Need Advice from .22 Mag Fans

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barneyc

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I just took delivery of my Model 48-4 this week! Put about 120 rounds of CCI through it yesterday. Love the gun, hated the ammo. Very dirty. Which ammo do you like for target shooting?Looking for the best compromise between Cleanliness, accuracy and price. Also, if you buy it on line, where?


Thanks,

Barney
 
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the best overall ammo I found for my M48-2 was plain old Winchester 40 grain hp's. if I couldn't find that the Hornady ammo worked ok also. I buy almost all of my ammo at Cabela's. after shipping and other costs I think it works out to about the same. Cabela's is about a block east of where I work in Kearney so that works out just fine
 
I also like the WW Silver Box 40 grain JHP (I buy it @ WalMart for $9.97 a box) --- I kept hearing about WW 34 grain Supreme but never could locate any --- finally have some on order @ Midway for $13+ per box.
 
Dynapoints

Most ammo that I have tried binds up the action after three full cylinders.
After that I have to brush the chambers and behind the extracter star to continue shooting.
I have found that with the Dynapoints I can shoot 100 rounds without having to stop to clean. These cost $7.70 a box at Walmart.
You can also shoot the shorter WRF round.
When shooting your 48 be sure to always hold the gun up to extract the fired cases. That will help keep powder granules from getting caught behind the star and binding up the cylinder.

Bruce
 
My 48-4 seems to shoot Winchester Super X 40gr. the best. That said, it will shoot those cheapo 45gr. Dynapoint really well to boot, especially at 25yds. The Dynapoint 45gr is a somewhat "downloaded" 22Mag. It has a factory stated velocity of 1550fps. in probably a rifle length barrel. Just like bullseye shooters use standard velocity 22lr ammo for best accuracy, these Dynapoints perform well in my 8&3/8" 48-4. Getting back to CCI........I have a bunch of CCI 40gr. Maxi-Mag HP that WILL NOT CHAMBER in my particular 48-4. I have not had this problem with the 40gr. solid Maxi-Mags which chamber and shoot decently. Anyone else ever run across a lot of ammo that won't chamber in a Smith 22Mag revolver? My 48 is probably the most finely timed of all my Smith's. It locks up like a bank vault with barely a turn line on the cylinder.
 
when I bought my first M-48 a long time ago I had a lot of trouble with the CCI mag ammo and I came to the conclusion that the problem was with the swaged bullet used in the ammo. the problem basically went away when I switched to the Winchester 40 gr hp's. my thinking is that they can't hold as tight a tolerance on the swaged lead bullet as you can on a jacketed bullet like on the Winchester. just my opinion
 
Anyone else ever run across a lot of ammo that won't chamber in a Smith 22Mag revolver? My 48 is probably the most finely timed of all my Smith's. It locks up like a bank vault with barely a turn line on the cylinder.[/QUOTE]

Yes! I purchased a box of Federal 40 grain loads and when I went to the range they would not chamber. I had another box with a different lot number and they chambered just fine.
I tried the offending lot in a single six and they would chamber.
I still have both boxes but the lots were made within the last year and purchased at the same time. All other loads from Remington,CCI and Winchester will chamber.

Bruce
 
Thanks for the information guys! I have also had the chambering problems with the CCI's. I'm going to try a box of each of the rounds you have recommended to see which works best in my gun. I'll post my results when I get done.

Thanks again,

Barney
 
I had a couple boxes of S&B .22mag that worked really well in my 48-4. Got 'em at a gunshow. Haven't seen any since. Worked well and were very accurate in my 6".
 
For plinking, target shooting with my 48-4, I have had good results with Fiocchi 40 JSP or JHP. It does not seem to be any more dirty than anything else. It is cheaper than most, if you can find it, I order mine online. They also work OK in my AMT Automag 2, which we all know is pretty picky about ammo.

I have to run a brush thru the chambers of my 48 about every box, or the rounds become hard to chamber, this happens with all the ammo I have tried, Federal, Fiocchi, Winchester. I don't remember trying the Dynapoints, I may do that.

I have also had some CCI 40gr HP's that would not chamber, even in clean chambers, they are Maxi Mag HP 40gr, stock number 0024. They work fine in all my other 22 mag's.
 
I had tried the S & B 22 mag ammo and at least in my M-48 they were very hard to extract. I had to poke the cases out one at a time with a cleaning rod. I tried them in a Ruger M-77/22 mag and they didn't shoot worth a darn. 22 mag ammo can be very finicky sometimes.
 
I've tried CCI, PMC, Remington and also Winchester. I haven't had any feeding trouble with any of them. I have had to clean under the extractor star after about a box.

I also have shot Winchester WRF rounds through my 48-3 and they have worked great. I bought the WRF rounds originally for my Winchester Model 1890, but since that rifle is now 100 years old, I don't want to shoot it much these days.
 
I too have problems with model 48s getting dirty quickly. seems like they are much closer on tolerances than their sister K-22s in 22LR.

most accurate ammo to date has been the winchester supremes 34 gr., but a newer lot of them would not chamber in my hunting gun.

checked several boxes of lot and same problem. then tried hornady 30 gr., and the rounds 'fell' into the chambers. have not shot them for accuracy yet but looking forward to trying them. i'm wondering if these lots produced in the last months with massive backorders were allowed to vary in tolerances way beyond normal.

the 'old' 40 gr. hollowpoints and solids(winchester) have never failed to chamber, just not quite as accurate as the supremes.

the mags are expensive to shoot but still fun and accurate firearms.
 
Relieved to find that your experiences with the M48 'tolerences' are the same as mine. I was beginning to think that my gun was messed up. Tried both the Win Dynapoints and Super X 40 gr. JHP's. I shot about a box of each. Starting with a clean gun, I had two instances of "failure to extract" that I had to dig out. Both types "fell" into the chambers. Frankly, I could not tell the difference between them, but then again I am new to the gun.
 
May I please offer you a bit of advice. Most .22 ammo and that includes magnums burn dirty and will cause all sorts of binding, extraction ect. problems. Had the same thing happen with my 17-3 and 34 snub using all kinds of different ammo.

Buy you some Militec-1 lube and conditioner. Clean the living crap out of that 48 and then treat the revolver using the manufacturers directions. Really scrub them cylinders and barrel and under the extraction star well. This lube/conditioner does not attract dirt like Breakfree and other lubes and may make a huge difference in your 48's performance. I'm a firm believer in it and have been using it for years.

Remember to follow the istructions EXACTLY. Might take a bit longer but well worth it. A little bit goes a long ways.
 
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Have tried every brand of ammo made except maybe the S&B in about a dozen different .22 Magnum handguns and never a problem with any brand or lot not functioning in a gun...

As to 48s, I have had three, all with extra LR cylinders...two 6" and 0ne 4". The two 6" guns are now down the road.

Both 6" guns would bind up after only 2-3 cylinder full...the 4" gun never does...and all it is shot is DA. I've had two 651s, a 650, a 51 and now have a 63 with a 651 cylinder and havn't had any problems with them binding either.

The 48 4" I bought..the .22 LR cylinder had not even been in the gun...

GB031407006.jpg



Bob
 
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