What's your favorite 22 magnum cartridge in long gun?

[cfullgraf]

My 22 Hornet Contender 21" carbine barrel likes 40 grain Speer Spire points. I'd guess, a similar bullet in 22 WMR in a Contender Carbine barrel with the similar twist would do as well.

But, I'm sure things are not that simple.

As already said, the rifle will tell you what it likes.

I do not have a 22 WMR rifle but I should. i have several 22 WMR K-frame pistols that woukld be good companions for the rifles.

 

[chicharrones]

My Zastava .22 WMR carbine does best with 30 grain Hornady V-Max and 40 grain Remington PSP.

 

[Walkalong]

I do not have a 22 WMR rifle but I should.

Same here.....and no excuse, we're just slackers.

 

[The Happy Kaboomer]

My Marlin 1894M shoots about everything well out to 100yds or more.

 

[dickydalton]

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?media/dsc00024.1296/full&d=1503765164My Ruger likes everything. This was before I scoped it.

 

[wesmonster]

At distance, Hornady v-max. Up close, Speer gold dots.
I've got a few .22 mag autoloaders that don't feed the vmax reliably.
But the vast majority of my ammo stockpile is CCI maximags. They kinda do everything well and are the most reliable in any of my auto feeders.

 

[GooseGestapo]

In general, I haven’t found anything that beats the original version. The Winchester 40gr JHP has always been my go-to ammo. Accuracy is my primary criteria.
However, if shooting pigs, I go with the CCI FMJ plated solids.
CCI Gamepoints are (also JHP) close behind but are usually a few dollars more per box.
Armscor loads a 40gr JHP but are typically 100-150fps slower than the Winchester.
The plated bullets (CCI and others) are typically less accurate in my experience.

 

[mavracer]

If you want a shortcut I've yet to come across a rifle that doesn't shoot CCI Maxi Mags OK.

 

[ThomasT]

I have three 22 mag rifles. Two Marlin bolt actions and I just bought a Henry lever 22 mag. My favorite ammo is Winchester 40gr HP or soft point and Armscor 40gr ammo. They both shoot to the same point of aim at 100 yards and will give me a 1.5" group usually. Thats with the bolt actions. If I shoot CCI 40gr ammo it always lands about 3" lower at 100 yards.

I like the real jacketed bullets in the Winchester and Armscor ammo but don't care for the plated bullets in the CCI rounds. And just so you know Armscor loads the ammo for Fiocchi. At least they used to and most like Fiocchi ammo.

I can't say what the Henry likes. It s too new and I haven't sat down and shot paper. And its open sighted. No scopes on this one. I did take it to my buds ranch and shot turtles in his pond. Its gets way over filled with turtle so we thin them out. I had no problems hitting turtles out to 45-50 yards with the open sights. If I could see them I could hit them. I was using Armscor ammo. Sportsmans Guide had Armscor for $5.56 a box several years ago and I bought 4,000 rounds. And I already had 1,500 rounds on hand so I'm good on 22 mag ammo.

 

[chicharrones]

I have three 22 mag rifles. Two Marlin bolt actions and I just bought a Henry lever 22 mag. My favorite ammo is Winchester 40gr HP or soft point and Armscor 40gr ammo. They both shoot to the same point of aim at 100 yards and will give me a 1.5" group usually. Thats with the bolt actions. If I shoot CCI 40gr ammo it always lands about 3" lower at 100 yards.

I like the real jacketed bullets in the Winchester and Armscor ammo but don't care for the plated bullets in the CCI rounds. And just so you know Armscor loads the ammo for Fiocchi. At least they used to and most like Fiocchi ammo.

I can't say what the Henry likes. It s too new and I haven't sat down and shot paper. And its open sighted. No scopes on this one. I did take it to my buds ranch and shot turtles in his pond. Its gets way over filled with turtle so we thin them out. I had no problems hitting turtles out to 45-50 yards with the open sights. If I could see them I could hit them. I was using Armscor ammo. Sportsmans Guide had Armscor for $5.56 a box several years ago and I bought 4,000 rounds. And I already had 1,500 rounds on hand so I'm good on 22 mag ammo.

I’ve only seen plated .22 WMR bullets in the form of Winchester Dynapoint. All the CCI mag ammo I’ve seen in the last 10+ years has been jacketed.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

My question was vague so let me clarify.

I am trying to decide on best 22 WMR round (Brand, bullet weight, bullet design) for use in a 22 WMR rifle. Purpose would be shooting varmints, coyote, bobcat, and smaller.

This is something each person should decide for themselves for any firearm they buy.

First of all, any .22 WMR ammunition you buy will put the hurts on any of the critters you listed. And any hollowpoint in .22 WMR will outperform the FMJ versions, too. You simply can't go wrong.

What you need to do is see what it is your rifle likes the best, if there's even any real distinction to be had in the first place.

Buy a box of a handful of different rounds and try them out at the range for accuracy. Whatever feeds best, performs most reliably, and is most accurate is the winner. (Reliability is generally not an issue with .22 WMR ammunition.)

SO...where to start?

This isn't as difficult a thing as many make it out to be. Start with what ammo is readily available to you. If only Winchester Super-X .22 WMR JHP is readily available to you, then get some and hit the range. If it's accurate, you're in like Flint and ready to rock and roll. You can always pick up and try other brands/types here and there and try them out, too, but in the meantime you have something to run through your rifle to take care of the critters.

When shooting varmints, especially smaller ones, accuracy is where it's at. Not only are these critters smaller than many game animals, their vitals tend to be even smaller. While there's generally no love lost on varmints (as opposed to game critters), I still have an aversion to sloppy kill shots. The .22 WMR has all the power you could need or want for the varmints you're looking at, you just need to be able to put it where it's most effective. Hollowpoints are best, of course, but if you take a leg off because the ammo you're using doesn't shoot accurately out of your rifle, that's a sad way to take out critters of any kind.


FORTUNATELY...shooting is fun, so trying out several brands/types of ammo will be an enjoyable experience!

 

[ThomasT]

I’ve only seen plated .22 WMR bullets in the form of Winchester Dynapoint. All the CCI mag ammo I’ve seen in the last 10+ years has been jacketed.

That may be the case. I stopped buying CCI 22 mag ammo a long time ago. I bought a few boxes of Armscor at least two decades ago and never wanted anymore CCI loads. Besides they shot lower on the target than Winchester and Armscor ammo.

My bud had one of the AMT auto mag pistols and in the instructions he said that it read something like this, "While CCI makes good ammunition it will not reliably cycle our gun. We suggest using Winchester ammunition for reliable functioning". The CCI at least back then wasn't loaded as hot as the other brands. It does group good. Pick what you like and most of all what you can find and use that.

 

[Dr T]

The CCI TMJ 40 gr. Better penetration than HPs and ample tissue damage. Mostly used for coup d'grace skull shots and rattle snakes.

 

[ThomasT]

My bud used to hunt turkeys with a 22 mag and liked doing a high chest shot so he didn't mess up any breast meat. He said they pretty much died within a couple of steps after being shot. He always used Winchester 40gr ammo. He used HP ammo but he said it didn't appear to expand. Just punch straight through.

 

[nastynatesfish]

I’ve got a 16” upper for ky 22mag. I tried a few different loads. But the cci Maxi mags shoot the best. It’s a solid 1” at 100yds. That’s off a bipod and an omega 9k shooting off the hood of my truck.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

My bud used to hunt turkeys with a 22 mag and liked doing a high chest shot so he didn't mess up any breast meat. He said they pretty much died within a couple of steps after being shot. He always used Winchester 40gr ammo. He used HP ammo but he said it didn't appear to expand. Just punch straight through.

This isn't uncommon with hollowpoints when shooting birds. If he had gut shot the bird, however, this would have been a different story.