[22-rimfire]

The thread definitely got off track. But I think the OP's questions have been answered at this point.

When the 17 HMR and similar rounds came out, I was concerned that the 22 WMR would indeed migrate to the bleachers rather than the playing field. The 5mm rimfie was another one that had great potential (and still does) if a few manufacturers would produce new rifles in the caliber.

The 17 HMR is pretty popular but the 22 WMR is making a resurgence in popularity. You have not seen the 17 HMR ammunition cost coming down much and as a result, it will never be a pure plinking round or have the following that the 22LR has and will have.

The cost in part is manufacturing as the bullet is actually constructed much like a centerfire bullet versus your typical 22LR (heeled design). I don't see the price of either 17 HMR or 22 WMR coming down much in the forseeable future EVEN if both became even more popular.

The 22 Short and 22 Long pretty much lost their popularity because ammunition cost actually went up. The significance of a $0.05 savings per 50-ct box has been lost. They also tend to be less accurate than the 22LR in general. I think that the reason for this is the poliferation of 22 semi-auto rifles and pistols in the market which would not generally cycle automatically either of these two rounds. In the past, having a rifle that you could utilize any of these 22 rimfire rounds was very common and remains common in some actions (pump, lever actions, some bolt actions). These rifles are still manufactured. The 22 Short and CB Short has actually had a bit of a resurgence in popularity probalby due to Walmart and CCI.

I have read that the Remington 597 does just fine in 22 WMR. I would really like to see the new CZ in person and handle one. I don't expect to see higher capacity magazines for either however. Most people just don't blow away 500 rounds of 22 WMR in a day like they might with a 22LR. The higher capacity magazine encourages this type of shooting not that it is bad.