Which will be more accurate

Most likely the .22lr loaded with subsonic ammo, particularly match ammo.....Never saw any .22 magnum match ammo....rimfire benchrest guns are .22lr.

Match .22lr isn't cheap. 10-20 dollars per box is the going rate. It is made with better quality control and is lubed with a magic sauce that aids in accuracy.

My educated guess is the average .22 RF will be more accurate.

But only because it has about 75 years more development work behind it making match grade ammo for it.

The .22 WRF has always been considered a small game hunting round.
So not as much match grade ammo development has been done with it.

Nobody makes truly match grade pistols or ammo for it.

Not to say a typical .22 WRF revolver could not be more accurate with ammo it prefers then the best .22 ever made.

But it is not as likely to find a gun & ammo that will shoot well enough to win an Olympic level pistol match.

rc

Having owned comparable examples of both and tested them with all manner of ammunition, I'm going to part with the crowd and say that it will depend on variations between the two guns more than anything inherent in their respective chamberings. All .22Mag ammo is of high quality. There simply isn't any cheap plinking crap like there is for the .22LR. No, there isn't any "match" ammo made for it because the cartridge is not used in matches but there is some very good premium ammo on the market that is every bit as good as all but the best "match" .22LR ammo.

Yes, there are plenty of match grade guns in .22LR but those guns are made to higher standards. A pair of K-22's of similar vintage would be a fine apples to apples comparison because the two guns are made to the same standards. I guarantee many a wager on the .22LR would be lost. I had a 648 that shot 1"@50yds with standard 40gr WW loads and have yet to see another .22LR revolver that would do that without "Freedom Arms" stamped on the barrel.

If you get a group of 6 people with both guns and have everyone shoot a group at 50 yards with both guns, unless one is a real turd, I bet you be just as confused after as before, except you will understand that the shooter has far more impact on group size than caliber.

It is very, very uncommon for anyone to "work up" rimfire loads. The process instead is buy some of every different kind of ammunition you can and test it out. At one point I had more than 50 different .22 LR rounds for testing. Far more than I ever had in 22mag.

Just playing the odds it is more likely to find a better combination for accuracy with the LR.

At one time I owned an S&W M48 6" revolver and an identical M17 .22LR; both were pinned barrel models bought new. The M48 was unbelievably accurate and took squirrels easily. The M17 was equally accurate to the extent I was never able to best one over the other. And this was back in the 1970s when I was a Master Class crack shot. There is NO difference other than any differences caused by any particular revolver.

rcmodel said:

My educated guess is the average .22 RF will be more accurate.

But only because it has about 75 years more development work behind it making match grade ammo for it.

The .22 WRF has always been considered a small game hunting round.
So not as much match grade ammo development has been done with it.

Nobody makes truly match grade pistols or ammo for it.

Not to say a typical .22 WRF revolver could not be more accurate with ammo it prefers then the best .22 ever made.

But it is not as likely to find a gun & ammo that will shoot well enough to win an Olympic level pistol match.

rc

Click to expand...

rc, I think you are confusing the .22 WRF and the .22 WMR. The .22 WRF is an old rimfire cartridge from back in the 'Thirties or so, and was an excellent short range small game cartridge.

The .22 WMR (Winchester Magnum Rimfire) is a modern cartridge developing considerable higher velocities than either the .22 WRF or the .22 L.R.

For many years I squirrel hunted with a Ruger Single Six convertible with magnum cylinder and loaded with .22 WRF. These cartridges were larger than .22 L.R. and I handled them more easily with cold hands.

But to select between a .22 L.R. and a .22 WMR handgun would depend on your intended use. For target, plinking, or short range game, a .22 L.R. is the natural choice. But to extend that range, or for bigger critters, go with the .22 Magnum.


Incidentally, as to a match grade .22 WMR, Colt offered their Officers Model Target and Officers Model Special in that chambering.

Bob Wright

I know what it is.
And it dates back to 1890, 125 years ago.

It was a typo.

I have an 1890 Winchester in .22 WRF made in 1903, and enough ammo to last me the rest of my life.
I also have two or three rifles and handguns in .22 WMR.

Excuse my typing.

rc