Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Sell me on magnum rimfire

I’ve never owned a magnum rimfire but I’m super impressed with my new Bergara BMR and see that they also make them in .22 magnum and .17 HMR. Problem is I can’t think of a use for the magnums that the LR wouldn’t probably also work. Main quarry around here are squirrels, raccoons, and the occasional possum and skunk…I’ve yet to find the super accurate LR lacking. My reading seems to suggest folks think the magnums are to light for coyotes…what am I missing?

Just buy one, you probably won’t be able to explain it either but will be glad you did! 😂

They’re real niche is spot lighting deer. 😅

Game Warden School 101: Anyone with a .22 mag is a suspect.

Skip the magnum and get a Hornet.

For me, it was the extra punch over a std 22 LR cartridge and a flatter trajectory which gave me more reach. I live rurally, and it is convenient to grab a box of cartridges and go.

Do you really need someone to tell you to buy a new gun? Price of admission around here is to buy it, report on it, and then either talk about how great it is, or bad mouth it and send it down the road...

My buddy and I bought .22 Magnum Mossberg 640K Chucksters to start our varmint hunting mostly because any centerfire rifle was not legal in the central farm zones where we hunted. It was mostly just crows back in those days because chucks were protected and there weren’t many of those anyway. With the 40 grain solid ammo it did a good job on squirrels without wrecking them. Today I do have a Savage m24 DL in .22 Mag. over a 3” 20 gauge with a peep sight that I like for a rambling around gun. We don’t see that many coyotes here either and while it IS light for a coyote, that cartridge and the 3” 20 gauge with heavy shot would not be out of place as a calling combination or a turkey gun in a state where you can use a rifle. As a .22 with a heavier bullet, it wouldn’t be as affected by wind as much as a 17HMR.
I still have more .22 LR guns, but each has their place. I agree that for the little stuff a LR is more versital.

I’d be first in line to buy a BMR in the .22 Hornet but I suspect I won’t see the day. My money would probably be better spent suppressing the LR…

We have chickens so something to abruptly discourage a fox, coyote, or other predator makes sense. Not much expense to get into a Ruger American Rimfire. Thought about a Hornet or a .223 with Seafire Blue dot load. But have more than enough CFs to fret about saving/reloading brass/dies/etc. Also wanted something quieter. Got an American cerakote in WMR and put a fixed 6MQ on it. Like it fine. If I wanted something flatter than .22LR - but for smaller critters - think the 17 might be wise.

17 HMR is handy for safety. We have killed some coons and possums inside of barns/buildings with them.

No exits.

I have had a .22 mag most of my life. I like them a lot. That said, seems to me its about perfect for Racoons and fox. I have taken coyotes with them with no problem, but bigger would be better for that.

Coons, skunks, possums, armidillas, fox,coyotes, feral cats, hogs(easy on trap wire)kills em all dead inside a reasonable distance. 17hmr is pretty goot at this too and have used it a bunch but the 22mag is better in my opinion.

A .22 WMR is much more flexible than a .22 LR to me as I can 1. vary loads while using the same zero and get markedly different results. Solids, Hollowpoints and Game Loads work well forme.
-- Solids will penetrate a cedar fence post and similar items like cattle skulls. At the same time they work well on grouse and squirrels and will suffice on cottontails.
-- Hollowpoints give devastatingly quick kills on jacks, gray diggers, and marmots. They will work on badgers and coyotes but are not ideal. I start with these when wooods bumming.
-- Game Points do good work on Badgers and Coyotes without cutting them in half.

2. There are several other loads that work well in a .22 WMR but don't use the same zero as the Magnum velocity 40 grainers. They include:
-- Subsonics- nice close to houses and pleasant out of a handgun when you aren't wearing plugs.
_ Shotshells: I find them much more effective than the .22LR versions and useful for mice and pack rats near the wall tent.

_ The .22 WMR in a scoped rifle has worked well for me on targets of opportunity like the occasional coyote out to 125 yards or so. It is better at 100 yards.
In addition to rifles, I have ,22 WMRs in a 24D .22 WMR over 20 gauge with peep sights (favorite for forest grouse), a Cricket SS Single Shot(the same weight as a CF revolver but much more accurate) and two revolvers (where the round gives performance similar to a .22LR rifle).

.22 mag is decent on groundhogs out to 100 yds (prefer 75 and in though).
Better than .22lr HV or Hyper V.
Significant difference, in rifle.


If I wasn't gonna varmint hunt or shoot IHMSA Field Pistol I'd not run a .22 mag.

They make a good truck gun. They have better range than a typical 22. If you compare animals shot with LR or Magnum. unless it is a brain shot you will notice a big difference. I have a savage bolt action that was cheap and with it's favored ammo it shoots dime sized groups at 50 yards. Better than my CZ 452 LR shoots. It will kill anything you want killed if you shoot it in the right spot. It will plant most medium sized varmints with body hits.

^^^this is good info

Not a Mag but the HM2 is handy if around several other homes or buildings.

HMR just more of a good thing for safety.

If you don’t have one you need one.
Simple.

Yep

Purchased a Bergara BMR in.22 wmr last November with the intent to use it calling for fox. I've been out twice and no fox but shooting 3/4" groups at 100 yards means I'm keeping it. That was with the first and only ammo I've tried.

wanted to go that route, but price of shells for it, changed my mind and unboxed a 700 lvsf in 223 and with 40gr vmax and blue dot I'm better off

I agree 100%.

The Sako Quad I have has exceptional accuracy with Win. 40gr.hp's and the Ruger American I keep by the door really shoots the Hornady Vmax 30gr. well.

If you can’t think of a good use for the .22 mag, then one probably won’t be a good investment. A .17 HMR OTOH, is on average going to be more accurate and better for targets, and still work well on stuff short of coyotes. I have good .22s, a real good Hornet, and a couple of .223s, so am abstaining from either for now. If I take the plunge with either, it’ll probably be a CZ, or a barrel for my 457.

A used Marlin 22 mag is still a reasonable way to start.. if you don't like or need the mag you can likely sell it for what you have into it

1- Does it legally exist in your country?

2- Is it a firearm?

If you answered yes to both questions then you must buy it.

Used to walk & hunt ground squirrels... a 22LR was good to around 75 yards. Felt the 22 Mag was good to 125 yards or so. These days, I'd go 17HMR instead, flatter and less chance of a ricochet.

YMMV,

Jerry

Amen!! Preach it brother..

I am not sure what that has to do with buying a gun. The 22 Magnum extends your range and gives you more oomph. Appreciably more. The 17 HMR is generally silly accurate with a variety of ammo, extends your range even more and is much less likely to ricochet. The 17 grain bullet comes apart easily.

I'm not going to spend a $1000. to put a suppressor on a rifle so if I need a quiet rifle to kill coyotes out comes the 22 Mag.

Especially the TNT hollow point. Will not shoot through house cats, coons or possums that get into buildings.

You hear a lot of folks say there is not much difference between a magnum and a long rifle. After you use a magnum, you will be impressed. Hasbeen

Niche is a farm rifle. Will drop raccoons or other late night visitors to the barn or granery way better than a .22 lr, and for that use ammo cost is no big deal. You don't want a larger centerfire in a building. My Grandpa's farm gun was a .22 special, it may have been even perfecter.....more killing power than the lr but often staying in a critter so you didn't have a repair to a granery wall or floor. WMR is a little more likely to exit. We used to store cattle pellets and rolled oats with mollases in wooden graneries. It's an exciting night when the dog starts barking and the raccoon hunt is on!

17 HMR=No Exits or ricochets.

10, that 17 hmr might be perfect for barn and granery cleaning

We like it inside of shops or barns.

TNT by CCI is a no exit bullet. Same on skinny feral cats.

Makes sense. Might need a new gun

Yes the 22LR, 17M2, and 17HMR are generally all more accurate, but I’ll always have at least one 22 magnum for varmints. It does get the neighbors worked up like a centerfire going off and I feel it’s more effective than the smaller rimfires on coyotes and similar sized pests.

.22 Hornet is a better tool, and more versatile if you load your own.

Bought a CZ 457 20 inch heavy barrel installed a Track 4-12 in 22 WMR Like it so far. nice just pick a box of ammo and shoot not having to reload like the CF. Also with the CZ you can get the other barrels 22LR, 17HMR and swap them.

Got my first .22 magnum when I was 16, an Anschutz 141M which is the last gun I'd ever get rid of. With a cheap 4X Weaver B4 rimfire scope it far out-killed the .22lr I'd been using up to that time. Stuff the size of porcupines and coons were decisively dead with one shot. Woodchucks died from body hits out to 150 yards, the two longest measured shots I made on them being 152 and 157 yards. IME the .22 magnum is a much more decisive killer of small/medium sized stuff than the .22 LR without getting into the hassle of reloading.

Even though I reload, there have been times where it was easier or faster to grab my 22 Magnum. I have a Marlin bolt that does duty as a pest gun. We had a driving shed (now gone) that used to attract skunks. It was about 50 yards away from the back porch. I didn't want to get too close and the 22 Magnum had the reach to whack them at that distance and farther.

Steve you remember during Covid that you praised Trudeau and supported Canadians being under house arrest for not getting the vaccine the didn't even work? Remember when you praised Trudeau for closing churches, Canadian businesses ruining millions of lives. You even celebrated the Canadian truckers being arrested

You're a fraud and we don't forget

Yeah Steve...my aversion to reloading isn't reloading per se. Rather I like having a .22 with a bit more smack than a .22 LR, but not the intensity of a typical .22 CF, without having to mess around developing reduced loads etc. At one point in my life that stuff was fun, in fact, I had a pretty good 2000 fps load for the 63 grain Sierra semi-pointed in my .222. These days I like to keep things a bit more simple, one load per rifle. For a number of years my .25-20 pretty much worked for the same sort of things my .22 magnum always has, but my son has it right now and, when I mentioned bringing it home recently he got all down in the mouth and talked about how much he really loves that rifle.... what can I say?

I think for some people, it's a realization that the cartridge fills a niche.

For me, it was pests. My old high school buddy lived on a farm a few miles from me. I was at his place and he showed me his new 9422. I had never seen or shot one, so we took it out back to shoot it. His dad ended up using it more than he did!

Your son obviously has a soft spot for it. It fills a niche for him too!

Anyway…

I recently got in to the .17HMR. I’ve had a .22WMR in the past in the form of a 9422M that I had to sell many moons ago (sure miss it now!), but while that was a great rifle, the .17 is a real step up! I plan to use it for light varmint hunting/squirrels, but aside from that, it’s just a lot of fun to shoot! Basically no recoil, accurate as all get out, very flat shooting, and it sounds just like it looks: like a miniature rifle round. The only thing not to like is the per-shot cost, which is still a good bit less than even .223 right now if all you’re doing is poking holes in paper at 200y and in. Get one!

Have had at least one .22 Rimfire Magnum since age 16, which was over half-a-century ago, and a .17 HMR since a year after the round appeared in 2002. Have found plenty of uses for both, where they work far better than the .22 LR.

Also have owned .22 Hornets for many years, along with .17 Hornets. They work great too--but if somebody can't find different fine uses for a .22 LR, .22 WMR, .17 HMR and .17 or .22 Hornet then they don't qualify as a real rifle loony.

oops ... yeah all Canadians aren't liberals... okay...

Been a while since I used one on meat, but a CCI Stinger did yeoman work on groundhogs, DRTs with head and chest shots. If you have a rifle that shoots them accurately enough, they can be a workable alternative to buying a .22 mag if your needs in that line are limited.

Not meant in any way to discourage the purchase of a new rifle!

Speaking for myself, I tried the peppier 22 LR loads, but had to step up my game. They weren't quite what I needed.

The first thing I noticed about using the 22 Mag loads was the amount of damage and faster kills they provided. Most 22 Mag loads use HP bullets. They really knocked what they hit for a loop compared to the tamer LRs. Even eastern coyotes. Again, the distances were less than 100 yards.

Nope, i am not a salesman! Make up your own mind, it is not a difficult decision.

Its an easy decision. Everyone should have at least one 22 mag. I have had many over the years, but down to just a CZ that is scary accurate.

I have .22 WMR and .17 HMR, find the .17 to be more accurate. My Annie really likes TNT ammo.

I bought this .17 used and sometimes one can find a deal. They're a bit pricey, new retail.

DF

My .22 WMR is a newer version T Bolt. I did some work on the trigger.

I like the new mag design. The plastic stock version has a place in the butt for an extra mag.

It's accurate enough, can't keep up with the Annie, but wouldn't expect it to.

DF

Nice wood on that.

This is my CZ 452 22LR. You can't beat the price or the finish.

You have some really good wood on that one, better than average.

DF

Great post!

[quote=ribka]Steve you remember during Covid that you praised Trudeau and supported Canadians being under house arrest for not getting the vaccine the didn't even work? Remember when you praised Trudeau for closing churches, Canadian businesses ruining millions of lives. You even celebrated the Canadian truckers being arrested

You're a fraud and we don't forget {Quote}

another GREAT post....

Thanks. It's luck of the draw unless you buy it at your LGS. This rifle was ordered from a catalog.

You need to buy some lottery tickets.

Ha!

DF

My BRNO shoots what it likes pretty well.

I like Taking my Model 648 with me when fishing the ponds. The magnum shot shells are much better than LR's for snakes.

A 22 is all you need for killing cows. Until you need a bit more.

Never saw or heard of a 22mag not being enough.

.22 mag is the round of choice for our night poachers. The only variable is candlepower.

DF

At one time it worked well for that. Never killed dealer than a 22, but it had less
get aways than a 22.


Long time ago, not far away, different life.

FMJ bullets are good hog killers, even in the .17 HMR.

And, that’s not hearsay. BTDT, multiple times.

DF

Exactly. And I'm a confirmed .22 RF slut.

I have numerous lr rimfires also a Hornet. But I now have 2 .22mags. I love em. There are times when more speed or range is needed, and I don't want to reload for my Hornet the mag. nicely fits this spot. I bought a bunch of ammo when it was about 9$ per hundred. Now I wouldn't be with out one.

Get’em all. I have several .22LR’s, .22 WMR, .17 HMR, .22 K-Hornet, before I get into more serious, larger rounds.

If ya gonna claim to be a Loony, ya gotta act like a Loony.

DF

What? You're not loony enough for a 17 Hornet? Faker......

Ha!

Haven’t gotten one yet. JB speaks highly of it. Sounds interesting.

So, ya never know what may show up one of these days.

DF

This is my new “.22 magnum”, the compact version. Pretty much duplicates the ballistics of the .22M rifle in a 5” barrel, but at a fearsome price for ammo unless my handloading scheme pans out. Gathering the stuff for that now.

Meanwhile, it’s pretty cool…….

Interesting.

Would like a full report on that one.

DF

A distributor listed Ruger American in 22 Mag , and it had a ‘heavy’ no taper contour barrel threaded at muzzle from the factory. Price was nice so I ordered one. I already have a TAC 65 suppressor and figured the combination would be good for local coyotes. Accuracy is very good with Hornady 30 gr V max ammo, and finger snap quiet with subsonic Winchester 45 gr ammo (1060fps). I don’t know if the subsonic ammo will kill a coyote quick enough, and the TAC 65 does not do much sound reduction of the muzzle blast with full power ammo. The sonic crack of the bullet is quite loud and is to be expected but I thought the muzzle blast would have been reduced more.
In the past I’ve owned a Marlin 882 and Handi Rifle in 22 Mag but only shot paper with them. I’m happy with the Ruger American.

So far, I can report that it’s pretty loud, but not as obnoxious as say a hot .357. Didn’t make me want to double up. Very crisp trigger.

Have a selection of factory stuff now. I’ll get it out for serious work soon.

Yup, no use denying it. Everyone knows it😜

If I want to be bored out of my gourd I can easily load my .223 to duplicate .22 hornet ballistics. Or I can just grab one of my .22 mags and go kill some varmints. Hmmmm, tough choice but I think I'll take option #2 and leave the boring shyt for somebody else.

I have 3 22 mag rifles, a Henry lever, an H & K Model 300 and a Rossi semi auto.
The Rossi is a winner with it's 10 rd mag, it fires every time, shoots 1 1/4" @ 100 with Hornady's 30grv v-max.
The H & K is so Hard to get and such a beautiful gun I don't take it out much, it shoots awesome.$$$$$
The Henry I keep as a barn & tractor gun without a scope on it, shoots great also. The Rossi goes with me most of the year in my Polaris ranger SXS. Perfect little rifle that Rossi. I shoot tons of varmints on our farm. The 22 mag is my Favorite round.

When I couldn't find a WMR barrel for my CZ 455, I decided to try a 457 barrel (they'd already disco-ed the 455s by then). It plugged in just fine, and the little rascal shoots superbly. I also have a CZ 512 autoloader in WMR that shoots just as well at 100 yards with the same ammo. You can't tell which rifle shot which groups.

Prior to that, I had no use for the WMR either. I just didn't need one. Or, know I needed one, take your pick. They are great little rifles for common vermin. You just have to use it within it's limits.

If you like not having squirrels get back to the hole or rabbits needing a follow up 22 mag is awesome. It's also way more fun than the lr

I've found the perfect use for my .17 HMR...

It's the only realistic tool for burning through the stacks of .17 HMR ammo on my shelf....
And I like smacking stuff out to 200 or so with relative ease, and a dinky little cartridge

The .17 HMR is the best rimfire caliber for squirrels. Full Stop.

Unless I am shooting in a tight space( Barn). The 22 mag is my ground hog death stick. It allows a 100 yard effective (rifle) range and in my Ruger single six, 22 mag cylinder allows me a close range option that do come up from time to time. The 22 mag brings a notable difference in power over the 22 LR. As stated earlier, the 22 hornet (handloaded) would allow next step up or down in power.

I think that 22 Mag ammunition has gotten better over the past five or ten years. I have 350 CCI Maxi Mags here. I sorted 250 by rim thickness tonight and I'll test some next week. Random versus sorted.



250 cartridges

1. 3/250 - 1.2% (44.0)
2. 68/250 - 27.2% (45.0 to 45.5)
3. 168/250 - 67.2% (46.0 to 46.5)
4. 11/250 - 4.4% (47.0 to 37.5)

The .22 wmr allows more opportunities from a rimfire cartridge. I am with the 'get a hornet' crowd, yet i have pulled off the occasional 200 yard shot with the .22 mag also. But if I had constant, steady 200 yard shots all the time, my nod would be the hornet or the 223. The loads available for the 22 mag today overshadow the 22 mag loads available years ago and overshadow the long rifle by a long shot. The hornets advantage is a case that is reloadable to me.

There is a few hound hunters here that kill mountain lions one after another with there .22 mags. The shots are measured in feet as they are up in a tree. To date no body or dog has been harmed by a wounded cat cause they fall out of the tree dead as a door nail.

I have felled bobcat, coyote, porcupine, skunk, feral cats with my 22 magnums, with some shot placement discretion as with every cartridge, it just works. For me its darned near ideal for a 'going for a stroll in the north 40'.

17HMR if you are looking for gilt edged accuracy/precision on targets and good explosive power on small critters like ground squirrels. One of the most consistently accurate rimfires I've seen. I use one for some shoots that require speed and accuracy to dominate the competition. In some events where they specify "rimfire only", the 17HMR is almost like cheating. Just a FYI..

22WMR if you are chasing animals up to the size of coyotes.

Grabbed this old Ruger Single-Six (with .22WMR cylinder only) at the last local gun show. Didn’t have any .22WMR ammo, so a friend provided some equally old Winchester 40gr. JSP rounds (headstamped H). The first six rounds (shot two hands standing at fifty feet) convinced me that this guy is a keeper:


Seems I always gotta toss that one flyer, though.

As my friend was providing the ammo, and I was already satisfied with the results, I quit and let him shoot up the rest of it in this revolver, which he appeared to thoroughly enjoy.

That's a sweet old pistol. Great shooting too..

Thank you, sir.

It represents the all too familiar tear-jerking story: Had one during my youth; let it get away; shouldn‘t have; missed it terribly; finally got another to replace it, all these many decades later. ‘Scuse me while I wring out my cryin’ towel.

Very cool!! I myself started out with a model 29-2 when I was a young teen. When I was a kid, I didn't have much use for a 22lr pistol, but learned to shoot pistols with the big magnum. I always say I'm not a pistol shooter, but have shot them a lot. Kind of got bored with them. The only time I pull them out is when I'm shooting the occasional bowling pin shoot. Your 22wmr would be a sweetheart to own and shoot though.. Thanks for sharing.

Probably as good as reply as I can think of.
I think it is a fun little cartridge. I went a spell without one. But have righted that wrong more than once. I don't have a specific use other than the fun aspect.

Ok I did it! Bergara BMR in .22 mag just came home…

Congratulations! I am sure that you will find a use for it, like reducing the varmint population for instance.

Several years ago I lusted for a nice 22LR. I searched for an action to do a build but never came up with the right one. I bought a Cooper Western Classic and love it. I decided a 22 mag would be the next step and fun to shoot short range prairie dogs, and other vermin. I got a CZ 457 and it's scary accurate. It just doesn't move me aesthetically however and another Cooper moved in next to the 22. Evolution can be a cruel thing and the 17 HMR beckoned to me. I bought a Browning T bolt with the medium heavy barrel. It's a great gun, accurate and I like the 10 round magazine. I don't care for the crappy stock and plastic trigger guard. The web can be a cruel and financially destructive place. I found another Cooper in 17 HMR. Out of all of these my favorite is the Cooper Custom Classic 22 mag. I'll probably get the Browning restocked at some point and the CZ will probably go up for sale.
I have a 22 Hornet as well but the rimfires are much handier to use especially in confined spaces.