Hunter0924
New member
The .22 WMR surprised me in the ballistic gel, on some rounds.
http://rangehot.com/22-magnum-ballistic-test/
http://rangehot.com/22-magnum-ballistic-test/
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Why no smallish 22WMR Semi Auto's
- Thread starter deerslayer303
- Start date
+1 most notably the Hornady critical defense round.The .22 WMR surprised me in the ballistic gel, on some rounds.
Am I reading that right?
.565/.454'' of expansion and still 16.5-18'' penetration? I'm having a hard time believing that to be accurate. That seems like quite a lot of expansion, and a crapload of penetration to go with it.
The non-expanded and FMJ bullets basically performed as expected, but I find it strange that the expanded hornady load had comparable penetration to the unexpanded bullets, while reaching well over twice the starting diameter.
Hunter0924
New member
Yes sir.
You read that right. The Hornady Critical Defense were designed to function with a handgun, while most .22 WMR was designed to function is a long gun.
The 4th photo down is of the recovered bullets. You can click on it to enlarge it. I was there with 2 other people that aided in measuring depth, weight retention, and expansion.
We fired a few rounds of each into the gel and averaged 5 rounds over the chronograph.
You read that right. The Hornady Critical Defense were designed to function with a handgun, while most .22 WMR was designed to function is a long gun.
The 4th photo down is of the recovered bullets. You can click on it to enlarge it. I was there with 2 other people that aided in measuring depth, weight retention, and expansion.
We fired a few rounds of each into the gel and averaged 5 rounds over the chronograph.
.22 mag
Penetration kills. All the other parameters of pistol cartridge performance are secondary to penetration. The .22 magnum has penetration in spades. I've personally killed most every type of animal in Virginia except Black Bear. With
a Ruger Single Six .22 magnum revolver. Bullet placement in a vital area and penetration to reach those organs, slays things. The Germans knew this and the result was the 9mm cartridge, even in Submachine guns. Just my opinion but it's based on personal real world experience with .22 magnums pistols.
Penetration kills. All the other parameters of pistol cartridge performance are secondary to penetration. The .22 magnum has penetration in spades. I've personally killed most every type of animal in Virginia except Black Bear. With
a Ruger Single Six .22 magnum revolver. Bullet placement in a vital area and penetration to reach those organs, slays things. The Germans knew this and the result was the 9mm cartridge, even in Submachine guns. Just my opinion but it's based on personal real world experience with .22 magnums pistols.
Walt Sherrill
New member
The .22 magnum has penetration in spades.
Only from longer barrels. That's because most .22 WMR ammo was originally designed and intended for use in rifles -- and why it hasn't done that well in the small, short-barreled guns.
The new Hornady .22 WMR 45 gr. FTX Critical Defense round cited above was brewed up for handguns, and it seems to offer surprising performance, including substantial expansion coupled to excellent penetration.
This and other rounds designed for shorter barrels may change the debate a bit as they become more widely known.