.22 mag : ballistics, platforms and uses

[photoman12001]

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.

I agree. I don't think any of the 22mag rounds are loaded for a handgun. With the unburned powder from my 1 7/8" barrel j-frame, I would think significant velocity is lost when compared to a bullet fired from a rifle. I've not seen any numbers for 22mag handgun velocities/energies. Can anyone more knowlegdable than me say what the difference would be compared to a rifle length barrel?

 

[Zoogster]

Yes the .22Mag has the potential of the 5.7 from a pistol, but many manufacturers load it with slower burning powders that give it even more power than the 5.7 from a longer barrel, but less from a short one.
That is more a limitation of the powder they choose to load it with than the cartridge itself.
Loading it faster for a handgun would reduce its overall performance in a rifle.

If the PM30 becomes popular maybe a manufacturer can make a variety of .22 Mag with faster pistol powders for use in short barrels.
From a pistol most current .22mag cartridges do not even meet the cartridge's intended operating pressure due to slow powder.
That is a choice though, not a limitation of the cartridge.

However really cheap ammunition loaded to meet the most affordable price point, could be dangerous loaded that way with low quality control. Additional quality control may remove the savings of .22Mag over the 5.7 from a pistol.
Of course it does not matter for me here in California. When limited to 10 rounds such calibers and platforms lose most of their appeal.

 

[AStone]

If the PM30 becomes popular maybe a manufacturer can make
a variety of .22 Mag with faster pistol powders for use in short barrels.

That's an interesting idea. I hope some of them are reading here ...

 

[DNS]

Yep, awhile back I contacted CCI on the slower burning powder story thinking maybe it was just an internet myth. I was wrong. I really would like to see some high performance ballistic tipped stuff come out though.

Mike

 

[eye5600]

Ruger Single Six.

Can anyone testify about whether they get the same accuracy with 22WMR as 22LR?

 

[wgaynor]

Wow, great thread. I've been a fan of the .22lr and .22 mag for quite a while (much to the teasing of quite a few friends).

I married my wife about 3 years ago, and started worrying about HER home defense weapon. Mine is a .44 magnum. Hers was a frying pan. While her dad and I are labeled as "gun nuts", she has had only minimal experience and a great fear of such weapons.

With that in mind, her Dad and I bought her a Ruger Mark III 22/45 Target Pistol and loaded it full of mini mags.

While I've seen many posts on here stating it is not a SD round, ( and I agree somewhat) it is a lot deadlier than her frying pan...

Once again, great thread!

 

[Daniel]

.22 Magnum from a rifle is my favourite cartridge.

-Not loud (sure, there's a little pow, but it doesn't drown out the supersonic crack of the projectile; when you lose the supersonic crack to the propellant explosion, that's when you know what you're shooting is quite loud)
-flat shooting out to 120 meters (many loads are still supersonic at 200 meters)
-powerful enough for game smaller than deer out to 120 meters (it will work on deer ethically in many instances, but the shooter must be skilled)
-ammunition is cheap compared to .22 Hornet/.223 Remington, and it works on the same sized game just the same out to 120 meters as these two, which extend the range out to just over 200 meters for the most part

Whilst people are hoping for specific pistol loads, I'm hoping that companies put out more projectiles with higher BCs, rather than the common flat nosed stuff; stuff in the 35-37 grain range, which will offer less velocity loss downrange. No need for special brand named "wonder plastic tips" that kick the price up, just your basic pointed projectile (spitzer).

 

[BruM]

I have a S&W K target masterpiece with 22Mag and 22lR cylinders never fired the mag cyl. I never understood the why the mag cyl since handgun ranges aren’t that great.

 

[AStone]

Also have a Marlin bolt in .22Mag.

That line in this post in that thread about the new (soon to be released) KelTec pistol made me go over to the Marlin site to investigate.

Indeed, they still produce .22 mag bolts; several of them.
This one seems the top of their current line.

Being a lever guy, I wish they'd chamber a lever in .22 mag like Henry does.

I'm guessing that doing that in the current 39A line would not be straightforward, and would probably require a significant redesign to beef up the action. Right?

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I never understood the why the mag cyl since handgun ranges aren’t that great.

And the ammo is $$$$$.

 

[billybobjoe]

My Ruger Single Six shoots 22 mags alot more accurate than 22 LRs. Also my bearcat shoots CB longs surprisingly accurate. I use my Ruger MKI for 22LRs. Then, I use a Marlin Papoose for 22 LRs and a Winchester 9422M for 22 mags.

 

[billybobjoe]

I think 22 mags out of the 6 1/2" Single Six knock the heck out of 22 LRs.

 

[Red Tornado]

I've always thought it would be a great round, but I've never found any justification for it. The Keltec looks like a blast, and got me thinking about it again.

I looked up the ballistics, and as mentioned, the info I found indicate approximately 1400-1500 fps from a 4 1/2" barrel. If someone loaded up some with faster powder any guesses what the velocity would be? If they could get it up to 1700-1800 that would be amazing.
RT

 

[buckeye8]

It is my understanding that pretty much any .22LR/.22WMR revolver will be more accurate with the .22WMR cartridge. The .22WMR is .001 larger in diameter (.224 versus .223 for the LR bullet), so it hugs the rifling a little tighter than the .22LR.

Also, on the Marlin bolt guns, I have one (tube-fed model 983T) and am a huge fan. Bought it off a THR member a while back, it's one of my favorite guns.

I'm looking to start reloading next year, and I know that a lot of folks who start reloading soon begin to favor the .223 over the .22WMR... eventually drop the .22WMR. I hope I can afford to stay into both, as I do believe the .22WMR fills a niche. For me, that niche is taking care of pests in semi-rural areas, where shooting centerfire rounds may draw the ire of the neighbors, who are few but close.

 

[scotjute]

The .22 mag round out of a pistol(4-6" barrell) is approximately equivalent to the .22 lr round out of a rifle.

 

[bhk]

The .22 mag round out of a pistol(4-6" barrell) is approximately equivalent to the .22 lr round out of a rifle.

That may be so with a 4" handgun, but my chrono tests show a 17 - 22% energy advantage of a 6" mag. handgun (SW 48) over conventional high speed .22 long rifle solid and hollow point ammo from a rifle. This is using Winchester 40 grain magnum cartridges in my handgun. Some 'high energy" long rifle shells (like the Stinger) from a rifle will about equal the 6"magnum handgun.

When comparing handgun to handgun, my tests showed a 37 grain hollow point long rifle with 76 ft. lbs of energy (6" barrel) to 168 ft. lbs. from my .22 6" magnum revolver - well over twice the energy!

If you carry a rimfire handgun for utility purposes around the acreage and may encounter groundhogs, foxes, etc, - the magnum handgun has a very distictive advantage.

 

[federalfarmer]

Great thread. I have Ruger 10/22 mag with a heavy barrel and it shots very well.

My wish list is a Ruger revolver in target grey, 8 rounds, 7 inch barrel, and set of real sights. PLEASE Ruger!

 

[loose cannon]

definatl gr8 thread.
i like the idea of a 30rd handgun embodied in the new keltec.if i was setting up one id be looking into the lighter than 40gr 22mag rounds they run 200fps faster from longguns and im hopeing theyd do the same from the pistol.

they should've made the barrel length at least 6" imo

 

[eye5600]

I think there might be industry problems with changing the bullet and powder for a 22WMR load. There are standards for a reason. Not every customer will read the fine print on the box, and the ammo manufacturers have to minimize risk.

Since some 22WMR rifles have tube magazines, you have to be careful that recoil isn't going set off a chain reaction. It's not quite the same as 30-30 where a pointed bullet would rest against the primer of the next round, but it's still a limitation.

And using a hot powder could exceed pressure limits, possibly causing problems with existing weapons.