.22 Mag in a pistol not all you might think

[dtknowles]

.22 Mag 40 gr. bullets are around 1400 fps from my 6.5" barreled Single Six and the 30 gr. stuff is 1500 to 1600 fps.

.22 long rifle HV stuff with 40 gr. bullets from the same revolver is around 1300 fps and Stingers with 30 gr. bullets are still only 1300 fps.

Just for your info.

Tim

[Land Owner]

OK. Side by side. There is some, but not a lot of difference, though price is roughly double or more for 22WMR. On the one hand, 22LR is popular, WAS inexpensive, and USED TO BE found on most shelves. On the other hand, there's...not a lot to look forward to.

[Winger Ed.]

I was never a .22Mag guy simply because at the distances I shot, the LR was fine.
Especially once I learned about CCI Stingers and Mini-Mags.
But I always did think the added horsepower of the .22Mag was more than your findings indicate.

I haven't checked, but the .22Mag might come into its own, and shine a little brighter coming out of a rifle.

[Hannibal]

A .22Mag is SIGNIFICANTLY louder than a .22lr also and particularly in a revolver. I've owned both a revolver and a rifle and don't regret selling either one.

[hoodat]

Yeah, the stuff I've read said the powder used in the 22 mag, developed best velocity in longer barrels. Would be interesting to see the difference in velocity of both cartridges in a 20" barrel. jd

[cwlongshot]

The 22 mag is a rifle caliber. Only recently makers have loaded it with powders made for shorter barrels. Condemning it for doing as it was designed, because you dont like it in something it wasnt designed for is, well, kinda folly.

The Magnum, when fired in a Rifle, carries twice the power of the LR, fired from same barrel, at 100Yards, then the LR has AT THE MUZZLE!
Cost is immaterial, do you smoke or drink? Yea that costs more too! We pay for preformance. Always have always will!

But the magnum offers a proper real jacketed bullet.

CW

[pietro]

.

While I've used a .22LR rifle for hunting small game for decades, I long ago switched to the .22WMR for a couple of reasons.

* It does bang/flop on small game a lot faster than the LR.

* Allows for the longer shots offered in Winter, after the foliage has dropped from the trees.

* Better at dealing for dealing with some predators (Coyote, Coy-Dog, Fox, etc) - which either happen by, or called in.

I was lucky enough, many years ago, to be able to buy a deceased gunshop owner's entire supply of WMR (100 boxes/50) from his widow for a pittance - that should last me until I go for my Dirt Nap.


My warm weather CC pistol is a convertible, which I carry with the WMR cylinder.

(Top, below - with my Seecamp)


https://i.imgur.com/O5BYms1l.jpg
.

[Pereira]

Much different out of a rifle.
Shootin turtles on the lake, the mag is significantly better on the longer shots.
Also on coyotes, but at the current prices, I can load 223's cheaper.:shock:[smilie=b:

RP

[dtknowles]

Yes .22 mag. is much better than .22 lr. when shot in a longer barrel. I was not condemning .22 mag. just letting people know what I found out. Factory ballistics are from longer barrels.

[Electrod47]

I haven't heard it mentioned yet, But isn't bullet construction a tad heartier than the LR offerings. I know in my 22mag rifles they hit a lot harder than a LR. My steel plates go into orbit and my regular 22LR steel targets gets dented. Even at 100 yards. While the 22LR just knocks them over.

[dtknowles]

I haven't heard it mentioned yet, But isn't bullet construction a tad heartier than the LR offerings. I know in my 22mag rifles they hit a lot harder than a LR. My steel plates go into orbit and my regular 22LR steel targets gets dented. Even at 100 yards. While the 22LR just knocks them over.

.22 mag bullets are varied in construction. I have Win. fmj and hollow points with exposed lead and I have CCI that the bullets are copper plated hollow points. I think I saw some ammo with Hornady v-max bullets.

[cwlongshot]

Yes absolutely I mentioned that in my post.

Only copper was bullet in a 22 Magnum I can think if is the 45g Dyna Point. WRF offered some copper washed (like most all S, L & LR RF.) nearly all 22 Magnums utilize a real jacketed projectile. (Better more consistent preformance)

CW

CW

[rpf2697]

I use my .22 magnum High Standard revolver for gophers on my rural property... birdshot of course and the results are amazing and have better results than using my Ruger single six in .22 using birdshot.

[Mk42gunner]

.22 Mag 40 gr. bullets are around 1400 fps from my 6.5" barreled Single Six and the 30 gr. stuff is 1500 to 1600 fps.

.22 long rifle HV stuff with 40 gr. bullets from the same revolver is around 1300 fps and Stingers with 30 gr. bullets are still only 1300 fps.

Just for your info.

Tim
Tim,
The only thing that really surprised me was the .22 LR 40 grain velocity from your pistol. It is more like what I expect from a 22 rifle than a handgun speed.

I have thought for a number of years that a .22 Magnum from a handgun was the ballistic equivalent of a .22 Long Rile fired from a rifle.

Robert

[dtknowles]

Tim,
The only thing that really surprised me was the .22 LR 40 grain velocity from your pistol. It is more like what I expect from a 22 rifle than a handgun speed.

I have thought for a number of years that a .22 Magnum from a handgun was the ballistic equivalent of a .22 Long Rile fired from a rifle.

Robert

Your thinking is about right. .22 LR seems to be optimized for shorter barrels than .22 Mag. so .22 LR rifle velocities are not much more than pistol velocities.

301996

301997

Tim

[MarkP]

Federal Promo Bulk 36 gr HP 22 LR's out of my 3" S&W 317 are same velocity as 22 WMR out of a S&W 351 (1-7/8") 22 WMR's are super loud in a handgun even in a 10" Contender they still sound like a 357.

I was very surprised when I chronographed my 3" S&W; at first I thought I was clocking a shockwave rather than a bullet.

[rbuck351]

Never had much use for a 22mag. If I need more than a 22 lr I just step up to a 22H or 25/20 with cast. Lots cheaper than 22 mag and the 25/20 has a bunch more punch with the 73gr cast at 1950fps. The hornet with cast is about the same as the 22mag except a lot cheaper.

[Daekar]

There are now short-barrel specific loads of 22mag out there, which supposedly address this issue to some degree.

Hornady makes a defense load under their Critical Defense marque, and Speer sells a Gold Dot load, both optimized for short barrels. Might be worth a try.

[Land Owner]

I figure, correctly, that a 223, single shot, Handi-rifle, lubed, 50 gr. Bator cast, w/GC, or lubed, 55 gr. RCBS 22-55-SP cast, w/GC, is MORE at 2000 fps muzzle velocity (greater if I PC) out to 100 yds., and LESS than $0.15 each from a life-time supply of components gathered before any foreseeable run up in cost or depletion in supply.

I have killed, DRT, a heap of feral hogs out to 25 yds., with one shot in the "X" between eyes and ears, using a rock-solid steady rest and either a stainless Ruger K77/22RP in 22LR, or a 223 Handi-rifle. I have not shot any 22WMR, rifle or pistol. I don't know those.

[yovinny]

I fell into a 22mag derringer years ago during some kind of trade deal.
It needed to be shook out muzzle down after firing to discharge all the unburnt powder,,,otherwise if you werent careful, it would all end up in the breach face and prevent closing the action on another pair of cartridges.
Never had much use for the mighty magnum rim fire in handguns after that...

[cwlongshot]

But today we have loading for both LR & Mag designed for short pistol barrels. The LR does it better then the Mag with the shortest. But after about 3.5" the mag out paces the LR.

With standard LR offerings 16" is optimal and longer can actually be lower velocities. Hyper velocity offerings can see marked gains in velocity. Magnums dont see super velocity gains. They read/advertise 2200fps+ but usually dont hit those highs. My 24 Savage only bears my 22" barrels slightly.

CW

[Hays47]

My first experience with the 22 magnum was with a Savage 24. 22 mag on top barrel 20ga bottom barrel. This was back in the 70's. The 22 mag had a dismal reputation. My first attempts with the Savage made me think they were all right on. Was telling my gunsmith Uncle that I was thinking about selling it. He instructed me to do an Arkansas stone the sear to reduce the trigger pull that was off the charts hard. carefully stoned and got it down to @ 5 lb. Also felt a lot smoother. The groups shrank to the point it became my favorite squirrel gun. I became a huge fan of the cartridge.

Ran across a full stock Anschultz carbine. No trigger job needed there. It was flat out deadly with a Leupold 2X7. It made shots while hunting that I would never have attempted with any 22 lr. Many claim to have rifles that are " tack drivers ". I would challenge some of the claimants by inserting an actual tack in my range's backboard. Deal was alternate shots 10$ to first shooter to destroy the tack. This was off a bench and I would shoot versus any caliber. Since most of the guys " knew " the 22 magnum was so inaccurate. Most of them accepted the bet. I did not win all but I made enough to pay for that Anshultz twice.