what's the most accurate 22 mag handgun?

[SwampWolf]

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My years of observation of myself and others shooting handguns comes down to this:

Most handgun shooters are nowhere near proficient enough that the accuracy inherent in the gun and it's ammo is relevant.
At self defense ranges, probably so. However, I don't agree with this at all in the context of hunting handguns and that is where a .22Mag excels. At 50yds you probably won't see a difference between a 1" gun and a 1.5" gun but I guarantee you'll shoot better with a 1" gun than you will a 3" gun. That's plenty enough to throw off a shot on small game. Not to mention that if the gun is very accurate, you know where to blame your misses.

Agreed completely. A more accurate handgun can indeed make a difference; sometimes a big difference.

 

[weblance]

I have an 8.5" Excel Arms Accelerator Pistol with a cheapo BSA Green Dot, that will easily shoot into an inch, rested at 25 yards. I shot a groundhog yesterday at 40 yards, hit him right in the noggin... dead right there.

 

[22250Rem]

Only have experience with two handguns in 22 mag.. Picked up a mint old H & R Model 676 Convertible a few years ago with both cylinders, the original box and owners manual and got a real decent deal on it. Then found out that I wasn't entirely happy with the accuracy of it using either 22 LR or 22 mag.. So last May I came across a used Ruger Single Six Convertible and picked it up. The Ruger will outshoot the H & R by a wide margin with either cylinder. Then I realized that it's probably because the H & R was more of a low priced "budget gun" than a Ruger Single Six and probably one of those "You get what you pay for type things". Have shot probably 3 times as much 22 LR out of the Ruger as 22 Mag. because of the 22 Mag. ammo cost and availability issues but so far it's been great with everything I've put through it.

 

[Bad Ninja]

The most accurate .22 mag handgun I've ever shot is a a Ruger single six.
Drives tacks at 25yards.
The gun is more accurate than I am and its built like a hammer.

 

[Hoppes Love Potion]

I have a single shot .22 WMR Chipmunk pistol with a 10.5" barrel. It was cheap at $219 but is extremely accurate. Has fiber optic sights that work well. I was able to get even better accuracy by adding a weaver rail and red dot. Mine looks like the one below but has a stainless steel barrel:

 

[ThomasT]

Hoppes I like your gun. I didn't know they made those. And I am a real fan of the 22 mag but like most my experience is with a single six and a Taurus model 94 22mag that you just about had to hammer the empties out of. I didn't keep it very long so can't comment on it.

I had thought about the contender, and the s&w would be cool too, that's why I'm asking since my exposure is only to the single six's. All of them have shot well, but don't seem to be as accurate as the 22lr version, and i believe there is about a thousanth (0.001) difference in bullet diameter between lr and mag.

You really don't need to worry about that. The 22 mag will mike right at .224 from bullet to bullet. But I have never seen a 22lr bullet that measured .223 in diameter. Everyone I have measured have all miked .225-.226 so they will fill what some perceive as being an oversized bore. Plus 22lr are soft enough that they will bump up to fill the chambers and barrel when fired.

 

[adcoch1]

Hoppes I like your gun. I didn't know they made those. And I am a real fan of the 22 mag but like most my experience is with a single six and a Taurus model 94 22mag that you just about had to hammer the empties out of. I didn't keep it very long so can't comment on it.



You really don't need to worry about that. The 22 mag will mike right at .224 from bullet to bullet. But I have never seen a 22lr bullet that measured .223 in diameter. Everyone I have measured have all miked .225-.226 so they will fill what some perceive as being an oversized bore. Plus 22lr are soft enough that they will bump up to fill the chambers and barrel when fired.

The size difference I'm referring to in the single six is about the only explainable reason for the accuracy degradation I experienced in the three different revolvers. The Same ammo in two rifles was tack driving, no shot stringing and great consistency, so i really don't think it was ammo. It probably isn't that big of a deal, but it would be nice to have the extra hitting power and the small group sizes the 22lr is capable of in the same class of handgun. Don't get me wrong, i don't dislike the single six and I will have another one someday, just trying to decide if it will be a 22mag, or if I scratch the "mini" magnum itch with a different handgun

 

[CraigC]

IMHO, too much is made of the diameter discrepancy between .22LR and 22Mag. Any difference in accuracy would have to be chalked up to the way Ruger gang drills chambers and makes cylinders in batches. They aren't made to be target guns.

 

[ThomasT]

Yep. And when folks say the guns are geared more towards the 22 mag round because the barrels are bored .224 instead of .223 I wonder if they know how little difference that is? And to actually hold the diameter to .224 is some pretty good machining. We are talking about .001 of an inch. That is .0005 of an inch on each side of the barrel. I have measured several human hairs and they seem to be between .002 and .003 in diameter. .0005 is one sixth of a hair that measures .003 and that is a very tiny amount.

And I have read that in the past Ruger would buy barrels from target rifle makers when the barrels were not up to spec. Not good enough for target rifles but more than good enough for handguns. So its always possible that a few bad barrels were installed on some of the revolvers.

I have read the British use slightly over sized barrels on their guns because it gives lower pressure and higher velocity. We Americans tend to use tighter bores because we like a perfect fit between bullet and bore. So who's right? I don't know. They both give excellent groups with proper ammo.

 

[adcoch1]

IMHO, too much is made of the diameter discrepancy between .22LR and 22Mag. Any difference in accuracy would have to be chalked up to the way Ruger gang drills chambers and makes cylinders in batches. They aren't made to be target guns.

You bring up a point i hadn't thought of about the throat and forcing cone diameter, i will check that out on future revolvers...

 

[Gordon]

I paid $700 after the fur flew for a used but superb condition Model 48 8 3/8" no dash with factory Target grips because the owner , my peer, made fantastic shots with it on ground squirrels. He is a master gunsmith and said he "honed" the workings, traces of which my eye really cannot find . This was 6 years ago or maybe more so it was long bread for that model at the time. I was using a 4x scoped 6" .22 Jet and he was bowling them over up to 50 yards farther out than I could with the iron sights ! It is sighted in by him for 40 grain Winchester Hollowpoint and he showed me how it grouped in 2" at 100 yards rested with that sight setting .! I offered $500 but we had to go thru Ca hoops as he was still a licensed gunsmith but with no current FFL because of zoning. So after fees, handling charges and taxes it was $700 for me and $500 to him, but worth it ! It has risen in value to what I paid for it , at least. and if I can hold a sight on the target with good glasses, that long barrel zips up the .22mag round quite a bit ! To that end I recently gave my son my old model Single Six 9.5" with fixed sights. Once again the long barrel zips up the .22 mag remarkably and adds to the practical accuracy as those fixed sights are adjusted to 50 yards where 4" groups are routine. This is an great small game combo. I've had a 4" Mark 3 Colt which was an ear wax blaster but was a 1.5" 25 yard gun, also other Single sixes and a Steel Frame 4 5/8 Frontier Scout Colt also in .22 mag and even a Diamond Back Colt 6" MARKED .22 mag which I never fired and sold for close to $3000 a few years back (triple what I paid 10 years before). The S&W M48 if a good example like mine would get my "most accurate .22 mag vote"

 

[Gordon]

The M48 is on bottom of .30 M1 Ruger 3 screw which is very accurate too !

 

[adcoch1]

My goodness! Those are some fine looking firearms! I love the long barrel...

 

[dmb219]

I will venture a guess... probably 8" Colt Trooper Mark III in 22 mag as far as revolvers go.

I have one of these in bright nickel that I inherited from my brother. He bought some nice guns and just kept them. He left me unexpectedly but I'll talk to him about that at a later date. The gun is beautiful, I haven't shot it yet but I'm sure it's a tack driver. I'll post a pic this weekend. He'd be happy that his stuff was shared and appreciated.

 

[hdbiker]

My Single Six convertible will print tighter with .22 mag than the .22 LR. hdbiker

 

[WestKentucky]

I have only shot a few 22 mag handguns, but I can't imagine a handgun being much better than my 9" single six. It's rifle accurate in handgun size.