.22 LR birdshot thru a .22 Magnum?

[Armybrat]

Of course I know shooting .22 LR bullets through a .22 Magnum does not work.
But is there any downside to running standard .22 LR birdshot through my North American .22 Magnum Mini revolver? Is is doable without any detriment to the little gun?

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Might end up with split brass, as the LR cartridge is a smaller diameter. But I can't see where it would likely damage the gun. Might have some extraction issues in a revolver because of this.

Might ruin incredibly dirty, since the brass likely won't seal properly. (I'm thinking bolt action, not revolver for this.)

And birdshot in a .22 will be less than normal chamber pressures for a .22 LR anyway.

Birdshot in a .22 isn't a very effective round anyway.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

AN ADDITION TO MY LAST:

Some .22 revolvers come with two cylinders to allow clambering either .22 WMR or standard .22 ammunition. If yours does, then use the correct cylinder.

I don't recommend firing cartridges in chambers not specifically designed for them, even though I may not believe any actual physical harm may result to user or hardware.

From an engineering standpoint, the two cartridges are not of the same physical dimensions. You can Google this and see. Rimfire is already more finicky than centerfire, and with the standard .22 being undersized for a .22 WMR chamber, you may have significant issues with misfires.

Misfires always represent a danger of "delayed firing", however small a possibility that may be (which is why your supposed to wait after a misfire to see if this happens, before attempting to clear it). Imagine rotating the cylinder to the next shot and then having the previous misfire go off. Or opening the cylinder and then having it go off.

 

[TonyAngel]

I don’t think it’ll work. The casing in a 22lr is the same diameter of the bullet. The casing on a 22 mag is larger in diameter. I don’t even know that the firing pin will get enough of a bite on the primer ring to make it go off. Primer strikes occur at the top of the rim and the under size of the lr round will leave it resting at the bottom of the chamber. I suppose you could shoot it upside down.

on another note, there could be unintended consequences often associated with firing the wrong bullet from a gun. Why don’t you just get some 22mag shot shells?

 

[horsey300]

I don’t think it’ll work. The casing in a 22lr is the same diameter of the bullet. The casing on a 22 mag is larger in diameter. I don’t even know that the firing pin will get enough of a bite on the primer ring to make it go off. Primer strikes occur at the top of the rim and the under size of the lr round will leave it resting at the bottom of the chamber. I suppose you could shoot it upside down.

on another note, there could be unintended consequences often associated with firing the wrong bullet from a gun. Why don’t you just get some 22mag shot shells?

AN ADDITION TO MY LAST:

Some .22 revolvers come with two cylinders to allow clambering either .22 WMR or standard .22 ammunition. If yours does, then use the correct cylinder.

I don't recommend firing cartridges in chambers not specifically designed for them, even though I may not believe any actual physical harm may result to user or hardware.

From an engineering standpoint, the two cartridges are not of the same physical dimensions. You can Google this and see. Rimfire is already more finicky than centerfire, and with the standard .22 being undersized for a .22 WMR chamber, you may have significant issues with misfires.

Misfires always represent a danger of "delayed firing", however small a possibility that may be (which is why your supposed to wait after a misfire to see if this happens, before attempting to clear it). Imagine rotating the cylinder to the next shot and then having the previous misfire go off. Or opening the cylinder and then having it go off.

Of course I know shooting .22 LR bullets through a .22 Magnum does not work.
But is there any downside to running standard .22 LR birdshot through my North American .22 Magnum Mini revolver? Is is doable without any detriment to the little gun?

It will work in the sense that the primer will ignite, the shot will leave the barrel, and if you're within range, the snake will die. Past that, expect the casings to split and be hard to extract, and slower impacts from the bore being larger. In a pinch during snake season? Sure, habitually? No.
(I've been in a pinch and am speaking from experience though the revolver used at the time was an h&r 6(ish)")

 

[Bfh_auto]

Like horsey 300 said, it will go bang.
You lose most of the little power you have because of energy used expanding the brass and the bullet doesn't seal in the chamber.
You can buy 22 mag shot shells if you really want to shoot them.

 

[Walkalong]

You can do it, it may split the case, and it isn't very effective, even less than .22 Mag shot in the same gun. The first time I shot a snake with .22 Mag rat shot I did some trading for a .44 Spl the next gun show. (Not the .22 Mag, still have it.)

 

[mnrivrat]

NO ! They make bird shot in .22 mag. Buy the correct ammo for the chambering of your gun. Previous posters are not wrong regarding what may or may not happen to the gun, but it is always wrong to not use the correct ammo for the guns chambering. The only exception would be in the case of emergency and depending on what ammunition you are looking to shoot in what chambering. In the OP's case with no emergency the correct answer is NO, A ruptured case is almost a guarantee, and brass spitting out of the back of the chamber on such a small gun can do the shooter harm if not the gun.

 

[herrwalther]

The most reported issue of shooting .22LR in a 22WMR on a NAA revolver is splitting the case. Normally not a big deal, it will make extracting the cases more difficult. And likely dirtier, so it will need to be cleaned more often than when shooting regular 22WMR cases. From the FAQ Can I fire .22 Shorts/.22 LR in a Magnum cylinder? No! WMR (Magnum) cartridges have an incrementally larger diameter because the brass fits around the bullet. .22 LR bullets have a ridge cut into them, so the brass is even with the top part of the bullet. While Shorts and LRs can physically be placed into the chambers of a WMR cylinder (but you’ll notice a sloppy fit), it is not safe to do so, as the brass case may split when fired.

Another option is to purchase a .22LR cylinder from NAA. The costly issue is you will have to send them your NAA in order for them to time the new cylinder correctly. There are cylinders for sale on sites like eBay, but you run a bigger risk of problems.

Can I order additional cylinders?
"Absolutely. LR-frame guns can have additional LR cylinders; Magnum-frame guns (including the Black Widow and Mini-Master) can accommodate either LR or WMR cylinders, regardless of their original configuration (some people originally order BWs and MMs in LR only). However, we require that the gun be returned to us so that we can assure ourselves, as well as you, that the gun is properly timed. The necessary (and absolute) alignment of the chambers with the gun’s bore is critical and often requires a little tweaking of the cylinder star &/or hand &/or bolt.

The cheapest option is to get 22 Mag birdshot. CCI is the main source for that.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1002034959

 

[Deus Machina]

Question: would it be possible to cut the rims off some fired .22 magnum and slip the LR cases into those, as a spacer? Assuming the firing pin gets enough purchase.

Of course buying the correct ammunition is the best and easiest way, I'm just thinking along 'no other option' lines.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Question: would it be possible to cut the rims off some fired .22 magnum and slip the LR cases into those, as a spacer? Assuming the firing pin gets enough purchase.

Of course buying the correct ammunition is the best and easiest way, I'm just thinking along 'no other option' lines.

OK, don't take this the wrong way, but this is starting to get silly.

No, you can't do this. The dimensions just ain't gonna work, not to mention all the time and effort you'd put into it trying to make a lost cause work..."no other option" aside.

HOWEVER...let's back up a bit and discuss "birdshot" in .22 caliber in the first place.

Long, long ago, in a childhood long gone, my first rifle was a Marlin 783 bolt action .22 WMR. I could not even BEGIN to count the thousands of rounds I put through that gun.

Yes, I tried .22 WMR shot shells through it, as well. 'Cause, you know...who wouldn't, right?

They worked fine, functionally speaking. Pull the trigger, it goes "BANG!", chambered and ejected great.

HOWEVER...they were somewhat less than effective. At any real distance (meaning more than a very, VERY few feet from the muzzle, they simply weren't ethical to use against critters. If you were ridiculously close, you'd probably kill small critters. Like the chipmunks all along the hillside at my cousin's house. But you'd have to be really good to sneak up close enough to be that effective.

What is more likely to happen is you'd injure the little buggers and they'd run off. Perhaps to die later, perhaps to live on, only with tiny little beads of "birdshot" in them which were really not much bigger than large grains of sand. They are #12 shot size, which is 0.05 inches in diameter.

Shooting shot through a rifled barrel also produces really bad spread patterns vs. distance. This means shot shells are really much better suited for smooth bore rather than rifled barrels.

Shooting shot shells through pistol barrels? Even more dismal performance.

The typical proclaimed use for shot shells is as a defensive "snake round".

BUT...here's the deal with snakes:

If you have the time to shoot a snake "defensively", you have time to walk away. Or use a walking stick to discourage them while you walk away.

Snakes aren't going to "stalk" you as you actually represent more of a danger to the snake due to your size. Snake bites are typically the result of "stumbling upon" one.

So, for snakes, dress appropriately such that snake bites are less likely to be effective, be observant, and carry a walking stick.

Now, if you're going to intentionally shoot snakes for some reason (varmints, venomous snakes on your property, whatever), don't screw around with it. Head shoot them with a proper bullet or shotgun shell and be done with it.

ALL THAT SAID:

Shooting is FUN. And certainly shooting different types of ammunition is also fun. So, by all means, experiment. Buy snakeshot rounds and shoot them, see what kinds of patterns you get at various distances, shoot different types of targets at different ranges (paper, soda cans, etc.). Do it safely (wear PPE, use the correct ammo for the gun, etc.).

 

[Bfh_auto]

Question: would it be possible to cut the rims off some fired .22 magnum and slip the LR cases into those, as a spacer? Assuming the firing pin gets enough purchase.

Of course buying the correct ammunition is the best and easiest way, I'm just thinking along 'no other option' lines.

That's a bad idea. It mold make it more likely to actually blow a case head, because it wouldn't be a perfect fit on the rim and would build more pressure than the preciously mentioned bad ideas.
Birdshot shells don't really work for what people envision using them for anyway.

 

[12Bravo20]

Another thing to take into consideration. If you shoot enough birdshot through a rifled barrel, it will lead up the rifling. Yes it takes a lot of birdshot and no cleaning to do so, but it does happen.

My Grampa had my dad's old single shot 22 that my dad bought as a kid. Grampa shot mostly birdshot in that rifle for decades. When Grampa passed , dad took the rifle out to shoot some 22lr in it and found it very inaccurate. That's when I mentioned to him about Grampa shooting birdshot all the time. Sure enough, a good cleaning got all the lead shot out of the rifling.

With that said.

OP just get/use 22WMR birdshot in a 22 WMR rifle and leave the 22 birdshot for the 22lr. And if you shoot birdshot, clean clean clean your gun!