.22 v .22 mag?

[Biff Tannen]

Generally, in my experience, 22 mag is twice as powerful as 22 LR...
I base this on personal practical tests.
One Example Off the top of my head is, on one test I did, 22 mag made it through 1500 pages of a phone book, while 22 LR made s it through 700...

[Colorado Redneck]

http://www.xdtalk.com/forums/ammo-ca...ity-tests.html

[22-rimfire]

Yes, there is an advantage to using 22 WMR from a handgun with a 6" barrel over 22LR. The question for me is the ammunition cost difference worth the added gain?

My answer to that is I have quite a few 22LR handguns and a few 22 Mag handguns. I usually shoot 22LR, but if I choose, I can go with the added power of the 22 mag. But one has to practice a bit.

I see the greatest utility of the 22 Mag from a rifle. It is infact my survival caliber of choice for everything other than urban survival. There might be an advantage of using a single caliber. So generally speaking, it depends on your pocketbook which allows you to practice with the hangun to be effective.

[rc]

950fps vs 1350 to 1400fps for most 40 grain ammo. Those numbers are boosted with hyper velocity stuff. In a handgun, the 22 magnum is marginally better for power but the drawbacks are cost and weight of ammunition. Regular 22 LR might be a better survival gun with ammo carrying is a concern.

[rep1954]

From Chuck Hawks Rimfire Pages using a Ruger Single Six with 6 1/2" barrel he claims:
CCI 22LR HP Mini Mags 36gr 1125 FPS
CCI 22WMR Maxi Mags 40gr 1425 FPS

Using the ballistics calculator on the "Handloads" website I got these results:

Bullet energy:
Mini Mags muzzle 101 ft lbs, 50yrds 80 ft lbs
Maxi Mags muzzle 180 ft lbs, 50yrds 130 ft lbs

Bullet rise with a 50 yrd zero:
Mini Mags .75" above line of sight
Maxi Mags .42" above line of sight

Considering that 22WMR and 22WRF is more accurate in one of my 6 1/2" Single Sixes this is what I shoot in it mostly as I have other guns that shoot 22LR better.

[Carmady]

I like to see the chrony results from a 40gr .22LR fired from a 5" auto like a Buck Mark vs a 40gr .22Mag fired from a 4"-5.5" revolver. I'd guess they'd be within 200fps of each other.

[DATL]

I really like that keltec .22 magnum semi-auto pistol. It just looks like fun.

I don't know if it has been mentioned already but I once heard that a .22 magnum will penetrate some "bullet proof" vests up to a certain rating/level. I don't want to get us way off topic and I don't bring this up with any sort of malice toward LEO's since I am in the industry of "legal compliance" myself. But it just seems relevant since that ass monkey shot up the movie theater was wearing a bullet proof vest.

[Guv]

How about an AMT AutoMagII vs a BuckMark or Ruger Mk I/II/III in similar barrel lengths.

[seeker_two]

I like Guv's idea....esp. since AMT & the Automag .22Mag are back in business.

[s4s4u]

possible self-defense

End of discussion. Get the 22 maggie. Ammo cost be damned.

You could cut the barrel of a revolver off at the frame and still see a significant increase in performance of the mag over the lr. The heavier bullet options of the maggie make it even more desireable. If just plinking or plugging tree rats, either will do. But if your life may depend on it, there is no comparison. But that is just MHO.

[RodTheWrench]

I have a Ruger Single-Nine in 22WMR - 9 rounds out of a 6.5" barrel and it's awesome for carrying in the pest/small varmint elimination role. My Winchester 9422M in 22WMR is great for 100 or so yards in the same role.

Having said that, there is no argument that the 22LR is the most fun and cheapest plinking round ever made. I definitely don't use the Mag for pop cans etc as there's no need for the extra power.

For self defense? I say maybe. So many women I know have become recoil averse due to the larger calibers being introduced too early in their shooting experience and the 22WMR is a decent alternative for concealed carry. Should they graduate eventually to something bigger? Again, maybe. But let them know some success and gain proficiency with a gun they can handle and a much broader world opens up for them.

MHO

[Old_Dog]

Those that say there is a minor difference between a .22lr and .22 mag out of a short barrel probably are not into ballistics or Googling. The same people say the same thing about a .357 out of a short barrel. So many accept as fact those things that sound logical without actually proving it for themselves. It is a good thing that I started using gun forums 40 years after I started shooting or else I could have a lot of misinformation too.

[Mystro]

I own both in various guns. For example, I carried a NAA 22lr mini revolver for years and put down more road strike deers with it than most hunting rifles. Its the gun I carry when hunting for the mercy shot. I had the opportunity to pick up a NAA 22Mag Pug. Same barrel length, pretty much the same gun. The killing power of the 22Mag in PDX1 over a Hyper Velocity 22LR is dramatic. The 22Mag hits more like a center fire cartridge.

[shafter]

I've never thought so. I've never seen any use at all for a 22 magnum. If I want more than a 22 LR, I'll use a 38/357. I can reload those.

That's pretty much how I feel.

[Carmady]

Mystro: "I carried a NAA 22lr mini revolver for years and put down more road strike deers with it than most hunting rifles. Its the gun I carry when hunting for the mercy shot. I had the opportunity to pick up a NAA 22Mag Pug. Same barrel length, pretty much the same gun. The killing power of the 22Mag in PDX1 over a Hyper Velocity 22LR is dramatic."

I have to ask...how much more dead were the deer that were shot with the .22 mag than the deer that were shot with the .22LR?

[Revolver1]

The whole idea of the 22 is cheap fun. Stick with the 22lr, the mags not worth the money. It's still just a rimfire!

[Bob Wright]

Even if the .22 Magnum offered no performance advantage, I've found the slightly larger cartridges are easier to handle when your hands are cold.

Bob Wright

[Bob Wright]

Cajun Bass said:

I've never thought so. I've never seen any use at all for a 22 magnum. If I want more than a 22 LR, I'll use a 38/357. I can reload those.

I will agree, but in some cases centerfire revolvers are not legal for small game. During small game only season, center fire handguns are prohibited.

Bob Wright

[L_Killkenny]

I will agree, but in some cases centerfire revolvers are not legal for small game. During small game only season, center fire handguns are prohibited.

In which case a .22lr will get the job done. Like I said before, if I had a .22M or a rimfire conversion like the Single Six's I may use it (the .22M) cept for one issue, volume. But to go out and intentionally buy one...... Not on a bet. Better for rabbits and squirrel, OK. REQUIRED for rabbits and squirrel, heck no.

As for SD..... I'd hate to live on the difference in effectiveness between the .22lr and the .22M.

[22-rimfire]

I think there is little question that the 22 Mag is a better caliber for self defense if you choose to carry a gun in that caliber. For me, the discussion really goes to two guns as is often the case: one for range, plinking, and fun; and one for self defense. The Single Six or the like gives you both, but other than walking around the woods or in your home, I can't see using that platform for self defense. Nothing is impossible. But a smaller gun is much more useful for personal defense if for no other reason than you are more likely to actually carry it (often).

I don't believe that if you choose a rimfire for personal defense that you automatically go for the 22 WMR. But again, I think the 22 Mag is clearly more powerful than the 22LR from any platform when comparing apples to apples.

When I first started out being interested in such things, I chose a 22LR for my general defense gun simply because I shot it better than 357/38spl and the 22LR was my first handgun. I had a Colt Python then, but opted not to use it for defensive purposes unless it just happened to be handy until later in my defensive thinking evolution. I think the odds of needing a gun for self defense are over blown, but it depends on where you live and where your travels take you routinely. But it is the unpredictable event that gets you. For that reason, I carry a airweight J-frame 38spl. But I personally have little hesitation to carry either a 22 Mag or 22LR in a small platform such as the Ruger LCR.

The point about cartridge size also applies. It is much easier to load a larger caliber than 22LR in a revolver. Add in cold hands or fear, and the larger cartridge clearly has an advantage.

[Dragline45]

I've never bought 223 for less than 22mag.

More often than not I see .223 on the shelves for less than .22mag, and in much more abundance (that is before the whole .223 shortage). I agree with others in that if I need more than .22lr, I am not going to .22mag ill move up to centerfire.

Originally Posted by rc

950fps vs 1350 to 1400fps for most 40 grain ammo.

Where are you getting these numbers from? Even bulk .22lr averages about 1200fps. The 950fps for .22lr is far from average, and I find most standard pressure .22lr is more expensive and less abundant.

[L_Killkenny]

Even bulk .22lr averages about 1200fps.

Not in a handgun.

Still it's a mute point, both are small game rounds.

I think there is little question that the 22 Mag is a better caliber for self defense

Better is a relative term. I've shot enough critters with both to realize that any extra the .22M has on largish varmints and predators like coyotes doesn't add much. A little range, a little less runnin. But both rimfires are really only CNS capable of stops on anything larger than small game and in SD both are gonna rely heavily on the fact that a BG doesn't like being shot or shot at by anything. Not in an actual physical stoppage. If one is the type to rely on that than either will do the job. If one is the type to not rely on that then neither is good enough.

Go LR or go centerfire.

[Mystro]

I switched because of the effectiveness of the 22mag with personal protection rounds like the PDX1 for two legged threats. More power in about the same size gun is a win win decision to make.
The Pug also has better sights.



I have to ask...how much more dead were the deer that were shot with the .22 mag than the deer that were shot with the .22LR?

[newfrontier45]

I've shot enough critters with both to know that the .22Mag is a significant step up in lethality over the .22LR. Even in a handgun. Particularly on larger varmints.

To say that there is little difference is to say that the .357 has little advantage over the .38Spl. As usual, people usual make up their mind before they get the facts.

[Obambulate]

I've shot a lot of rimfire from short barreled revolvers - a couple of NAA minis, an LCR-22, and others. I've tested a wide variety of ammo, both long rifle and magnum.

It's my view that .22 magnum from a short barrel is about twice as effective as .22 long rifle, and the difference is penetration.

For carry I chose the S&W 351c, a lightweight 7-shot DAO .22 Mag revolver.