pantannojack
US Veteran
Have there been any reports of serious failures of 22lr cartridges fired in 22 magnum rimfire chambers? Any discussion?
22lr in a 22 WMR chamber
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Yes, the cases can split and vent gasses into the chamber. At the very least they'll bulge and you'll have poor accuracy. .22 LR's and shorts operate at around 20,000psi.
Don't do it on purpose.
Don't do it on purpose.
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Too small; get Magnum ammo.
Years ago I unintentionally loaded & fired 6 - 22 LR shells using the WMR cylinder of my Ruger Single Six. Every single one of them was difficult to extract, as the cases had all split open and swelled up.
Not a total failure, but not smart either. I seriously recommend against it.
Not a total failure, but not smart either. I seriously recommend against it.
AJ
US Veteran
As Jackie Gleason said in "Smokey & The Bandit". "You can think about it, but don't you do it!"
I've done it when switching cylinders on a NAA mini, then inadvertently reaching for the wrong ammo box...Next time I paid better attention...
...Ben
...Ben
sigp220.45
US Veteran
It will work, but its pretty unspectacular. Weak report, swelled cases, poor accuracy. But it will work.
Cal44
Member
I've tried it on my 650.
The above comment sums up the results.
Might be something to save for the apocalypse, but best hit a gun shop first and pick up some 22 wmr.
After wanting one for years, I finally bought my first K-22. It was a beautiful gun. I took it to my club’s indoor range, loaded it up, and fired six rounds. I was so excited.
Accuracy was horrible.
The cases ejected a little hard, and came out split.
Some idiot had rechambered it to .22 Magnun.
I was heartbroken.
I took it back to the dealer I got it from, and after he checked it out he took it back.
It was several more years before I got my K-22.
And that’s my sad story.
Accuracy was horrible.
The cases ejected a little hard, and came out split.
Some idiot had rechambered it to .22 Magnun.
I was heartbroken.
I took it back to the dealer I got it from, and after he checked it out he took it back.
It was several more years before I got my K-22.
And that’s my sad story.
WOW, I'd have tried 22 Mag in the K22 first. Then if it shot well tried to renegotiate the price.
AJ
US Veteran
Have a friend that had a similar experience. He had an old Stevens 416 rifles. He was complaining that all his cases were hard to extract and were splitting. I had him try a .22 Magnum in it and it did chamber. He ended up selling it to another friend that was aware of the problem when he got it. He is happy with it, says it shoots well.
gwpercle
Member
Yes ... there has been a lot of discussion ...
... Do Not Fire 22LR in 22 WMR Chambers ... They Split ...
My Daddy would say ...
" Boy ... Don't be acting the fool ! "
Daddy said that a lot when I was young !
Gary
... Do Not Fire 22LR in 22 WMR Chambers ... They Split ...
My Daddy would say ...
" Boy ... Don't be acting the fool ! "
Daddy said that a lot when I was young !
Gary
sigp220.45
US Veteran
I had a Model 63 that I bought with full knowledge it had issues. It had incredibly difficult extraction - to the point it required a mallet to whack them out. It had been back to S&W and they returned it with a note that said the chambers were out of round and they didn’t have any replacement cylinders.
I suspect it had the usual sticky extraction issues and a previous owner had used some kind of overly aggressive “polishing” methods to cure it.
I rented a .22 Mag reamer from 4K, poured a big glass of vino, put “War Horse” on the telly, and started cranking. By the time horse and boy were reunited I had a perfectly functional .22 Magnum.
I suspect it had the usual sticky extraction issues and a previous owner had used some kind of overly aggressive “polishing” methods to cure it.
I rented a .22 Mag reamer from 4K, poured a big glass of vino, put “War Horse” on the telly, and started cranking. By the time horse and boy were reunited I had a perfectly functional .22 Magnum.
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When I was young and poor, I bought some .22LR for my .22 Mag revolver.
Accuracy was horrible.
Accuracy was horrible.
I did it a couple of times with my 4" model 48, which looks identical to my model 18. No split cases, but they did swell on one side, probably the side facing up where the excessive clearance would be between the cartridge and the chamber wall. Report was anemic, as was the velocity and accuracy. No good reason to do it.
sourdough44
Member
But you can safely fire 22 WRF ammo in that mag chamber, CCI sells them. This will take it down to low 22 LR speeds.
