Best 22 mag ammo / Ruger Single Six Hunter

Elliottsdad · June 25, 2016, 11:38 PM

I just got a 7.5 inch barrel Ruger Single Six hunter. I honestly don't plan on installing a scope (the long barrel gives an excellent sight radius as it is).
Really, I originally got it for the .22lr, but the more I read about the .22 mag, the more interested I become. What are the abilities/limitations of the .22 mag? What's your favorite round and what do you use it for? Is it much better than .22 lr or only marginally better?

b.thomas · June 26, 2016, 05:08 AM

I had a duel cylinder, Single six from the late-60's to about 1990.
It shot great with the .22 long rifle ammo but not so great with the .22 mag??
Only .22 mag ammo I could find back then was Winchester stuff and it was too expensive and in-accurate to waste my time with it.............so just use my Single six with the .22lr cylinder only.

wild cat mccane · June 28, 2016, 08:03 AM

Aren't 22lr and 22 magnum different sized bullets?

Ocraknife · June 28, 2016, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Aren't 22lr and 22 magnum different sized bullets?

Yes, 22mags are longer than 22lr however his pistol comes with two cylinders, one for each cartridge.

ThomasT · June 28, 2016, 10:58 AM

ockraknife you are refering to cartridge length and the poster wild cat is asking about bullets. That is if the bullet diameters are different. And yes they are. The 22lr is thought to be .223 in diameter and the 22 mag is .224. This is a question asked by people who have never bothered to actually measure the bullets.

I have posted this many times before. I measured 6 different 22lr bullets and they all measured .224 to .226 depending on brand. I have never seen the bullet size make a difference that I could tell but know for a fact different brands will give better or worse accuracy from each gun. Thats why it is best to try as many different brands of ammo as you can get your hands on. And just because one brand shoots really well in one 22 single six does not mean it will also shoot well in another single six.

Ocraknife · June 28, 2016, 11:02 AM

Quote:

ockraknife you are refering to cartridge length and the poster wild cat is asking about bullets. That is if the bullet diameters are different. And yes they are. The 22lr is thought to be .223 in diameter and the 22 mag is .224. This is a question asked by people who have never bothered to actually measure the bullets.

I have posted this many times before. I measured 6 different 22lr bullets and they all measured .224 to .226 depending on brand. I have never seen the bullet size make a difference that I could tell but know for a fact different brands will give better or worse accuracy from each gun. Thats why it is best to try as many different brands of ammo as you can get your hands on. And just because one brand shoots really well in one 22 single six does not mean it will also shoot well in another single six.

oops, my mistake.

Pikie · June 28, 2016, 11:57 AM

Elliottsdad, I have used 22 mag. and 22lr for years in Single Six and numerous other rifle pistol combo's. Based on my experience hunting small game for the last 40 so years: the .22 Mag. in a pistol is much louder in the wood then .22lr! The .22 Mag. pistol is about as effective as a .22lr rifle in power. But not accuracy. Again this is my experience. .22Mag. is a great cartridge for up to 30 pound game. Have fun!

NoSecondBest · June 28, 2016, 01:10 PM

ratshooter took all my thunder with his remarks. He's right on the money. I had a Ruger with two cylinders and it shot both mags and Lr's very, very well. When I say well, I mean as good as it gets. I shot a 77x80 at the IHMSA Internationals with that gun in lr and it shot mags almost as well. I've owned a dozen guns in 22mag and I've never owned one that shot anything lighter than 40g bullets very well. For me, the CCI 40 and 50g bullets have shot well in all my guns. I'd start with them first. With 22lr, they are very fussy about what they like and there's no guarantee they'll shoot the same in two different guns.

kilimanjaro · June 28, 2016, 01:33 PM

The .22 Magnum round is a lot noisier, no doubt about it. It a long-barreled revolver, you won't have much muzzle flip. The Single-Six is a great shooter, lots of fun.

I've used Winchester and PMC .22 Magnum ammo with good results, I no longer buy any other brands.

Putting a scope on your revolver will be a criminal act of Bubbaism, it's just not needed on a rimfire handgun and is a self-defeating act of futility.

For hunting small game, raccoons and such are fine targets for the .22 Magnum, but for coyotes you'd better choose a long gun, proximity to a brassed-off carnivore you just shot with your revolver is not a good idea.

Obambulate · June 28, 2016, 03:34 PM

Winchester Super-X .22 Mag is a great hunting round. The 50-gr Federal GameShock ammo is worth a try too.

22-rimfire · June 29, 2016, 07:57 AM

I would buy the 22 mag ammo you can find. It has been really hard to find for a couple of years.

My opinion of the 22 WMR (mag) from a handgun is that you get slightly better performance than 22LR in a normal handgun. You might do a bit better with the 7.5" barrel. Lots of noise and as a result, not worth it for me vs 22LR. It is so noisy that I would not shoot one round without ear protection from a handgun.

Quote:

The .22 Mag. pistol is about as effective as a .22lr rifle in power.

That is my experience as well.

I have a couple 22 mag revolvers, but usually shoot it in a rifle where the round develops its full potential in terms of velocity and so forth. I want to pick up a CZ in 22 mag, but never seem to get around to it or I don't have the funds when I see one in a shop. The 22 mag rifle is in fact my "survival" rifle. Don't shoot it much, but I know that I can pretty much kill any normal sized game up to white tailed deer with the round if necessity dictates and that is plenty for me. Some wildlife management areas do not allow centerfire cartridges except during deer season and as a result, the 22 mag is about as good as you can get in a rimfire for such things a feral hogs that normally have an open season on them year around.

Prior to when the 22 mag came out in 1959, handguns chambered for "22" were .223 bore size. After the mag came out, Colt and I suspect others went to 0.224" barrels/chambers so I assume could use on set of machinery for both calibers. Some say you get poorer accuracy with 22 LR as a result, but I am not sure about that as the bullet diameter varies a lot on the LR cartridges. High end target ammo is a bit different. You might recall the term "target chamber" on better 22 rifles. That is what they are talking about. Sometimes it is hard to insert a regular 22LR into a tight target chamber.

On accuracy, I honestly doubt I could tell the difference between a .223 vs .224 bored barrel on a handgun. Only with the more precise target shooting might it matter.

Try out different brands of ammo and see what shoots best if you choose 22 mag just like any other 22. Enjoy.

Rogervzv · July 1, 2016, 09:03 AM

I also have a Single Six Hunter. These are great shooters with .22WMR. I've had very good luck with it with every brand of .22WMR that I tried.

On a tangent, it is definitely the case that some .22LR ammo is wider than others. Bought some off-brand Mexican .22LR at Turner's awhile ago (that stuff in the red box that they had) and it would barely fit properly into the cylinder of my S&W 617. The gun didn't like that ammo at all as a result.

RJM52 · July 4, 2016, 07:48 PM

I've had several Ruger Single-Six convertibles...all were tack drivers with Magnum ammo and less than stellar with Long Rifle.... The Hunter I now have in the exception. It will run LR ammo right along with Magnums.

I've only shot mine with Winchester Super-X 40 grain HPs....

25 yards off the bench sighting in the scope...

Makes a great backpacking gun for small game...

Bob

June 25, 2016, 11:38 PM	#1
Elliottsdad Senior Member Join Date: November 23, 2010 Location: Glenwood, Iowa Posts: 238	Best 22 mag ammo / Ruger Single Six Hunter I just got a 7.5 inch barrel Ruger Single Six hunter. I honestly don't plan on installing a scope (the long barrel gives an excellent sight radius as it is). Really, I originally got it for the .22lr, but the more I read about the .22 mag, the more interested I become. What are the abilities/limitations of the .22 mag? What's your favorite round and what do you use it for? Is it much better than .22 lr or only marginally better?

July 1, 2016, 09:03 AM	#12
Rogervzv Senior Member Join Date: February 5, 2011 Location: Huntington Beach, CA Posts: 1,075	I also have a Single Six Hunter. These are great shooters with .22WMR. I've had very good luck with it with every brand of .22WMR that I tried. On a tangent, it is definitely the case that some .22LR ammo is wider than others. Bought some off-brand Mexican .22LR at Turner's awhile ago (that stuff in the red box that they had) and it would barely fit properly into the cylinder of my S&W 617. The gun didn't like that ammo at all as a result. __________________ The difference between a citizen and a civilian is that the citizen makes the safety of the body politic his personal responsibility, protecting it with his life. The civilian does not.

June 26, 2016, 05:08 AM	#2
b.thomas Senior Member Join Date: October 8, 2006 Posts: 461	I had a duel cylinder, Single six from the late-60's to about 1990. It shot great with the .22 long rifle ammo but not so great with the .22 mag?? Only .22 mag ammo I could find back then was Winchester stuff and it was too expensive and in-accurate to waste my time with it.............so just use my Single six with the .22lr cylinder only.

June 28, 2016, 08:03 AM	#3
wild cat mccane Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2011 Posts: 3,623	Aren't 22lr and 22 magnum different sized bullets?

June 28, 2016, 10:58 AM	#5
ThomasT Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 2,753	ockraknife you are refering to cartridge length and the poster wild cat is asking about bullets. That is if the bullet diameters are different. And yes they are. The 22lr is thought to be .223 in diameter and the 22 mag is .224. This is a question asked by people who have never bothered to actually measure the bullets. I have posted this many times before. I measured 6 different 22lr bullets and they all measured .224 to .226 depending on brand. I have never seen the bullet size make a difference that I could tell but know for a fact different brands will give better or worse accuracy from each gun. Thats why it is best to try as many different brands of ammo as you can get your hands on. And just because one brand shoots really well in one 22 single six does not mean it will also shoot well in another single six.

June 28, 2016, 11:57 AM	#7
Pikie Member Join Date: August 26, 2002 Location: Harrisburg, PA Posts: 33	Elliottsdad, I have used 22 mag. and 22lr for years in Single Six and numerous other rifle pistol combo's. Based on my experience hunting small game for the last 40 so years: the .22 Mag. in a pistol is much louder in the wood then .22lr! The .22 Mag. pistol is about as effective as a .22lr rifle in power. But not accuracy. Again this is my experience. .22Mag. is a great cartridge for up to 30 pound game. Have fun!

June 28, 2016, 01:10 PM	#8
NoSecondBest Senior Member Join Date: December 7, 2009 Location: Western New York Posts: 2,736	ratshooter took all my thunder with his remarks. He's right on the money. I had a Ruger with two cylinders and it shot both mags and Lr's very, very well. When I say well, I mean as good as it gets. I shot a 77x80 at the IHMSA Internationals with that gun in lr and it shot mags almost as well. I've owned a dozen guns in 22mag and I've never owned one that shot anything lighter than 40g bullets very well. For me, the CCI 40 and 50g bullets have shot well in all my guns. I'd start with them first. With 22lr, they are very fussy about what they like and there's no guarantee they'll shoot the same in two different guns.

June 28, 2016, 01:33 PM	#9
kilimanjaro Senior Member Join Date: November 23, 2009 Posts: 3,963	The .22 Magnum round is a lot noisier, no doubt about it. It a long-barreled revolver, you won't have much muzzle flip. The Single-Six is a great shooter, lots of fun. I've used Winchester and PMC .22 Magnum ammo with good results, I no longer buy any other brands. Putting a scope on your revolver will be a criminal act of Bubbaism, it's just not needed on a rimfire handgun and is a self-defeating act of futility. For hunting small game, raccoons and such are fine targets for the .22 Magnum, but for coyotes you'd better choose a long gun, proximity to a brassed-off carnivore you just shot with your revolver is not a good idea.

June 28, 2016, 03:34 PM	#10
Obambulate Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2011 Posts: 582	Winchester Super-X .22 Mag is a great hunting round. The 50-gr Federal GameShock ammo is worth a try too.

July 4, 2016, 07:48 PM	#13
RJM52 Member Join Date: September 17, 2006 Posts: 31	I've had several Ruger Single-Six convertibles...all were tack drivers with Magnum ammo and less than stellar with Long Rifle.... The Hunter I now have in the exception. It will run LR ammo right along with Magnums. I've only shot mine with Winchester Super-X 40 grain HPs.... 25 yards off the bench sighting in the scope... Makes a great backpacking gun for small game... Bob