mix of Winchester, Federal, SK, Wolf, CCI, and GECO. Now, I had a 22 LR semi-auto pistol from the 1980s that had never had the hammer spring replaced that gave me some FTFs, but after replacing the spring that too was cut to essentially zero. If you are having more than one FTF out of 500 or so, I suggest you look to the gun, not the ammo. Or, buy different ammo.

Wheelgunman I have never heard of white box Winchester ammo. Mine is all a silver color with the Winchester logo. Maybe try some of that. One of the reasons I prefer the Winchester 40gr ammo is that it is accurate. The Armscor I mentioned will shoot to the same POA at 100 yards. Every other 22 mag ammo lands a couple of inches lower because it is not loaded as hot. Plus I like the real bullet that comes in Winchester and Armscor ammo. Not the cheap, soft, plated bullets that CCI forces on you. Those don't penetrate for crap. They just mash out and blow up.

I have had some problems with older Winchester ammo splitting cases. I have read others having the same thing. The 22 mag case is harder than a regular 22lr case. It has to be for the higher pressures. If the zinc to copper mix is not just right cases can split and it can take a bigger firing pin blow to crush the rim. I have never had a single misfire or split case with Armscor ammo. By the way Armscor loads 22 mag ammo for Fiochhi. Its has an excellent reputation with shooters.

To be fair I have never had a split case or misfire with CCI I can remember. I just don't like the mushy bullets and lower power. My bud had an AMT 22 mag auto and he said in the instructions said "that while CCI makes good ammo it is underpowered and may cause feeding problems". They recommended Winchester ammo way back then.

Ratshooter said:

The 22 mag case is harder than a regular 22lr case. It has to be for the higher pressures. If the zinc to copper mix is not just right cases can split and it can take a bigger firing pin blow to crush the rim.

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-I noticed this when I was using discarded brass of all types in some gun-based art projects for a college art class. I was piercing and stringing various types of rimfire brass to make windchime curtains and found that it was harder to punch through the base of .22 mag shells than through .22LR shells. I wasn't sure if they were thicker or harder, though.

Ratshooter...My bad! I meant gray box Winchester ammo!

Good Ol' Boy said:

I have a HRR with the .22lr / .22wmr cylinders and for $150 give or take it's an exceptional value. Well made and works well, however a target shooter it ain't. A very functional fun little plinker it is.

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I have the same and I too wouldn't expect to tear out bulleyes with it but it sure will drill cans. I bought mine to accompany me up into the attic of my current house shortly after moving as I thought I heard squirrel or something moving around. After a brief check and finding snake skin that had been shed, I decided to mosey back on down the ladder.

I was told to leave the snake/s be as they were likely looking for food (the kind that chews on wires) and afterwards, they would let themselves out. Turns out that's what happened.

Anyway, I was confident the .22WMR CCI shotshells would make a decent toothy-fur-covered-jumpy-thing repellent. I still do.

Another vote for the Single six with convertible cylinder. Mines an original from 1965, I believe. That magnum cylinder never get switched out.

I have a 4" S&W model 651 .22 magnum. I've owned it for 35 years now, have maybe 1000 rounds through it. Not my everyday gun by any means, but when out hiking or just walking in the field I often take it with me. Don't ever remember having any kind of failure with it. My Marlin 783 is only 15-20 years old. Its had a lot of ammo run though it, never had a ftf with it either.

This is the first scoped handgun I've ever held. I'm really an open iron sights guy. two of my double deuce rifles have scopes, but every other firearm I have is open iron sight equipped. Was very strange peering through a scope at arm's length.