.22s...LR or WMR?

[Nashmack]

I have two .22s (LR), and next week I should be getting my first .22 Mag. Which do you prefer? I'll probably be taking the Mag coyote hunting as soon as I get my hunter safety out of the way, and my long rifles always come with me when I go to the range. Is the mag a proper plinking utensil, or strictly a serious hunting tool, in your opinion?

 

[GunLocators]

Both have thier place. I perfer the LR cheap to shoot and highly accurate if setup correctly

 

[Nashmack]

I just picked up an old Sears bolt action 22LR for $50, and promptle put an entire brick through a 1 inch diameter hole at 25 yards on the indoor range

 

[rangerruck]

you need to test all available 22wmr rounds that you can possibly get, to test for accuracy. You will usually only find a couple of mfgrs for you 22wmr that will shoot an inch at 50 , so test them all!

 

[scotjute]

I prefer the .22 WMR. Bullets are light-weight and relatively cheap compared to centerfire. You get a slightlly more powerful round that shoots flatter farther. But then I probably only put 100-200 rounds a year thru it on average.

 

[dfaugh]

FWIW, I've always considered the .22 Mag to be a longer range .22LR.

OK for small game, but inadequate for something the size of a coyote, unless it at pretty short range (which doesn't happen much, they're pretty wary)...I was considering one for coyote, but decided to just use .22LR for small stuf and buy a .22-250 for coyote, and larger-type varmints.

 

[danurve]

I love a good 22lr semi.
But I also love my 22wmr bolt.
To me it is more of a hunter for larger small game such as racoons, possum, & fox. With the select correct ammo it can also double up as a squirrel machine.

From left to right - 22wmr pulls from soaked phone book penetration test.
Win 34gr supremes | Rem 40gr psp | Win 40gr jhp

fall grey squirrel hunt
grey fox

When I had camp I took out quite a few possums with the supremes because I wanted an accurate explosive evil round. The racoons usually required the hard hitting & expanding jhp. The psp being 22wmr does not expand as a psp would in centerfire but for 22wmr it saves on small gave and can take a fox.
To good shooting.

 

[adaman04]

I love my Marlin 60, but I want a Marlin 983S really bad! The laminate stock and SS finish just get me all riled up.

 

[gazpacho]

I'd plink with 50BMG if I could afford it.

 

[Nashmack]

I had the opportunity to test fire a Savage boltie in .22WMR today, and I'm impressed...anyone have any thoughts on the CCI Maxi Mags? I've used the Mini Mags since I first started shooting, and I know that CCI makes a very good product, but I've had absolutely no experience with their Maxi Mags.

 

[c_yeager]

I prefer LR for a plinking round. It is so much cheaper and 22lr rifles have been among the most accurate and fun weapons that I have ever fired. There is nothing wrong with 22mag, i just consider it to be more of a hunting round than.

 

[Poodleshooter]

I prefer .22lr for cheap plinking,and use .223 for anything that the lr won't handle. Since I reload,even softpoint .223 is much cheaper to shoot than .22 magnum is. I have the same reason for not owning a .17 HMR or HM2.
All of the rimfire magnums fill a good niche if you don't reload or local laws prohibit centerfires.

 

[ArmedBear]

I think the WMR is a dubious round, unless you have a particular hunting application, like rabbits, or you specifically want a quieter round. For small varmints, the .17 HMR shoots flatter and kills just as dead. And you can get some hot .22LR rounds that are approach WMR velocity and energy, for occasional use.

WMR is just plain too expensive for what it is, especially since you can't reload it, IMHO.

For the same price as WMR, you can get .223 plinking ammo; for a little more you can get name-brand varmint .223 ammo. .22-250, etc., are more expensive, but centerfires are reloadable. .22 centerfires are more suited to coyotes, and certainly will give you a lot more range. And in between, they can be incredibly accurate if you want to shoot beer cans at 400 yards. Furthermore, some state laws limit what you can hunt with any rimfire round.

That said, the new Savage with the Accu-trigger is a helluva rimfire rifle for cheap, no matter which caliber you're considering!