Hand Loading .22 magnum

[Flechette]

Note that I didn't say "re-loading".

I may be able to get really thick (3 inch diameter) a fully rifled barrel for .22 mag. I'd like to load up some .22 mag way over nominal pressures and see how fast I can get the muzzle velocity.

So can you get virgin cases from someone? How about primed cases? Can you get some sort of primer paste to put into a non-primed case?

Is it possible to kinetic pull a bullet from a live round without setting it off (the primer is in the rim, after all)?

I am not really interested in similar cartridges with bottle necked cases. The goal of all this is to see if it is possible to make an effective pistol with a 33 round capacity like a Kel-Tec (Note: I am not going to use a Kel-Tec, it would blow up). Think of muzzle velocities in the 3000 fps range.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

There are reloading kits for 22LR out there which may help with your primer paste part. I don't know about the rest.

Pull a bullet, add powder and reseat? No idea of load data though.

Lots of challenges with the concept. Stay safe and keep us posted.

 

[redneck2]

You’re gonna melt the bullets and lead the barrel unless you use gas checks. Which means different bullets, which seems to defeat your purpose

What you’re looking for was invented a hundred years ago, .22 Hornet

 

[milemaker13]

Aren't. 22 mag bullets jacketed?

 

[milemaker13]

I remember reading a book that talked about reloading .22s. Using priming paste made from tips of strike anywhere matches and powder from the remaining match head... more of a last ditch effort kinda thing I guess.

 

[forty_caliber]

I am not really interested in similar cartridges with bottle necked cases.

Just curious. Why not a bottleneck case? The experiment might be much more interesting if you start with something like a 22-250. There is only so much propellent you can fit in a .22 mag case even if you figure out a way to prime them.

.40

 

[KansasSasquatch]

.22mag bullets are jacketed, but if I'm not mistaken the jackets are much thinner than the bullets for most centerfire rifle cartridges. They're also not "heeled" bullets like .22lr bullets, so any seating and crimping dies designed to reload .22lr are probably useless.

I think you would need a custom made collet style puller. Pull the bullets and dump the powder. Then custom dies to resize the mouth, seat bullets, and crimp. As for powder my best guess would be a case full of the fastest burning stuff made. And who knows what type of pressure that could generate. I think 5.7x28 has better potential for what you're considering. A lightweight lead core bullet (under 30gr) could probably come close to 3000fps, quite easily. The trick is whether or not a gun can handle it, and cycle reliably.

 

[KansasSasquatch]

And I would guess that any handgun designed to handle a "5.7 on steroids" would be quite bulky compared to an FN 5.7. And 5.7 brass is coated to aid in feeding and extraction. I'm guessing FN couldn't push it any faster without issues.

 

[jmorris]

The goal of all this is to see if it is possible to make an effective pistol with a 33 round capacity... Think of muzzle velocities in the 3000 fps range.

You won’t have the powder capacity to achieve your goal, even with the fastest powders you can buy. Unless you are just measuring the speed of a .224 gas check or something else uselessly light as a projectile.

I have gotten 14.3 grain .22 pellets over 2100 FPS before they melt but that’s still a good bit shy of 3000 FPS and quite light.

 

[RedlegRick]

You won’t have the powder capacity to achieve your goal, even with the fastest powders you can buy. Unless you are just measuring the speed of a .224 gas check or something else uselessly light as a projectile.

I have gotten 14.3 grain .22 pellets over 2100 FPS before they melt but that’s still a good bit shy of 3000 FPS and quite light.

View attachment 828672

One question, how did you load them? Through the breech on two pieces or blank in the breech and muzzle load the pellet?

 

[Obturation]

may be able to get really thick (3 inch diameter) a fully rifled barrel for .22 mag.

3" diameter with a 22 caliber bore?! Thats insainely overkill, you couldnt blow a 1" barrel with a 50 caliber hole in the middle. You will however have trouble with the breech holding excessive pressure long before the barrel blows.but before that happens the brass will split and the head will seperate. Cant see how you could use a pipe that large on a pistol either. Im confused.

Is it possible to kinetic pull a bullet from a live round without setting it off (the primer is in the rim, after all)?

A rimfire round can be pulled easily from the case , grab it with pliers and hold the case tight and give her a twist and a tug. A very heavy powder charge my be tough to light with the priming design of a rimfire.

I understand what you want to do but i think its an exercise in futility. If you do reach your goal of 3000 fps the accuracy will likely be very poor and the available projectiles will turn to dust/fragments on impact. That is if you can hit anything with it. That said, a simpler way to try it out is to get a bolt action 22 mag rifle , produce the round you desire and pull the trigger with a string. A bolt action will be plenty strong enough, much stronger than the brass at least.

Good luck, let us know how it works out.

 

[Flechette]

Just curious. Why not a bottleneck case? The experiment might be much more interesting if you start with something like a 22-250. There is only so much propellent you can fit in a .22 mag case even if you figure out a way to prime them.

.40

It would not be possible to squeeze 30+ rounds into a pistol handle if it were bottlenecked.

Basically, I like the concept of the Kel-Tec but the pistol would seem to have marginal effectiveness on two legged critters. Since going to a fatter cartridge defeats the whole purpose of the Kel-Tec, increasing the muzzle velocity seems to be the only other option.

 

[GooseGestapo]

Back in the late 80’s, Rimfire handgun silhouette was a popular shooting sport. There were a goodly number shooters pulling the plated bullets from CCI .22wmr and the jacketed bullets from the Winchester ammo and replacing them with Sierra or other premium bullets.

Pulling is best accomplished by using a collet type bullet puller and a shell holder for the .25acp. A simple blast sheild is made from a cut away long reach socket.
A set of .22Cooper (centerfire analog to .22wmr) dies were used to seat the bullet back in the case over the original powder charge. Today, we have the CCI GamePoint load which uses the Speer 40gr Spt bullet. So, no need to bother pulling bullets.
IIRC, C4D (?) dies, still makes the dies, for a PRIC$!

 

[Jim Watson]

GG has it.
The procedure I read about was to pull X number of bullets, put their powder in Y<X of those cases, seat Sierra MK bullets. Shoot ONLY in Contender.
3000 fps? Not a chance unless you can get 15-20 grain bullets.
Repeater? Not likely.

 

[joneb]

I think the 17 WSM rim fire is interesting, I'd like to see a 5mm and 22 cal in that case. What the heck how about a .251 super mag?

 

[FROGO207]

Double post.

 

[FROGO207]

Well a .22K Hornet and a .22 magnum have the same case capacity-within 1/2 grain IIRC. Using available fast pistol powders there is nowhere near the speed you want to get. You can already buy a single shot NEF SB-2 Handi Rifle. They already make them in 30-06 or .22 Hornet on the used market. Get the Hornet reamed out to K Hornet It will handle the pressure of the aut'6 so it should be able to handle anything you could stuff into a .22 MAG case, pressure wise and they use the same bullet size. This should work better than the balloon head of the MAG brass as far as strength. This will be easier than messin with rimfire brass to see what speed you can get as a first step. Now you can use a bullet with thicker jacket like designed for the 22-250 that will work at higher speeds too. My .22 Hornet single shot has a barrel that is just over one inch across at the breach end so plenty of meat for pressure. Have fun and let us know how fast you get it to go. Then you make the arm to fit your round.

 

[rsrocket1]

I remember reading a book that talked about reloading .22s. Using priming paste made from tips of strike anywhere matches and powder from the remaining match head... more of a last ditch effort kinda thing I guess.

Strike anywhere match compound contains phosphorus sesquisulfide and potassium chlorate. Potassium chlorate decomposes to potassium chloride when burned, that's the same stuff used in corrosive primers so you'll need to deal with that accordingly. If you shoot a 91/30 with old surplus ammo with corrosive primers you will know what to do.

I was thinking about using cap pistol caps to make a primer compound but it's also got potassium chlorate in it and would also be corrosive.

 

[KansasSasquatch]

https://www.eliteammunition.com/#!/T6B-Preorder/p/51287185/category=13357850

27gr at 2480fps. Probably not going to get any hotter than that without damaging something/someone. You can't run that in a PMR30 but the 5.7 comes with 20rnd magazines. And there are aftermarket 30 rounders.

 

[Walkalong]

I'd like to load up some .22 mag way over nominal pressures and see how fast I can get the muzzle velocity.

We don't do that here.