One reason is that lots of .22 mag shooters have neighbors who wouldn't appreciate the blast of the typical .223. Not to mention various rimfire vs. centerfire restrictions. I don't believe "kick" has anything to do with it.

 

As rimfire rounds became scare in the past few years I switched to using 17 Hornet and 222 for some of the shooting I may have done with 22 magnum in the past. I tend to like centerfires due to the reloading option to reload so it wasnt a hard switch for me. But I agree that even the small centerfires are a substantial step up in noise level compared to the rimfires and that can be a big distraction in populated areas. My 17 hornet is relatively quiet by centerfire standards but it still barks compared to my 22 magnum.

 

XDM9mm sir the reason I use 22mag is two fold...its quiet and I don't need a 223 when shooting squirrels or hunting rabbits to eat. Everything has its limitations...but I not going to use a 22mag for a 150 yard shot on a coyote. I am surprised when people say they can't find 22mag...I have done very well in the last two years and have more now than I ever had before. I don't even look for it anymore. If there is some...great and if not OH WELL.

Just one guys opinion.

Signalman

 

Thanks all for your explanation... it was a question I wanted to ask because I was contemplating on getting a 22mag rifle, but I already have a savage axis in 223. And since I also use an AR-15 for plinking, I thought I will just stick to 223 rem (cheaper than 5.56 nato and can be used on both rifles), and just use 22LR for other stuff.

I don't see any 22 mag ammo in my area just like 22LR, and when I see them, they are more expensive than 223


:Blasting_:Blasting_ happy shooting folks :Blasting_:Blasting_:Blasting_ !!!

 

Thanks all for your explanation... it was a question I wanted to ask because I was contemplating on getting a 22mag rifle, but I already have a savage axis in 223. And since I also use an AR-15 for plinking, I thought I will just stick to 223 rem (cheaper than 5.56 nato and can be used on both rifles), and just use 22LR for other stuff.

I don't see any 22 mag ammo in my area just like 22LR, and when I see them, they are more expensive than 223

:Blasting_:Blasting_ happy shooting folks :Blasting_:Blasting_:Blasting_ !!!

I didn't read all the subsequent posts so maybe this was suggested..

Just down load your 223 to reduce recoil and noise. Trail Boss is a great powder for downloading. Check Hodgdons site for info or pm me.

 

22 Mag is a rimfire and thus is usable in many places where centerfires are not legal to hunt.

You really can't compare the 2, just 2 different beasts.

223 rifles are generally more expensive and heavier.

223 ammo is generally more expensive, particularly with a hunting projectile.

223 is loud.

 

Haha, my wife was just complaint about how loud my 223 is. ") another assertion for being limited to rimfire at night for coyotes here. Hope it gets changed soon. In the meantime the bmag and Franklin upper are my go to guns for that.

Sent from my SM-T817V using Tapatalk

 

I use 22 LR, 22 Hornet, .223 and 6mm BR. The .223 of course is extremely effective on groundhogs between 100 and 300 yards. The 22 Hornet is fantastic, and much quieter for use around the barnyard which is closer to neighbors houses. Never felt the need for 22 Mag, since there is so much overlap between the 22 LR and Hornet. If you have never used 22 Hornet, you're missing a great combo for targets within 150 yards or so.

 

a buddy had large affection for his hand loaded 218 Bee as well.

 

Wow, have not heard that one in a while. Had a big time with a 218 Bee as a kid. Grandpa had one. I would probably buy one just to have it.

 

.22 Hornet ... soft home loads. The only interesting guns is an accurate one. THIS!

Savage 25-T

200+ yards, Nikon P900 @ 2,000mm

 

You want to talk about loud. I have a Kel-Tec .223 pistol. It has to be the loudest handgun I own. My Blackhawk .30 Carbine comes close.

 

Well my SW 460 Mag will trump both those plus the sonic boom will shake things up!

But for OP, as mentioned what do you want to do with it is what matters,

 

Mostly hunting restrictions and the size of the rifle for me. I also find I need a good little shotgun that will shoot some T shot or #3 buck well because of shotgun shooting shot only areas. In Arizona I use a 17-204, a .22 Mag and a little single shot 20 gauge to cover all the different restrictions in areas for Coyotes. Larry

 

Have shot a Winchester Model 43 in 218 Bee for many many years. Load LEAD bullets from a Lyman mold, (free tire weights, melted down). Load with a Lyman "Tong Tool" using IMR 4227..MOA @ 100 yards and quieter than my 22 Mag 9422. A joy to shoot.

 

In the day, well before .17's and around $7 a box, we used 22 mag hp for small fur bearing animals under 75 yds.

Usually only one shot needed, one hole in, no hole out, didn't upset the neighbors or the livestock.

 

I buy my .22 Mag online and it runs $15-18 for 5" rds. Locally brass .223 is abou $7-$12 for 20 so no cheaper than .22 mag. I use .22 mag and .22 hornet for quiet shooting.

 

22Mag vs 223 Rem

If you handload you can download the 223 to 22Mag velocities or less with IMR 4198 or Blue Dot pwder and 40 or 50 gr V-Max or Nosler Ballistic Tip bullets. Decent accuracy and flat enough trajectory out to around 150 yards.

 

22 mag is almost as high as 223 and harder to find and difficult to reload. With that said I love the little 22 mag. Have a pmr30 and a naa mini revolver.

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22 mag is almost as high as 223 and harder to find and difficult to reload. With that said I love the little 22 mag. Have a pmr30 and a naa mini revolver.

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Was looking at that pmr30 at a LGS the other day for $475. Any comments on the gun?

 

I can't shoot .223 in my Ruger Single Six.

 

i have a marlin xt-22 in 22mag. and a CZ 527 in 223, no question the 223 is 1 moa at 100 yds, the 22 mag maybe 1.5 to 2 moa at 100yds. the 223 is loud but for shots over 75 yds the 223 is superior. my 22 mag was very erratic past 75 yds. I shoot 60 g Vmax over 25.5 g of varget much more powerful too than the 22 mag.

Bull

 

You comment about "over 75" yards is important to some of us. There is such a thing as too much range.

Frankly, my dream small game load would simply disintegrate at 100 yards b/c I am more concerned about a miss (tree squirrels) going off into the unknown than I am about hitting anything over 100 yards away given where I hunt.

Indeed, I use a .22LR SV rounds when I hunt because I don't want a miss/ricochet going any farther than necessary.

 

I have bought several guns just to have one in whatever caliber we could find. I want to be able to buy or reload ammo for guns I have to shoot. The more calibers of guns that I have the more likley I can fins ammo to fit one of my guns.

 

adamsgt: The PMR 30 is a blast to shoot. The prices have come down lately, a buddy in south Texas picked one up of $399 a few weeks ago.

Just make sure you have plenty of ammo on hand if you get one. It is very easy to run thur several boxes in a short time.

Bill

GO HOGS

 

adamsgt: The PMR 30 is a blast to shoot. The prices have come down lately, a buddy in south Texas picked one up of $399 a few weeks ago.

The price has dropped for sure, but you still some some idiots at the local gun shows around here with one on their table priced for $1,000 or more. It's normally the same guys complaining that "you can't sell anything here unless you give it away".

 

I really like my 22 hornet in a 10" T/C contender, and yes I can take out bowling pins at 100 yards with a scope on it. Hornets are cheap to reload but rifles are expensive and seem to be scarce at gun shows. I did hit it lucky at acquiring brass at a car swap meet of all places. What was a large dill pickle jar of empty brass had 564 pieces for a whopping $5.

 

22 Mag VS 223 Rem

I wanted to reduce the speed of my 223 Rem and tried a few combinations of pistol powder.

I liked a 55 grain bullet with 6 to 7 grains of Tite Group, which gave me about 1300-1500fps and about a 3-4 inch group at 100 yards from my AR15.

It will not cycle the action but maybe a little experimenting will fix that.

I'm sure a lot of reloaders will not approve but to them I ask why ?
Maybe it's because it's not in a manual.

I've seen guys shoot 223 Rem. AR's with suppressors, which lowers the sound to that of an unsuppressed 22 WMR. That's not quiet or economical to me.

These have been the same guys that when I asked "Do you put anti-seize on your suppressor's threads?", replied "What's Anti-Seize ?". This tells me if they ever want to remove the can, they will need a pipe wrench (and maybe some damage) to remove it.

Experimenting is one of the reasons I've reloaded for over 55 years.:harry:

Think about it; don't use a rifle charge with pistol powder or try to get rifle velocities with pistol powder and be prepared to blow a stuck bullet out with the same charge of powder BUT with a wad of aluminum foil INSTEAD of a bullet.

The gun writers will frown on this but they have to be careful about liability issues and other reasons.
:yeahthat:

 

I really like the 22 mag. I switched to 223 bolt rifle and reload for it. I load 14 grains of 2400 under either 55 grain Vmax or Nosler Varmageddon and get around 2600 fps. It shoots nickle size groups at 100 yards or smaller if I really control my breathing. I feel the report is comparable to the 22 mag. The prairie dogs don't seem to notice the difference. I do as I don't have any crawl a ways. I have good accuracy out to about 200 yards, I try to keep all my shots at 150 yards or less with this load.

2400 was originally designed for the 22 Hornet and small rifles.

 

This load costs me $14 per 50 to load,not counting my time. I count the loading time as my relaxation. I haven't found 22 mag ammo for less that $15 a box of 50 in over 2 years.

 

.22 MAG or .223?? I thought that's why Hornady invented the 17 hmr!!! LOL!