reloadable .22win mag

T

TheBear

New member
Hi,
I have a cz455 in .22win mag for several months and i love it. 22win mag is a great round and it perfectly suits my needs. I use it more then any other rifle i own. but there is one major problem for me, its not reloadable and the factory ammo is rather expensive and could be much more accurate.
Is there any other caliber that is similar to the .22win mag but centerfire? I think 5,56x45mm is a little to big to be loaded down to 22win mag levels. 5,7x28 could be a good choice but ive never seen a bolt action rifle chambered for this round...
Any Recommendations?
 
1. A .22 LR barrel for your 455.

2. Savage is now listing the Model 25 Lightweight Varminter T in 5.7x28, .22 Hornet, and .17 Hornet (new and wonderful from Hornady.)

3. You might could find a Cooper .22 CCM which is pretty much a centerfire .22 WRM but that would sure defeat the economy idea for a long time. I don't know if brass is still available, even.
 
Reloadable rimfire......

...... is about as sensible as washing paper plates......it can be done, I have heard, but not economically feasible ....

I think 5,56x45mm is a little to big to be loaded down to 22win mag levels.
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Why? Is that extra .9" of bolt travel too much for ya?


11.0 to 12.0 grains of XMP5744 will launch a 40grain Speer Spire-SP at .22 Mag levels ....... brass would last forever, bullets are 16 cents, primers and powder are less than 4 cents each, and that is not even buying in bulk, when the real savings begin.........

The .22 hornet won't be any cheaper to load and the .17 Hornet would be expensive......

20-25 cents a round is going to be about as low as you are gonna get for reloads..... you can buy ARMSCOR .22 Mag for $8 or $9/50 ($.16-$.18/shot) on the internet, but then there is shipping........

I looked into getting a .22 Mag, until I saw the price of ammo ...... It offers very little in performance over the .22lr at 5 times the price. At a similar price point, you can do so much more with a .223 and a handloading set-up .........
 
thanks for the tips jimbob86, when i said i think 5,56x45mm is to big to be loaded down to .22win mag levels i meant that there would be too much empty space in the shell if I put so little powder in it, the bullet could get stuck in the barrel because some of the powder doesnt burn.
 
TheBear, there is more to it then simply a bullet getting stuck in the barrel. Never load a cartridge below the minimum as suggested by a reloading manual. Accuracy being one of the reasons for this. The others? Well if the loading density is too low, (too much free space in the case) it can cause erratic ignition, change in the pressure curve (moving the peak towards the muzzle), or even overly rapid burning ("detonation") of the powder charge. In other words, you may destroy your rifle, along with yourself. May I suggest a study on internal ballistics? Google those words “internal ballistics”.
 
@Mike38
Thats just what i said. there would be too much empty space in the shell.
But if i take a smaller cartridge like the .22hornet or 5,7x28 i should be able to safely load it down to .22 win mag levels, right?
 
TheBear, personally, I would go with a .223 over a .22 Hornet or 5.7. Once fired .223 cases are plentiful and cheap. Bullets are the same cost. For a lower velocity round, try IMR Trailboss powder. I have never used this powder, but have heard of people getting down to .22LR velocities in a .223 with acceptable accuracy.
 
TheBear-
Just accept the 22 WMR for what it is, a rimfire, non-reloadable alternative to the 22 Hornet. Years ago, I had a 22 Hornet. Loved it and hated it. Loved the slight report, hated reloading it because of the paper-thin cases (I would lose 5 or 6 cases each trip to the reloading bench). Sold it, got a 22 WMR, never looked back. Not as powerful as a Hornet (about 15%-25% less oomph), and definitely not as much hassle as a Hornet.

While shooting the 22 WMR costs way more than shooting 22LR, cost for shooting a 22 WMR is comparable to shooting a 22 Hornet (and why not, they use the same bullets and comparable powders). What I found out is that I enjoy shooting more than loading. Some folks love loading and just shoot so they can reload. So, if you enjoy loading, shoot a Hornet. If you enjoy shooting, shoot a 22 Mag. Just my opinion.
 
I see your point, TBear: 12 grains of XMR5744 would take up slightly less than1/2 of usefull case capacity in a .223 case w/ 40 grain bullet, allowing for a possible double charge and opening the door for varying "positional differences" (all the powder at the front of the case or all the powder at the back of the case, or all spread out evenly) in the internal ballistics ..... consistancy is the desirable thing, and less than 50% load density is not conducive to that....... need a different powder or a different round.

.221 Fireball? A likely candidate, methinks.

.218 Bee? Are those cases paper thin, too?
 
The Internetz told me .....

The load 21.7gr of H4895 with a 40 to 50 gr bullet in a .223 case is supposed to mimic the 22 Hornet.
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I also see several loads for the .221 Fireball that would do what you want with 45 to 55 grain bullets, that have load densities of over 60% ......
 
The .22 Mag is a great little round. I use it in a H&K Model 300 for coyotes, under 75 yards. It is accurate and does the job just fine. For longer ranges I have a CZ 527 and AR-15 varmint in .223 Rem. But I use the .22 Mag more than eother .223s.
 
Scorch said:
Just accept the 22 WMR for what it is, a rimfire, non-reloadable alternative to the 22 Hornet. Years ago, I had a 22 Hornet. Loved it and hated it. Loved the slight report, hated reloading it because of the paper-thin cases (I would lose 5 or 6 cases each trip to the reloading bench). Sold it, got a 22 WMR, never looked back. Not as powerful as a Hornet (about 15%-25% less oomph), and definitely not as much hassle as a Hornet.
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I haven't ruined a single Hornet case since investing in a Forster Benchrest seating die, even with square base bullets.
Of course, boattail bullets such as Hornady 40 grain V-Max #22416 also make it easy to reload them without catching a case lip on the base of the bullet.
 
I think I`m going to give the light .223 loads a try. They probably wont bring me down to .22win mag levels but I maybe get some weak .22 hornet-like loads.
Its a shame that this .22ccm cartridge isnt around any more, it would have been just what I want.
Never heart of the .221fireball.
 
quote: "I looked into getting a .22 Mag, until I saw the price of ammo ...... It offers very little in performance over the .22lr at 5 times the price."


I love the .22lr, shoot it quite often out of many different guns. However, the .22 WMR is certainly a BIG step up from the .22LR in performance on game, I have used both extensively on small game and woodchucks, there is quite a difference between the two, especially on woodchucks. I have killed a lot of woodchucks with a .22 LR, but consider it marginal for that use. There is nothing marginal about a .22 WMR on woodchucks, at least out of a rifle.
 
It offers very little in performance over the .22lr
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Whoa. The .22WMR has more muzzle velocity at 100 yards
than the.22LR has at the muzzle. I would have to say that is a lot
more than very little performance. The cost of .22WMR is
greater than .22LR, but not nearly as costly as.223. You can buy a
lot of .22 mags for the cost of reloading equipment and components.
 
Whoa. The .22WMR has more muzzle velocity at 100 yards
than the.22LR has at the muzzle. I would have to say that is a lot
more than very little performance.
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I stand by my statement: If you shoot a prairie dog, a woodchuck, or even a coyote, for that matter, through the chest with either round, he's just as dead. Same performance level: dead=dead. Niether round is much more than a 100 yard proposition.

If, on the other hand, velocity and terminal energy are important when killing varnts, the go to a .223:

You can buy a
lot of .22 mags for the cost of reloading equipment and components.
Click to expand...

And when you are done, you'll have a bunch of useless brass, and have to buy more loaded ammo, at a quarter a pop..... me, I already have the reloading equipment, and the reloadable brass.... I'll just need more primers, powder and bullets..... I'll spend 12 cents for a bullet, 2 1/2 cents a primer and 8 cents for powder..... spending less than you did per round and have twice the performance.....
 
My goodness, the slander against my favorite cartridge... :rolleyes:

The Hornet is a very easy cartridge to load, and is incredibly economical. If you cast bullets, it's easy to load a box of 50 for well under 5 bucks... actually under 4 bucks. Going to a bulk 40gr jacketed bullet will boost you up to 10 bucks or so.
I've loaded the regular Hornet, and currently the K-Hornet, and have very slightly crumpled the mouth of ONE case. ONE. And that was totally my fault for fumbling the bullet when seating. :( I've never noticed the cases being "paper thin".. but they are thinner than the .223. If you are a "ram-em and slam-em" kind of reloader, you might have issues with the Hornet, but with reasonable care, you should almost never lose a case.
Having said all that, you can also very easily load down the .223 to Hornet.. even .22 Mag levels. Many, many cartridges can be loaded to 1/2 case capacity with no ignition issues at all. I shoot my .45-70 with 15gr of Unique, no fillers, with extremely good results. I also load light loads with some of my cast bullet loads in the K-Hornet with zero problems.

If around 3000fps with a 40gr bullet is good enough for you, for around 10 bucks a box, I'd give the Hornet a look-see. :cool:
 
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