Interesting Read on .22 WMR

[plainsdrifter]

Henry just put out a piece on .22 WMR and I was kinda taken back by this statement; With ball ammunition, the small cross-section and high kinetic energy give .22 WMR impressively high penetration. In a test on a 3/8″ hardened aluminum plate, .22 Magnum rifle punched through where .357 Mag and 10mm longslide pistols faile

True or false? I'm still looking for a .22 WMR rifle to go with my Ruger Super Wrangler. Probably will be Henry lever or pump. But still, I love that .22 mag. What say you?

 

[Walkalong]

Link?

 

[dogtown tom]

https://www.henryusa.com/the-henry-repeater/demystifying-the-22-magnum/

 

[herrwalther]

I really like 22Mag. Have a few handguns in it and would like to have a rifle in it at some point. It fills a very nice gap between 22LR and a high velocity centerfire small round like 5.56 for pest hunting. Would I use it for hogs like the article states? Probably not, because I have better rounds for that. But coyotes and other such animals? Yup.

As for the 3/8 aluminum plate claim. I don't place much value on a bullet's ability to penetrate a plate, pine boards, or wet newspaper. I want to see how it does in gel at least or real animals or people (for SD rounds) instead. This claim sounds more like a Henry staff writer trying to sell more Henrys.

 

[jstert]

a 22wmr rifle is an excellent utility piece, as is a longer barreled, single action, dual 22wmr/lr, revolver.
ammo is lighter to carry if i am walking.
rimfire, including 22wmr, rifles and all single action revolvers are trod upon much more lightly in anti-gun states.
rimfire, including 22wmr, rifles are likely allowed in most suburban indoor shooting ranges.
in a true survival situation 22wmr could put meat on the table and fend off human sized predators, maybe not cleanly, but well enough.
one could do alot worse than having just a henry 22wmr lever action rifle as one’s sole rifle.

 

[jmorris]

Interesting, I have never heard of anyone using aluminum penetration as a means to judge various rounds.

Speed certainly helps though. Like these 3 impacts from 14.3 grain pellets. The impact from the RWS 34 could be wiped off but get pretty close to penetrating over 2000 fps on this 1/8” steel plate.

 

[plainsdrifter]

Thanks dogtown tom I forgot the link!
I thought using the idea of aluminum plate was good for lesser powered non centerfire ammo. Kinda like jugs of water or water melons or slabs of meat.
I Prior to just getting my Super Wrangler as a youngster 50+ years ago I had a Ruger .22 mag revolver. I've never had it in a rifle.
I looked at a couple reviews here on the Henry's and video of the pump, I'm kinda torn. I really want the pump. The pump seems easier to stay on target while racking in another round. Plus reminiscent of carni days.

 

[earlthegoat2]

I like 22 WMR so much that I don’t even have an LR rifle. (I do have a pistol though).

I’m find that a he WMR is often scoffed at as not significantly bridging any gap, usually between 22 LR and 223/5.56. The 22 Hornet is often brought up as more suitable for that gap which makes me laugh because the relative obsolescence of 22 Hornet makes it a non starter for nearly everyone.

The reason I gravitated towards 22 WMR in the first place was that because of statute in my state, the 22 WMR has a significant place in the hunting regulations because it is rimfire and not centerfire.

WMR is no slouch as an SD round. It doesn’t “blow apart” small game the way many folks say. Ammo is still relatively inexpensive and includes better constructed bullets than 22LR and also, at least I believe, is manufactured more along the lines of premium ammo compared to 22LR.

There seems to always be some reason new or old things are created or are hanging on.

 

[plainsdrifter]

I like 22 WMR so much that I don’t even have an LR rifle. (I do have a pistol though).

I’m find that a he WMR is often scoffed at as not significantly bridging any gap, usually between 22 LR and 223/5.56. The 22 Hornet is often brought up as more suitable for that gap which makes me laugh because the relative obsolescence of 22 Hornet makes it a non starter for nearly everyone.

The reason I gravitated towards 22 WMR in the first place was that because of statute in my state, the 22 WMR has a significant place in the hunting regulations because it is rimfire and not centerfire.

WMR is no slouch as an SD round. It doesn’t “blow apart” small game the way many folks say. Ammo is still relatively inexpensive and includes better constructed bullets than 22LR and also, at least I believe, is manufactured more along the lines of premium ammo compared to 22LR.

There seems to always be some reason new or old things are created or are hanging on.

Agreed. Plus the price is dropping on it too.
When I was shooting my Super Wrangler I switched to the .22 LR cylinder and you can tell there's significant more power to the .22WMR and I would say definite recoil.
Just looking at the ammo you can tell .22 WMR is constructed better than LR. Maybe cus they are bigger and shinier. And I can't ever recall having a failure to fire either. Certainly not recently.

 

[mcb]

I have a Marlin 25MN and its been an awesome varmint gun. 22WMR is an excellent groundhog round and I have killed a heap with mine. In a pistol it bark is worst than its bite but in a rifle it really does fill a nice niche. Negligible recoil but still enough power to be useful in way 22LR cannot.

 

[Legionnaire]

I'm a fan. I don't disagree with @mcb on the benefits of a rifle barrel, but my Single Six lives with the 22WMR cylinder installed. My rifle is a Ruger 77/22. I sometimes miss the 22mag/20 gauge Savage 24 I had for a lot of years; it was a great squirrel gun.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

the article "Demystifying the .22 Magnum: Ballistics, Accuracy, and Performance". September 12, 2023, Guest Author, Oleg Volk

Hmm. That name is familliar. I've seen his gun related photography at Eugene Volokh's website..

I once pulled the bullet on a .22 WMR cartrydge. The fine ball powder charge filled a 0.5cc Lee dipper. I use 0.5cc of Unique in .38 Spl I load restricted to my Ruger Security Six. That much powder behind a full metal jacket .22 bullet probable does penetrate aluminum better than .38 speecial.

 

[PapaG]

Penetration. Just yesterday, between stints on the tractor planting fall food plots, I shot my 1951 K22 with CCI Minimag hollow points at a "empty" steel propane canister at 25 yards. First one penetrated both sides from straight on second one side and put a big bulge on the other. 22 WMR, should do at least two. The bullet from the first shot was laying on the board the can was sitting on.

 

[Rule3]

He give no information on what was used, distance etc etc Facts we need facts.

"With ball ammunition, the small cross-section and high kinetic energy give .22 WMR impressively high penetration. In a test on a 3/8″ hardened aluminum plate, .22 Magnum rifle punched through where .357 Mag and 10mm longslide pistols failed."

 

[earlthegoat2]

Would I use it for hogs like the article states?

That is actually related to the hunting statute in my state I was referring to in my previous post. On public land, we can hunt hogs during any hunting season as long as you are using the appropriate weapons for that season.

During small game season, rimfires and shotguns with birdshot…sometimes muzzleloaders…not sure about that right now…so 22 mag is a very viable choice for me during small game season if I want to specifically target hogs.

 

[dogtown tom]

He give no information on what was used, distance etc etc Facts we need facts.

"With ball ammunition, the small cross-section and high kinetic energy give .22 WMR impressively high penetration. In a test on a 3/8″ hardened aluminum plate, .22 Magnum rifle punched through where .357 Mag and 10mm longslide pistols failed."

Absolutely true.
First, pistols don't penetrate, bullets do. And unless he clues us in on what .357 and 10mm loads were being fired its useless information.
Was it hard cast SWC, jacketed HP or FMJ bullet?
Was that .357 shooting .38 special wadcutters?
Was the point testing penetration of all three?

How was the expansion of that .22magnum after passing through the metal plate?
Was it FMJ, SP or HP?

It's a fluff article with little substance.

 

[JTHunter]

Being an old "boy scout", I like to "be prepared". In .22LR, I have a Marlin bolt action, a Ruger 10/22, and a Ruger Single Six Convertible.
In .22 Mag. I have another Marlin bolt action, that same Ruger Single Six (with a different cylinder), and the Keltec PMR-30 semi-auto pistol. The Keltec also has a green laser under the barrel on the fore-end.

 

[bassjam]

I like 22 WMR so much that I don’t even have an LR rifle. (I do have a pistol though).

I’m find that a he WMR is often scoffed at as not significantly bridging any gap, usually between 22 LR and 223/5.56. The 22 Hornet is often brought up as more suitable for that gap which makes me laugh because the relative obsolescence of 22 Hornet makes it a non starter for nearly everyone.

The reason I gravitated towards 22 WMR in the first place was that because of statute in my state, the 22 WMR has a significant place in the hunting regulations because it is rimfire and not centerfire.

WMR is no slouch as an SD round. It doesn’t “blow apart” small game the way many folks say. Ammo is still relatively inexpensive and includes better constructed bullets than 22LR and also, at least I believe, is manufactured more along the lines of premium ammo compared to 22LR.

There seems to always be some reason new or old things are created or are hanging on.

I never gave much thought to .22mag until a steer got loose locally and turned wild ended up hanging out on my parent's property. The farmer who had owned it came and dropped it in it's tracks with a single shot to the heart with a .22mag at 50 yards.

 

[plainsdrifter]

It's a hard decision on which rifle. A nice bolt gun with super accuracy would be nice, lever gun is more like fun plinking than putting meat on the table. If I see either Henry pump or lever and it's got a peep sight I'm grabbing it.

 

[plainsdrifter]

Interesting, I have never heard of anyone using aluminum penetration as a means to judge various rounds.

Speed certainly helps though. Like these 3 impacts from 14.3 grain pellets. The impact from the RWS 34 could be wiped off but get pretty close to penetrating over 2000 fps on this 1/8” steel plate.

View attachment 1171714

That there is impressive Jmorris. Are you shooting them pellets out of a bolt gun? LOL

 

[DukeConnor]

I don't know about aluminum plate but it definately devastates ground hogs.

 

[chicharrones]

Deleted, off topic.

 

[Armybrat]

Well, supposedly the .22 magnum doesn’t do much more than a .22 long rifle out of the short barrel North American Minis except to create a brighter flash and louder bang.
But that’s the only type of .22 magnum I own.
Wouldn’t mind having a Henry in that caliber for little varmints though.

 

[jmorris]

That there is impressive Jmorris. Are you shooting them pellets out of a bolt gun? LOL

I thought it was myself, that’s pretty quick for such a delicate projectile. Savage 24 was the rifle, pellet and then blank. #4’s just spray lead out the end of the barrel…

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

The .22 WMR was my first gun purchase caliber back in '82.

Marlin 783 bolt action.

I can't begin to count the number of rounds I put through that rifle before it was eventually stolen.

Power, range, and accuracy was impressive.

Oh... and head shots only when squirrel hunting using hollowpoints! Unless you enjoy picking up and toting around a carcass held together by intestines, that is.