Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires .22 LR in a .22 Mag

I was talking to someone earlier today and I just wanted to get some more opinions. Can you shoot .22 ammo (non-magnum) through a .22 magnum rifle without any consequences? What would the accuracy look like? Does it also hold true for centerfire guns? Thanks!

Will probably not feed, will split cases and accuracy will be absymal.

The accuracy sucks, the cases will split, extraction will be a PITA, and generally it's just a BAD idea. The .22mag case is bigger in diameter than the LR to keep dumbazzes from loading the mag into the LR guns. That larger diameter causes bad, bad things when LRs are fired in mag chambers.

As for the centerfire guns, I have no idea what you're talking about - you want to clarify that one?

Haven't tried it, and I think the two guys above got it right. So, I'll be shooting 22 RF's in a rifle desgned for them, and the same goes for the 22 Mag's.
Come to think about it, sounds really bad...
Do

thanks guys I guess I'm not as crazy as what I thought lol. As for the centerfire part that I mentioned, would the same effects of a non magnum hold true as a rimfire(I'm sure it does)

gicts,

If you want to keep ALL your pieces parts as they presently are, use ONLY the caliber that a particular arm is chambered for.

BIG DITTO!!!!
Don

+ 6.02 x 10^23 <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

a 22 magnum case can be sawed off at the rim, and the case body used for a "filler" and insert a 22LR, in a 22 magnum chamber, although this pratice isn't recommended, or very safe, it has been done....
Virgil B.

gicts,

Your confusion is understandable. There ARE some situations where a certain firearm may be safe to use with more than one type of ammunition. One example would be a revolver chambered for the ".44 Magnum" cartridge. A .44 Magnum revolver can also fire the ".44 Special" cartridge safely, though the point of impact on the target would likely be different. It is not safe to fire a .44 Magnum cartridge in a firearm chambered specifically for the .44 Special, however.

A similar situation exists with a revolver chambered for the ".357 Magnum" cartridge. It can also safely fire ".38 Special" ammunition. And again, you cannot safely fire .357 Magnum ammo in a gun chambered specifically for the .38 Special cartridge. There are several other such examples.

The thing to remember is that you can NEVER take anything for granted. Whenever you have the slightest doubt about which ammunition is acceptable for any firearm, DON'T GAMBLE. Ask someone who is well versed on the subject, such as a reputable gunsmith. In many cases, you can call, write or email the manufacturer of the firearm in question. You might get good information on a website like this one, but sometimes a poster only THINKS he has the right answer. This is a great hobby/lifestyle when pursued carefully, but the consequences of carelessness can be severe.

Ace Dube makes an adapter that allows .22 LR to be fired in a .22 Magnum chamber. I suspect they will work fine in a bolt action rifle.

As a kid I worked in a gun shop where I heard this all the time. Some local genius would knowingly state that you can use 22 LRs in a 22 Magnum, or 270s in a 7mm magnum, or some other ridiculous thing. I guess they were confused by being able to use 38 specials in a 357 magnum, generalizing to every other known caliber. Even knowing only what I knew then, I strongly advised against it. You don't even need a caliper to see the difference in case diameter between a 22 LR and 22 Magnum. It only takes a rudimentary knowledge of pressure and a smidgen of imagination to guess what might happen when you touch off the LR in a magnum chamber. Okay, it might work, in some guns, some of the time. Or, it might be a big disaster. Why risk a blast in the face with hot powder residue when there is no earthly reason to do so? Don't do it.

My favorite, which I've heard twice (once here), is that a 300 WBY is always the smart buy because even if you cannot find 300 WBY ammo, just about everyone carries 300 WM ammo and its just as good!

Note to self: Stay far away from those people!

Note to self: Stick with avagardo!

Last summer I accidentally, (make that stupidly), discovered that a .300 Savage round will work quite well in a .308 Win. chamber. At least once. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

Note: Stick with avagardo. This is NOT a recommended procedure! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

Note to self:
Hang out with Avagardo and "T"...
Don

I have a set of Ace's inserts. They work really well in a revolver, single shot, or inserted into a repeating action 1 at a time, but they don't feed though a magazine worth a darn.

Jeff

FOR WHATS IT IS WORTH I HAVE HAD SOME EXPERIENCE IN THIS AREA-----fired a 22 in a 22 mag cylinder and kept changing the sites end result I could not put them where they sould be ( ruger) single six and the rounds sounded like pop corn then changed cylinders and gun shot well(22 long rifle cylinder) another time I was shooting a 44 magnum and a 45 long colt I accidently put in a 44 mag. round in the 45 long colt and when I fired it did not sound right and round was not on paper when I relized what had happened I was a little shook up glad the 45 long colt was a ruger blackhawk these things happen ---be sure to use the right ammo for gun- the 44 and 45 LC where on the shooting bench side by side and I did not relize I <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> had loaded the wrong round---keep em in the black

I think that the key is for the bullet to enter the barrel centered in the bore and, since a 22LR sits loose in a 22 Mag chamber, it can't do that on a consistant basis without help. In this case, help in the form of an auxillary chamber from Ace Dube. A lead 22 LR bullet will usually expand enough to grip the rifling in a 22 Mag barrel and will work if you're in a pinch, auxillary chamber or not. In my Rossi and S&W 22 Mag revolvers, the 22 LRs group lower and larger than the 22 Mags, but they still group small enough to hit a rabbit at 20 yards and a larger target at 40 yards when I use the Ace Dube inserts.

Jeff

what about shorts in a LR chamber?