Newb question

[Piedmont Plinker]

Can you shoot .22 LR out of a .22 Mag revolver?
What about .22 S an L out of an LR?

 

[Jim March]

The second is easy: yes. The 22LR can take both shorter rounds.

The first is a trick question: yes, you can shoot both out of the same barrel, NO, you can't shoot them out of the same cylinder.

Here's why: the 22Short through LR are "heeled bullets". That means the outside diameter of the main part of the bullet is the same outside diameter as the shell (the "brass"). A small "stub" of the bullet is back in the shell.

With the 22Magnum, pressures were too high to allow this. So while the bullet is similar in size, just like all larger modern ammo the bullet is "backed into" a larger-bore shell.

Many 22LR revolvers come with a second cylinder for 22Mag. Esp. SA revolvers with their easy-to-swap cylinders. Don't ever fire 22LR in the 22Mag cylinder. It's actually hard on the gun - the bullet flies down the cylinder bore in a "loose fit" and can hit the constriction at the end of the cylinder (and rear of barrel) off-center or even slightly twisted sideways. The shell can also split in it's too-large cylinder and spray your face with hot gasses, bits of brass, etc.

(Technically there is a small difference in optimum barrel diameter between 22LR and 22Mag but for anything other than match-grade guns we can ignore this.)

 

[miko]

I have encountered the recipies to shoot .22LR rounds out of .22 Mag cylinder. I am sure you will find some if you google around.

If I remember correctly, it involves making a chamber adaptor out of a .22 Mag case. The accuracy will suffer somewhat and getting an (expanded) case out of adaptor after the shot might be a bit of hassle.

miko

 

[Jim March]

Huh.

Yeah, that would probably work as a field-expedient solution.

I'm assuming...let's see, you'd take a 22Mag shell, cut the whole rim area off, shove the 22LR (or L or Short) into the back. Load and fire it normally in a 22Mag cylinder.

The bullet *should* fly down the inside of the 22Mag shell.

Emphasis on "should". If the 22Mag shell should slip forward first and "pinch off" the business end of the cylinder bore...that could get ugly. Probably won't happen though, you'd have more friction in the brass-to-steel junction than in the lead-to-brass.

Separating the 22LR shell from the 22Mag shell afterwards would be a mess and maybe impossible. But...if you've got a stash of fired 22Mag empties and have nothing but 22LR available to shoot, well maybe you don't care about re-using the 22Mag shell "adapters". Even if they're a one-shot deal, who cares, you can continue to put small-game meat on the table while snowed in for the winter or whatever the deal is...