Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires .22 mag

Ya never seen anything like it. damn near the size of a house cat.

In that case, you'd want a stainless 782/882/982. Marlin makes 2 different magazines for their .17HMR and .22WMR rifles in either blue or silver, a 4-shot and a 7-shot version. I prefer the 4-shot style because it doesn't extend very far below the bottom of the stock and doesn't get in the way when you're carrying it afield.

tzone,

I am a firm believer in owning plenty of rifles in as many chamberings as possible, so I vote yes on a .22 Magnum.

Have owned a bunch over the years, but one of the flaws of the .22 Magnum is that most vary widely in their ability to shoot different kinds of ammo accurately. There's a reason for this, too long to go into here, but if you find a .22 Magnum that shoots various kinds of ammo well, you have a very useful rimfire. Of course, you can determine which ammo a specific .22 Magnum really likes, but during the recent Obama shortages it was all but impossible to find some kinds of .22 Magnum ammo.

A .22 Magnum that shoots different kinds of ammo accurately doesn't have to be expensive. Blackheart already mentioned his Marlin bolt-action, and I have seen more than one Marlin that shot several kinds of ammo nicely. My present .22 Magnum is a Ruger American, and it also shoots just about anything. (Have also owned two Winchester 9422M's, and while both shot VERY well with the ammo they preferred, would also scatter shots into 3" or so with ammo they didn't like.) The Ruger cost me less than $200 at a local gun store.

The .17 HMR is also a favorite of mine, and they generally shoot just about any ammo accurately, and with the right bullet will perform many of the same tasks as a .22 Magnum. Many hunters make the mistake of using mplastic-tipped small-varmint ammo on larger and/or edible game, but .17 ammo includes a deep-penetrating 20-grain game bullet, as well as a FMJ.

That said, the bigger bullets of the .22 Magnum do tend to work better on larger animals,. and the right load can also do very well on smaller varmints. Generally I use a .22 Long Rifle or .17 HMR on the ground squirrels Montanans call "gophers," but last year a friend wangled us permission to shoot a local ranch for the first time. The owners, however, had a couple of rules: We could only use rimfires, but could not use .17 rimfires, because they firmly believe .17's ricochet more than .22 rimfires. The truth is exactly the opposite, but it's their ranch.

My friend brought a .22 Long Rifle, and I brought one too--but also brought the Ruger .22 Magnum, and a bunch of Hornady ammo loaded with the 30-grain V-Max. My friend was VERY impressed with the Magnum's performance, especially after I let him shoot it some--and the next week bought another RAR at a local gun store, which shot the same Hornady ammo just as well. With various other loads my Ruger also works great on those larger/edible animals.

Another virtue of .22 Magnums is they can shoot .22 Winchester Rimfire ammo. The .22 WRF was an 1890 attempt to increase rimfire power over the .22 Long Rifle. The gain wasn't much, the usual load a 45-grain hollow-point at around 1450 fps, but the slightly larger-diameter case was the basic for the .22 Magnum. Every once in a while CCI makes a run of .22 WRF ammo, and I picked up a brick 2-3 years ago. It shoots very well in my Ruger, and to the same point of impact as .22 Magnum at 50 yards, making the rifle even more useful.

I've got a Ruger American WMR (SS), too and it likes just about everything, 30gr. VMaxes, 40gr. CCI HPs, and the 50gr. Federals, too. The only sticking point is POI, which varies quite a bit between the three. No matter. I zero with the 40s and call it good. It's a fair to good shooter in warm weather. In colder weather, it's just common, nothing remarkable.

It's main thing is the handling, mine is short, light, and handy, like having a third arm. That alone makes it a pretty good little rifle, and a keeper.

Yeah, I have the compact RAR. Love the 18" barrel, very handy. I haven't tried 50's, glad to see the work, will order some.

I have the same one, shootin lil sumbitch.

It sounds like I'll have to give the American a look.

I just got a Ruger 96/22 magnum, that I am pretty impressed with. Very good shooter. Around an inch at 100.

Exactly right.. I tried about 5 different types/makers of .22WMR ammo and found just one that the rifle liked... Very common for the .22WMR..

Not an easy find!

No.

Spend the 22 mag money on a suppressor for your 223. You'll turn your 223 into a rifle quieter than a 22 mag, with much better terminal performance by comparison. Also, loading down a 223 to 22 mag levels works great, if you feel the need for that level of performance.

It's all personal preference (and a little 'snobery'). I'm at a point in my life where I'll pay a little more for refinements that are rare on inexpensive guns. Most of these refinements don't make them any more accurate but they do make me happy.

As to the 457, hopefully it will show up today. Would like to get it out this weekend and check it out.

Well, the pursuit of happiness is a foundation right of all Americans.

I agree that there is no question that the average Anschutz is more refined than the average Marlin, but if accuracy is the goal, the incremental increase in the accuracy potential of the Anschutz comes at a steep price.

Very few of the rifles that I shoot, or purchase with the intent of shooting, regardless of their cost, remain in the their factory specs condition for long, as I tend to tinker with my rifle and modify them to fit me and my needs. Some of my Marlins have been restocked with Boyds laminated stocks and most of the rimfire bolt guns have had some trigger work done on them. That said, I like the size and design of the Marlin 900 series synthetic stocks better than most and if it is an option, I prefer stainless to blued CM.

i picked up a couple Ray-Vin 22mag uppers on a whim. years ago had a 22m in something or the other that if you were in front of me you were safe. most inaccurate rifle i ever had. soured me on the 22 mag for years. what a loss in enjoyment!
the ar22mags i have will shoot 1 inch at 100 so regular it gets boring. i use them for ground squirrel control in the alfalfa fields.
have a young friend that uses the 17hmr for just about everything and kills stuff i wouldn't use a .223 on.
take your pick.

I've only got a coupla Garrow Hummers. Ray-Vin's are notorious,for shooting outta battery and he fully aborted 17 Hummer efforts. The Garrow locking lugs,are more than soothin'. Hint.



Have never seen a 22WMR begin to hang with 17 Hummer Precision...'course nobody else has either.(grin)

Hint...................

Mike's locking mechanism and gas system.








Hint................

Anybody use a 22mag semi auto? A buddy who chases coyotes is looking for one and likes the Ruger, but they are like hen's teeth and a hawks nest!!

I've got a couple of Remington 597s that I like to use for shooting called 'cats in tight cover.

I also have a Kodiak 260. It is among the least reliable rifles that I've ever owned.

Ruger 10/22 Magnums tend to be scarce and expensive. I had one that I converted to 17HMR, shot it a bit, converted it back to its original format, and then sold it for about 2x what I paid for it new. It wasn't any more reliable than the Remington 597s.

He wants/needs a Garrow Hummer.

Though I drive a Franklin 17 Whizzum too.



They are a piston gun.




582 Mils dialed on erector.



Mags ain't cheap,but they are rather well made and exceedingly robust.



It runs well.



Hint...................

I have a CZ 512 Tactical and a Kel-Tec CMR 30, both in 22 Mag. They both work well and are more than accurate enough for my uses.