.22 magnum??? Choice???

M

mitchsnap

Well-known member
Joined
May 20, 2007
Messages
284
Reaction score
55
Location
Arizona
Looking to buy a .22 magnum revolver. Don't mind paying a premium price for a premium revolver. What would be a fair price?? Want something with box and papers if possible. Any recommendations??? Was looking at the Model 48. Really not familiar with the .22's. Any help or direction would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you. :)
 
I'll probably will start a fire storm here and I know the magnum round is more powerfull then the 22LR. My gunsmith asked me if the 22 magnum was worth it when I told him I was going to buy one and he said how much in ammo costs was I willing to pay for 25 yards more accuracy. He said they are identical if you add in the 25 yards for the 22 magnum over the 22LR and was I willing to pay for it. In my mind that's not much of a gain or worth the costs other then maybe for bragging rights.
 
If you do no already have a .22 LR handgun, I recommend you look for a gun that comes with both .22 LR and .22 Mag cylinders. As already mentioned, .22LR costs about 1/8 as much as .22 Mag. About the only gun I know you can readily purchase with 2 cylinders is the Ruger Single Six.
 
in a k-frame look for a 648,beautiful but pricey,around 700.00..........in a j-frame the 650 or 651,all are stainless,and all are about 600-750 for nice gun with box.They will last forever tho.I just picked up a like new in box 648 for 650 otd,trying to fil my stainless 22 collection,need the 63 2 in. ,and the 650.....almost there good luck ,,,there is a 648 on rimfire for sale ,real nice one,w/ box etc
 
My dealer had a blue Model 48 in stock recently. The gun looked like brand new, with just a slight turn line. 4" barrel, target trigger, hammer, and stocks. No box or papers. The asking price was $825.00.

They sold it in two days.

If I wanted a 22 Mag, I'd get a Ruger Single-Six with the convertable cylinder.
 
Agree with the dual-cylinder idea, and if you really want to shoot lots of .22 Magnums I would recommend the longest barrel possible - they are loud and you might as well get as much MV out of it as you can.
 
The 22 magnum will deliver somewhere around 110-130 ft/lbs of muzzle energy coming from a 4 " barrel. North American Arms website offers some ballistics data on their 2" and 4" revolvers. I have a Ruger Single Six with the 9.5" barrel that I enjoy shooting. The longer barrel really speeds up the round using CCI +V ammo. The emergy at the muzzle, in a 9.5" barrel, is somewhere around 220ft/lbs
or better. That would be similar to a 38 special.

Here's a link:

North American Arms Ballistics - Mini Master Magnum
 
Last edited:
i understand why one shouldn't shoot 22 mag out of a 22lr cylinder, and I don't doubt there's a good reason but my question is why does a gun need two cylinders for 22LR and 22mag, I'm curious why one can't shoot 22LR out of a 22 mag cylinder, aren't they both rimfire? is it that the chamber is too long or something? i've always wondered this, but I've haven't had any experience with 22mag as of yet.
 
My understanding is the Magnum case is larger in diameter, so .22 LR cases will split with firing in a Magnum chamber. The .22 WRF is shorter but the same diameter as the Magnum, like the .38 Special is relative to the .357, so is safe to fire.
 
.22 Mag. is larger in the case diameter and will not chamber in a .22 LR cylinder.The .22Mag bullet is larger in diameter than a .22 LR. Trying to shoot .22Mag. in a .22LR barrel can be hazardous to your health and the guns.Convertable guns barrels are bored as a compromise between Mag. and Long rifle. One trick you can use,if you're patient,is cut off the base of expended .22mag cases to .22LR length. Insert .22 LR in those cut down cases[they fit perfectly] and shoot them in a .22Mag gun.Shooting .22LR in a Mag cylinder without.22mag "adapters" usually results in split cases.Colt .22 SAAs that are convertable are bored for .22 Mag.The Mag. barrels have a rounded crown on the muzzle. The barrels for.22LR have a flat crown.Colt warns against Mag. cylinders in .22LR guns,yet if you shop used guns you will occasionally come across mag cylinders in .22LR guns.I guess the motive there is profit but if you don't know the difference you can get hurt. I bought 2 early Colts with Zamack [alloy] frames that were separated through the top straps.Both had Mag cylinders and LR barrels! They do make for cheap parts guns though!.As recommended above, Ruger makes a very good convertable but get one with adjustable sights if possible.In the past, S&W has fitted .22LR cylinders and cranes on .22mag Revolvers but I don't know if they will now. AND it is expensive.As a rule I seldom need to put a Mag. cylinder in a pistol 'cause the .22 short, long, & long rifle come in so many different loadings that there is little to be gained with a .22 Mag. Sorry to ramble but these have been my experiences over nearly 50 years. Best regards, Nick
 
At the risk of getting ridden out of town, tarred and feathered, Taurus has just released a new revolver, 992. It's a double action with two cylinder/crane assemblies, 22lr and 22mag. Comes in blue and stainless, 4" or 6".

If you're just looking for a plinker, or even a little bit of hunting, I can speak with experience that they really aren't that bad. And the cost is reasonable as well.

No, they're not S&Ws. But you don't need to eat Fillet Mignon all of the time. A little round steak works if you use it right.

I'll shut up now! :D
 
In the K-Frame size, the Model 48 is available on the used market in 4",6" and 8 3/8" barrel lengths. You will sometimes see them with a LR cylinder as well. You can also have a Model 17 cylinder fitted to the gun. The 648 is SS with the full lug barrel. I think they only made these in 6". There are a variety of J frame choices in both blue and SS.

Don't discount the 8 3/8 guns, they balance well and let you reach out with the WMR round. Not so hot for CCW :)
 
Practically speaking, and based on my own experience, a .22 mag cci hp from a 6" (or whatever that mid-length barrel is on a Ruger) Single-six will stop a bull armadillo in full charge much more efficaciously than will a .22 lr hp from the same gun. I believe the cci snake loads in a .22 mag are much more effective than .22lr also. I keep my NA mini-revolver loaded with the mag snake loads during the summer months.
 
.22 WMR and .22 LR ARE NOT THE SAME BORE!!!!

You will hear they are and they are NOT. Every convertable I have ever shot worked great with one and not the other. The bore on a magnum should be .224 while the bore on a LR will be .222 so while it's not a huge difference it is there. The Single Six I shot had a .222 bore and worked great with LR but most any magnum it was just like a really loud LR still and accuracy was an issue starting at about 20 yards. And a ruptured .22 LR in a magnum cylinder can spit a lot of hot gas and particles into someone's face. Why they chose to stick with using a heeled bullet for the regular .22 ammo and a regular bullet in the magnum I have no idea. They are finally making magnum ammo for short barrels since almost all of it has always been slow burning rifle powder. I know Speer and Hornady have short barrel magnum ammo out now. But the use of .22 LR in a .22 magnum should be avoided at all times.
 
You may also want to consider the colt option the new frontier and peacemaker models also were dual cylinder guns, I have the new frontier version with the ramp front sight and it's an accurate high quality piece that can still be bought at single six prices but will surely increase in value as they are long out of production and are "Colt". Very happy with mine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
Smith & Wesson Model 17
Replies
4
Views
552
Smithjj
S
B
Model 36 J frame hammer
Replies
5
Views
434
BikerMikeyBlack
B
W
Model 17-3 in .22 ID and possible price?
Replies
5
Views
174
WhatFurrer
W
glshuck
J Frame Grip Identification
Replies
3
Views
126
PatriotX
PatriotX
S
K-frame .327....
Replies
2
Views
266
glenncal1
G

Latest posts

Back
Top