22 lr from a 22 magnum revolver

[someguy2800]

I’m not condoning the practice but I’ve always wondered how well 22 lr from a 22 magnum revolver would shoot. For those that don’t know, 22 lr uses a heeled bullet so the case is the same size as the bullet, but 22 mag has the bullet seated down inside the brass, so the diameter of a 22 mag chamber is much larger.

Well here is the result. All rounds fired on the first hit and I was hitting quarter size rocks in the driveway at 15 feet or so. Didn’t really seam to degrade accuracy.

 

[Y-T71]

Surprised the brass didn't split.

Cool

 

[stringnut]

Won’t harm the gun, but, I would wear hand and eye protection. Sooner , or later, you will probably split a case.

 

[adcoch1]

I've tried it twice before, two different guns, and accuracy seemed similar. But I had split cases on a few and both times I was glad for eye protection. Good experiment to know the results of though in case of emergency..

 

[ontarget]

Split cases for me too. That was in a HRR.

 

[WestKentucky]

I really thought this was gonna go a different direction. I thought it was gonna be an accuracy thread where so many people claim that 22lr through a 22 mag bore is inaccurate as the day is long. In a way im glad it’s not, but that was also kinda addressed by the line about hitting quarter sized rocks at 15 ft.

I have managed to get to the range with a 22 mag cylinder in my single six and 22 lr ammo in my truck. It works. Gun gets pretty dirty. A few splits. Gun gets pretty dirty. I wouldn’t recommend it unless it’s emergency scenario. And then, try really hard to find the right ammo first, because the gun gets really dirty. Anybody picking up on the trend here?

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Just fyi, I believe its possible to cut the rim off a .22 Magnum case and slide it over a LR cartridge to form a sleeve. Haven't tried it myself though.

 

[bigpower491]

If ya think you'll need this revolver in an emergency, stock up the proper for the emergency.

 

[I6turbo]

Just fyi, I believe its possible to cut the rim off a .22 Magnum case and slide it over a LR cartridge to form a sleeve. Haven't tried it myself though.

Yes, the LR case slides into the WMR case just about perfectly. Here are two fired cases from my CZ 452 rifles. The LR case fits so well into the WMR case that it makes a kind of air cylinder/shock absorber type of device. You press the two cases together, the air inside compresses, you release and it springs back. It's one of my fidget toys for when I'm on conference calls, etc.



Close-up:

 

[someguy2800]

If ya think you'll need this revolver in an emergency, stock up the proper for the emergency.

I would not be grabbing a 22 revolver in an emergency, I just wanted to see what would happen.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

I tried this the usual way, by forgetting to change the WMR cylinder in my Ruger Single Six Convertible to .22 LR and then wondering why the shots sounded funny.

I had a couple of split cases (can't recall the brand.) Accuracy wasn't great, probably because the undersized cases weren't centered in the chambers.

All six rounds went bang, as did my palm into my forehead after I'd realized what I'd done!

 

[Walkalong]

They will go bang, splits are common, accuracy might be acceptable, wouldn’t recommend doing it a lot.

Yep, like many, I’ve tried it.

 

[Taurus 617 CCW]

Years ago I used to have a Ruger Single Sic I bought at a pawn shop. It was a 70’s era gun with a fluted cylinder (no caliber markings). I assumed it was a .22 lr cylinder. During the first range trip I noticed split cases. I took it home and dropped some .22 mag dummies I had into the cylinder. Sure enough, they fit perfectly. At the time I never knew Ruger made Single Six magnum cylinders with flutes. Learned something new.

 

[ms6852]

Yes, the LR case slides into the WMR case just about perfectly. Here are two fired cases from my CZ 452 rifles. The LR case fits so well into the WMR case that it makes a kind of air cylinder/shock absorber type of device. You press the two cases together, the air inside compresses, you release and it springs back. It's one of my fidget toys for when I'm on conference calls, etc.

View attachment 1148173

Close-up:
View attachment 1148174

I wonder if you put some kind of tinder or cotton and slam it hard if it will turn it into an amber.

 

[Varminterror]

With no intention of implying recommendation - and rather to the opposite, I don't recommend doing so, but...

I have to admit, as a kid, I grew up shooting my grandpa's 22 Mag revolver almost daily through most of each summer, what would amount to several thousands of rounds over the years, and I'm not certain I ever fired a 22mag round out of it... Grandpa just gave me boxes of 22LR ammo, and I'm sure he never knew any better himself, having had that revolver for most of his lifetime as well... I was in high school before I learned the dangers/risks/implications/consequences of firing 22LR from 22Mag chambers.

My son won't have the same experience, and I don't shoot LR from Mag revolvers any more, but the experience I gained before I knew better is what it is.

Not so dissimilar from firing 9mm ammo from a 40 S&W on purpose, or shooting 40 S&W from a 10mm - or even my brother firing 270win ammo from his 30-06 (which he only did after a failed attempt to get 308win ammo to close into his 30-06), firing cut shotgun shells or stacking dimes into shot cups... as Will Rogers stated - some people just need to pee on the electric fence for themselves...

 

[Carl N. Brown]

In .22 WMR I have three firearms in order of acquisition:
Savage 63KM singleshot bolt action
Taurus 72 pump action carbine
Heritage Rough Rider revolver

I have done short tests and yes, I can fire .22 LR in my .22 WMR firearms.

For all three, the .22 LR case is undersized for the chamber body. The case swells to fit under pressure and the bullet seems to slide up one side of the chamber and hits the chamber throat at random orientation. Gas leakage around the bullet in the chamber should cause slight loss of velocity. Bullet scraping its way from chamber body to chamber throat can't be good for bullet symmetry and accuracy. I found chamber cleaning to be worse (amount of debris on cleaning patch after use of brush).

For the rifles the .22 LR is undersized for the .22 WMR bolt face and chamber. Extraction and ejection of the smaller case presents problems at times. The pump action magnum can only be used as a single shot with the shorter long rifle cartridge.

Maybe if I found myself stuck on the mountain overnight with a .22 magnum firearm and only .22 long rifle ammo, I would use .22 LR in a .22 WMR firearm out of necessity, but not out of choice.

 

[jstert]

by dumb mistake last year i ran 30-40 rounds of cci minimag 22lr ammo through my ruger new model single six’s 22wmr cylinder. nothing abnormal happened at all. i just noticed the different cylinder by chance. “wth did i just do?!” at least i know that in an emergency it can be done.

 

[TTv2]

I've yet to see a single action that's currently produced that is .22 Mag and doesn't have a .22LR cylinder, even double actions are starting to have the .22 LR cylinder, but there's still plenty of .22 Mag only revolvers out there so this is a good question worth asking.

I don't do it not because I'm concerned about safety, but because the velocity is awful and is a waste. I recently got a break action .22 Mag rifle and will be buying the adapters to shoot .22 LR in it. I assume these adapters are some kind of steel sleeve that headspaces off where the .22 Mag case mouth would be in the chamber instead of off the rim. For a single shot this isn't a bad idea, for a revolver IDK.

I'm not really a fan of .22 Mag in revolvers, .22 LR or .32 always seems a better option.

 

[Varminterror]

I've yet to see a single action that's currently produced that is .22 Mag and doesn't have a .22LR cylinder

The Ruger Single 9 is 22WMR only and does not include 22LR cylinder, it's currently listed as such on their web page - 22WMR cylinder only. Prior iterations of the Single 6, before the increased capacity modification to the model line, almost always included 22WMR only models which were not shipped with 22LR cylinders. Yes, "Convertible Models" were available in the Single Six line, but not all of the 22WMR models were shipped with LR cylinders, and the prices typically reflected that difference.

 

[TTv2]

The Ruger Single 9 is 22WMR only and does not include 22LR cylinder, it's currently listed as such on their web page - 22WMR cylinder only. Prior iterations of the Single 6, before the increased capacity modification to the model line, almost always included 22WMR only models which were not shipped with 22LR cylinders. Yes, "Convertible Models" were available in the Single Six line, but not all of the 22WMR models were shipped with LR cylinders, and the prices typically reflected that difference.

Forgot about that one. I could understand someone having the Single 10 or .22 LR only Single Six just for .22 LR and the Nine for just .22 Mag, but IMO, if I was going to spend $700+, I'd rather have the Single Seven than the Single Nine.

 

[GooseGestapo]

Anyone tried wrapping the .22lr with either paper or masking tape like with a paper patched bullet?
This may limit the amount of case expansion to prevent case splitting.

 

[Dave T]

I have never understood the yearning of so many people to shoot the wrong ammunition in firearms. 380s in 9mm, or 9mm in 38 Super are other examples. There are examples of this in the rifle world as well. "Just because you can" never seemed like an intelligent excuse. YMMV!

Dave