Relavance of the 22WMRF

For me the relevance of the .22 Mag is simple. I have an old Marlin 25 hanging over the door and a few boxes of ammo. I don't have a .17 HMR, now if someone wanted to trade straight across I would, otherwise it surprising how many little critters like coons, possums, and stray cats fall to that rifle because it's there.
 
public range

There is a public shooting range near me, and I often scavenge brass there. Once upon a time, the pickings were good, now not so much. They even sweep up rimfire for scrap. Anyhow, one of the spent cases I'd see in abundance was .22 WMR.

The .17 HMR landed with a big splash, but there are a lot of those old .22 mags out there, that were sold affordably, and people shoot them, or at least used to, alot.

I always considered the .22 mag a "poacher's caliber" and never gave it much credit. Then my Dad's long tubed Single Six came my way after his passing, and for grins, I put the .22 WMR cylinder in it. It's not a plinker, one doesn't shoot it high volume. But as a field gun, I believe it's a better killer on pests, and shoots a bit flatter (not that I am any sort of long range handgun guy) than the .22 lr, with out making the jump to noise and bulk of say .38 spl or a 32-20, .32 HR mag. The .22 mag cylinder is staying in the Single 6.
 
When I don't want to disturb the neighborhood with a noisy muzzle blast as the 17 HMR 17-WSM and 223 will undoubtedly do. That Marlin Mod. 25 I have sure has been a handy rifle to have close at hand. Honestly since I've owned my 22 Mag. I've never had to endure that yearning so many others get for a 17 cal. To those who bought a 17 cal. Thank y'll for spurring the economy. :D
 
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I like the 22 mag.... I have a couple S&W handguns in the caliber and a Winchester 94-22 trapper.... I like em all....
 
I think the 17 HMR was reason we ended up with more ammo choices for the 22magnum. 30gr,50gr, Remington plastic tipped, etc.....
Bamaranger, have you tried 22WRF in that Ruger? I have several boxes of both the CCI and Winchester and both shoot their 45gr bullet really well with a little less blast than the magnum.
 
What's the point of a .22 mag?
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In Oklahoma a hunter is limited to the use of small shot or a rimfire rifle when hunting in the WMAs outside of deer season. Most federal agencies in Oklahoma abide by the same rules.

i often hunt hogs on federal property with a .22 magnum rifle. i limit my shots on hogs to <75 yards and put the 40 grain TMJ bullet in their ear. Works every time.
 
I'm a fan of 22 mag and not getting rid of it any time soon. If there's a need for 17hmr there's still a need for 22 mag since ammo costs the same.
 
"...a hide hunter who swore by the .22 Mag..." Used a lot by mountain lion hunters too as I recall.
The .22 Mag's purpose was/is to make money for Winchester. Just like the .17 HMR does for Hornady. Both of 'em are really too expensive to shoot much. Always have been too. Had a Savage 65M long ago. Cost twice as much or more to play with as a .22 LR.
 
.22 wrf

Guv

I have not tried WRF ammo....I can't say I've ever seen any for sale in my area. Not sure I would try it either, as I am getting the results I want with the traditional .22 mag ctgs.

Until the rimfire shortage hit, I was in the market for 9422 or a Henry in the .22 mag, to pair with Dad's revolver, then things dried up.

The State of AL and some nearby US Forest land does not allow centerfires on their property unless it is deer season, but you can hunt hogs through the entire small game season (sept-Feb) with a rimfire. Some guys I know use a .22 mag with heavy bullet for that trick. This simialr to what Thallub just posted.
 
I love my 22mags. I have a couple of marlins, a 783 and an 883. I bought he 783 over 30 years ago from WM for $115. The 883 is stainless and laminated. I bought it about three years ago from a pawn shope for $135 OTD. I don't think they knew what they had.

I have about 5500 rounds on hand. I bought 4000 when sportmans guide had them for $5.65 a box. This is Armscor and is excellent stuff. It shoots to the same POI as winchester 40gr ammo. This is also the same ammo as Fiocchi.

To me its a hunting and survival round. I have two ruger single sixes to go with the rifles. I love to shoot 22 mag from the handgun.

I don't use much CCI 22 mag ammo because it seems to foul the bore with copper. After 25 rounds accuracy starts to drop. Clean the barrel and you are back in business. My buddy uses his for a turkey gun. He has killed 10-12 turkeys with it. Plus he uses it for varmint control. He has a lot of coons around his property.

Just a couple of days ago I got a new catalog from Henry Arms. I am interested in a lever 22 mag rifle. I like lever actions and this sounds like fun.
 
I have about 5500 rounds on hand. I bought 4000 when sportmans guide had them for $5.65 a box. This is Armscor and is excellent stuff. It shoots to the same POI as winchester 40gr ammo. This is also the same ammo as Fiocchi.
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Yep, the ArmsCor/Fiocchi* 40 gr and 45 gr loads are my go-to for general purpose use. They're also some of the most accurate loads I've tested (Marlin 882SS).
Only when I really want to make something explode, do I go to a different load. ...And that's usually Winchester Supreme 34 gr HPs.


I only have a few boxes of the 34 gr HPs, but there's almost an entire ammo can of ArmsCor/Fiocchi 40 and 45 gr SPs and 45 gr "hollow points". (The HP is a little dimple. ;))


*(CCI is now making Fiocchi-branded .22 WMR. But the paper box Fiocchi was made by ArmsCor.)
 
I got some Colorado Buck 40gr JHP a while back and it seems to be some good stuff. Wish I could remember what I paid but it was one of the cheaper ones on ammoseek. Says made in USA and the bullet looks very much like the WW JHP.
 
(CCI is now making Fiocchi-branded .22 WMR. But the paper box Fiocchi was made by ArmsCor.)
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I didn't know that. I hope they didn't use the plated bullets like in the CCI branded rounds. Those are the ones I have trouble with fouling from. never get extreme fouling from the winchester or armscor with a real jacketed bullet.
 
Man !!!! You guys are harsh on my all time favorite round . I love this round and don't really care what else is said . The 22mag has been great to me and my family . It has put down more game then any other gun I've owned . Crows, groundhogs, raccoon, rabbits, squirrel, coyote, fox, feral cats, opossum, mink, muskrat, rats, and some other game that would make a good story. Not sure why , but ammo is hard to find ( can't they just make more ) . Love my mag , its a CZ , shoots 3/4in 5shot groups all day at 100yards . HAVE CONFIRMED KILLS AT OVER 300YARDS !!!! Why would anybody put this round down ?
 
I had a .22 Magnum years ago. Traded it for a .22 HiPower because the guy did not reload. I liked the .22 Magnum for turkey. Shot a coon once through the body and it went right down. It has been a while since I had one, so I don't know about the ammunition availability. I was still doing gun work when the .17's hit the seen. There was a heck of a lot of .17 liners sold for .22 Magnums in a couple years. I would say the .17's had a lot to do with the .22 Magnum fading away.
 
I have an accurized CZ455 and it shoots some ammo under 1" at 100 yards, but with the barrel free-floated, different brands/types of ammo shoot to widely different POIs, and only two types shoot fairly close to each other.

Due to ammo shortages, it's hard to find the ammo brands/types that work well in my rifle, so I shoot it sparingly.

We've also shot a few woodchucks with the mag, under 25 yards, and were disappointed in the lack of killing power on them. Still, I keep it handy to the door, so squirrels on the bird feeders catch hell.

Expansion seems to be less than desired for most bullets. It seems that a 30-35 grain fragile bullet at higher velocity would be the ticket for smaller varmints.

The .22 Mag also ricochets more than high-velocity .223 Rem lightweight varmint bullets, a consideration in our rural neighborhood, where neighboring houses are as close as 50 yards, and even though shots are not aimed in their directions, you never know if someone is walking/working in the woods.

JP
 
It's Relevant to Me...

I've always been .22 Mag fan and always will be. It's the .17 caliber guns that are irrelevant to me (not to say that I won't have one in the future to play with). I have several .22 Mag rifles and handguns (ditto for .22 LR). I could have one rimfire, but why? In the end, consumer demand determines relevance in general.

I think I need to go buy another one. :)
 
I've got one in a Winchester Lever gun that I bought from my MIL after my FIL passed away. It's got sentimental value, but beyond that because ammo is so hard to find it stays in the safe. I wish I could take it out more as I love lever guns.

Rimfire is such a PITA to find now. Wasn't the whole idea behind rimfire ammo to be cheap and fun? Not impossible to find and then horde the stuff when you do.
 
I have a Remington 597 in 22 mag, which I bought new at a clearance sale before the 17 was introduced. I mounted an inexpensive variable power scope and never zeroed it. I can break clay targets at 100 yards with ease - just a lucky mount, I guess. The main reason I bought the rifle is because IT WAS ON SALE and I always wanted a 22 mag.

I'm like FrankenMauser. I bought several thousand rounds of 22 mag when they were under $7 per box.

Last fall, I posted a thread about turkey hunting with FMJ .223. Someone suggested I use the 22 mag, which I will do if I hunt turkeys, this fall.
 
I like the cartridge but I hate its current retail price. I have pretty much divested myself of everything that shoots it, including an old dual cylinder single-six that was a tack driver with magnums but absolutely would not shoot with long rifles.
 
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