Tell me about the .22 WMR

powder said:

I got to hunting the PMR-30s too late, but I started buying the ammo for em everytime we went to wally-world, amny years ago. Never could find a PMR-30 for less than 450 or so.

A Rem. 597 WMR HB came up locally and I snagged it. Went to rimfirecentral dot com for some sweet pointers on smoothing out the action, and I've forgotten all about a PMR....kind of...

Think of it as a baby .223

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If you don't mind me asking... How much did you pay for the Rem 597?

Mike1234567 said:

If you don't mind me asking... How much did you pay for the Rem 597?

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It came with a mounted Bush 4x scope at $300, 4 years ago IIRC...

In the "big picture" of guns vs. ammo. vs. pending legislation, it was relatively affordable, to me anyway. Certainly not a garage sale bargain that some look for...

When I was growing up in SE Utah in the late 50's, there was a govt. trapper who got rid of nuisance lions, bobcats, and yotes. The only weapon he carried was the 22wrf, until the mag came into being. With a well placed round, either was sufficient to get the job done.

xfyrfiter said:

When I was growing up in SE Utah in the late 50's, there was a govt. trapper who got rid of nuisance lions, bobcats, and yotes. The only weapon he carried was the 22wrf, until the mag came into being. With a well placed round, either was sufficient to get the job done.

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I can certainly see effectiveness for bobcat and coyote but for mountain lion I'd want something more potent.

All of the animals he killed were already in the trap, so could not get away. A mtn. lion is very strong for size and weight, but are also very thin skinned and thin skull to boot. He used the tools at hand, and the rifle I remember was a win. pump with octagonal bbl. I too would prefer larger maybe 30-30 for lion.

Gun show two weeks ago was the last time I saw 22 mag in person ... for $30 per 50 rounds. Thast three zero, thirty, dollars.

Im very upset. 22mag is one of my favorite cartridges, and there is no reason for its shortage. Its not a military cartridge, so there is zero risk of it every being banned or curtailed ... yet everyone is panic buying it and driving the price up to stupid levels.

Basically, a 22mag is at 100 yards what a 22LR is at the muzzle. It will do quite a bit if you do your part.

Funny thing is I recently sold all of my rimfire ammo. The .22 LR sold for 8.5-10.5 cents per round except for the CCI which sold for 30 cents per round. All the Hornady .22 WMR sold for 30 cents per round. I thought I did pretty well since I bought all of it 4-6 years ago but I'm seeing prices CONTINUE to rise. It's INSANE!! WHY would anyone shoot rimfire for the same price or higher than .223 Rem?? Yes, I know some folks are recoil sensitive and it's easier to teach kids to shoot .22 LR but... dang!!

Because I dont have a 223! Send me one and I will shoot it.

bflee said:

Because I dont have a 223! Send me one and I will shoot it.

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Point taken... but maybe you should sell your rimfire and buy a .223 Rem?

I used to have an AR but I sold it at the right time. I have thought about buying a 223 bolt soon. I still have some ammo. Its pretty cheap to shoot also, but the rifles are still a little bigger and heavier than the savage 93. I keep it on the golf cart and it works great for beaver, coyote, and crows and is so easy to manipulate. I am getting to that point though.

I hear ya'. I recently purchased a Savage Axis in .223 Rem w/ SS barrel and low-budget (but good enough) Bushnell scope for $350 delivered to my FFL. I think the chrome molly w/out scope was about $275 delivered. This Axis is far more accurate than any budget rifle has any right to be. It's also plenty beefy to shoot 5.56 NATO with no worries. Since I bought an AR in .223/5.56 I might sell the Axis but, frankly, I'm reluctant to let it go.

I am going to find me a model 10 or 12 with a good stock and bite the bullet I guess. I have a 12lrp and I am really pleased with it. Its a little much for the golf cart!

Its a 6.5 CM and weighs 15 pounds!

A 223 bolt gun with reduced loads. About 8.0 grains of Blue Dot pushing a 50gr hp to ~2000fps will get you there.

M

bflee said:

Its a 6.5 CM and weighs 15 pounds!

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The Axis weighs 6.5 pounds.

I have some magazines for the 597...bought by mistake

I just bought a Little Badger in .22 WMR and haven't even had the chance to try it out yet but I have always wanted a .22 WMR instead of a 17HMR because the .22 WMR has more killing power for hunting and it has enough accuracy.

earlier this year I bought a new savage 93 left hand 22mag as I am left handed and I love it but dang hate this ammo panic!!!

I have a Savage 93G that I picked up a year or so ago for a bit under $300 after taxes, etc. I mounted a Nikon Buckmaster I had laying around with 4-12X power. That and a cheap sling and that gun is a ton of fun with a box of 50 rounds. It is not a tack driver, but at 50 yards I can shoot tin cans all day long.

I've shot it at steel plates side by side with a 22LR gun and the 22WMR definitely has a bit more power behind it. Where a 22LR will just make a slight "tink" when it hits a steel plate, the 22WMR hits with some authority and sends the plate swinging, again at 50 yards. Out to 100 yards and it still hits a plate hard enough to swing it a bit.

I was lucky and picked up 500 rounds of CCI 22WMR a few years ago for a good price. That gives me enough to go shoot 50 rounds without too much concern. hopefully the ammo comes back around at some point.