High Standard .22 Mag; Shoot .22 LR?

[Drakejake]

At the gun show today, on impulse, I bought a nickel plated High Standard .22 mag snubby. The double action trigger is very stiff, but the single action is nice. I shot it today--my first experience with .22 mag. The recoil didn't seem to be much more than .22 LR, which is like a pop gun. Will I do harm by shooting .22 LR in this thing just for fun? I assume the accuracy will fall off because the slug of the LR is slightly smaller.

Thanks,

Drakejake

 

[B27]

No No No! The magnum rimfire case is a different diameter than the long rifle case (it's bigger) and you may well get case splits and you won't enjoy the result!
This is why Ruger convertible revolvers come with two different cylinders.

 

[Drakejake]

The difference in case width is very slight and so I thought there wouldn't be a problem. Of course, the magnum will not fit into an LR cylinder hole.

A nice thing about this revolver is that there is a tiny cut out above each cylinder hole so that the firing pin cannot hit the cylinder even if the pistol is dry-fired. But the double action trigger is extremely heavy. I may have to look at the hammer spring.

Drakejake

 

[Ultraman]

I shoot .22 LR a lot in my S&W 651 .22 MRF.
I had the same question when I first got it.

You only have to remember two things...
1. The .22 LR IS shorter than a .22 Magnum so you need to clean the chambers real good before switching back.
2. When a .22 LR case DOES SPLIT you can't reload it

Just enjoy it! Bill

 

[Drakejake]

Of course I know that you can't reload rimfire.

Have you had any split cases? Any damage to the cylinder?

Drake

 

[Ultraman]

Yes I get an occasional split case.
No damage ever. In fact I don't see how you could get any damage.

As far as reloading .22 LR... that was a joke. Everybody seems so concern about splitting the brass, so what. Why would someone care? You just dump the spent cases in the trash.

I have also been told that gas can get you somehow but I have NEVER experienced this.

Bill

 

[B27]

Well you guys can, obviously, do whatever you want.
But not firing ammunition in guns that were not designed for it is one of those basic rules of shooting that have kept anything unpleasant from happening to me at the range for almost forty years. Good luck!

http://www.saami.org/unsafe3.htm

 

[Jim March]

DON'T!

Dammit, here's what happens: the cylinder bore is both too wide and too long for 22LR. That means the round will "rattle around" on it's trip down the cylinder bore, the round can get partially sideways, it can hit the cylinder constriction at a cockeyed angle, all kinds of weirdness.

It beats the hell out of the gun and cylinder. It is flat-out abusive to the weapon.

 

[Hal]

Yep, what Jim said.

Part of the weirdness is lead shaving.

Imagine this. You shooting ammunition which you know is incorrect for the gun you're shooting it in. A piece of lead gets shaved off, and hits the *"very, very, very" pretty girl in the next lane right in the face. Now, this girl could be the spittin' image of Quasimodo but it won't matter. In a courtroom or a bar at closing time, they're all potential models. During the trial for damages suffered,, because she can't be a model because of the disfiguring injury,,,,-
Your only defense is:
"Someone on the internet said I could do it".

Think it'll work?

 

[Drakejake]

OK, I am convinced. No .22LR in a .22 WMR revolver. I am very safety oriented but thought it was worth raising this question.

Drakejake

 

[Ultraman]

I stand corrected, I now see the error of my ways . Thanks to all the GOOD information that is available here. God give me the wisdom to know *good info* when I see it.

Another day older, and smarter...

 

[Ruger Redhawk]

Take the advice Jim March gave you. The two cartridges are not interchangeable.The 22 shorts, longs and long rifles are interchangeable.The 22 mag is a different bred.

Ruger Redhawk