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.