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.22 Magnum

7K views 23 replies 22 participants last post by  ankrklankr 
#1 ·
Anyone on the board here have a .22 Magnum ? What are your thoughs on them .

Are you glad you bought the Magnum ? or wish you would have bought the .22LR instead.
 
#2 ·
Durango I own several 22 Mags. They are fun to shoot and seem to give a little more power when you touch them off but I'm sort of wondering how much more power they are over the 22 LR. I've always like the 22 MAG but the price for a box of 50 is making it almost prohibitive to shoot. I will hang on to them and keep shooting but maybe not as often as in the past when a box of 50 was right at $7.
 
#3 ·
The 22wmr has more range and significantly more energy than any 22LR. I've shot beaver, possum, and pigs with the magnum...I wouldn't use 22LR for any of those. I prefer the 22wmr over 17hmr due to the heavier bullets...

All that said, if I could have only 1, it'd be 22LR...cheap and versatile.
 
#5 ·
I got a Single Six Convertible before i even realized that i'm getting both lr and wmr. :)
 
#11 ·
The Ruger Convertible Single-Sixes have made the use of .22 mag ammo readily possible to those who like it at a reasonable price with the additional benefit of allowing the use of "normal" .22LR ammo for most everyday purposes. I have a "couple" of these.

I also have one of the "magnum only" versions from around 1960, just because it was a little different. Wouldn't have bought it as my one-and-only .22 though . . . ammo is too pricy for just plinking.

JMHO
:)
 
#12 ·
I own both a .22 Mag Single-Six, and Henry lever action. They will both remain in my collection and serve as great critter guns. Some have mentioned you can take out raccoon, possum, and possibly beavers, but the one I remember is when I took out a small hog with the rifle about 2 years ago. It is incredibly accurate and packs heat for such a small round.

One thing that sort of bothers me which I keep hearing shooters complain about is how expensive the rounds are. I just don’t agree. I mean if you are coming from just shooting 22 LR then yes I can understand it may seem expensive to you, but all other calibers will cost you near twice as much for 50 rounds. I can get 22 WMR today for around $13-17 (50 rounds). Before Sandy Hook I could find it for under $10. How much are you paying for 50 rounds of 38 spl, .357 mag, 9 mm, or .223? I can’t find any of those calibers at 50 rounds for under $20 today.

You really do get your money’s worth for .22 WMR. Just look at the ballistics: 1,900-2,200 ft/sec. / 280-322 ft.lb.
 
#13 ·
.22 magnum

Hi, D.K. I have both the .22 LR and the .22 Magnum. They each have their place . The .22 LR is great for just plinking at 25-75 yards. Its light and easy to carry. You only need a low priced scope because you aren't going to be reaching out too far. Ammo is cheap also.( somewhat hard to find right now though ).
The .22 Magnum is my rifle of choice for any serious hunting out to about 100-125 yards. Mine is dead accurate at those ranges but falls off thereafter. I mostly use the ,22 Mag for killing alligators.We live on the Texas gulf coast and are covered up with them. Every pond within 50 miles has at least one and many times two. Generally there are lots and lots of ponds but this year its dry as a bone. Whatever, if you have a very good scope you can look into the eyes of an alligator and with practice, you can hit one in an eye. That is the only way to get into their brain. . The .22 mag is perfect for that. When they die, they sink and the turtles eat them so you don't have to dispose of the body. They are protected but tough shit, they are a deadly menace who eat your dogs, cats and grandchildren if they aren't careful.
Ruger doesn't make the 10/22 in magnum any more so the price of used ones is sky high. You might just settle for a .22 LR to start with and then in a while, look around for a good used .22 Mag Ruger 10/22 for probably over a thousand dollars. A new .22 LR is probably about $250. these days and a .22 Mag bolt action Ruger will probably be in the $500. range. Good luck and have fun.
 
#14 ·
I have a Single Nine. It is a blast to shoot, but I only take it out on rare occasions. I like the power and pop from the magnum rounds, but, as others have pointed out, it can get rather expensive pretty quick. For everyday plinking, I use my Mark III or my Sig 1911-22.
 
#15 ·
Bought a .22 Mag LCR.

It's about the only thing I can get my wife to carry with regularity.

So far no problems with it, and it packs a pretty good punch, penetrates to around 10".
 
#17 ·
Would love to have a rifle or revolver but the price of ammo keeps me away.
 
#18 · (Edited)
WMR is a great little round ,heaps more pwr and reach than LR.... in the past although i wouldn't recommend making a habit of it i have killed several small Fallow deer with head shots from a little stainless M77 that i owned they all dropped on the spot.A while ago a friend of a friend had several animals captured on his farmlet ,they escaped into an adjacent bush block that was close to a reasonably built up area and road so the criteria i was given was to hunt and cull them with something "small" and suppressed the only rifle at that point that fitted his wishes was my little M77 in WMR, now i have a Hornet ,but the little WMR did the job admirably....Whilst i dont have a WMR any more (that niche in my cabinet is now filled with a suppressed 17HMR and a suppressed .22 Hornet) i wouldn't hesitate to recommend a great little caliber that has a lot more "grunt" and reach than an LR.
WMR is a hunting round more than a plinking round....if its for plinking a LR will be kinder to the bank account if its for hunting small Game the WMR will definitely put a smile on your face
Cheers KIWI.
 
#20 ·
Although I prefer rifles, I've fired both cylinders (.22lr and .22wmr) from my Ruger Single Six Convertible and kinda wished the wmr ammo was a bit less expensive as I feel I could have mucho fun w/that round. I'm keeping my eyes open for a .22wmr rifle that won't break the bank, but it may be awhile before I can buy.
 
#21 ·
I have a Single Nine (.22 WMR only) a Single Six convertible, and a CZ .22 WMR 512 rifle. So as you can see, I like the .22 magnum.

Having said that, I like .22LR and it is probably my favorite round to shoot due to its performance, low cost, etc.

Both are good to have.
 
#23 ·
I have a 9 1/2" Ruger Single-Six. I also have a Henry Golden Boy in .22 magnum. The .22 magnum has around 320 ft. lbs. of muzzle energy from a 24" rifle barrel and the .22 LR has around 200 ft. lbs. The .22 magnum at 100 yards still has the same energy as a .22 LR at the muzzle. I shoot them because the ammo is cheap. I sold my Ruger #1 in .458 Lott when ammo got up to around $7.00 per shot.
 
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