Was in the back of the gun cabinet yesterday and saw several of my beloved 22 Mags... a Marlin bolt action I bought in 1980, a Ruger 77/22 and a couple more.... They've been collecting dust for quite a while now... lack of ammo availability..

had me wondering, if Hornady, which makes this rimfire mag ammo for both, along with a few others.... are not just making 22 Mag anymore except for a small seasonal run....

not long ago, I saw a place stock quite well with 22 Mag ammo... at $25 a box of 50.... no thanks....

I just wonder if the round is being made obsolete by ammo manufacturers.....

thoughts?

You can shoot .223 for the same price.

Nope

yeah, except they won't CHAMBER in my 22 Mags....

No.

For some odd reason I never bought a 22 mag even though I always wanted one. Then I discovered some guy on the internet who was loading .223s with Blue dot and I could duplicate from 22 short loads up to well past 22 mag and everything in between AND reload them! Ever since I can't walk past a shelf with 35 grain VMaxs on it without snatching a box or two. A Lee collet neck sizer and brass lasts forever! Life is good.

I no longer even think about 22 mags. Thanks John!

It might as well be since you can't find a box of ammo for one anywhere in western North Carolina. I actually spied one box of 22wmr behind glass in a pawn shop. When I asked "how much"? They told me the ammo goes with the gun. They have to include a box of ammo in order to sell a 22 mag.

22 mag ammo can be ordered on the net almost every day that I"ve looked....

I know a place in AK, that has it on the shelf too almost every time my friend stops by....

I sold mine years ago. I would not buy one again, after having a 17 for long time. That being said, there are lots of 22 mag rifles out there and there is some real good ammo now. They used to be so-so on accuracy, but I know of several that are aa accurate aa anything can be.

I doubt that they are going away any time soon.

I've had an off/on relationship with the 22 mag for many years. I recently picked up one of the black plastic Ruger Americans.
I am impressed. Put a decent scope on it and got a few boxes of the 30 gr. CCI's. Shot it at 25 50 and 100 yds. I was again impressed. Took it with me to the stand the other day while I was hog hunting. Got bored and started shooting cow-birds. Got 4 out of 4 at +/- 50 yds. I'm liking this little jewel. I like it so much that I just sprung for a Ruger American Predator in 6.5 Creedmoor. May even do a 1 in 8 223 int the RAP.

Best,


GWB

My 22 mag ain't goin nowhere! Some yrs back I bought a brick here and there and wound up with a decent stock. My rifle is a 94 22M in the <<Wincam stock>>. All the accuracy I expect from a 22 M and a LOVELY rifle.

I've talked with a few friends in the past couple of years and NONE of us are going 17 and are not leaving the 22 M.

That is a small sample but....
it is what it is.


Jerry

I tried a couple: a 9422 and a CZ 455. The best either would do was about 3/4 to 1 inch at 50 yards with their preferred ammunition; good enough for the larger critters the round is appropriate for, but kind of un-inspiring for group shooters. With ammo availability still kind of iffy, getting the ammo a rifle prefers is tough. I decided that handloading my Hornet to mag levels was a better idea for me. Stingers and the like are also an option for those who want a little more power than regular .22s without buying another rifle.

The mag is a good option for those who don't require the finest accuracy or don't reload, and is a great handgun load, essentially providing .22LR rifle power in a handgun.

JB has a thread on the rimfire forum about the great performance he's getting with a Ruger American .22M. Maybe things are looking up.

There's no doubt the .17 HMR has bitten a big chunk off the .22 Magnum's former market. The HMR is now so popular ammo is easily available all year round, while much .22 Magnum ammo does appear to be produced around .17 HMR's.

But as Rost pointed out, .22 Magnum ammo can be pretty easily found on the Internet. I've only purchased 150 rounds at local stores in the past few years, mostly because it's scarce or much higher priced than I've found on the Internet. Have purchased several bricks off the Internet for an average of about $125, so am always puzzled when people complain here that .22 Magnum ammo isn't available in local stores. You're using the Internet anyway, why not have ammo delivered to your door?

However, the other day I was in what passes for the local "big city," and checked three sporting goods stores for anything I might need. Didn't need any .22 Magnum ammo, but found it in all three stores--for $15-18 per 50-round box.

Another factor for some shooters (like me) is the .17 HMR's better for ground squirrels and prairie dogs, my main use for a rimfire varmint round, though once in a while a jackrabbit gets in the way. The average .17 HMR not only is far more accurate with a wider variety of ammunition, but shoots flatter and drifts less in the wind.

Many .22 Magnum shooters won't believe the part about wind drift, because they believe (like most shooters) that heavier bullets don't drift as much, but in reality the only two wind-drift factors are ballistic coefficient and velocity. And most .17 HMR bullets beat the .22 Magnum in both.

The best use I've found the .22 Magnum is larger varmints at closer ranges, whether jackrabbits, rockchucks, foxes or whatever. But a smaller centerfire works even better, and the .17 Winchester Super Magnum is taking over where a rimfire is required. Ammo's about as cheap as most .22 Magnums these days, accuracy as good or better, and ballistic far better.

There are so many .22 Magnum rifles around I doubt ammo will ever become really scarce, like the 5mm Remington or (possibly) the .17 Mach 2. But the two "big" .17 rimfires are sure taking away a lot of the .22 Magnum's market.

my reason for posting, is that I have a couple of 22 Mag rifles that I always loved... the old Marlin 25MN that I replaced with a laminate stock from Marlin when they were like $59....its been an accurate rifle with the old 40 grain FMJ or HPs... was my traveling truck gun for a couple of decades..

the other is a beloved 22 Mag in a Ruger 77, that belonged to a dear friend, who passed away back in 03... one of his favorite rifles...

they are two I'd love to keep shooting... but ammo under the Obama Admin has been spotty at best... and no way am I paying $25 for a box of 50.. and we can't blame that on the ammo hoarders...

While Miles 58 points out, that I am a guy who shared making 223 handloaded round equivalent to the 22 Mag, and Hornet etc....I do have a couple of these old rifles in 22 Mag I'd like to see have more of a life than just waiting in the closet collecting dust, waiting for ammo availability...

Don't see ammo, but the rifle manufacturers sure keep making the rifles... don't sell many of them around here tho due to ammo availability...

I have bought like 4 boxes of ammo over the last couple of months when I found it for $12 a box...but shooting rodents, 200 rounds doesn't last long...

have to chuckle.. this sounds like a "Dear Abby" thread, doesn't it?

John,

So, as I already asked in my post, why don't you look on the Internet for .22 Magnum ammo? Or are you like Varmint Hunter, who insists on driving hundreds of miles around Montana looking for rimfire ammo in local stores, when he could be stocking up with a lot less money and effort by logging off the Campfire and logging onto Internet sites that sell rimfire ammo?

If you want LOTS of rimfire ammo, the Internet is where to get it, and I don't mean buying it off an auction site. I usually check about 4-5 sites every day, after answering my e-mail. It takes maybe 5 minutes, and doesn't require gasoline. I know gas is much cheaper than it was, but is still far more expensive than cruising the Net.

I've got two 22 magnums.

A 94-22 mag. with a peep sight for Jackrabbits, and a Ruger American Predator with a 10X scope for yard "rodents".

That being said, My all time favorite rimfire is my Cooper 17 HMR. With it's oil finished stock, it doesn't come out of the house in damp weather.

My 22 mags get used more!


Virgil B.

I still love the 22 Mag, always will. I shoot a bunch if 17 HMR but would rather shoot my 22 Mag if the ammo was as available.

I can find it locally, but it's not easy, and I haven't seen any on the usual websites for quite awhile (Midsouth, Midway, Graf's, etc.)

I've scrounged some ammo at the local Academy, and at another local shop, but it wasn't cheap, and there's no variety, it's the Hornady 30gr. or CCI Maxi-Mags, and maybe some Aguila from time to time (@ 18/box for Aguila, they can keep it).

I've got a Hornet, so it's not a real priority for me, and I've got a couple HMRs, too. I'm not suffering for lack of ammo, but I have alternatives that some folks don't.

For me, the WMR has been a PITN, it's not really worth the effort to chase it down, since my 455 barrel doesn't shoot all that great anyway.

Hmmmm. I'm used to the 22 magnum shooting pretty damn good. My dad gave me his Chuckster that he used when he was a kid. The rifle is older than I am and iS still a shooting machine. I liked it so much that I bought a newer rifle to preserve the little chuckster for when my kids have kids...Here's how the Mossberg chuckster shoots. I guess I'm getting the same kind of accuracy. About "3/4" groups at 50 yards", maybe even a little better. Of course those are 10 shot groups though. Good enough for the vermin around here....:




My RAR isn't quite as accurate, but it shoots just fine. With the ammo it likes, it averages a little less than 3/4" with 5 shot groups at 50 yards. The thing I really like about the RAR is how well it functions and the rotary mag is the best on the market. The Hornady 30gr. v-max ammo can be found here locally most times. The store I frequent the most has it for $13.00/box. They also have the CCI's and Remington accutips if you want to pay out the azz ($18.00/box). I'm glad mine likes the slightly cheaper stuff. My buddy just bought a RAR in 22 mag, because it gives a slight edge in potency over the 17 HMR when shooting coyotes. Another buddy of mine also bought the same rifle in 22 magnum for the same reason. Both of these guys gave up on the 17HMR after wounding coyotes. They often go to coyote competitions in southern Oregon, so they know what works and what doesn't work. They no longer own the 17 for anything. However, I will be the first to admit that the 17 is generally more accurate than the 22WMR and it surpasses the 22WMR in range for the smaller critters. If I were just wanting a small vermin (sage rat, ground squirrel, tree squirrel, etc. etc.), I'd opt for the 17, if coyote hunting was on the list of priorities, I'd choose the 22WMR.

I just checked the Sportsmans Guide and they are sold out of 22 wmr.

Excellent post.

I don't understand those guys either, unless there's some other issue involved they don't want to discuss. I try very hard to buy stuff locally and from small businesses when possible, but sometimes they can't or won't get the stuff I need. The Whatamarts around here never have any .22s when I shop, and I ain't playing the Thursday morning ammo-line game. LGSs are pretty bare as well. Would anyone go without shoes or beer(!) just because they couldn't find it locally? I save tons of money and more importantly, time by buying online. I imagine that goes double or triple for folks in someplace like Montana.

Not long ago, my UPS guy commented on how the brick-and-mortar businesses were being hit by online shopping. I told him, " Maybe, but you're pretty darn busy, aren't ya?"

Lucky you. Lots of others haven't been as fortunate. Since I've got the Mag's performance level bracketed and overlapped, and I'm not quite so subject to the whims of the marketplace and ammo lot variations, I'll likely not venture into the .22 Mag business again.

I'm glad it's working out for you, though. It's especially nice that your Dad's old rifle does so well for you. I'm trying to acquire some good ones to pass on to my boys as well, after I give 'em a good workout, of course.

I like the 22 mag, but the 17 outshines it for smoking jackrabbits, which was the main use I had for the 22 mag. Ammo for the 17 is available too. I have one 22 mag left and a good ammo supply, but it's a Ruger single six convertible which I never shoot.

I'd buy a good 22 mag rifle if I crossed one that struck my fancy, nothing wrong with them, but I don't see much need for one.

My .22 mag sees lots of use on gophers and p. dogs, just bought 400 rds. of chi the other day. Not sore now of the price but it wasn't near the price of .17 hmr/ it was $149/ brick yesterday! Plus trying to clean a .17 is the pits. I'll stick with the .22 mag.

I'd never part with my .22 WMR, seeing it's the first rifle of my own that I ever had (1964 Anschutz 141M). I've killed a schitload of varmits with that and some deer. The .17 HMR will never replace the .22 WMR as a deer round. (..course, the guys who think killing deer with a .223 is "stunt shooting" will scream about that....). I also have a .22 WMR barrel for my Sako Quad. Either of those rifles will make life pretty sketchy for any suitable sized varmint out to about 200 yards. I guess if we had prairie dogs and ground squirrels around here like you boys out west do I'd be more in love with the .17 HMR than I am.

Once again, if you check the Internet instead of stores, you'll often find better prices. I haven't paid as much as $120 a brick for either .17 HMR or .22 Magnum since the "shortage" started, and usually at least $10 a brick less for .17 HMR. Maybe three months ago bought two bricks of .17 HMR for $99.40 each, and the total for was around $15, so price per brick was around $107.

Now, if somebody WANTS to pay more ammo that's fine with me. But a lot of hunters wait until demand is high (say, the spring rodent season in the West), when prices always go up.

cra1948 raises a point that is rarely considered on these boards.

There are people from all over the US and other countries on this board. The cartridges and rifles used in various parts of the world were purchased with a specific animal and terrain in mind. For example, 30-30s or 308s are more popular around here for deer than 270s, 25-06s or any magnum.

The same goes with rimfires. There are preferences in different areas.

22 Mags are more popular where I live than the 17s. I'm not sure why. Part of the puzzle is that 22 Mags had a head start. Another factor is price. A box of 22 Mag is $18 to 20 Canuckian Dinars. All 17 HMR is $22 to $24.

In my neck of the woods, literally, wind isn't much of a factor, and we don't have ground squirrels. We have foxes, coyotes and groundhogs (Marmota monax). They are found through most of Canada and the eastern US.



These groundhogs are 16 to 20 inches tall and 4 to 8 lb generally. Years ago, you would hear about groundhogs in southern Ontario weighing 20-25 lb. There were no predators except farm dogs and foxes. The foxes wouldn't take on a groundhog that was at least as large, but wider. And food is plentiful for all critters in S. Ontario. Groundhogs have attitude too. If you have ever surprised one, you'll know what I mean.

AS JB keeps saying check the internet.

Ammo Seek shows 75 listings for 22 WMR starting at 30 cents a round.

http://ammoseek.com/ammo/22-magnum

JB,

appreciate the input....actually they have been out of sight out of mind for so long I almost forgot I even owned them/....pulling them out of a closet is what motivated this some....

I'm probably sitting on 15 boxes or so of 22 Mag ammo...

but yeah, you're totally right about just doing it thru the internet.... that is where I pick up most of my bullets, buying a thousand to 2 thousand bullets at a time...

The sentimentality of the rifles is probably the biggest reason to keep them...

appropriately loaded 223 ammo has been duplicating their service pretty much since Obama has been in office...

I like the 22 MRF and think that it is a very useful farm/ranch/truck/survival cartridge. The house that I grew up in had a Savage 24 in 22Mag over 20 gauge hanging on a peg by the back door for about 40 years, my Mother used it to shoot any critter that she caught in her orchard, regardless of whether it was a raccoon or a black bear. The Savage 24 in 22Mag over 410 is among my favorite "woods loafing" guns and I probably carry a Rossi 515 in a belt holster between 75 and 100 days per year.

I currently have 14 rifles, 5 revolvers, and 4 Savage 24 combination guns that are chambered in 22 Magnum. My favorite load for shooting animals over 10 lbs. is the nearly impossible to find Federal Game-Shok 50 grain and my favorite load for shooting smaller animals is the 30 grain VMax.

At the risk of offending many, 22 mag out preforms the 17 HMR in all but trajectory and velocity, More THUD is better IMO

My Grandfather lived in a farmhouse in the middle of some of the best deer and small game hunting I've seen anywhere. He always kept a Savage 24 22 mag/410 loaded and handy for whatever type of critter came around causing trouble. I'll always have a warm spot for the 22 wmr because of that.

I picked up my first 22 Mag several months ago and love the accuracy of it ( Sako Quad) and located some $14 a box ammo it likes with me driving.

Took it along with our 17HMR's, 17 fb, 17 HH, etc. The 22 did flip a few Skippy's from 50 to ~100 yards, after that distance it was obvious that "skippy flight lesson's" were not very often with the 22 mag, but was almost always given with the 17 HMR.

I hate to switch the gun over to the better-for-my -use caliber , but with my larger quantity of 17hmr, less expensive ammo currently, and better fun factor, less elevation issues, a little better accuracy, I may switch over now to save the 22 mag ammo I have if in the future I change back, which is the beauty of the Sako Quad, besides the 10 ounce triggers.

Allen

In my experience, shooters who believe the .22 Magnum is more "explosive" on small varmints than the .17 HMR have often only used hollow-point HMR ammo, not plastic-tipped.

While lighter plastic-tip bullets in the .22 Magnum are more effective on small varmints than typical hollow-points, velocities in the low 2000's with 30-33 grain bullets do not splatter like 2550-2850 fps with 17-grain bullets. The difference is very similar to the .22 Hornet versus the .25-20, which the Hornet won long ago, due not just to more splatter but longer range with less wind-drift.

Once varmints get much larger than prairie dogs the .22 Magnum starts to show its stuff, but there are good .17 HMR loads for 10-pound varmints. As always, it's the bullet that does the job, not the cartridge.

In my situation, we don't have much varmint shooting. Yes there are crows and occasionally a few egrets and then small game so....

my 22 Mag fills my needs. When the varmints get bigger (?) or at longer range I switch to my 6mm Rem.

If I had much varmint shooting to do I'd probably get a 204 or MORE probably a 223 but there isn't enuff to justify 'another' rifle or its expense.


Jerry

+1 ... 22MAG is out there, you just need to look

I very nearly bought a very nice Anschutz .22 Mag from Cabela's last year - it was priced on the high end but a nice rig. I passed on it twice then the third time back I was ready to buy - someone else grabbed it........couple months later Sportsman's had a nice a CZ 455 .17HMR - I just could not resist. No regrets and no desire to find a .22 Mag barrel for it. The CZ is a chuck killin machine. Anything under 150 yds is in for trouble. Here is a pic that I have over in the Rimfire forum of a big old chuck that I shot last weekend. Range just over 100 yards in a 10 mph (easily) wind - held just off his head into the wind. One shot, he just plopped straight down, his tail twirled a couple times and that was it. Very similar results with the 40 or so that I have shot in the last couple weeks since picking it up. I think I would have been happy with the .22 Mag also......it would have killed him just as dead, I would have held a bit more into the wind - not a big deal. I think both are great for shorter range shooting where noise is an issue. Find one in a rifle you like and shoot away.

As Miles mentioned above I run the blue dot .223 loads popularized by Calhoun Bullets. 10gr over a 40gr bullet gives about 2600fps and is great inside of 200 yards.

Does that load in the .223 still sound like a centerfire or is it milder? A lot of the places I hunt have houses around and shooting a rimfire is not a problem, but shooting a centerfire gets unwanted attention.

i get kind of a kick out of these .22mag threads. I own a few but got turned off when the price per box went north of 5bucks.

I hunted grey squirrels with a Marlin bolt action 22 magnum when i was a teenager in PENN. Used solid bullets and took head shots.
Wouldnt mind having another Marlin with a bull barrel...

I have never thought about loading down a 223. Have never owned a 223 and assumed the bullets would be similarly priced to big game bullets. Just looked and they run 15-20 cents each. Are accuracy nodes easy to find with the mild loads? Need faster twist? I am guessing that case stretch is nonexistent with these loads, therefore simpler to reload. These forums are bad for me. I do not need a 223 but now interested. Very similar to when I wanted a 35 Whelen. I have 0 need for a 35 Whelen. Thought a Pre -64 custom model 70 in 35 Whelen would be way cool. I came to my senses that this would be a monumental waste of time and money.

I have never owned a 22mag. Love the 17hmr and 22lr. I am not sure that I would take a shot at a coyote with the vmax or tnt hmr bullets. They appear to fragment explosively on a blackbird. Cannot imagine that they would consistently penetrate a coyote in fragments large enough for a sure kill. I would shoot one with a 22mag.

John, bring the best shooting one with you to Quemado as I understand that the .22 rimfire target will be set up at 150 yds. I don't think a .22 LR would do much good at that distance. I have a box or two of ammo but no rifle for many years.

Where are you guys finding it online? this is what I typically see on the various web based suppliers...

https://www.midwayusa.com/s?targetLocation=%2F_%2FN-10019%3FNo%3D0%26Np%3D2%26Nr%3DAND%2528p_visible%253A1%252Ccustomertypeid%253A1%2529%26Nrpp%3D48%26Ns%3Dp_metric_sales_velocity%257C1%26Ntpc%3D1%26Ntpr%3D1

Not a single manufacturer in stock.

I scratched my head when the 17 came out wondering how no one had ever thought of a rerelease of the 5mm. Its more better by far than the 17 or 22 mag. "Much more better"

Back in the day, for each box of 22LR I would shoot thru my single6 ; I would also shoot a box 0f 22MAG. Not any more. Now I shoot 100 rounds of 22LR for every one shot of 22MAG.

Graf's has bricks of 22 Magnum Hornady 30 grain V-max in stock

http://www.grafs.com/catalog/produc...mpaign=gblast042816&utm_medium=email

closer to a 22 mag sound than anywhere close to a 223.

even tho I am the OP, I shoot plenty of 223 rounds loaded from the 22 mag velocity to 22 Hornet, 218 Bee etc...

currently working on developing the same loads using Alliant "Steel" Shot, as its available and temp insensitive, is accurate and Blue Dot is non existent on the shelves, and has been for a few years....

We had a CZ .17HMR until very recently when we sold it. The animals we were using it on were big european hares, and they would go about 8lb-9lbs I would say, about the same weight as a .303 Lee Enfield rifle...if you carry it by the legs, his head drags on the ground. And hares are hardy too, you need more gun than a .22LR to stop a charging hare...
Anyway the .17 was good, but for a dedicated hare gun on open mountain river flats and often in wind, I would prefer a 22 Magnum.
(I dont want to blow or tear anything up too much either - I eat them.)

I have a Trailboss load with my .222 which mimics the .22 Magnum - 55 grain SP at around 1800 - 2000fps I am guessing, I am dying to chronograph it.

So we tried the .17 HMR, but for hares in open country, often windy, I would rather the .22 Magnum and have sold that rifle a couple of weeks ago.

Local gun store here has more .22 WRF ammo then .22 LR and has no .22 wmr ammo..... World seems backwards these days.

I remember reading when the .17s first came out a Hornady person stated , the more accurate, flatter trajectory line , but also he mentioned cheaper to make and more friendly for the environment , because each bullet only contained a few grains of lead.....

Plus Hornady is helping sell it's own calibers by not making mags......

Mule Deer wrote an article for Handloader 290, June 2014, on loading CFs to duplicate RF velocities. It's one of his best, most useful, ever I think. Doesn't cover the .222 specifically, but has formulas for Trail Boss and IMR 4895.

Sounds like you've got it figured out, though. A 9 pound bunny must make quite a meal. The jacks out West might get as big or bigger, but not many admit to eating them.

I have owned and hunted both .17 HMR and the 22 mag a fair amount although I do not have near the experience that many of you have with both rounds. A couple years back, I swapped out the .22 mag barrel on my Ruger 77-22 mag for a Lilja 17 HMR barrel and on balance have been pleased. As it shoots flatter is is less affected by wind, I do find he .17 HMR easier to hit with than the .22 mag.

It may be my imagination but the .22 mag does seen to hit the larger critters with quite a bit more authority than the .17 HMR. One large badger took a .40 grain HP from the .22 mag under the chin and it lodged under the skin between the shoulders after passing through about 6" of badger severing the spine along the way - picture perfect expansion. I doubt any readily available .17 HMR bullets could hold together like this on larger varmints.

The .22 mag also seems to impress big jacks and marmots a bit more than the HMR.

Well I don't know if it was due to my posting this or what... but the 22 Mag Gods have smiled on me since I started this thread...

I picked up my 9th and 10th box of 30 grain V Maxes on the 22 Mag case.. just in this past week...

maybe its just coinciding with their seasonal run...

but I've found some 5 times recently, limit two boxes each time... but the price was $11.50...per box

so I'm not complaining

and I also was able to pick up two other boxes of my old Marlin 25 MN's favorite... the CCI 40 grain FMJ, they were like $13 a box...

Life is good on Planet 22 Win Mag this past week...

30-grain V-Max .22 Magnum is all over the place in this part of Montana. Saw it at four local stores last week, and yesterday went to the Great Falls gun show and saw it at half a dozen tables.

You can go pretty light with blue dot (I think 4gr will give about 1400fps) and to my ears it sounds softer than a .22 mag but you will still have a super sonic crack.

I shoot the .22 WRF out of a .22 magnum revolver. The price is close to the same and it seems to be slightly more accurate. No choice in bullets. You get 45 grain HP's and that's it. The rifles that shoot the .22 WRF are few and far between but they can be found.
kwg

I can shoot wrf through my old savage 93 and my brand spanking new henry lever small game rifle. Cycles fine.

That being said if the .22 mag ever is obsolete it will most definitely be because of ammo manufacturers. 17 would suck in a hand gun and a 22 mag is available in 25 - 45 grain commonly. I have been finding .w2 mag ammo on a regular basis lately and for 15 or 16 bucks for 50. I have been loading up on it as it has been the most rare of all rimfire in my parts.

It's easy to find on the Internet. Try ammoseek. I walked into the local Scheels this weekend. They have quite a lot available at $17 a box.



Bob

seal billy,

Actually, if the .22 Magnum becomes obsolete it won't be due to ammo manufacturers. They'll keep producing ammo as long as there's enough demand for it to be profitable. Since there are already a LOT of .22 rifles and revolvers out there, and many are still made and sold every year, the ammo manufacturers will keep making .22 Magnums.

Shooters and even some gun writers seem to be under the impression that cartridges become unpopular because not enough ammo is made--or theres not enough variety in the ammo available. One older gun writer, in particular, always used to whine when writing about relatively low-demand cartridges that if only the ammunition manufacturers hadn't dropped X load, or would introduce more loads, then demand would rise.

In reality it works the other way around. When new cartridges appear, the manufacturer often offers a relatively wide array of ammo. But if rifle sales for the cartridge slow down after the first year or two, then some loads are dropped because sales are too low to make producing them profitable. This is why Winchester eventually dropped the 250-grain load in the .358 Winchester, and Remington dropped all but a couple of basic loads in the .260 Remington: Not enough people bought the other ammo to make it profitable. And believe it or not, ammunition companies are in business to make a profit.

This is exactly why ammo companies are making more .17 HMR ammo than .22 Magnum now. The cartridges are based on the same case so come off the same production line, and since there's more demand for .17 HMR these days, the factories use that production line mostly for .17 HMR. They're not about to quit making .22 Magnums anytime soon, but they won't be making it throughout the entire year like they used to.

I met Seafire in 2004 when he took me ground squirrel hunting. I brought my 17HMR and my 223 Ruger #1 loaded with 62 gr TAP bullets and 13 gr of Blue Dot. I learned Blue Dot from Seafire, he learned it from the James Calhoon website.

The 223 cost half as much to handload and killed them twice as far out.

A couple years later an Indian guide took me and another guy 20 miles out on the prairie on the Ft Belknap reservation to shoot prairie dogs. The other guy had a 17HMR that was inadequate. The guide loaned him a 223. My friend bought a 223 Rem 700 as soon as he got back to civilization.

For me, the 223 killed the 17HMR.
Right now, both 223 and 17HRM start at 20 cents per shot plus shipping.

Hence the idea some of us have gotten into our little pea brains that the WSM would be a lot more interesting if it was driving .223s.

Hmmm. After reading all of this, I'm glad I procrastinated for 50 years over buying a .22RF Magnum. This frees me up to start procrastinating on a .17RF Magnum.

No comparison whatsoever imo. And I kill as fair amount of critters. Guess if tweety birds were on the menu for a 5 yo kid, a 17 might make sense....

John

Do you still have this 22 Magnum?

Yup. There was a time when something like the Hummer would have been very useful for me. We used to spend a lot of time at a couple of places in PA sitting on the porch shooting at starlings and other targets of opportunity. That time and those places are long gone; Hell, I'm shy about shooting my spring-air gun outside at my current digs because of the noise.

Smallbore CFs, reloaded, cost about the same as the magnum RFs, are more versatile, and save the cost of another rifle and scope. Reloading takes time, but that's something I've got plenty of.

Of COURSE I do--and as noted a few months after it arrived from Nevada, I actually got it sighted in! It does about an inch at 50 yards with a couple of different loads.

But when a buddy and I head to a ranch on the Front this week for some "gopher" shooting, I'm not taking a .22 Magnum. Instead am taking a .17 HMR as the primary rifle, but will probably take a .17 Hornet for longer shots, or just in case we get charged by a grizzly. The rancher has seen 9 on the place in the last few days....

Grizzlies gotta eat, too.

Yes you can, and I do just that except in the ever expanding Special regulations areas of Pa where it's rimfire only. I call fox the 22 Mag is a great round and will handle the stray Coyote. Sorry but I just don't trust a 17 to put down a Yote. Most of my calling is after dark so I want then dead right there. The Mag has never failed when I did my part.

Killin' griz with a .17 Hornet would be a serious one-up on Shrap and his .25/35!

22 magnum isn't dead just the ammo

Hornady 30s are around here 15.99 to 17.99 depending where.

Biggest hose job is the local Co-Op, where Armscor .22 Mag is going for $25 per 50. No thanks.

Anxiously awaiting my alert from Midway on Winchester Supreme 34 gr. Which shoot .75-in. At 25 yards from my ol' Single-Six.

Been waiting nearly four years. I'd pay $25 for those at this point.

Mule Deer what are the top five sites you check?

Clarkm,

I only use the .17 HMR on closer shots on prairie dogs, when first starting to shoot a town. If they haven't been shot at much (common on towns I shoot) the lighter report doesn't spook them down their holes as quickly as any centerfire. After the nearby dogs are done, say out to 150 yards, I switch to a centerfire, but don't use a downloaded .223. Use to use a .22 Hornet with 40-grain plastic-tips at 3000+, but then switched to the .17 Fireball for a while, with 20's at 4000+.

But these days I mostly use a .17 Hornet, which with 20-grain plastic-tips at 3600 fps is more effective than any modest-velocity .224, because it shoots a LOT flatter, making knowing the exact range far less critical. And wind drift isn't any more, and often less, depending on the .224 load. And the standard powder charge is only 12.0 grains of A1680, though several other powders work well too.
If the .17 Hornet doesn't provide quite enough range for conditions, I switch to a .204 or .223.

Dunno how much you're paying for bullets and brass, but the present batch of Hornady V-Maxes and Nosler Varmageddons I'm shooting were acquired for an average of less than 10 cents apiece. .17 Hornet brass can be acquired VERY cheaply, in fact factory loads are sometimes on sale at such a low price the brass is essentially free. Have also acquired a bunch for from prairie doggers who shoot factory loads, then sell the once-fired brass VERY cheaply. And I can stick 1000 rounds in one side of a 6x6x12", divided shoulder-bag, and drop the empties in the other side.

For shooting ground squirrels I use everything from .22 rimfires to the .17 Hornet, but do the majority of shooting with the .17 HMR. I'm not retired yet and do so much handloading in my job I prefer to just buy it and shoot it. But I don't buy unless the deal is really good, and haven't paid more than $110 a brick yet, and most of the ammo in my stash was cheaper. In fact just picked up a brick of CCI non-toxic TNT's the other day for $90. It's just as accurate and effective as the leaded stuff.

Many years ago I came close to buying a 22 Mag but even then ammo was relatively expensive so I put it off. A bit later I opted for a 22 Hornet and have been more than pleased.

Since I posted this, I've seen a batch of 22 Mag ammo showing up on shelves..

Walmart got a whole bunch of CCI 40 grain HP in the other day...5 or 6 cases of it....around 10 AM they were putting it on the shelves....

They sold out by the afternoon...

Can't say this is a nationwide problem.... but there are places that have it ( small shops) that are selling it for $25 a box or more....

The local 22LR hoarding crowd, are also scooping it up quick, even with a limit of 2 boxes on it... Walmart had it for $13.50 a box.... these clowns are having their entire family come in and buy two boxes each... just to double their money or attempt to...

Trailer TRash.... Methhead types...

ED, that is why I've been loading 223 to 22 Mag and 22 Hornet levels for years now....

My neighborhood gun is the CZ 452 in 17HMR and it was enough for a 35+ lb bobcat a few years ago and many ground squirrels at as far as 186 yards. I haven't shot a coyote yet but would take a head shot up to about 100 yards or so. This rifle will put 10 shots inside a quarter at 50 yards.

The only 22 mag that has any attraction for me is the single six. The local livestock killer uses a 22 mag 10/22 for everything including large steers. I've seen him kill 275 lb. pigs almost instantly from 6' so hard to say it isn't capable of dropping a deer.......if you are close enough.

I know at least 6 guys who have purchased 17's in the last couple of years and can't remember when a friend bought a 22 mag.

I bought a Ruger American Rifle .22 Magnum last year just to see how well it shot. Have tried 9 different kinds of ammo in it and it's the most all-around accurate .22 Magnum I've owned, and have owned a few.

Yeah, I have a bunch of ammo on hand, some from over the years but some purchased lately, and have yet to pay more than $12-something a box. But I'd always kept enough on hand to not HAVE to buy any, partly because it doesn't get used for high-volume rodent shooting, like my standard .22's and .17 HMR. Instead it's a specialty cartridge. But even dunno how much the RAR .22 Magnum rifle will be used, especially after acquiring a .17 WSM late last year. A 20-grain V-Max at 3000 fps or a 25-grain at 2600 should work at least as well as the .22 Magnum on larger varmints, and at longer ranges--if for some reason I don't want to use a .17 Hornet, .22 Hornet or K-Hornet. Here in Montana there aren't any places where only rimfire's are legal.

My gunsmith and I were talking about 77/22s one day and he was looking for a decent boat-paddle .22 Mag for one of his customers, a local butcher. Seems the butcher had worn one out killing stuff. Can't imagine how many rounds THAT took.

I have two .17 HMRs and that is a tiny hole. They don’t get used much because they seem to crud up faster than the .22 Magnum and .223s. Mule Deer, what .17 Hornet rifle and load are you shooting? You may have given me another reason to buy a new gun.

Well I see after looking around a bit, if you are going to shoot factory .17 Hornet ammo, it will Hornady!

See if the butcher would take $50 for the worn out one...

Looking some more, I found Federal and Winchester making .17 Hornet ammo. This round may make it after all.

When I was a teenager in the mid to late 70's, my Dad, my brother, and I spent most Saturdays up in Knox county Ohio shooting groundhogs. when I would get bored watching their holes from long range, I would take my Marlin model 782 .22 WMR loaded with CCI maxi mags and walk the edges where farm fields met wood lots.I was amazed at the lethality of the .22 magnum on groundhogs up to 125 yards. Flash forward to the early 2000's when I got the urge to buy a Marlin heavy barrel stainless 17HMR. I put a variable power Simmons scope on it, loaded up with some 17 grain polymer tipped Hornady ammo and went hunting. I was amazed again that I killed a large groundhog at a laser ranged 153 yds. he was DRT. I love the accuracy of the 17HMR, but would never part with my 22 Magnum. If I were shooting a larger varmint, I would use the .22 mag.

Ron

As a Hornady product, I figure it's a pretty safe investment, unlike the WSM, which still looks a little risky to me. I think JB made cases from .22 Hornet brass for a while, which remains an option if it flops.

Hornady, Nosler, and Prvi are really filling the gap left by the "demise" of Big Green and whatever the Hell is happening at Olin/Winchester these days.

I bought a Ruger Super Single-Six about 30 years ago. I bought one box of .22 WMRs just to see what they'd do, and I've never bought another. At that time Winchester Wildcat .22 LRs were under a dollar for a box of 50, and 158 gr. .38 Specials were selling for around $8-9 per box of 50, so those $7.50 boxes of .22WMRs didn't have too much appeal as handgun ammo, and so far as I'm concerned, still don't.

My.22 mag. is one of the most useful varmint rifles I have. It is far from dead.. With all the mags. out there, it will take the HMR a while to catch up..

I did see a nice 17 in Montana.. We should get up that way soon.. If it is still there, I may buy it..

The mags are too pricey for plinking, at least for me, but are great small game killers, and have the added advantage of being dry and clean for loose pocket carry. I sold my Single-Six as my eyes require a little help for the fine aiming required for shooting little critters and I switched to a semi-auto with a red dot. For just-in-case belt carry, I use a SS New Bearcat full of Stingers and a snake load, which weighs over half a pound less than the Single Six.

Lately, I've been looking at Single Sevens in .32 Federal, which can be loaded for small game, but also can handle stuff like coyotes and two-legged varmints. I'll need my glasses for that one though.

It's not dead as long as I have bullets.

Picked up a 9422M some years back and a supply of ammo. Don't shoot much but when I do it excels across the board. Yep, I have more accurate rifles but then 1/2" groups @50 don't suck. Not for sale. Ever. Ammo isn't hard to find online.

au contraire, mon fraire



The PMR-30 is more fun than a guy should be able to have with his pants on, or off, for that matter.

I only load 25 rounds at a whack. Carry one mag in the gun and two mags in your back pocket or a fanny pack and you've got 75 friends. Outstanding!

I'll carry it up at my deer lease. I wear a headlight at night. It's a hoot to light up a coon. The reset time on the trigger is superlative. One can fire 10 rounds in less than 3 seconds.

ya!


GWB

no

Back in June I put a rimfire scope on my Marlin bolt action in 22WMR - nicely accurate - much better than the old iron sights, so it's not obsolete yet. It does favor the modern 30 grain, plastic tipped loads by CCI & Hornady.

Nope, because though there are maybe hundreds of .17's around now after several years of production, there are literally tens of thousands of .22 WMRs after decades of production...

bearbacker,

I suspect you're seriously underestimating the number of .17 HMR rifles already out there. Also dunno how you define "several years," but the .17 HMR was introduced 15 years ago.

That doesn't mean there aren't a lot more .22 Magnums out there, but the difference isn't as big you apparently think. It's unusual for gun stores around here to stock new .22 Magnum rifles anymore, but always have new .17 HMR's on hand. I would bet there are tens of thousands of .17 HMR rifles just in Montana.

This doesn't mean there aren't more .22 Magnum rifles in existence, along with quite a few .22 Magnum handguns. Just that difference isn't nearly as much you think--and the gap grows smaller every year.

And I'd say that with more 17's being sold lately than 22WMR's, a lot more 17's are being shot, just because more people will be out playing with their new "toy" rather than the 22WMR in the back of the cabinet.

Hell no. Any more dumb azzed questions? I'll be here all night...

I used the 22 magnum mostly for turkey hunting, and it really didn't ruin much turkey. How does the 17 HRM stack up as a not too destructive turkey killer?

Until two years ago I didn't worry about which direction I shot on my land. There is now a housing development south of me. When shooting at coyotes in that direction I use a 22 mag instead of my .243. I already had a 22 mag and I have read it's better than a 17 HMR on coyotes. And you guessed it, most of the coyotes I shoot are south of me. Figure they are scavenging for food in the neighborhood. Another thing is in the 60's when I was a kid the 22 mag seemed to be the cats meow to my friends and I but none of could afford one. I didn't get one until I was in my 50's and I love it.

I've owned a couple single six's with LR and MAG cylinders. But the rifles I have not. If I were to buy a new rifle in one of those cartridges, it would probably be a 17. But I would not turn down a decent priced 22 MAG either. The 17 outselling the 22 MAG doesn't mean the 22 MAG is dead, IMHO.

My guess is that the 223 hasn't killed the 30-30 either.

The ideal rifle is only ideal until you acquire it and take it into the field. At that point I usually find that my new toy falls a couple of small details short of achieving "THE ULTIMATE FIREARM" status. This, of course, requires me to buy another, even perfecter, rifle.

I have been sneaking up on springing for a combo which will be the perfect companion when hunting jacks in the sage (nearly the perfect sport).

I am thinking Volquartsen lightweight in .22 mag. The HMR would probably work just fine but the .22 mag seems to thump larger critters significantly harder than the .17 HMR.

There will be at least one more .22 mag sold before it meets it's predicted demise.

Well Said ! In fact make that 2

I like the 17's for volume shooting of Ground Squirrels that are further out than .22LR range ( 100 meters plus ) .22LR is the most cost effective plinker

I like the thought of a CZ455 in 17HMR and a .22Mag bbl, Until I can source a suitable used CZ452 in 17HMR &/or 17HM2.

.22Mag for cruising the bush and low volume plinking.