Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Most accurate .22 Magnum ???

Tell me about the most accurate .22 Magnum rifle/load combo with which you have direct experience.

Thanks, RS

Rip, have had several .22mags.. My current one is a CZ.. I love it .. Very accurate especially with CCI HP ammo.. BUT I believe the most accurate that I ever owned was a Marlin bolt action tube fed .22 mag.. at 60 yards it would just chew one hole.. Like a fool I traded it for a classier Marlin Lever gun, that wouldn't keep 5 shots on a snuff can at 60 yards.. My pal and his son both have newer plastic stocked Marlins tube fed, and they are deadly..

I have had a Mauser 210, many Ruger with sporter and bull barrel, and Browning A bolt.

The Mauser 210 was unreal to say the least, the browning A bolt a close second, and a couple of the Rugers very close to thirds. The Rugers are hit and miss, but all of them were very accurate.

Also, a Marlin 25 M clip feed was shocking at how accurate it was.

Ammo type is critical, but all the most accurate loved the same ammo, the Winchester 40g HP.

Many do not realize that the 22 mag has to be cleaned. If you ever shoot a plated lead bullet in it, you clean immediately after shooting every time because those copper plated lead bullets lead up the barrel quickly.

I have owned two so far. A 77/22M and a 94/22M. I only use Winchester Super X JHP 40 grain ammo as it has proved to be very effective for dispatching problem critters.
Number one Son has "borrowed" the Ruger and the 94/22M remains with me. I would recommend both rifles and ammo.
If I were in the market for a working accurate .22 Magnum rifle I would give serious consideration to the Ruger RAR.

My most accurate .22 magnum is my Cooper Jackson Squirrel Rifle. It will shoot Remington 33 grain ammo under 1/4 inch at 50 yards providing I do my part.

Anschutz 1720 with the CCI 30 grain red tip rounds. It will shoot 1/4 inch give or take at 50 yards.

Likes the 40 grain Winchester loads also but not the Hornady 30 grain ones.

I have a CZ 452 and a Savage 93 in the .22 mag, both will shoot
inside a dime at 50 yards with the Hornady V-max 30gr.
I don't need it to be any better then that.

While real accurate with the ammo it liked this 77/22 All-Weather boatpaddle would not hold zero session to session.

Other accurate .22 Mags...

Marlin 57M...would put as many shots as you wanted to shoot into a 3/8" group at 50 yards with most any of the 40 grain rounds...if you switched to the 30-33s it would run 2"...

Savage 24 DL...same...loved 40s but groups opened up with the light weight Magnums.



TC Contender...shot this group the other day...40 grain Winchester HPs...at 50 yards.





Had a 16.5" Carbine barrel for it that would run 1/2"....

Bob

I have an older (circa 2000) Marlin WMR with a heavy barrel that shoots groups like RJM showed above consistently with with the 30 gr Hornady VMAX or CCI 40 gr Maxi-Mags. It's a heavy gun and the stock trigger sucked, but I think I have maybe $350 invested in it including the scope and a Jard trigger. These are at about 75 yards off of a bipod on a fairly calm day.

A buddy of mine had a CZ 452 American that would honestly put five shots of the Hornady 30gr. load under a dime at 100 yards. Completely under a dime, it would cover a five shot group, on demand.

My 455 just won't do that, at least, not yet. I haven't really had time to wring it out properly, but one thing remains the same, the Hornady 30gr. VM load is a real shooter. My 455 won't shoot the 40gr. Winchesters worth a hoot, though there's more work to be done there.

So far, the WMR doesn't really impress me much.

RAR Predator with Hornady works for me.



100 yard group

So far it's my Savage/Anschutz Model 54 Sporter with the Remington 33 grain and a close second is my Savage/Anschutz Model 164M with the same ammunition.

SC

I have a Marlin bolt action tube fed 22 mag ..... great gun !!! It's a model 883 and is most accurate with the Winchester black box ammo. I think Winchester calls that ammo Supreme.

I was hoping to see some rave reviews of either the Kimber 82 22 Mag or the CZ 452 Mannlicher 22 Mag so I'd have a reason to buy one. But it seems that there's not really any rhyme to reason as to which is the most accurate.

Reason has nothing to do with it. If you want it, no one will admonish you NOT to buy one. If it makes you happy and the bills are getting paid, groceries in the kitchen, etc., get one. We promise not to criticize.

My chuckster likes Remington 33gr. accutips, but I can not find that ammo anywhere. I've just settled on using what I hunt coyotes with. The federal 50gr. hollow points. They are accurate enough in this old rifle:



Good enough for shooting yotes.. I've tried the Hornady poly tipped bullets and it didn't shoot as well as either the Federal or Remington loads mentioned earlier.

The 22mag can be real accurate. Every 77/22M I've had or seen shot well, some were just outstanding. Keith didn't mention one particular 77/22M he had. Back in '93 or so, on the way to eastern Utah for pd's we stopped at a pawnshop where he bought a blue/walnut 77/22M. An hour later at a sandpit we stopped, a scope was mounted and the gun was sighted in. Using those Sinclair benchrest targets with a square and a circle below. At 50yds I watched him put 5 rds into the circle, just one ragged hole, not one of them touched the ring. That circle is 1/2" OD with about .100" thick ring. The best 77/22 I've seen. Winchester 40hp.

Accuracy with 22Mags can vary just like with any other rimfire. You don't know how one will shoot til you shoot it. I've had a bunch of them. By far most accurate is a T/C super 16 carbine which began as a 22lr with so-so accuracy, maybe 1/2" at best. Mike Bellm rechambered to 22Mag and it became a death ray, extremely accurate. A 601 auto grouped well but the barrel wasn't in line with the receiver and it the scope wouldn't come even close to zeroing. The H&K was kind of a goofy design, tricky to take apart and reassemble, but it shot very well.....wish I'd kept it. I've had a few 77/22's. The worst shooting was maybe 1/2-3/4" at 50yds.......that gun now wears a threaded no-taper Walther barrel originally for a 10/22, with a tight match chamber. It's very accurate. There's a 77/22 laminated stainless with med. weight barrel which I haven't messed with yet, it'll be cut to 18" or so. There are times shooting groundsquirrels when targets are so thick a semiauto would be real nice. Most recent addition is a heavy Volquartsen barrel installed on a 10/22Mag that's been sitting around for years. We'll see how that one works.

I tried several Ruger 77/22 mags and despite a lot of gunsmithing, they would not produce good groups.
Currently I have a 1720 Aschutz and its quite accurate with Horndy ammo.

I got lucky on my 77/22 .22WMR, but have had 1 in .22LR that also performed poorly....i put a Green Mountain barrel on the .22lr & turned it into a .17mach2, which shoots well.

My CZ and Cooper .22mags are more accurate, but i carry the Ruger more than those, for me the .22WMR gets used as a general purpose "never know what might need shot at" gun when trail riding. average groups at 50 with Winchester JHP's:

I've had 2 77/22 mags, both were in the 1.5 to 2" range at 100 yards with several kinds of ammo. Traded the first one for the second hoping it would be better. Turned the second one into a 17HMR with a heavy fluted Green Mtn barrel. It was super accurate.

Years ago me and two buddies kept passing a Marlin 783 back and forth, I don't think any of us shot it for group size but I do remember head shooting a few squirrels with it at around 50 yards with no problems.

My current 783 hangs right around 1"or a little better for 5 shots at 100 with Winch 40 grn h.p.. That is it's favorite of what I've tried in it, but with 22 mag ammo hard to come by in this area since I bought it, I haven't tried much of a variety.

My brother brought me his Marlin to mount a scope and sight in a few years ago. I don't remember what it liked best but it would do around 3/4" at 100. I also don't remember if his is the 783,883, or 983. It is the rifle that convinced me to go back to Marlin for a 22 mag.


Dave.

Dave...i also like Marlin .22mags, have a tube fed version and a clip fed.

The clip fed is a stainless model i found at a pretty cheap price, and thought it might come in handy....it has. It shoots quite well, and i like the light weight.

Which stock is that?

Nice shot !

I am just getting into rim fires in a big way and coming around to form some solid opinions. Or I would hope better informed opinions than in the past. So FWIW. I feel this is the wrong question "Most accurate 22mag?". But, this thread is as usual for 24hcf providing the right answer to right question "best 22mag?".

Hunting VS accuracy braggin rights or relaxed afternoon of paper punching at the range are not the same sport. The is no such thing as $30 a box match ammo in 22mag. Even in 22LR, you can get the finest Cooper or Anschutz sporter and locate that 1/4 at 50yd load. That is a wonderful thing. But to hunt most will turn to CCI Minimag in 22lR and settle for 'reasonable' accuracy in return for the optimum killing power. In 22 mag. You buy a Cooper or Ruger but accuracy is only one consideration and is always/always a crap shoot. Odds are, you already decided, either you want a 40gr max killing power or a 30VMax for maximum range. If it shoots adequate you are good to go. Then how does the gun carry? Is it reliable? Even if, price were no object, IMHO "MY best" 22mag, to hunt, is the Ruger American Compact with an adult stock module. And what else is a 22mag for but to hunt?

I like my old Marlin micro groove 22mag that will deliver 5 shots in 1" at 100 yards on a lucky day. I had to strip my Marlin bolt down and repair the firing pin after 35 years use. I see the Ruger American is a far superior design and execution to the Marlin. My Ruger will also deliver the needed accuracy. The action is smoother, stronger with a better design. A better magazine. And better handling. Marlins I have seen are a tad too long.

The Anschutz Sporters are all way too muzzle heavy for my hunting needs. And way to finicky on extraction.

I have to plead some ignorance on Cooper. I image one could be special ordered to match the handling of the Ruger Compact and on average be far more accurate. Probably they could deliver and guarantee accuracy with test targets. It will cost some real money.

Sometimes it's just hard to have just one, I have a Savage 93 and
a CZ 452 in the .22 Mag , they both will shoot inside a dime at 50 yards and inside a Quarter at 100 yards.Start with one and see where it goes.

I have a CZ453 American in 22LR. I agree they are nice guns. They look great and carry 'almost' as well as the Ruger. Not quite as handy. A nice option to consider for a wood stock classy and classic gun. If you can find one a 452 or 453 American.

I would not expect to be within a dime at 50 with any 22mag. That is 5 shots under 3/8 at 50 and really requires a bit of luck. I think anyway. Not been my experience with 22mags to see that level of accuracy. For me, that has required some quality ammo in 22LR and a very good rifle. You can call me a bad shot or hack , but my CZ American in 22LR with best ammo to date, is eeking out maybe 1/2 at 50 for 5 shots.

When I test for accuracy in 22LR, I shoot 10 groups of 5 shots at 50 yards. Many shoot 10 shot groups. I take the median group. Nothing is thrown out. No excuses, it all counts. In 22mag, I pretty much consider that a waste of time and ammo. Group sizes are larger. That is my groups.

I agree that a good 22LR will generally be more accurate than all but the better 22 mags.

After looking at my post I should have been more clear. I would not call Marlins the most accurate, but maybe, the best chance of getting one "accurate enough" if you just want to hunt with it and not spend several hundred. At least that's my opinion, take it for what you paid for it. If you want to plug paper with small rimfire groups you can do way better than any 22 mag I've shot or seen shot. I also agree that the 22 mag is at its best as a hunting round or a truck gun.

Dave.

To tell the truth I don't worry about .22 Magnum accuracy as much as I used to, because to me the .22 Magnum is a rimfire cartridge for bigger game than squirrels, whether tree squirrels or prairie dogs. If I want super accuracy for either head-shooting tree squirrels or zapping ground squirrels, I'll take a .22 Long Rifle or .17 HMR.

The .22 Magnum, it seems to me after 40+ years of shooting them, doesn't need to be as accurate, because it's best on animals weighing around 10 pounds or more, whether jackrabbits, foxes, woodchucks, or whatever. And super-accuracy isn't needed on those animals.

The .22 Magnum isn't as good a target round as the .22 Long Rifle, or as good a small varmint round as the .17 HMR, so why worry about whether it puts five shots into 1/2" at 50 yards? (Though I do own one such .22 Magnum at this moment, at least with one load.)

fourbore,

I don't know how you figure a "dime-sized group" is under 3/8". A dime is .7" in diameter.

If we want to cover all the holes with a dime, subtract .22" from .70" and we get .48", center to center, which is not 3/8".

3/8" = 0.375"

Boyds Pro Varmint

http://www.boydsgunstocks.com/FindA...&Action=4U&Shape=1G&Finish=2

260RemGuy,

Which is part of my point.

The term dime-sized group can mean many things. Does it mean the group can be covered by a dime? Or that it's about the diameter of a dime?

Most people don't realize a dime is almost 3/4" in diameter. Somehow they think it's tiny, as in 3/8".

Definition of a dime sized group as follows-
If I shoot a group, and, not counting fliers,or the shots that I pulled, or the cold barrel shot, or the last couple of shots when the barrel was hot, and it looks like a dime could touch all the shots except the above mentioned, with no more sliding than could be done with my little finger, it is a freekin dime sized group.

That sounds more like a pancake sized group...

Nope- Dime sized!

Have you heard of a "dime-sized" pancake? We make them at home on weekends.

The groups described and depicted would be lethal on game.

Well put. That's pretty much what I meant by "accurate enough".

I did want one that would hang around 1" at 100 for crows around the house and for turkey hunting. Took 1 Marlin to find what I wanted after 2 higher dollar Rugers wouldn't. The Rugers even got bedded, aftermarket sears, and some other playing with. The Marlin got a spring from an old Bic to lower the trigger pull. YMMV.

Dave.

A buddy just bought one of the new Ruger .17 WSM rifles, and it does shoot "dime-sized groups" at 100 yards. He really likes it on crows, and right now the ammo is very available and not all that expensive.

Of course, the .17 HMR ain't bad either. One of the interesting things I've noticed is that a lot of shooters assume its bullet drift more in the wind than .22 Magnum bullets, because of the weight. In reality .17 HMR bullets drift less, because weight really has little to do with wind-drift. Instead the two determining factors are velocity and ballistic coefficient, and most .17 HMR loads beat most .22 Magnum loads in both ways.

I must admit I thought the 17 more subject to wind drift over the 22 Mag. Do you think the 17 HMR kills as good as the 30 grn 22 Mag John?

Depends on the animal and the bullet.

I've known some shooters who tried the .17 HMR with hollow-points (probably because they cost less than plastic-tips) on prairie dogs and were less than satisfied, but hollow-points don't expand nearly as violently as plastic-tips. They do, however, penetrate deeper on larger varmints.

I would rather shoot ground squirrels and prairie dogs with a .17 HMR than a .22 Magnum, because in general .17 HMR's are more accurate, shoot flatter, and drift less in the wind. I would rather shoot jackrabbits with a .22 Magnum, because its heavier bullets penetrate better, and accuracy isn't as critical. But either cartridge will do the job on either prairie dogs or jackrabbits.

It's kind of like arguing over whether to use the .25-06 or .30-06 on big game. Both will do the job, though one might work better than the other in certain circumstances.

Not John, but have some experience with the .17.

To me it kills about as well as the .22WMR and at longer distances. Bullet selection for the task at hand is important.

It's a great hog killer with the FMJ bullet. I've seen a bunch killed with it, have killed a number myself.

I've posted this before. A good bud has a way of clearing a hog trap with his cheap little Savage .17. He eases up on a pen, not too close so they get to running around, close enough so they just look and stare. He finds a POI 1" above a line he visualized between their eyes and at midpoint. He lines up the POI to clear the pen wire and lets rip. Dead hog, eye's popped out on a stem. Weird looking. He waits for the next opportunity. He kills them so quick, the others don't seem to get that nervous. I've seen him clear a pen/trap holding a number of hogs, one at a time.

At that range, I'm not sure .22WMR .17HMR, or even .22LR would make that much difference, just that the .17 can be pretty versatile with the right bullet.

DF

My most accurate 22 Mag. was an older Marlin that had the pull back to fire safety. It was far more accurate than the Browning A-Bolt that never did shoot well. The CZ 452 FS I have now will shoot as well as the Marlin and nicer to carry and better to look at. It favors the 30 gr. V-Max load. I use it more in the fall for all small game than any thing else. I switch to a Sako Vixen 222 Rem. in turkey season. Here is my CZ doing what I bought it for.

Cut this stainless Marlin down to 18" and had the barrel threaded to take a TS AXION Ti suppressor. Can't remember what it is running for groups but I think it was .75-1.0 at 50...not overly accurate but will get the job done...

Bob

This thread got me curious about .22 Magnum Ruger American Rifles. Despite owning an Anschutz 54 in .22 LR, I am not about to pay well over $1000 for a top-line Anschutz in .22 Magnum. Yesterday afternoon was in an LGS and they had an American .22 Magnum on sale for a decent price, so brought it home. (Am now the proud owner of 4 Americans, 2 rimfires and 2 centerfires.) Will mount a scope and see what it does with various kinds of ammo. My other .22 Magnum is a Winchester 9422M that loves 30-grain TNT ammo, does well with 40-grain Winchester HP's (which seem to shoot more consistently in different rifles than any other .22 Magnum ammo, and scatters the 33-grain V-Max ammo into 5-6".

Mule Deer, I will be waiting to hear what your thoughts are on the American in 22 Magnum. I purchased one of those in the Predator configuration from the forum member SAS. My son has laid claim to it and shot quite a few groundhogs and other small pests with it. Accuracy is about 1 inch at 50 yards with most any 30gr to 33gr ammo.

I like it.

I've reworked several Marlin triggers. I assume that one has the same trigger as the 25N, 880, etc. It's easy to take the trigger out of the housing, clip a quarter coil at a time, cut a nail to fit inside the spring (becomes a trigger stop). With light honing of the sear surfaces and some tweaking, one can end up with a surprisingly good 2.5# trigger with very little overtravel. It's not quite a Shilen or Timney, but can be very good for a factory rimfire trigger.

DF

I'm getting ready to do the same thing John. I was just looking at one locally for $269.00 $249.00. I will also get 200 rounds of Hornady ammo with it so we'll see how she shoots. I'll probably end up buying some weaver bases (#12) for it and mount a scope on it. I really liked the way the RAR felt when shouldered. Pretty sweet little rifle with a 22" barrel and who doesn't love the Ruger rotary magazines???

That's a screaming deal! I paid $269 for mine, and buying it allowed me to also buy one box of ammo. Will be interested to hear how yours shoots too.

Where is it legal to hunt pheasants with a rifle?

my place.....

Only your place, or the whole state?

I been missin' out on some fun......

Dakota, Pa. has few rules for firearms for game. Rifles are legal for shooting pheasants there and turkey in the fall... Most of its regs center on spring turkey and the requirement of shooting them with a shotgun..
They have a few shotgun areas for deer.. But that is about the extent.. Any centerfire is legal for big game.

Same expreience for me! I own an Marlin 883S that will amaze you as to how accurate it is, and it's not particular about it's diet either! I shoot eggs with it at 100 yards....seriously!

The stainless marlin tube fed 22 mags are very nice..

When I was originally in the market, I was looking for a good used Marlin 25M. One of my co-workers had one and I was impressed with it's accuracy.

However, I ran across this stainless 883S with the tube magazine at a great price, so bought it instead. Have never been disappointed by it...

I have a 597 HB Laminate that shoots very well as well as a 94/22 XTR, but the most accurate Magnum I have to date, is my RAR Predator.

I did just pick up a Marlin 883 that may give the others a run for their money, but will have to shoot them to see...

Has anyone had much experience with the Fiochi WMR ammo?

My RAR loves it, but the others don't shoot it was well as the CCI or some old Winchester Super-X I have.

Never tried the Fiochi, will have to pick up some and give it a try..

Just tested my new RAR with four different loads this afternoon. So far it's the most consistently accurate .22 Magnum with various loads I've ever owned, and I've owned several, including but not limit to a Marlin 883, CZ 452 and two Winchester 9422M's. All together I shot eight 5-shot groups at 50 yards, two with each load, and the average for all of them was .75", which some people would call dime-sized.

The most accurate load was the Hornady 30-grain V-Max, which scatters all over a target from my 9422M. But I have a couple of other kinds of ammo that I didn't test today, which may shoot even better.

Interesting results John. My RAR Predator doesn't shoot the 30 grain loads nearly as well as the 40 grain loads. I don't have any Remington 33 grain, which I always hear is the best shooting, but with the results I've seen, the cost vs results isn't there.

Rimfire certainly makes for a headache at times. What shoots so well in one won't shoot well at all in another...

I also had one box of the Remington 33-grain on hand, and it shot well too.

What's unusual about this particular .22 Magnum is that so far it hasn't shown any vast preferences for any ammo, and shoots everything tried pretty well. Haven't owned a .22 Magnum like that before....

I have a couple Anschutz 1720 and this is close to the same case with both of them. One ragged hole at 50 yards with the Hornady 30gr red tip.
Not too bad with the CCI and not quite as good with the 40 grain bullets.

Rolltide,

The next day I went back to the range with more ammo. Now have tried 9 different factory loads in this RAR and the LARGEST 5-round group at 50 yards was slightly over an inch. Have never owned a .22 Magnum that shot so consistently with so many different loads before, but did shoot one Volquartson semiauto that would. However, it would start malfunctioning after 25 rounds or so without cleaning, due to the tight chamber.

Next up is doing some chamber measurements, and contacting Ruger to see what they say about chambers.

John,

That's pretty much what I've seen with mine...

Same exact thing I've seen with mine. It is very consistent, but does have a preference for the Hornady 30gr. V-max. I wish I had some Remington accutips I could test, because my Mossberg chuckster really likes those. Back to the RAR 22 magnum: It shoots very well even after 200 rounds down the tube during the last range session, is very fast cycling and slick feeding. I've fired around 350 rounds downrange now with absolutely no hiccups. I'm very impressed with it and love the Ruger rotary magazines. I also want to add that accuracy doesn't wander when the barrel is warm and it takes a lot to get the barrel warm. Accuracy stays the same, whether cold barrel or warm. Poi doesn't change either.

John, I just call that damn good shooting. Sounds like you got a keeper there.

Thanks, sounds like everybody with a RAR .22 Magnum has a keeper!

I've had extremely good luck with Ruger's hammer-forged barrels in recent years, with none showing any tendency to wander as they heat up, despite what many shooters assume about HF barrels (or sporter barrels in general). Actually have had good luck with them since Ruger started making their own barrels in the early 1990's, but in the past few years they've gotten even better. Was told by Ruger about three years ago that this was due to practice by the operators, as good hammer-forging isn't a result of merely feeding steel into the machine.

Will also be very interested in what Ruger says about their .22 Mag chambers.

I had a RAR 22 magnum, but didn't get the 100 yard accuracy I was looking for. It wouldn't quite group with my CZ, so it went down the road.

Apparently even the RAR .22 Magnums are still somewhat bound by the tendencies of all .22 Magnums. Though will note that among the .22 Magnums I've owned before was a CZ, purchased because I'd had such great luck with CZ's in .22 Long Rifle and both the .17 Mach 2 and HMR. The .22 Magnum shot well with some loads, but not spectacularly, so went down the road.

I did e-mail a contact at Ruger, asking about why my RAR .22 Magnum shoots better than most. His quick answer was, "Luck?" But he also said he'd ask some questions and get back to me.

Believe it or not, my Stevens Favorite falling block remake (circa 1970) I re-chambered to .22WMR has made many MOA 5 shot groups @ 100 yards off a rest (Marksmans box) with Lyman peep rear and stock front sight. I was using Armscore 40 grain SJSP's. Have not shot it for a couple of years now unfortunately. It also liked the CCI MAXI-MAG bulk pack 40 grain JHP.

This is my brothers RAR .22Mag. Right after we zeroed the scope.

It out shoots my CZ 452 .22Mag but not my Biathlon.

Rich

Would be very interested to hear how it shoots with other kinds of ammo.

I would too, around my parts .22mag is harder to find than .22LR.
When I find some I'll post the results.

Rich