22 magnum

[tango3065]

Hey guys i'm wanting a new rifle and have pretty well decided on a 22 magnum since I have never owned one. It will be just a fun gun and a little every once in a while varmit killer ,walmart has a nice marlin bolt for 169.00 nice checkering and blue since all my other rifles are stainless im going for blue . Does anyone own one of these if so whats the opinions on it or the opinions on the 22 mag, how is it for accuracy and range and also how would it do for head shots on yotes. Thanks

 

[Steve in PA]

I've got a Marlin 882 bolt action .22mag...........great little rifle.....and accurate too. Took a fall turkey last year with one. Mine absolutely loves Winchester .22mag ammo.

 

[ojibweindian]

I have a Marlin 25MN that wears a cheapo Simmons 8pt. At 50 yards, I am getting just under 0.5 inches off a makeshift rest, and that is using CCI Maxi.

 

[Sactown]

You might want to consider the .17HMR instead of the .22WMR. I think they .17 does a little better at long range. Ammo is about the same cost now that there are more mfgs.

 

[buttrap]

I would stick with the 22 mag, the HV load is almost as fast as the .17 but hits 10 times harder. IF you shoot that .17 over your dog and he farts that slug will try to go to mexico...

 

[Swamprabbit]

I have a Marlin 25NM that I gave about $120 for a few years ago. Although the trigger is a little stout, it always shoots 1" or better at 100yds with the standard Winchester hollowpoint ammo. This rifle has taken a bunch of unsuspecting squirrels and a couple of groundhogs - all with head shots. I have had a Kimber and other brands of 22mags but this Marlin is my favorite - go figure.

As for the .17, it has been my experience that the dog comment above is quite accurate.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

I have a .22 Mag Savage 93GL. The round can be quite accurate, and is generally cheaper than the .17 HMR. The Marlins are also nice rifles.

The .17 has a flatter trajectory and by all accounts is scary accurate, but it is much more sensitive to wind than .22 WMR. .22 Mag is also more widely avaible currently than .17 HMR.

Depending on where and what you buy, .22 Mag runs about $5 to $8 per 50. Most places I've seen selling .17 HMR it's about $9 - $12/50.

 

[Snowdog]

After buying my Remington 597, I have developed great respect for the .22WMR. The same week I bought mine, I shot a chicken-killing coyote at full run. The performance of the 597 and results of the ammunition were outstanding, far better than I ever expected from a rimfire.

My chosen round for small game is Remington's 40gr JSP. Below are the results of a Rem. 40gr JSP and CCI Maxi-Mag 40gr FMJ against Playdough.

 

[DougCxx]

...The .17 has a flatter trajectory and by all accounts is scary accurate, but it is much more sensitive to wind than .22 WMR. .22 Mag is also more widely available currently than .17 HMR....

- Ummmm..... no, not really. Under 150 yards the 17hmr suffers less windage than a 22wmr, because the 17hmr gets there so much faster that it spends less time in the wind. Out to 150 yards, a 17hmr rifle is more accurate and flatter than a comparable-quality 22wmr. The 17hmr's accuracy turns worse than the 22wmr somewhere between 150 and 200 yards. This comparison is rather meaningless however unless you pick one 22WMR load--comparing the 17 to the velocity of the fastest 22wmr, and then comaring the accuracy of the 17 to the heaviest 22wmr is cheating, since you can't fire that heavy 22wmr bullet that fast....!
- The 22WMR is still better for hitting animals though, because the 17 doesn't expand reliably at 150 yards, and doesn't do much damage if it doesn't expand. And the 22wmr does have more choices for ammo--the 17 still only has one load, maybe two out now I think. Ammo shops in my area (central US) have no problems getting 17hmr ammo now.
- And 17 ammo costs more than most 22wmr, but the difference is not that great in most instances--> ~$10 vs ~$8, if you are comparing the two including considering accuracy. There is cheap 22wmr ammo for $5-$6, but that stuff is low-quality junk that won't shoot straight--where any of the 17hmr ammo is very accurate even in cheaper guns. Go find 22wmr ammo that can shoot a half-inch at 100 yds, and then start comparing prices.
~

 

[David4516]

.22 WMR...

.22 WMR is proably the best rimfire round out there. I honestly don't understand the hype with the .17 HMR.

My NEF .22 WMR is my most accurate rifle. It likes this ammo:

http://www.midwayusa.com/rewriteaproduct/191017

 

[Mannlicher]

My old Marlin 782 bolt gun in .22 Mag is a wonderful little rifle. I bought it in a pawn shop for $75.

With CCI ammo, and a Weaver K4 scope, I get consistant groups tight enough for squirrels. I have taken squirrel out to 75 yards, and rabbits out to 100 yards.

Personally, I don't think the .22 Mag is enough gun for humane kills on coyotes though.

 

[Snowdog]

Personally, I don't think the .22 Mag is enough gun for humane kills on coyotes though.

It wouldn't be my first choice for coyote either, but if that's what you've got in your hands when you come across one, it will do the job (as I can attest to).

In my situation, what was to be a "show-n-tell" of my new purchase and perhaps pop off a few rounds for accuracy turned out to be the day a friend and I finally found what killed a few of his chickens a few days before, or a logical assumption anyway (it was broad daylight, so it's questionable).

Two shots at 30-50 yards, two hits, one dead coyote and more damage than I would have expected from any rimfire. I remember that day fondly.

Though this particular kill was as humane as one could expect in a non-controlled shoot (near instant), I don't want anyone to suspect I recommend it for coyote either.

 

[SodaPop]

IF you shoot that .17 over your dog and he farts that slug will try to go to mexico...