.22 mag : ballistics, platforms and uses

[AStone]

In the past, I've benefited greatly from so-called "club threads", threads devoted to discussions about specific guns. I regularly participate in several - 642 Club and MP 340 (club) come to mind - and even created a couple: Marlin 336 club (.30-30 and .35 Rem) and Marlin 39 Club (.22).

All of those have been long-running, popular and informative. They offer a place to collect a whole lot of information about one kind of gun in one place. They've attracted a community of people who "know" each other, kind of like Cheers, the TV bar where everybody knows your name.

But I've never seen such a thread devoted to a caliber (instead of a specific gun).

I've been a fan of .22 LR since I was, maybe, 12. Several times recently, I've been bitten by a larger bug: the .22 WMR or just .22 mag. but have never owned one. Now I'm considering buying an AR (.223), and am thinking about a .22 mag as an intermediate between .22 LR and .223 for the tool kit.

It was this thread about the soon-to-be-released Kel-Tec PMR 30 that got my attention most recently, although I've done a little reading about it in the past while researching Ruger's Single Six.

So, I've been trying to learn more about this rnd.

I've spent some time today during work breaks researching it a bit.

So far, I've found this Wikipedia article that offers a nice overview.

Here's another thread on another forum about the value (or not) of the caliber.

I've found about half a dozen THR threads devoted to it.

Here's one on best .22 mag rifle.

Here's another on use of .22 mag for SD.

There are other threads as well.

But then I thought, why not just create a thread specific to this caliber, but not specific to any particular platform (rifle, revolver, semi-auto pistol) or use (hunting, SD, etc).

So, here it is. Let's see how much information we can collect about this venerable rnd. As long as it's about .22 mag, sky's the limit: ballistics, platforms (rifle, revolver, pistol), uses (hunting, SD, survival ...), pros/cons, comparisons to similar calibers (.22 LR, .22-250, .223 ...), etc, etc.

Consider this an experiment. Let's see where it goes.

Have fun with it.

 

[TimboKhan]

I don't know squat about the ballistics of the .22 mag, but I do know that they are a delight to shoot out of a single six, and even more fun to shoot out of the no longer made 10/22 Magnum.

The thing that I like about the round out of a single six is that at least I experience better accuracy from a harder hitting round. I don't know where it ranks on the usefulness scale, but I can plink with a pretty fair amount of success with the mag from longer distances (say up to about 100 yds). I am certain there are those that can do that same thing with a single six using long rifle, but much past about 50 yards, I am just getting lucky. Sort of the same thing with the 10/22 mag, except I CAN hit at 100 yds with a LR version. I just feel better about it with a mag.

So anyway, there you have my opinion. Not scientific, not something anyone is going to glean great knowledge from, but just a users opinion. By the way, this is a slippery slope, Nem. You like the .22 mag, next thing you know you will be thinking, as I do, about how bitchin' it would be to have a (again, no longer made) Raging Hornet because, you know, you need an intermediate round to intermediate between your intermediates.

 

[AStone]

... you need an intermediate round to intermediate between your intermediates.

<laughter>

Yeah, I hear you, Timbo. Slippery slopes can be fun.

Interesting observations about this rnd. Makes sense to me on some intuitive level.

 

[AStone]

Hard to believe there's this little interest in .22 mag around here.

I posted this same thread in a related forum the same day,
and it took off like a rocket: 22 posts, 226 views.

But here, 187 views, but only 3 posts.

Why so little interest?

 

[trigun87]

I want to know more about the .22 mags stoping power. Im very intrested in the new kel-tec pistol.

 

[TimboKhan]

.22 mags stoping power

Stopping power is a relevant, mythical thing. A .45 theoretically has more stopping power than a .32 but both have dropped people dead in their tracks and both have been absorbed and shrugged off by people.

The .22 mag is, remember, still a rimfire .22. I don't advocate it for SD unless there are extenuating physical circumstances. Don't get me wrong, it will stop someone, eventually, but it's nothing I would want to carry regularly.

 

[eye5600]

Looking into the recent history, it seems that over the last decade or so, a number of companies put out .22wmr semi-auto carbines, but they have mostly disappeared. Remington still sells one model, but if you want a wood stock, it looks like you need to go to the used gun market. Or have I missed one?

For semi-auto, it seems like you stick with .22lr or jump to 9mm.

A little more research: Magnum Research sells some semi-auto .22 wmr models for $800-900. At least on vendor offer the Remington in a wood stock, though it's not on the website.

 

[joshk-k]

I have a Marlin 925M, and love it. It was my first rifle, and I bought it new for $189. Of all the various .22 rifles I shouldered and handled in the stores, it seemed like the best fit for me. I can hit orange clays at 100 yards with iron sights essentially every time. I think it's great. .22 mag costs about 10X what .22LR costs, so it's not ideal for pure plinking, but I'd also feel significantly better armed for any sort of defensive purposes with it over a LR.

 

[DNS]

The .22 magnum is my favorite round

Something that small and yet it packs a great punch. Here in west Texas it has been known to take many deer year round with a lot less noise than the centerfires (so i've been told and deny any firsthand experience). I've taken coyotes around Big Bear, Ca and hogs in Ohio/Kentucky with a Savage 24 in 22 mag/20 gauge.

Ballistics are almost identical to the 5.7x28 and yet a box is less than $10.

I'm impatiently waiting for the Kel-Tec pistol and my daughter and I really like shooting the underdog 22 mag in our rifles out to two hundred yards.

Any future plans for a 22 mag club?
Mike

 

[AStone]

Any future plans for a 22 mag club?

That's kind of the way I view this thread, Mike. Problem is, sometimes threads with the word "club" in them aren't looked upon favorably here, so i just left the word out of the title.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

The .22 mag is, remember, still a rimfire .22. I don't advocate it for SD unless there are extenuating physical circumstances.

Agreed. Among the problems is ammo reliability -- rimfires are less reliable than centerfires. And this is a role where when you pull the trigger, you always want to hear bang, not click.

I used to hunt in a county in Virginia where .22 rimfire was legal for turkey. The lease area our club had included a corn field waaaay back in the woods, and the turkeys would fly in there about dusk. This was a 40-acre field, so it was 440 yards on a side, and the turkeys kept well away from the field boundaries, much too far for a .22 LR.
"Aha," says I. "A .22 Magnum is a rimfire. It should do the trick."

And it did.

 

[TankHand]

Two rifles in 22mag at my house. Mossberg chuckster w/ a 24 in barrel (most accurate rifle I owned as a kid) and a winchester 9422. I Love them both for different reasons, but enjoy shooting them both alot, and often. Great round for plinking and hunting small game. I wouldn't trade either one for anything.

 

[lojax]

The .22 mag is, remember, still a rimfire .22. I don't advocate it for SD unless there are extenuating physical circumstances. Don't get me wrong, it will stop someone, eventually, but it's nothing I would want to carry regularly.

I would sure hate to be the one filled full of 10 rounds out of a 10/22magnum

 

[Zoogster]

.22 Magnum is less powerful than a .22 hornet, and more powerful than a high velocity .22LR.

It punches a decent depth hole for its energy because of its limited diameter and decent velocity.
This means it can be surprisingly effective with perfect shots, but very poor just an inch off target because the wound channel is very limited.
So it can perform decent with perfect shots, and can punch through the skull of many medium sized animals reliably including most predators in the lower 48 states, but has a very limited wound channel that does not allow much forgiveness.


These are all the same reasons an extremely similar round was developed for high penetration for a low given energy in the FN 5.7. Only they maximized the penetration with the military rounds using harder materials, and designed the round to tumble in an attempt to compensate for the tiny wound channel.
The FN 5.7x28 round is a high penetrating low recoiling round, that does limited damage per projectile, but will penetrate deep enough to reach vitals. Compensated for by sheer projectile count on full auto. A lot of high penetrating low energy, low recoiling rounds.
The rounds sold to civilians however are not much different than those of the .22 magnum. So the comparisons are accurate.
So if you want a centerfire .22 Magnum, that is the 5.7x28 cartridge.

If you want something more affordable and mainstream with about the same ballistics that is a rimfire .22 Magnum.


Neither round is recommended for self defense, but will penetrate deep enough to reach vitals. A .22 size hole, especially after it closes up a little, is just not large enough to leak enough fluid to reliably stop something with less than perfect hits.
The very large magazine capacity of most 5.7 firearms compensates for that, but only if the firer lives long enough shooting semi-auto to compensate with more rounds.

Now a 5.7 in full auto maximizes its qualities. Low recoil, and high penetration for its limited energy. A cartridge that gives quite accurate and easy to control high rates of full auto fire even from small light weapons. It can also deliver them accurately much faster than anyone can fire them in semi-auto. Making it a whole different cartridge (and weapon platform). In semi-auto though, you would be better served by something with more thump per round, outside of small game hunting.

 

[gbran]

For many years I've been hunting in the mountains near me. I can hunt quail and tree squirrel in the same season. I didn't like dragging a 22 rifle along with my shotgun so I took up handgun hunting. I eventually found a 22wmr handgun to be ideal due to flat trajectory. A 22wmr rifle is too powerful for the tree rats, but out of a handgun, it's near perfect.

I use a 22wmr rifle for varmints up to yote size. I use the 22wmr handgun for tree rats, ground squrrels, rabbits and misc. small varmints, cans, rocks and paper targets.

Because I'm in a lead ban area, I'm using CCI 22 mag TNT Green 30 grain ammo. It chronos out of my rifle at about 2025fps and about 1350-1400fps out of my handguns. It's very accurate out of my Savage 93FVSS rifle and more accurate than me out of the handguns.

I really look forward to seeing this new PM30.

 

[gbran]

Savage 93FVSS 22mag, Weaver V16

 

[cpileri]

ammo construction

Is there any actual commercial FMJ in 22 Mag? or are they all gilded or coated or washed?
Thx,
C-

 

[billybobjoe]

Cci--tmj.

 

[Red State]

Nem,
Great thread, hopefully it starts getting a little more action. And thank you for the links that you included.

Count me as a fan of the .22 mag. With .223 prices being so high, I am seriously looking for a bolt action .22 WMR. ($10 per 50rds vs. $10 per 20rds)

For not too tough targets, it is just about the perfect round. Better range than the .22LR, but not too loud or too expensive. And lots of ammo choices.

I do agree with others - a rimfire would be the last gun out of my safe for SD purposes.

 

[mustang_steve]

I still have to get one to have a solid opinion...waiting to have the cash for that new Kel-Tec to test the waters.

I've seen a few demonstrations of 22mag expanding decently through various materials....nothing as nasty as the hailed SD calibers, but I could see a round like that being a closer to ideal round if one is so limited as being required to carry a mini-revolver or the like.

 

[C96]

I have not tried 22 mag recently but have tried it on and off for the past forty or fifty years, started in 61 with a Winchester pump. I have had several rifles but never found one to be accurate enough to be interesting. I always blamed that on the ammo construction. My last one was a Ruger 10/22mag. Not very accurate and couldn't keep the rifle together without locktight. I don't have a firearm in it now, probably still got some ammo in my ammo locker.

Maybe the ammo/firearms are better matched these days. I had great hopes for the cartridge.

 

[photoman12001]

I like my S&W 351PD. It's a j-frame constructed mostly of alumunimum so it's really light. Accuracy out to 30 feet is really decent. I carry it a lot in jackets with a pocket holster and hardly know it's there. The short barrel is makes for a loud/bright discharge. They are a little pricey and seem to be really hard to find now.

Check out photos and my review at http://digitalperspective.org/firearmreviews.aspx under the Smith 351 link.

Oh as far as ammo I would stay away from Winchester Dynapoints. I've had many rounds of those fail to ignite on the first go. I've shot many more CCI loads with no issues.

One more thing. I've seen posts about 22mag as a denfensive round with stated velocities. I think these speeds are for rifles and would be be lower from a handgun. I notice a lot of unburned powder when I shoot my revolver.

 

[goon]

A used bolt action .22 magnum isn't that expensive. So if you want one, why not?

 

[scotjute]

The .22 mag is what the .22 LR wants to be when it grows up!

 

[eye5600]

One more thing. I've seen posts about 22mag as a denfensive round with stated velocities. I think these speeds are for rifles and would be be lower from a handgun. I notice a lot of unburned powder when I shoot my revolver.

I saw a note on the Firearms Blog the the Kel-tec 22mag has only a third the muzzle energy than the FN Five-seveN since it has a slow burning powder. The 22mag is meant to be a rifle round.