I started shooting 22 mag over 40 years ago and the round performed well on crows, and small game. Mossberg 640K chuckster was well named and the round worked on larger pests like coon and chucks where regular 22 LR was not nearly as effective.
Now I have a 17HMR but no longer hunt so I can not attest to its performance other than on paper which is not bad. The 17HMR was chambered in semi auto guns by Remington but did not work out well. The Ruger 10/22 was chambered for 22 magnum - not sure if that was a problem or just a slow seller. H&R also made a 22 mag auto gun.
They are nitch calibers and are still very popular among many folks today.