"Benefit" for what use?

I regularly shoot an S&W 48 in 22WMR because I enjoy it in a 4" barreled revolver.

 

No specific use. I know that the 22 mag has a tougher bullet and has about 300 more fps. But translate that to every day use, is there a benefit.

 

Again, benefit for what?

Is there a benefit in using a 357 Magnum? Depends on the use. If just plinking, then say so - no benefit, but makes a bigger bang.

 

Thank you for your comments.

 

Why shoot anything above a .22LR? Lot's of folks like to shoot centerfire handguns for simple target practice so why not shoot some .22 WMR, too?

 

Again, thank you for your comments. I do not need any more responses, I have no need for 22 mag. I will just use my 44 if I need more noise, faster speed or a big hole.

 

Again, thank you for your comments. I do not need any more responses, I have no need for 22 mag.

Dang, and I was hoping to chime in too🙄

 

Why ask the question, then?

Sheesh.

 

I used to own a Ruger single 9 in 22 mag with I believe a 6.5" barrel. I always saw what looked like specs of unburned powder on front of cylinder. The LCR I had in 22 mag never had that issue. Not sure what to make of it.

 

I have a single nine and I enjoy shooting it, a little more power and yes more expensive than 22LR but it's more fun too. In my not very scientific conclusion it gives you 22LR, long gun performance out of a hand gun. Maybe not the same accuracy as a longer sight radius of a rifle but same power.

 

I have a ruger single six. The 22 mag makes it a much more potent handgun. Much better for hunting. I stick with 22 lr for plinking, but if you want to shoot varmints or such, the 22 mag is much better.

 

I have a couple of 22 mag revolvers I carry one on 10 acres for varmint control. I like the extra power of the mag. Thats the only reason.

 

I have thought about it from time to time. There are arguments for it if you want to carry a .22 for self defense. Our own signalman shoots almost exclusively .22 mag rifles, from what I can see. PM him and I am sure that he would explain what he finds appealing about the caliber. For me and my plinking, .22 LR always wins out on price. And for more power, I do shoot centerfire calibers where F=MV is really working for you.

Usually my internal debate winds up with price and function in battery as the deciding factors.

 

Thank you, now we are getting somewhere. I no longer hunt, I spend most of the time at the range shooting 22lr and 44 mag. If I can find a reasonable price on a 327 I might go back to it. I am a handgunner by choice as well as necessity. My 44s are getting hard to grasp, my shoulder, hand and arm can no longer take the weight of the guns as well as the shock of the recoil. I have reduced bullet weight, powder charge and also done grip frame swap, nothing helps. I have a couple of Ruger 22lr/mag guns and shoot 22lr only. Something about 7 cents vs 24 cents. So, not being a hunter any longer and if I did do CCW I do have a 44mag that weighs 38 oz. and a couple of shots from it would be okay. I do have a CZ 457 Varmint and could put a mag barrel on it but being a handgunner I would grab a revolver first. Reloading is basically cheap for the 327 a lot cheaper than 22 mag ammo but I sold my Single 7 and Ruger, bless their hearts, have not returned to making any yet. According to Lipseys maybe the end of the year. So, this is why I need to know if a 22 mag is worth it as a side arm.

 

Thank you for finally answering the question I asked in post #2.

 

Don't thank me, it was the other respondents that gave me what I was asking for so I could form a conclusive objective opinion.

 

Anything that surpasses 39oz becomes a problem. All Blackhawks are above my comfort zone and anything that has a barrel longer than 6 inches becomes a balance issue. For 76 years of my life I have only been able to use my right arm, I did work related things that have taken a toll on me but I am not going down without a fight. Single Six sized revolvers are the cats meow for me and I am not a double action revolver kind of guy. I have the G/B auction gun saved and have been watching it but with 7 days remaining and a bid of $ 755.00 I don't thig it will go cheap. I had a 4.62" Single 7 that I sold back in 2015 but I want a 5.5". It has the best balance, if a gun is too light my arm waves like an outhouse door in a hurricane. I have changed grip frames from steel to aluminum to achieve a better balance and weight control. Getting old ain't for the weak and having to type using one finger is well, you know. Thank you, Jerry

 

Mr. handgunner,
I think so, Federal makes a 50 grain JHP. Many years ago, I carried a .22 WMR convertible revolver to run a trap line. Why for a few reasons, it used the same ammo as the rifle I would sometimes carry too, has a heaver projectile, would dispatch the larger critters a little more efficiently, who knows I never had a raccoon or coyote complain.

For the same reasons one would pick a 357 over a 38 or a 44 mag over a 44 special or a 460 S&W over a 45 long Colt.

I don't consider a .22 WMR a "plinking" round, in my opinion it's a hunting, working, all business round.

 

I do agree that the 22 mag is for work and the 22lr is for fun. In the past I have wanted to try the Federal 50 gr but from a rifle, I think it would be good in a revolver. I no longer tromp the Pecos Wilderness like I once did and plinking at the range is about all I do now. My son is trying to get me down to Quemado and spend time in the woods there, that is where a 22 mag would be handy. Not wanting to hunt but ?????. If I had cows and they were stepping in holes and breaking legs then me and the P-dogs would be doing battle. I detest Racoons but they are mostly in the Rio Grande River bottoms and with the homeless camps there you need a whole lot more than a 22 of any kind. I don't know. I'll just have another cup of coffee and mull it over. We have coffee here that is made from Pinion Nuts, I use the Dark Roast and it is darn tasty.

 

If you have a revolver that shoots both .22lr and .22mag changing the cylinders generally the barrel bore is sized for the slightly larger diameter .22mag so many report that it shoots better groups with the magnums.

Another thing is sometimes hunters that use a .22 mag rifle would rather their sidearm also carry the same 22mag ammo so again another reason some may prefer the magnum round over the .22lr.

If I was buying a revolver for shooting .22lr it would be designed as a single caliber model not one that had the two conversion cylinders.

 

We have a small farm in a rural area with a lot of woods around, including on our own property.
The wife has been keeping chickens for the eggs for about 30 years now. Chickens will attract woodland creatures looking for a meal.
Not to mention there are other critters hereabouts. Now, I practice live and let live, as long as they stay where they're supposed to be everything is fine.

I carry a handgun whenever I'm outside the house. The vast majority of the time that would be a 22 single action convertible revolver with a WMR cylinder installed. This gives me better ballistics than a 22LR out of a long gun in a much handier package.

 

I'm a fan of the .22wmr whether in a rifle or handgun, Ground Hogs, Raccoons, Skunks and other vermin are quite common in my area, a .22lr will do in ideal circumstances but I like to have a cushion. The .327 Federal was mentioned, a .32 H&R Magnum is a alternative, same dies work for both, I recently lucked up on a Ruger Bisley in .32 H&R. I have concealed carry revolvers in both .32 H&R and .327 Federal, choices are good...

 

The OP mentioned wanting to try the 50gr ammo. I shot some 50gr last weekend at 100 yards from my 455 22WMR. It was abysmal compared to the 30gr loads from Hornady and CCI. I think I only fired 6 rounds of the 50gr before giving it up.

I will try the 50gr fodder in my Single Six sometime. I guess I should also try it out in my 457 and Zastava rifles before I throw too much shade on the round.

 

The OP mentioned wanting to try the 50gr ammo. I shot some 50gr last weekend at 100 yards from my 455 22WMR. It was abysmal compared to the 30gr loads from Hornady and CCI. I think I only fired 6 rounds of the 50gr before giving it up.

I will try the 50gr fodder in my Single Six sometime. I guess I should also try it out in my 457 and Zastava rifles before I throw too much shade on the round.

Same results here so I only use it for close range in NAA derringer.

 

Years ago there was an article (where? maybe in a Gun Digest) using the 22LR vs 22Mag from a revolver. The point was made that the revolver with 22Mag still had more energy at 'some good distance on out there' than the 22LR did at the 'muzzle'.
I know for sure and certain that my Ruger SSS convertible has way more thwack at 50yds on my junk steel targets than 22LR, and nicely accurate too. I think the accuracy thing has more to do with the snappy velo kicking the bullet out (less barrel dwell) than any minuscule barrel dimension.

 

Years ago, I had an AMT .22 Magnum pistol that I didn't keep very long because I found the muzzle blast excessive and the attendant noise to be downright painful. Had the same kind of experience at another time using H-380 in a .243 heavy bbl.'d varmint rifle. Load was quite accurate from a bench or in the field on P-dogs but the muzzle blast and noise caused me to develop a load using a dif. powder. I'd thot that it wouldn't be so bad in the field. I was wrong. And as I recall, the ammunition I used in the AMT was Winchester.

 

Valid reasoning!

 

Where I live we have restrictions to owning hand guns, but for me the 22mag would be the ideal cartrige in the country side. I have hunted quite a few foxes with the 22mag and must say up to 100m about perfekt. So for me a 22 mag handgun would be a ideal companion, if purchasing wasn't a little difficult.

 

Thank you for the additional replies. I am still not in a position that I "NEED" to carry 22 mag as the ammo for my Ruger Single Six. At present all I do is plink and target of some variety. As far as the Federal 50 gr., I will not use them. Thanks, Jerry

 

Why not consider a 38/357?

 

22 Mag out of a revolver will be pretty similar (balistically) to 22 LR fired from a rifle. Why would a person want a 22 mag revolver? For the same purposes a person might want a 22 LR rifle, but in a more portable gun.

 

This is exactly why I have a revolver in .22 WMR. I can easily carry it in a belt holster while doing things yet have the capability of a .22 LR rifle without the inconveniences.

A revolver is easier to always have on you when you need it than a rifle. Not to mention, even when rifle or shotgun hunting, its often nice to have a rimfire along.