.22 mag

I have Marlin 22 magnum that I have owned for over 20 years. It is a very nice, very accurate, almost useless rifle. The price of 22 magnum ammo prevents it from being used heavily as a plinker/target shooter, so the 22 LR does that job. Its too powerful or things like squirrels (if you intend to eat them) because it destroys them. Its illegal here for coon hunting at night, and it lacks power for foxes, coyotes, and the like- not that it won't work in a pinch, but there are much better alternatives. But it is a nice rifle.

mcmurry said:

So I'm interested in a .22 mag. Doesn't really matter if handgun or rifle. I have been interested in both the discontinued 10/22 in .22 mag and the Kel Tec PMR 30. I thought about the Heritage revolver but have heard too many bad reviews. Any suggestions?

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For a handgun, check out the Ruger convertible 22lr/22wmr. If you are set on a semi-auto, you might want to look for an old AMT pistol. As for a rifle, I believe Savage makes a decent .22 mag.

I have a HRR with the .22lr / .22wmr cylinders and for $150 give or take it's an exceptional value. Well made and works well, however a target shooter it ain't. A very functional fun little plinker it is.

For a 22wmr I'd go with a rifle but not either of the ones you listed. I recently picked up a XT22 MVSR and I'm over the moon happy with.

Another vote for Ruger. A current model Single Nine or an older Single Six convertible. I have a Single Six that rarely sees the LR cylinder; it gets fed a steady diet of 22 WMR.

I also have a walnut and blued 77/22 in 22 WMR that I really like.

I have to ask, why?

9mm is cheaper and just as fun to shoot. Get a Ruger PCC and go to town.

I have a ruger American rimfire in 22 wmr. It is very accurate and fun.

I have a soft spot for 22wmr. No rhyme or reason reallly.

It is easier to shot at 100 or 150 yards than 22 lr. It is definitely better for coons, possums, and armadillo.
I've used mine on birds at 75 ish yards quite effectively and I guess it would work for coyote in a pinch.

It doesn't really have a real forte but it is fun. That's enough reason for me. The guns and ammo are still plenty cheap enough to justify.

Could probably find a secondhand Taurus 941 somewhere. It's an eight-shot DA/SA revolver. I have a sweet, stainless 3-incher (fairly rare) made around 2003, and I like it a lot.

If you're just "thinking about" the caliber and not sure what you're gonna do with it, go ahead and get the Heritage. Knock around with it a little while, seeing how the round shoots (and what you're paying for it), and then you can decide if you want to do more with the round. I own two of them, including the shorter birdshead model, both of which I had before the Taurus.

I picked up a 6½" Heritage two days ago. I haven't fired it yet, just field-stripped, cleaned, eezoxed and painted (fluoro orange over white) the front sight. This afternoon I will probably add white dots to either side of the rear sight slot.

To me it looks ... mmm, OK ... for a sub-$200 .22LR/WMR revolver. O'course, it will not see hard use with me, just plinking and introducing some kids & adults to the sport.

I will be using it along with the Herters SAA .22LR revolver (HS Model 21 S) that Dad bought 50 years ago.

PMR 30 with Burris Fast Fire III. From bench I can get 2-3 inch groups at 50 yards. Kel Tec provides a list of ammo to avoid but mine will eat everything but Armscor. I also have the carbine model the CMR 30.
Had the Ruger LCR in .22 Magnum but it was just to snappy for me to get decent followup shots. Nice pistol though.

I've had a few 22 mags over the years. If I were going back I'd consider another Ruger Single Six that comes with both cylinders. I no longer have one though. I find it either too much gun, or not enough. A 22 LR does everything I need done with a 22 rimfire. And a 223 in a centerfire costs less to shoot and does a lot more.

Fun round - downsides in handguns, I've had or seen.

1. Lots of blast and fire. Seen it from revolvers and the Kel-tec.
2. Revolvers get dirty and gummy fast. Mine would glue up after 50 rounds.
3. Expensive rounds.
4. The Kel-tec is spotty in reliability. Some run, the one I saw jammed once a mag.

So it's a niche gun. I wouldn't choose it for SD - better choices in revolvers or trust the Kel-tec.

IIRC, the Ruger rifle was a jammer.

I inherited an old .22 Magnum Automag. Nothing practical or particularly useful about it, but it is just plain fun to shoot! The massive muzzle blast and flash with minimal recoil attracts attention at the range. A box of ammo is only a little more than a box of Winchester USA 9mm ammo so it doesn't break the bank. If the weather cooperates, it'll be part of our 4th of July celebration.

As far as rifles go, if you want a 10/22 Mag, before you shell out 800-1000 bucks, give the Remington 597 Mag a look for around $300. This is exactly what I did and as of now, I see no reason to get the 10/22 Mag anymore.

Mine is 100% with its chosen ammo and is darn accurate for 22 mag.

I use mine a lot for small game and hog hunting after deer season. For this reason, .22 Mag makes more sense than .22 LR and as such I use it a ton more. .22LR gets the nod for practice and plinking but I almost never hunt with it and always choose the mag.

I’ve stated many times that I prefer .22 mag for small game hunting. It will take everything from squirrels to rabbits. I have even dropped a yote at a full run on our farm in front of 3 friends. I have had my M-77 v-bolt for well over 20 years. It’s just enough for most jobs, even if there are better options.

22 mag doesn’t blow apart squirrels. 17HMR does though. Puts a nice oversized hole in them though so it is still wise to head shoot them.

My CZ 452 Lux in 22 WMR is one of my favorite guns to shoot and would be one of the last guns I'd voluntarily get rid of.

I have a Marlin 883SS in .22WMR that's a great shooter. I also have a LCRx 3 inch in .22WMR ghat I bought as a companion to the 883. Enjoy shooting them both.

Not as cheap to shot as .22LR but wicked fast out of the 883.

First one was my Ruger single six convertable. My first handgun. I started out 2018 without any 22mag rifles. Ended 2018 with 3. Found a Savage model 93 at a garage sale. Picked up a CZ455 Lux at an auction. Came across a Winchester 94XTR 22 mag at another auction. All of them are fun to shoot.

I have a Henry rifle in 22WMR, fantastic little rifle and reasonably priced, and you can put a scope on it if you want. I also have a PMR 30 and that is a blast to shoot, it has a remarkably good trigger IMHO, and you can't go wrong with a 30 round magazine.

Some good points brought up here in this thread that I didn't think about (cheap 9mm is about the same price as cheap .22 Mag is) and some I've already concluded.

In a single action revolver, a revolver fitted for the length of a .22 Mag cylinder means a spare .22 LR cylinder can be used, which is something Heritage provides with most of their Rough Riders, North American Arms in some of their revolvers, and Ruger with their convertible Single Six.

The .22 Mag gives you more power and good self defense JHP ammo, which is the sole reason to own an NAA mini revolver. In a full size revolver, if you were looking for a really good trail or trapping gun, a convertible .22 is hard to beat. If you were not well off financially, the convertible .22's like the Heritage give you a cheap gun that lets you practice with cheap .22 LR and use for home defense with .22 Mag; for women or young teens, these are not bad options.

That said, if you can swing the extra money and take the recoil, a 9mm revolver is better. More money? Yes, but better for defense, just as easy on the wallet compared to just shooting .22 Mag. The Kel Tec pistol is a cool idea, I just don't trust .22 Mag in an autoloader.

In rifles... I just don't see the point of .22 Mag vs .22 LR for distances under 100 yards, especially small game that you plan to eat, and for anything over 100 yards that's for varminting there are better options; .17 calibers, .22 Hornet, ..327 Federal, .30 Carbine to name a few. The only difference again is price, but unless you're living out West and are on a ranch and have to shoot that .22 Mag rifle of yours every day to keep coyotes or foxes out of the hen house, I think you can afford to get something better that's a bit more in price.

One thing I don't like with .22 Mag is that I notice a lot more FTF's with it vs .22 LR. Idk if it's the particular ammo I'm shooting or if the brass in the rim is thicker or if there's something wrong with all of my .22 Mag revolver cylinders, but there are times I can go 100 rds with .22 LR and get no failures, but do that with .22 Mag and it's a guarantee 5 of them are not going off. Thankfully in a revolver I just go to the next chamber, but in something like the PMR 30, especially if it was when I'm on the clock in a competition or in a defense situation, that's a critical failure.

I have three .22 LR/Mag revolvers, got them because I wanted to plink with the .22, but have the .22 Mag for more power when it may be needed. I have no rifles in .22 Mag, I just have no use for one. If you wanna get a .22 Mag, get it in a revolver, preferably a single action.

In 2019, there are some niche guns that .22 Mag just works in, but otherwise I think it's a cartridge that lives off it's association with .22 LR. Back when it was introduced in 1959, there was no hyper velocity .22 LR ammo, there was no .32 H&R Magnum, hollow point bullets weren't a known science, .17's weren't a thing, .22 Hornet did exist, but to shoot it in a revolver wasn't practical.

The .22 Mag was a great cartridge for its time, but a lot changes over the span of 60 years.