22 wmr semi-auto rifle

[OkieGentleman]

I would like a 22 WMR semi-auto rifle. Suggestions requested. I would like to be able to get a higher capacity clip for it other than the factory 7 or 8 round clip that is standard. Marlin 10/22 WMRs are no longer made nor supported by Marlin. I would buy one if one could be found that the seller did not want my pension for the rest of my life in it.

Any one out there have an opinion?

PS Thanks for any input.

[Dr Heckel]

Volquartsen makes some of the best semi auto 22WMRs available. I believe their entire line-up is available in 22WMR actually. They are expensive but are great rifles as well. Some of their more basic models arent too outrageous. They also have a very nicely made aluminum 25 round mag available in addition to the flush fitting 9 rounder. Here's a link to VCs 22WMR rifles-
https://www.volquartsen.com/tags/8-v...arms,19-22-wmr

[amd6547]

Or, you could wait for KelTec to bring out their 22 mag carbine....

[22-rimfire]

I believe CZ is or will be offering their new M512 in 22 Mag. The Remington 597 is also available.

[L_Killkenny]

We had good luck with the Rem 597. Never an issue and was accurate enough that any misses were our fault, not the guns. As for the high cap mag can't help you but.............

If you want to burn thru ammo use a .22lr and for anything serious use a centerfire. I've no love for the .22M anyway but a need for high cap magazines seem's like a waste of time. Why would you want such a thing?

LK

[Evil Monkey]

out of a pistol, the 22wmr is no different than a 22lr.

Out of a rifle, the energy is great, but the HP rounds often don't penetrate deep enough because they fragmentate within 5 inches or so.

The round is only good for small game. If you want a defense weapon against human beings, it's a poor choice.

further more and slightly off topic, I see the 22wmr completely replacing the pointless 22lr in the next 30 years.

[amd6547]

22lr is far from pointless.

[22-rimfire]

I see the 22wmr completely replacing the pointless 22lr in the next 30 years.

Maybe you should educate me on the pointlessness of the 22LR?

[Evil Monkey]

people that buy 22lr buy them for:

-small game hunting
-self defense
-plinking


22wmr is more versatile than 22lr. Therefore, if more people become privy to 22wmr's capabilities compared to 22lr, then 22lr ends up disappearing from the mainstream just like 22 short and 22 long many decades ago.

[22-rimfire]

Yes, more versatile. But much more expensive. A 223 is more versatile than the 22 Mag and the 30-06 more versatile than the 223. It all depends on what you want to use them for. Most people can't afford to plink with a 22 Mag when in most cases, a 22LR will do just fine.

Many said that about the 22 Mag after the 17HMR was introduced.

You left out a couple very important uses for 22LR; target shooting, and as an inexpensive learning tool for other rifles. I feel sure there are more.

[upstate81]

I agree about the 22 mag. Such a better round than the 22 lr if you need smaller buy a pellet gun

[Evil Monkey]

But much more expensive

yes, but if more people start buying 22wmr rather than 22lr, sooner or later it's 22lr that will be more expensive than 22wmr.

Supply and demand.

[upstate81]

*supply and demand nuff said

[Jbotto]

Supply and demand of keeping the MILLIONS of .22lr's fed?! I don't think the world will ever get rid of the .22lr. Good luck, but I'll be shooting all of mine until I die!

[wachtelhund1]

I just purchased a Harrington & Richardson model 700 .22 mag on Gunbroker.com for $400.00. At the time there were 4 or 5 others for sale.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/show...29#post4818229

I currently own an H&K model 300 .22 mag and previously owned a Ruger 10/22 mag. As far as I'm concerned, the H&K 300 sets the bar for .22 mags, it will be a long, long time before another .22 mag is made to equal the H&K 300. Simple blow back design, nice light trigger pull, easily shoots under 1" groups at 100 yds. No tools required to disassemble.

Wasn't impressed with the Ruger 10/22 mag and sold it.

I'm very impressed with the design, engineering and quality of the H&R 700 .22 mag. This gun is way over engineered, way better than the Ruger 10/22 mag. I had it shipped to my gunsmith. He had never seen or knew of H&R making a .22 mag semi-auto. So when it arrived we took it a part and gave it a good cleaning. We were both amazed. The barrel is threaded to the receiver. The gun has recoil rails and a single heavy recoil spring attached to the bolt, similar to those of the Winchester 100 and M-14 design. They ride on two 1/2" square studs brazed to the receiver. The lower portion of the studs are threaded 7/16" studs. The magazine housing is attached to these studs with two full size 5/8" nuts. The hammer is a round cylinder Approx. 1x2" weighing 2 to 3 onces. The trigger housing is a milled block 5/8 x 5/8 x 1.5" steel attached to the receiver on milled dovetailed groves. Sides of the trigger housing are 3/16" thick solid steel. Trigger pins are 1/8 x 5/8". Bolt buffer cylinder shape, nylon 3/4x3/4".

Upon studying this rifle we both smiled and said 5.7X28 conversion.

Oh, mine came with a 10 round magazine. I ordered a 5 round mag. Ten round mags are available for the H&R 700. H&K 15 round mags can be mofidied to work in the H&R 700 and vice a verse for the H&K.

[Bamashooter]

I doubt the .22lr is going anywhere anytime soon or in the next 50yrs for that matter, unless the liberals in the government get their way. If you think the .22lr is pointless you obviously dont know much about the .22lr. Come stand in front of mine.

[Txhillbilly]

Excel Arms also makes a semi-auto 22WMR rifle along with a pistol.The pistol looks like a copy of the AMT.
A dealer near me stocks both,and the rifle looks to be a quality made weapon,but the price tag is on the high side. $495

http://www.excelarms.com/rifles/mr22.html

[L_Killkenny]

Actually, the .22m is close to being pointless and only good for hunting critters approx. 15lbs to 30 lbs in areas where rimfires are mandated by law and where noise levels may be a concern. That's it's only bright spots. It's a half a$$ jack of all trades, master of none for there is nothing a .22lr isn't as good at for less money on the lower end and nothing a centerfire isn't better at when things get serious.

As for the .22m replacing the .22? Not in you wildest dreams.

LK

[pgdion]

I see the 22wmr completely replacing the pointless 22lr in the next 30 years.

Naw, no way that will happen. The .22 Magnum is a great cartridge, maybe my favorite even, but there's no way it will replace the .22lr. Price alone will keep the .22lr alive and well probably forever.

The 597 is supposed to be good for this cartridge. Personally I only shoot the .22Mag form lever action and bolt action. A .22Mag bolt action Marlin is my favorite rifle to shoot.

[wachtelhund1]

I think this thread got off track. Okiegentleman was asking for recommended .22 mag semi-autos.

[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.

[natman]

Volquartsen, Magnum Research and Remington. Used there's the H&R 700 and the collector's items H&K 300 and Kodiak.

[Evil Monkey]

The 22 Short and 22 Long pretty much lost their popularity because ammunition cost actually went up.

this is hilarious. Of course price went up, because people gave up on them and bought 22lr instead. Didn't we already we explain supply and demand? Same reason why 45acp and 380acp are dieing out, no body wants them anymore due to the 40sw and the influx of pocket 9mm's.

As for a semi auto 22wmr, OP should save his money and get this when it comes out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PYLy...eature=related

[22-rimfire]

Evil, I think you should read my entire post relative to the 22 short and long. It wasn't "just price". It was a change in the nature of the market. Fewer people shot shorts and longs because their firearms would not function using them and the $0.05/box years ago was not a significant enough reason to buy them over LR's. After the 1968 Gun Control Act was passed, you had to be at least 18 to buy 22 ammunition. People who thought $0.05/box was significant were eliminated from the retail market.

Market forces are however significant.

If your theory on versatility is correct, nobody would buy regular LR ammunition now and only shoot the hyper velocity stuff and the price would be $2.00 a box.

It is EXTREMELY unlikely that the 22 Mag will EVER be as popular as the 22LR or cost $2.00 a box. However, I like the 22 Mag and it is a useful cartridge for hunting.

The 45ACP is not dying out and the 380ACP is becoming very popular again. That pretty much demonstrates the your acuity of the marketplace.

[amd6547]

The KelTec is what I suggested in the third post, before all the nonsense about the "pointless" 22lr and the supposed demise of the 45 and the 380.
I also disagree with evil monkey's assertion that the 22mag is a poor choice for an SD round. Famous lawman Bill Jordan liked it in the small frame snub for a back up. In a 30 shot compact folding stock semi auto carbine with the right ammo, it would be a great choice.