The .22 Magnum Rifle

I admit it, I'm careful, frugal, cheap... always looking for the maximum value for my money. For most of my life I considered the .22 WMR too expensive when considering what it could do.

There was a time when a box of 50 .22 long rifle cartridges were less than a dollar. At that time the .22 magnum cost almost five dollars for 50 rounds. To my mind, that was a big price, for only a little more power.

Some of the hotter .22 long rifle loads appear to be close to the magnum's speed; the CCI Stinger @ 1640 fps., the Aguila Super Max @1750 fps., and some others.

The standard magnum load is only a little faster @ 1875 fps than the high speed .22's mentioned. The .22 mag. is even less impressive when fired from the shorter barrel of .22 magnum pistol, and worse yet a .22 magnum revolver. But that's with a 40 grain bullet. If we compare "apples to apples" with the 30 grain bullet loads the .22 Mag's speed is up to about 2200 fps from a rifle.

For small edible game the mag's advantage is less bullet drop.
I don't need the extra power. I always try for head shots on squirrels and cottontails, otherwise too much of the meat is destroyed.

But! Any cartridge which has been around as long as the .22 mag. must have something going for it. From my point-of-view the .22 magnum rifles advantage is when shooting pest or varmints; especially the larger ones at short range.

NO rimfire is a great round for larger game or big varmints.
But, for a coyote, bobcat.... of the available rimfires, I have the most confidence in a .22 magnum rifle.

What about the newer .17 HMR? The .17 HMR's bullet starts at 2550 fps, and it has a reputation for good accuracy. I'd choose it for smaller game and pest. The tiny bullet weighs only 17 grains. The standard .22 mag. load looks slow in comparison at 1875 fps, but the .22 bullet is almost 2.5 times heavier; 40 grains.

At present time the .22 mag is more versatile than the .17 which has only 17 or 20 grain loads. With the .22 mag. you can get explosive bullets, full metal jacket bullets… 30, 40, 50 grain bullet loads... even a shotshell load.

(Note: The standard .22 WMR load with the 40 grain bullet was listed @ 2000 fps. when it was introduced, then it slipped to 1910 fps. and finally to 1875 fps. Why? I don't know but it happens:-) Don't be surprised someday to see the .17 HMR loose a few fps. with age; especially if they introduce a newer cartridge in the same category looking for sales :-)

I believe a .22 magnum rifle is for those who are interested in a simple versatile rifle/cartridge for small game, pest, and especially varmints. They don't need long range precision; they just want it to stop a critter they catch in the wrong place at the wrong time...

I like the .22 magnum, it's almost as pleasant to shoot as the standard .22 long rifle cartridge. With the shuffle of ammunition prices it seems comparatively less expensive than it once did.

I like the standard 40 grain hollow point loads for larger varmints, and it's head shots only for small game. The shot shells are fun. I actually took a couple of blackbirds flying up close with the shot shells.

I think the .22 mag is one of those "working" cartridges like the old .30-30... Simple, not too fast, not fancy, but it'll "get-er-done".

Click on the book to shop!

We have more than 100 pages of information.
Find any page quickly at our: Site Map Page!

.22 magnum rifle to .22 rimfires
.22 magnum rifle to Score-Your-Hunting.com

New! Comments

Our mission is to bring more respect to recreational hunting.
All pages, text, and images: © Copyright Score-Your-Hunting.com

Built with SBI! I love SBI!