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Old 10-24-2020, 01:18 PM
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When I grew up, I was a meat hunter with a .22. Squirrels, rabbits and such. I never owned or shot a .22 Mag and didn't know anyone who did.

My point being we wanted to minimize tissue damage. We felt .LR hollow points were too damaging! (Unless head shots.)

I've asked knowledgeable people why the .22 Mag and they always (almost always) respond that it's a "great caliber." Groundhog shooting, I guess. But while I acknowledge that it's a great caliber, accurate and powerful, my penurious past has prevented me from childhood on from buying one.

Ammo is more expensive than LR, and from what I hear, destructive on small game.

So what is the attraction? This is not meant to be a post denigrating the .22 Mag which almost everyone loves, just to understand the attraction. Very early in my life, I had access to a .22 Hornet, which I couldn't afford to shoot much, but it took the place of an upgraded .22 LR. If there was a place. I'm a Hornet fan, but not as a game rifle. I have not owned a Mag rifle.
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Old 10-24-2020, 01:38 PM
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I think you are correct. The increase in velocity (from 1600-2200fps) results in a "flatter" trajectory over longer ranges, making the caliber better suited for "larger" varmints like groundhogs and such, at greater ranges.

I've never fired them from a production rifle, so I can't attest to how their accuracy compares to the .22 long rifle. Considering the cost or the ammo, I would assume that the .22 WMR was designed more as a hunting and varmint load than a plinking L.R. round, which is what most of us grew up on.
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Old 10-24-2020, 01:38 PM
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it will shoot flatter and longer (easily a 100yd.) then 22 lr's, best if shot out of a rifle than a pistol.
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Old 10-24-2020, 01:45 PM
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I've never really cared for the 22 mag.... lot of noise for ballistics you can achieve out of the much quieter .17hmr....
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Old 10-24-2020, 01:47 PM
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Example: lots of farms around my local that need pests kept in check. Permission to hunt with a rimfire is generally easier to get than a centerfire. 22 mag and 17 provide a nice increase in range over 22 LR without disturbing the farmer's family or spooking the livestock.
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Old 10-24-2020, 01:51 PM
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I was always under the impression it was pretty much for varmints as well, even coyotes...
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Old 10-24-2020, 01:52 PM
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I have also shot more 22 Mag from Handguns than I have Rifles.
22 Mag has more muzzle blast and appears to be less accurate than LR.
And the 22 Mag does have knock down advantage on varmints like Jack Rabbits.
And I do own one - it’s a 4 inch 651.
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Old 10-24-2020, 02:00 PM
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My Single Six is convertible to .22mag by swapping cylinders. I only ever use it for fun: lots of noise and muzzle flash as noted, plus a big ring of blue flame around the forcing cone. I suppose if a guy ever had to press it into service for self-defense, the stouter round might come in handy.
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Old 10-24-2020, 02:05 PM
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How come most of the people who don't like .22 mag have never used one on game? Flatter, better penetrating & better knockdown in a small package. I have a few & prefer them to any other varmint round.
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Old 10-24-2020, 02:24 PM
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I have serval 22mags. Its more power in the same rifle as a 22rf. For the life of me it don’t understand the noise and muzzle blast comments (in general). I mean it’s not a 357 magnum or a
22-250. Just sayin.
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Old 10-24-2020, 02:39 PM
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A good deal of the attraction of the 22 mag in handguns arises from ballistic tables: the numbers match up well with the 38special in terms of foot pounds of energy. Of course, that over emphasizes the value of velocity in terminal effect in handguns, and the ballistic tables for 22 mag are usually based on rifle performance.

In practice, a 22 mag in a rifle offers more range than a 22 lr in a rifle. When you use handguns, the range benefit disappears because of the limitations of the platform: precious few shooters have the skill to shoot varmints at 100 yards with a handgun. Most knowledgeable shooters wouldn’t even try.

So what you get in a 22 mag handgun is muzzle blast, noise and expensive ammo.

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Old 10-24-2020, 02:46 PM
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Supposedly I get the same velocity out of my 651 snubbie with 22WMR as I would get shooting 22LR out of a rifle. My woods walking loadout during Spring/Summer is a Savage 93G 22WMR and my 651 snubbie.

Plus it's just cool as hell
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Old 10-24-2020, 02:51 PM
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You seem to be under the misapprehension that .22 Magnum is intended for small game like squirrels to begin with.

.22WMR (.22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire, or .22 Magnum for short) is good for larger varmints or game than .22LR, offering adequate penetration for reliable, humane kills where .22LR starts to get iffy.

When fired from an average sized rifle with a 16"-24" barrel, .22WMR offers energy foot-pounds somewhere between .38 Special +P and 9mm Luger Standard Pressure, (topping off at roughly about 325ft-lbs) but with a better ballistic coefficient, resulting in deeper penetration with less tissue damage, thus resulting in a round which can reliably/humanely drop larger game with less wasted meat or damage to the pelt.

Furthermore, .22WMR is an inside the case lubricated bullet design, thus making it inherently more reliable than .22LR.
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Old 10-24-2020, 03:04 PM
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The above post about misapprehension illustrates what I mean. What, exactly IS the .22 Mag for? Beyond the ballistic tables, that is. Shooting varmints and letting them lay in the field is a relatively new concept.

I hear the explanation that it's flatter-shooting longer range arguments, but to what purpose? It seems to be the universal statement from Mag lovers who generally can't say what it's better at. No coyotes or jackrabbits where I grew up, so no need for that. Again, I'm not against the .22 Mag, I just don't understand where it fits in the grand scheme of things...not powerful enough for long range (100+ yards) too powerful for traditional squirrel hunting where you plan to eat the animals. As for permission to hunt, I've never been asked if I'm using a RF rifle...I guess it was assumed if I was squirrel hunting.

I couldn't afford a dedicated ground hog rifle when I grew up, and not many ground hogs anyway; I could barely afford .22 LR ammo. For me, it fills no niche. Given that it's superior to LR, so....? Where does the longer range of the Mag pay off? Too powerful for edible game and not enough range for a dedicated varmint gun. A casual varmint gun, crows and g-hogs, sure.

Last edited by Gene L; 10-24-2020 at 03:10 PM.
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Old 10-24-2020, 03:21 PM
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This cartridge is much,much,much more powerful than the regular .22 long rifle cartridge.
I still use my .22 mag rifle for pests, as it reaches out past 200 yds.
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Old 10-24-2020, 03:27 PM
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I actually used mostly .22 WRF ammo in the .22 Mag bolt rifle I bought used in 1964 and still have. (Ever hear of .22 WRF?)
.22 Mag is legal in OK for turkeys and perfect in an accurate rifle for an instant-kill neck shot. (.22LR is not legal for turkey)
Squirrels? If you shoot them in the head, instant kill, no meat loss.
Sitting rabbits? One shot between the ears, no meat loss.
If you can't make head shots with a small game rifle, maybe should use a shotgun?

Uncle Nobel lived within walking distance of the Clark's River bottoms back in KY, and the year before he died, killed 49 squirrels out of a box of 50 cartridges. He was 90. I should have retired in KY instead of getting "persuaded" by the distaff to try OK.
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Old 10-24-2020, 03:30 PM
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Is a much better round for larger varmints in my opinion. I can get anywhere from 1800-2200 F.P.S. from my rifle depending on bullet weight. Of course that is from the 22 mag rifles I own. Have taken fox at 60-70 yards with the 40 grain H.P. ammo. Agree more of a hunting round than a plinker.
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Old 10-24-2020, 03:42 PM
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Just get out and shoot a varmint with it and you will know.
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Old 10-24-2020, 03:59 PM
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I really don't want to get into what animals the .22WMR is capable of taking because that's doomed to receive a lot of responses arguing that it can't and how nothing less than "[insert arbitrary minimum caliber/cartridge here]" can reliably/humanely drop said animal(s) in the field, bonus points if the person practically goes out of their way to ignore that certain animals can potentially be smaller in certain states and only consider the biggest, heaviest examples of any given genus/family. (i.e. that guy in Bear Threads who seems to think that all Bears are Alaskan Polar Bear, even when someone specifically says "Black Bear" so he argues that whatever cartridge someone says they carry for defense against Black Bear is insufficient because Polar Bears.)

So I'm only going to say this one more time and folks can feel free to argue over the details below... As previously stated, .22WMR is substantially more powerful than .22LR and thusly can take substantially larger game than .22LR, so it's purpose is to take those animals, not squirrels or any other such small animals. If all you care to hunt are squirrels and that's the focal point of this thread, then it really doesn't do anything that .22LR can't do when hunting squirrels.
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Old 10-24-2020, 04:13 PM
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It's like asking why is there a .22 hornet, .222, .223 and/or 5.56

Or why .22 short .22 long and .22LR .... or .17HM2 or .17hmr

I have a couple of .22mag rifles..... good for Varmints like groundhogs,skunks crows and Coyotes out to 100-150 yards...... .22LR is maybe good to 40 on Coyotes. As a survival round it can take game up to whitetail deer ( a poachers favorite).....

Small rimfire size action makes for a smaller/lighter rifle..... to take along on a evening hike in Penn's Woods. Easy to carry 50-200 rounds if you like in a survival gun.

Round is quiet compared to any centerfire round.....

Muzzle energy of a 9mm for 2 legged varmints.

With CCI ammo my CZ 452FS will shoot to .9 at 100yds..... with my small 1-4x20Leupold scope it will shoot under the crosshairs (1-1.3) out to 125 or so......

For a day at the range take a .22LR ....... a walk in Penn's Woods make mine a .22mag.
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Old 10-24-2020, 04:14 PM
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I always saw it as an alternative cartridge to the 22Hornet, the smallest CF beyond the .22RF for those that didn't want to reload, or couldn't.
Plus the bolt and single shot rifles the 22Mag were generally offered for sale in were much less expensive than the .22Hornet's.

This going back to the 60's when the 22Mag was becoming very popular.
I didn't have the extra money needed to spend per box of magnums vs .22lr's.
For me that was instantly the drawback of the round.
Next was that for what I used a .22 for (squirrels, occasionaly rabbits and some woodchucks),,the LR version worked just fine.
I didn't feel a need for the extra power.
Any extra range woodchuck shooting was attempted with $10 or $25 milsurp rifles and $2/100 fmj ammo.

The .22mag rifles seem to be very accurate as a whole. That I've seen for myself test shooting them during repairs at shops and factory.
I've never really noticed much of a terribly unpleasent noise about them. But these were rifles, not handguns.
Can't say I have much of any experience with 22Mag handguns.

I don't hunt anymore and haven't for many years.
So I continue to find no personal need for a .22Mag

But plenty of people like 'em and find a lot of use for them.

I guess you could take 98% of all commercial cartridges in production at any time and scrap them. Just keep the other few and they'd do everything needed in field, target and SD.
But that'd be boring.
That's why there is the .22Mag and all the others so we can pick and choose to our personal likes.

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Old 10-24-2020, 04:17 PM
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Back in the late 80's 90' I shot many, many Coyotes with a .22 Mag. (I didn't have money for a 22-250) and very few when hit hard ever got away. I use a 204 Ruger these days for coyotes. The .22 win mag will get the job done for less $$$ than a center fire rife at a closer range of course!
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Old 10-24-2020, 04:49 PM
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I reload .22 Hornet and while I haven't priced reloads against .22 Mag, I know the price of reloads is pretty low and bullet choice is greater and velocity is higher. I used to shoot varmints (very few, though) and admit to being a Hornet fan. My childhood Hornet was a cheap Savage one, seldom shot because I couldn't afford the ammo. For a step up over the LR, I highly recommend the Hornet...not for eatables, though.
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Old 10-24-2020, 04:59 PM
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It’s very accurate in the right gun. Here’s a recent target shot with Hornady V-Max 22WMR from my Ruger precision rifle. It’s at 100 yds shot from a rest with 7 mph gusting crosswind. It’s 5 shots in a 7/16” group. I’m new to the rifle And expect it to tighten up on a calm day.

22LR will do tight groups but not as well at 100 yds.
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Old 10-24-2020, 05:45 PM
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I have a Ruger 10-22 mag with a Lilja barrel that will hold about a minute at a hundred yard. It’s death on turkey and both my son and I have used it on hogs of about 150 lbs with great results. Not a round to underestimate.
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Old 10-24-2020, 06:02 PM
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Seems like the 22 mag IN A RIFLE is a pretty good round.
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Old 10-24-2020, 06:05 PM
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I have several sixguns with the spare .22 Mag cylinder and they don't get shot much. Also have an S&W Model 48-4 that is quite accurate.
But for sheer fun, my Automag II in .22 WMR is a great gun. It is quite accurate and a real flamethrower. It would be just the ticket for running desert jackrabbits or skulking coyotes trying to make a getaway.
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Old 10-24-2020, 06:32 PM
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My Ruger American Compact in .22mag would be my choice for a non-AR utility/side by side take along/survival rifle.......at 36" and 5.3 lbs (7lb for a basic Mini-14 ranch) .... 18" barrel and 9rd rotary mag.(X3)

Small 1-3x20 Weaver scope, paracord sling and ...........100 rds of ammo about 14 ozs vs 41 oz for .223.
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Old 10-24-2020, 06:41 PM
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It takes all kinds of folks to fill the freeways. I'm glad that we have a choice and I'm glad that I have both.
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Old 10-24-2020, 06:44 PM
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My first cartridge handgun was a Colt Frontier Scout in .22 Mag. I got 2 bricks of .22 Remington Special (aka .22WRF) ammo with it. These were a lead bullet load that fell somewhere between .22 LR and .22 Mag and the case was a shorter version of the Mag. I used the "Specials" for meat hunting until one night when I went out to remove nuisance raccoons from a corn field and found that they didn't penetrate the quills of the porcupines who were the real culprits. On that basis I conclude that the proper use of the .22 Magnum is exterminating porcupines.
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Old 10-24-2020, 07:24 PM
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IMPEACH 22MAG!
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Old 10-24-2020, 07:42 PM
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It's an excellent rifle round for pests and coyotes.

In recent years, it's gotten a lot of buzz as a defensive pistol round (the Kel-Tec PMR-30 in particular), but with a price around 9mm and lots of noise and flash, it doesn't make much sense, though it's very light recoiling of course. Kind of a poor man's 5.7x28. I don't consider it to be a good pistol cartridge. Like most high velocity cartridges, it needs at least 8" of barrel to become efficient. One reason I'm searching for an old 48 8-3/8" gun...
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Old 10-24-2020, 07:42 PM
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I actually sat down and read "Cartridges of the World." The 10's and 20's and 30's had a plethora of low power 32 and 25 caliber rifle cartridges, some center fire and some rimfire. Apparently farmers and others considered these cartridges "enough" for varmints and self defense round the homestead. They are all mostly gone now. The 22 magnum seemed to take their place. The 22 hornet could have. The 32 magnum could have if it had been 30 years earlier. I thought that the 17HMR would kill the 22 magnum, all it lacks is "switch cylinder" capability. Switching cylinders is seductive. (Yes I have one. Don't need it. I had to have one.)

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Old 10-24-2020, 07:52 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BAM-BAM View Post
My Ruger American Compact in .22mag would be my choice for a non-AR utility/side by side take along/survival rifle.......at 36" and 5.3 lbs (7lb for a basic Mini-14 ranch) .... 18" barrel and 9rd rotary mag.(X3)

Small 1-3x20 Weaver scope, paracord sling and ...........100 rds of ammo about 14 ozs vs 41 oz for .223.
Same here Bam Bam. Was looking for a 18 inch barrel in 22 magnum for woods varmints. Figured I would be better off with the heavier bullet of the 22 mag over the 17 for varmints like coon and fox. Slapped a Vortex Crossfire 2 scope 2x7-32 and it suits me very well. Nice and light plus the stock does not feel chintzy. Only cost me $279 couple years back new.
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Old 10-24-2020, 08:01 PM
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I have to agree with Gene L. I have never used the 22 WRM and have no desire for one. I do not see where it fits in the gun world. I have several 22 caliber rounds and if a rimfire LR is not sufficient, then I am going to use a centerfire. Reloadable, so I can tune the accuracy, and if shooting varmints, the centerfire has so many options for bullets. Never owned one and never will, I do not see any use for them.
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Old 10-24-2020, 08:27 PM
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I bought a stainless convertible single 6 about thirty years ago. I agree with others 22mag really doesn’t shine in a short barrel. Just for giggles I need to chrono some 22 wmr out of the single 6 5-1/2” barrel and then out of my RPR and see how they compare. My guess is out of the single 6 there’s little gain over 22LR.

Ammo is quite a bit more expensive but how much do you shoot in an afternoon out of a single action revolver or bolt action rifle, 50 rounds an hour? I found Hornady V-Max to be the best in my rifle so far and CCIwith the 30 gr V-Max bullet a very close second. I think I’m paying $14 for the CCI and $13 for the Hornady. Not bad in my view. When I’m at the range I see guys burning through $200 dollars or more of 5.56 in thirty minutes so $13 bucks, no big deal. I’m not into mag dumps anyway.

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Old 10-24-2020, 08:41 PM
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While I've never owned a .22 mag rifle, I had a auto pistol for a short time. It would fire out of battery and shot very high, and I'm talking feet at 25 yards. Not the round's fault of course.
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Old 10-24-2020, 09:02 PM
diyj98 diyj98 is offline
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On average, the 22 WMR won't shoot with the 17HMR, 22LR, or 17M2 accuracy wise, and I've owned them in Anschutz, CZ, and several other manufacturers. In my opinion it's a better cartridge for small to medium sized varmints though. When I growing up it was a popular poachers gun due to having more power than the 22LR, but not as much noise as larger centerfire rounds.
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Old 10-24-2020, 09:56 PM
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I'm not sure I can add anything to what has already been said, but I'll toss in my two cents for what it's worth.

A .22 magnum shot out of a pistol is really nothing more than a souped-up .22 LR. When shot out of a rifle, however, it's a whole 'nother breed of cat, capable of taking down animals such as rabbits, groundhogs, prairie dogs, foxes, raccoons, and even coyotes out to around 150 yards. The 40-grain .22 WMR at 100 yards still has 50% more kinetic energy than a 40-grain .22 LR at the muzzle.

My .22 magnum rifle is a Winchester 9422M with a Leupold 4x scope. To be honest, it's definitely one of my favorite rifles.
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Old 10-24-2020, 10:20 PM
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I know when I shoot rabbits and other similarly sized critters with my 648 .22 magnum out to about 50 yds, it seems to smack with much more authority than my 17-6 shooting .22lr. The damage is significantly more too.
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Old 10-24-2020, 10:29 PM
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I keep a 22 mag semi auto carbine by my bed. A 9mm carbine would do about the same but it wouldn't do so well for crows, starlings or what-have-you out the bedroom window.

It's a wicked little round. You should try it.
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Old 10-24-2020, 11:31 PM
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I don't currently own a .22 Magnum rifle.

I'd be interested in a 9422M, or perhaps a 77/22 or CZ 457 in .22 Mag, but mostly just to have one, not so much because it fills a niche.

I have a number of very accurate .22 LR sporters, and I have three very accurate .22 Hornet rifles.

You can get accurate match .22 LR for around $5.50 per box of 50. In addition, .22 Hornet is one of the most inherently accurate cartridges around and it's easy to load 1/2 MOA accurate ammo at no more cost than .22 Mag ammo.

In short, my beef with .22 magnum has been the lack of really accurate ammo. Yes, it's more potent than the .22 LR, but it's far less potent or accurate than the .22 Hornet, which offers the same relatively low noise advantages of the .22 Magnum, but with better ballistics and accuracy.
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Old 10-24-2020, 11:43 PM
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Years ago in Arizona, G&F allowed the use of 22 Mag for Javalina, and Turkey; Possibly still do.
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Old 10-24-2020, 11:55 PM
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I always remember what someone said. 22 Magnum = 1/3 more power + 3 times the price. It might not 3 times the price now but it is definitely more money than more 22 LR.
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Old 10-25-2020, 12:35 AM
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I saw a customer once in a LGS. He had a North American Arms mini revolver in .22 mag and said it would shoot 2000 fps out of it. He was an old guy and I didn't say a word. It would be interesting to chronograph one...
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Old 10-25-2020, 06:27 AM
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The 22wmr isn’t cheap nor is the 17hmr. I don’t shoot much in smaller calibers.

When ever I hear groundhog caliber I think of the 22-250.
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Old 10-25-2020, 08:43 AM
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LOL...Googled ".22 centerfire rifle cartridges"...... first link I opened listed 14 different .22 centerfire cartridges....."splain that to me"

All varmint rounds designed to take "small game.... at long range..... 200 yards."

The second article talks about the 5 most popular......22 hornet, .221 fireball, .223 .220 swift and .22-250.

.22-250 " ......40 gr bullets.....at 4000fps"

Sound like great cartridges for the western plains..... here in Pa.'s woods and smaller fields the .22mag is fine for varmints out to 100-120-150 yds........ 30-40 gr and 1800 to 2300fps. Bought a "stash" of CCI back when they were $13/50. As a field round that can last a summer.

That said I do own a couple of bolt action .223 and .243s.......but am not a handloader..................

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Old 10-25-2020, 09:05 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gene L View Post
I saw a customer once in a LGS. He had a North American Arms mini revolver in .22 mag and said it would shoot 2000 fps out of it. He was an old guy and I didn't say a word. It would be interesting to chronograph one...
He was about half right. Ballistics by the Inch got about 850-1000 fps out of a 2” barrel.

BBTI - Ballistics by the Inch :: Results
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Old 10-25-2020, 11:25 AM
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My 4 inch magnum 651 gets .22 rifle ballistics with 40 grain hollow points and my 6 inch 648 beats .22 rifle velocities by 20%, all measured on my chronograph. Most .22 long rifle hollow points don't expand at handgun velocities and, therefore, don't do real well killing small game. .22 magnum 40 grain Goldots from a 4 - 6 inch revolver expand dramatically and kill small game as well or better than long rifle hollow points from a rifle. A .22 magnum revolver is a very useful firearm in the field.

BTW, I live in the rural woods and have harvested thousands of small game animals over my 60 years of small game and deer hunting.

I also keep Ruger 77/22 mag hanging handily in my house as my "farm" gun. In rifle form, the magnum is a bit much for edible small game but perfect for problem creatures. I use a .223 when purposely calling coyotes in nearby open farm land, but find it more than I need in my woods.

Just relaying the experiences of an old guy.
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Old 10-25-2020, 11:55 AM
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When I want a .22 with more power than a .22LR I use my 22-250. Larry
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