They are not crap, but many such opinions are . The best semiautomatic.22 WMR, in my view, is/was the H&K 300. Great trigger, great accuracy, and great reliability. The VQ is equally good, by reputation, anyway; I've never owned one. The Brno 611 is a little jewel that was beautifully made and functioned very well, if not as accurate as the others. The Ruger 10/22M bolt was made with less-than-stellar materials and engineering, and I think that’s probably where much of the bad rap comes from. Add to that the iffy functionality of the semi-automatic .17s HMRs, especially the ones built on the 10/22M rifles, and the .22 WMR looks like a saint. In fact, I would rank overall performance of the .22 magnums semiautomatics above any semi-auto .17s, HMR, HM2, or WSM, and nobody calls them crap cartridges, at least no one I respect

TBR

 

Thanks TBR. I,personally, have not had a problem with them and really rather like them the more I shoot them. The guy at the LGS must have had some really bad experiences with them somewhere along the line. Really made me question my own experiences.

 

AMT Magnum Hunter

The only rifle I regret not keeping. It functioned perfectly and was very accurate with RWS ammo!

 

I have to disagree with the 22 mag being bad. I love my Kel-Tec PMR30. Very reliable handgun for a semi auto pistol. If there is a problem it is not with the pistol but rather the magazine, which becomes very difficult to load to 30 rounds, in which at this point if you are not careful you could put a dent on the cartridge. I have eliminated this problem by loading only 25 in the magazine which has increased reliability to 100% when it comes to feeding. One in the chamber and 25 in the magazine is still quite a tremendous amount of firepower going down range.

 

I too have a PMR30 and like you do not try to load 30 in it. I my view the .22 WMR is fine but it's a long thin cartridge and just doesn't lend it's self to feeding perfectly in a semi-auto. My PRM30 is okay but I wouldn't do it again. There are better options for a semi-auto gun. I also shoot .22 WMR in a bolt action CZ rifle and it works just fine in that setup.

 

I have been thinking about a Ruger revolver in .22 WMR. No feed issues with one of those.

 

i like .22wmr... have three revolvers for it: NAA Sidewinder, NAA Ranger II Breaktop, and CA Pathfinder snubby (which is surprisingly accurate out to 15ft)

have never seen a .22wmr rifle in the flesh

can't use an LCR/x as the trigger guard would abrade my middle digit

i do try to acquire the ammo if found on sale... my favorite is CCI TNT (for reliability; have tried Fiocchi, Gold Dots, Hornady, etc.)

willie
on the Gulf of Mexico

 

22 mags have been my favorite cartridge for fifty years, since the first single six came my way. I now have two 10/22 mags that do not malfunction, the single six, a never fired 648, and some 9422 m’s. I never met one I didn’t like. Most are accurate enough for my purposes.
Like any other gun you have to find what bullet they like.

 

I don't have any of the older model 22 WMR rifles and I know there were some great ones made, however, I like the ones I currently have. I do some occasional target shooting with them, but their original purpose was small game hunting. The CZ 455 FS & 455 Varmint are very solid quality rifles with no issues and my CZ 512 American & Magnum Research MLR22WMBW are both solid performers as well.

It's always interesting listening to some of the conversations at the gun counter of the LGS's. Talk about false news . . . I have no experience with the AMT product line, but I know for sure that both of my semiautomatic 22 WMR's have never failed me in any way.

 

Being long in relation to its width, and rimmed, .22 Mag is more difficult to feed in a semi. Rifles do better with it than pistols, since there is more room to give all the action parts the best postioning for good feed and ejection. .22LR is the same way.

.25ACP was designed to be a centerfire substitute for .22 in handguns. Short, fat, and rimless.

 

WMR

I've got two 10/22Ms that run like a top. One is actually a switch-barrel gun that also shoots very well in .17 HMR. And, my Ruger American Rimfire WMR is serious bang for the buck.

You hear lots of stuff in gun shops that you're better off ignoring. Much of it from employees.

 

What is it about .22 Magnums?...

I read that thread title, and I'll have to admit, it made me wonder...

Off topic of the thread I suppose, but the original question of the title remains unanswered for me...

Having only ever owned one .22 Mag in my life, a NAA mine revolver with interchangeable cylinders, and only having fired a handful of magnums in it, I've always wondered, what exactly is the point?

Seeing as how it has a good following, it obviously has it's applications even if I've never found the need to own one. So, I thought it might be interesting to hear what purposes you guys use your .22 magnums for? This goes doubly for those that use .22 Magnum handguns.

 

................................... what exactly is the point?

Seeing as how it has a good following, it obviously has it's applications even if I've never found the need to own one. So, I thought it might be interesting to hear what purposes you guys use your .22 magnums for? This goes doubly for those that use .22 Magnum handguns.

I'm a believer. I had a serious case of 10/22itis which lead me to the 10/22M back when you could buy a new one for under $300. I've had and sold a half dozen and have two now. I admit it was something of a challenge to get the magnums to run right but, once I got there, they have been a blast. Early in our "career" as prairie dog shooters, I picked up a Savage 93 in WMR because....well just because. We've been doing that for a long time and we've never made a trip west without at least one WMR. My first double (two p dogs with one shot) was with the Savage shooting 33 gr VMax loads. The RAR in WMR makes the trip now. Had a Single Six convertible I carried with WMR birdshot for interactions with rattlesnakes but found it to be pretty useless. Didn't do much but further piss off an already agitated snake. As always, after you get past the first one or two, the word "need" doesn't fit most conversations about guns. I didn't "need" a .17 Fireball but I have two. I didn't need four .223s but I have them. I didn't need two .204s but I have them. I sure didn't need a 22-250 or a .224 Valkyrie but they are here. I absolutely didn't need 5 rifle calibers to reload but I've got them.

 

Looking for a Savage Arms Model 30GM Stevens Favorite 22 mag. Semper Fi

 

You may want to post this in the Trading Post, HERE.

Kinda against forum policy to post sale/buy things in regular discussion forum posts, I believe.

 

I was at my LGS today and got off talking about .22 magnums which he declared that no one has or will build a reliable .22 magnum semi auto rifle or pistol. I asked him why and he replied they were inherently a bad cartridge. ***???
Why should it be any different than any other cartridge?
*
*
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Why do .22 magnums get such a bad rap. Are all commercially produced .22 mag semi autos crap?

Can/ will someone please clarify things?

The strikes against the 22WMR cartridge:

It's rimfire [JMB hisse'f invented .25acp because he couldn't get 22lr to run reliably enough in a semi-auto to suit his standards.]

It's based upon a defunct cartridge [25 Stevens]: has to be some reason the original went the way of the dodo...

It was never intended for pistols [loaded with slower powder for a protracted burn in rifle-length barrels until just recently when some pistol-specific rounds became available.]

Pressure running right up there near the limit for rf cartridge brass functional parameters.

Straight wall cartridge [great for revolvers & manual actions; S/A, not so much.]

Not saying it can't be done, just that it's harder than using something else.

And of course, you can reload 22Hornet & 223Rem for ~ the cost of new 22WMR, so if you really want something in that performance envelope, you can get there by other methods on platforms proven for those more capable chamberings.

Nonetheless, I'd love a PMR30 if they were legal behind the Granola Curtain... :bthumb:

 

I guess I've been luckier than most, I had two Ruger 10/22Ms, early single extractor models and both functioned fine. I read about folks having to change extractors and replace firing pins for reliability, but I never did... in fact I still have two new in the package Power Custom Magnum firing pins.

I sold both of the 10/22Ms when the prices got so high, made a couple folks real happy (besides me).

I've owned bolts and levers in .22WMR too, but they never stayed long, as I just really prefer semi-autos. I've owned both the AMT and Kel-Tec pistols, but neither wowed me for different reasons.

Today I have these two .22WMRs, one rifle, one pistol, both reliable and accurate, both staying with me for the long haul.

MRI MLR-1722M

Rock Island XTM-22

 

I have a XTM-22 on order. It looks,to me, to be pretty reliable and nicely built. While I have never fired a Kel-tec, they just never appealed to me.

 

22magnum

I have 2 ruger 22magnum an h&r an h&k a marlin and a Bruno, all semi auto, they work very well as long as they are clean. Love to hunt with them and plink. Have numerous other 22magnum bolt and lever action rifles and even a low wal in 22magnum, lots of hand guns also in the caliber.
Would have to say it is my favorite round. I hear all the BS about them and just smile and keep enjoying mine.

 

I bought my first .22 WMR last year...a Henry H003TM pump. Now I have 5 (the Henry and 4 semis...2 Remington 597M and 2 CZ 512 carbines). I like them all, but one of the 597s has been difficult to work with. The rest function flawlessly, and I enjoy the round so much, I rarely bother with .22LR or .17HMR any more.

 

22 magnum

I have an early Ruger 22 mag that has never given me a problem. I had CPC do some work on it and with the right ammo, nicely accurate. I recently purchased a kel-tec CMR-30, the carbine version of the PMR. That is a very fun gun. Weighs right around 4 lbs with my red dot mounted and has a nice trigger. So far reliability has been great. Also, have a single six with a 22 mag cylinder. It is a significant upgrade in power from the 22 lr. I have a 17 hmr, 17 wsm, 17 hornet, and 22 hornet, plus 223's. Each one has its place.

 

The .22 Magnum is a favorite of mine as well. At last count I presently own 8 rifles and 2 handguns, and have traded away a few more in the past. As far as semi-autos go, I've had the Marlin which worked great, no problems, and will never part with my H&K 300 which is the Primo auto in my opinion.

That gun shop guy obviously needs to gain more actual experience with the maggie before spewing his opinions on others. I'd like to watch him shoot a few hundred rounds through my H&K 300 and then explain to me how the cartridge is at fault in some way. More likely, I'd have to pry his hands from the rifle afterwards.

 

Never ask a gun dealer anything!
If he has ten of them to sell, "they're great".
If he has none in stock " they're trouble".

If WMR didn't work gun makers would not build them!

 

Some gun counter guys are absolutely the greatest source of knowledge when you are looking for new rifles, bows etc. Others should be banned from the store as they give such bad advice and sell it as the gospel. Just a couple months ago I stood listening to one tell a story that supposedly happened to him, followed the story line of Chris Kyle to a T. After that he went into a couple more far fetched stories, Some people are sickening.
I've had several 22mags over the years but never kept any except for my SA 141M which I love. I have had several HK 300's and sadly sold them as I never shot them enough to realize how good they were, made a lot of money on each though.. I keep looking at that Accelerator semi auto pistol, is it any good? Stainless big frame and sells for about $375.

 

I've had a few 22mags but am now down to only a 10" Contender. I enjoy shooting that a lot.

Is the RIA M1911-A1 XT22 MAGNUM still being built? It looks intriguing.

 

I think the .22 magnum is a fine rimfire rifle round, but, as others have said, not a great choice for pistol-length barrels.

I have shot other people's .22 WMR rifles for years, before finally buying one of my own specfically for minimal-noise coyote killing in a surburban or semi-rural setting with a couple of neighboring homes 75 yards to my left and right.

If noise were not a concern, I'd never own a .22 magnum, since the ammo costs as much as imported or steel-cased .223 ammo (actually more: Right now it looks like I can get .223 for 18 cents a round and it's 22 cents for the lowest price .22 mag I can find). The .223 has no recoil, 3X the kinetic energy, 4X the effective range for target shooting or hunting), and if you use an expanding bullet, you KNOW it will expand. No doubts, even at the far end of its maximum hunting range.


Now, if .22 magnums only cost TWICE what .22 LR ammo cost, then I think they'd be a lot more popular. But right now, they're 3x to 4x the price, and it's just not worth it for all but a few applications.

 

The 22 wmr is a superb small game cartridge, was also probably the greatest trap line cartridge ever made. Back in the day a tube fed 22wmr was the go to gun for trap line guys.

The % of folks who hunt in the overall gun population is at or near the all time low. Guys running a trap line are close to dodo bird status compared to the 50s and 60s. Money is made in the next big thing, not the latest and greatest of 1959. The 22 wmr is 60 years old now, the 17 hmr is 20 this year.

I'm college my schedule allowed for 4 days a week semi populated predator and varmint control. Fell in love with the mag, in a 1022 m, 96/22 and eventually my beloved 77/22. It flat out works, hits just a bit harder than the hmr.

It's 24kpsi sammi pressure, just like 17hm2, 17 hmr and 22 lr. Now, they may have different pressure impulses but same max.

It's now a niche product for a minimal market cross section, as such product development is slower than better marketed 17hmr or more common 22lr. Naturally less rifle development, the 1022 mags were hammers and the rotary mag near flawless in feeding the straight walled cartridge. Volquartsen has made a bomber 22wmr for more than 20 years, but it's spendy due to its niche audience and low production numbers.

We've had a reverse trickle down effect with the hmr popularity. The mag ammo is better than ever, with lots of good options. When my first 22wmr followed me home ossi custom made 35 grain v max ammo for 25$ a box of 50. In the last 15 years the options have grown and the fps along with it (think a 22 from cci) A 50 pack of 22 wmr ammo is a lot of game harvest potential in a very small form factor all for about 10$.

 

If you look at Ballistics by the Inch, optimum velocities are obtained between 10" and 14" with CCI 40gr jhp, what I use most. My 10" Contender is very accurate but does have a muzzle flash that attracts attention at the range. I've been thinking about finding a 12 or 14 inch barrel to tame flash and recoil. This handgun is very accurate, but perhaps you were speaking of autoloaders and revolvers.