Is .22 mag more fun to shoot than .22LR?

[tbeb]

Tossing around buying a .22 magnum revolver that is single action/double action and has a 6" barrel. I understand .22 mags cost a lot more than long rifle. I have owned .22 handguns and rifles but none in .22 magnum. I pretty much enjoy shooting centerfires more than .22 long rifles. I guess it's because they're louder and have a little kick. (I'm talking about calibers that are not as loud as .357, .41, and 44. magnum.)

So, my questions is: Is the "fun factor" higher with .22 magnums than long rifles?

 

[DDGator]

If you mean does the .22 Mag have more noise and recoil -- Yes.

Unfortunately, it also costs about three times as much. For just plain old plinking, you can't beat a .22 long rifle.

If you don't mind a Single Action gun, ruger makes guns with an interchangeable .22 LR / .22 Mag cylinder.

 

[VictorLouis]

When I first shot Mags in my Single-Six, I thought to myself,
"Man, this has a little bit of oomph!" . It's not as drastic a change as you get when you move from .38s into .357s, but you do get extra blast and effect.

As a plinker, no I wouldn't do it. The cheapest WMR is still 3-4X the cost of LR ammo.

 

[George S.]

The .22WMR has more velocity and energy so the "fun factor" is there for things like reactive targets. It does cost a lot more to shoot than .22LR but the nice thing is (as DDGator mentioned) you can have a single gun to shoot both rounds.

I've had my Ruger Single Six with a 6" barrel for 28 years and it is a really fun revolver to shoot. I just added a red dot and froma rest I can get 1" groups at 25 yards with the LR cylinder using Winchester DynaPoints from K-Mart. The .22 mag rounds are a bit less accurate but 1.5" Groups are doable if I pay attention to what I'm doing.

If you have a range that rents guns, see if you can try a Ruger Single-Six with the magmum cylinder. Lots of fun and depending on the brand of ammo you select, there will be a suprising recoil and some brands will even have a pretty good muzzle flash!!

There are even inexpensive .22 mag rifles out there to add to the fun of .22 mag shooting. CZ and Marlin have models for around $160-$175. .22WMR is pretty accurate out to 100 yards and over with a scope and make good varmint rifles.

 

[Quantrill]

I would think that a .22rf/.22mag-rf convertible would be much preferred over something that shoots only the mag. That way you can always go back to the standard .22s when you don't want the expense, the noise and flash or you want to instruct a newbie. Quantrill

 

[Ala Dan]

While I'm probably not a good judge "of which is
more fun too shoot", I like both, the .22LR and the
magnum. In other words a Smith & Wesson wheel
gun collecter, most likely would have a M-17 or M
18; along with a M-48, the .22 magnum. At least
thats what I would want!

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[Russ]

Seems to me North American Arms makes a mini revolver that will shoot both. It has interchangeable cylinders etc. Jim March could correct me if I'm wrong on that since I think he has one. They are tiny little things but they look pretty cool.

 

[PigPen]

I can only answer for me.

It's a personal thing..........................once again. For me, the extra cost and availability (you can buy .22LR at any country store in these parts; Not so .22Mag) are not worth the trouble. Do I have a .22 Mag you ask?? Of course, I do!! Do I shoot it as often as my .22 LR,......Of course not!

The cost is unreasonable and the availability of amunition is inconvenient. The need for the extra power is seldom warranted.........but the BIG FACTOR is the accuracy. The .22 magnum load is just not as accurate as the .22LR.


My two.......

PigPen

 

[JNewell]

Not more fun, must more expensive.

Seriously, unless you really need the extra range, it's a waste of money...my opinion anyway, but I am speaking from 30+ years of experience with the .22 rimfire mag.

 

[Josey]

I enjoy 22 Magnums. I think they are a great round. The reactive targets work well with them, you can use them for HD and they are available in HPs for varmints. Target shooting, HD and hunting use makes the 22 Magnum a great cartridge. They are available in snubbie pistols to rifles. I have shot the 22 Magnum for years. I like antique 22 short and long rifle firearms. I shoot the Colibri 22s for indoor target shooting. The 22 lr rimfire is a good plinking round. The 22 Magnum is a bonafide FUNctional cartridge.

 

[gbran]

22 WMR trajectory

I do a lot of hunting with a scoped 22 wmr revolver. Its trajectory out of a handgun is flatter, farther than I'm able to see to shoot. Not so with the 22 lr, which has a lot more drop than you'd think out past 50 yds.

 

[foghornl]

I have a Single-Six with both 22LR & 22Mag cylinders. Lotza fun no matter what I shoot.

Price caution, though...22Mag in the CCI brand, runs about $7-$8 per 50, same as some of the .38Spl loads. Haven't really priced the other brands of ammo, but I would expect them to be about the same.

Did buy 2 boxes of the CCI Maxi-Mag that were topped off with the Gold Dot bullet....Yes you read that right...Gold Dots in 22Mag!

 

[gbran]

$4.95 per box

I buy 22 wmr's at gunshow ammo booths for $4.95/box (50). You can probably get them online in this price range.

 

[caz223]

If I wanted a .22 revolver, it would come with a .22 mag cylinder.
Having shot .22 mags before, I know they are an absolute blast to shoot.
The problem is, I can reload 9mm lead for the same price...
And 9mm is more fun to shoot than .22, mag or otherwise...
That's why I don't have a .22 mag revolver.

 

[B27]

For longer range hunting or plinking the magnum is a hoot if you can stand the cost.
This S&W 648 is a blast for for exploding 7Up cans filled with water at 50 yards and more-

http://www.fototime.com/DBCCA7BCE639CC7/standard.jpg

 

[greg531mi]

$4.99 for 22 magnums... per 50...a heck of a deal. I got a great deal on 22LR at Dicks, bought them for $6.99 per 525 and got 10% off when I bought a case! My math, makes the 22 mags about 9 times the price of 22LR. 22 mags and the 17 HMR mags (Which are more even), are expensive mouths to feed...

 

[twoblink]

It might be more fun... but not 3-4 times more fun, which is the cost difference.

Also, you can have fun for a lot longer on a .22LR diet...

 

[tbeb]

.22 magnum ammo price

Confirming what "gbran" said...
Last Saturday I went to a gun show. One dealer was selling Winchester .22 magnums for: 1 box = $5.00; and 5 boxes = $24.00.

 

[Ukraine Train]

Can you shoot LR from a gun made for Mags?

 

[PigPen]

I do not know for sure......

but I have never heard of or seen it............which makes me think that the answer is NO and probably HELL NO! OTOH, that's a good question. After all, you can shoot .38s from a .357 and .44 spl. from .44 mag. etc. I would like to know the answer and why not as well.


PigPen

 

[SDC]

Can you shoot LR from a gun made for Mags?

Not recommended, unless you have a spare cylinder for the LRs, ala the Single Six. It's certainly POSSIBLE to fire a 22 LR in a 22 Mag chamber, but what invariably happens is that the smaller LR case ends up splitting along the side.

 

[JERRY]

for paper targets, get the .22lr


but ifts going to double as a snake gun or even for a self dfensive gun, get the .22mag.

like i say, for paper, almost anything will do, even a BB gun. but if you load a .22mag up with snake shot, you have a nice tackle box gun for that mocassin, copperhead or rattler that just wont yeild. for the recoil shy, with h.p.'s it is a far better choice than the .22lr also if someone had to defend themselves against sub-humans.

 

[BluesBear]

.22WMR is pretty good for vermin.

A .22WMR from a 6" revolver has more muzzle velocity than a Hi-Speed .22Long Rifle does from a rifle.

 

[scotjute]

Don't know if more fun is the correct term, but it packs more of a whallop, and has a flatter trajectory than .22lr.

While it's true that the ammo costs more, how many rounds to you plan to fire off in a year thru it?

I used to buy .38 spl to shoot out of my .357 because its "cheaper". Actually only shoot a couple of boxes of ammo a year. I find it better to just spend the extra few $ and get the .357 and to heck with it. Then I'm practicing with what I actually carry.
Same holds ture for .22. IF you want the magum get it and shoot it. Unless you're running hundreds of rounds a year thru gun it wont' cost that much more.

 

[wally]

Unless you're running hundreds of rounds a year thru gun it wont' cost that much more.

I generally run a few hundred rounds per range session!

I put the 22 Mag cylinder in my Ruger single six exactly once, shot up a box and quickly decided it wasn't 3-4x more fun than 22LR.

For more flash and blast at ~$5/box I use my Ruger 9mm/.357 convertable with surplus 9mm ammo I've found as low as $80 per case of 1000 at gun shows.

--wally.