Is there any problem shooting LR ammo out of a gun chambered for the 22 Mag? I would not think so but?? Maybe it would not shoot as straight, but good enough for a trap line gun.

TIA

Yes.

The .22 Magnum is a larger case. The .22LRs can/will bulge, and can rupture. BT/DT. Don't do it.

+ 1

If economics, get rid of the .22 mag and get a .22 long rifle. If not economics, just buy a second pistol/rifle in .22 long rifle. I have tried shooting .22 long rifle out of a Ruger Single Six with the .22 mag Cyl. I shoot in the basement with CCI CB Longs or Anguila Colobri ammo which makes very little noise. Lots of powder leaks, poor accuracy etc. If you are going to do it, do be sure to wear good eye protection.

If you get a chamber adapter from MCA Sports in Anchorage, AK, you can shoot 22 short/long/long-rifle in a 22 Magnum without any problems.

I have 6 of these chamber adapters and use them in revolvers and in my Savage 24s that a 22 Mag over 410 and 22 Mag over 20. They work fine but are not match grade accurate.

www.mcace.com

Jeff

My brother once cut the rim off of a 22 mag. case, and slipped a 22LR into it, and fired it in a 22 mag chamber. He said it worked fine.
Virgil B.

+1 on Ace Dube's adapters.

It's not the bullet that's the problem; it's the case diameter.

I tried it too but not deliberately. Bought a Single Six advertised as a .22. Shot it worse than any pistol I had ever shot, including J-frames with full power .357s. Then I noticed about one case every cylinder was split. Only being semi-slow, I put two and two together, went to the counter, bought a box of Magnums, and solved that problem.

I would just buy the correct ammo, or trade the gun. It was pretty frustrating not having the hole appear where you knew the gun was pointed.

Wow thanks guys. I never would have thought about the case dimensions being different. I drive different vehicles, and I'll jump in one and head out in the piney woods, only to discover that only LR is in the glove box.

I will just throw a plastic shopping bag with the correct ammo over the scope so when I grab it out of the safe I'm ready to go.

That is the ticket, as said above, it ain't a good idea to use the LR's in the Magnum.

While I don't know the specific measurements, the 22 Mag is designed more like a "standard" centerfire round, where the bullet slips into the case neck, and you can see the front of the neck around the bullet. The 22 LR case is the same diameter as the bullet, with that funky little crimp around the "ball" on the back of the bullet.

So while the bullets are essentially the same diameter (think Single Six barrel), the 22 Mag case is larger in diameter.

Did that all make sense?

Exactly.
The bore diameters are so close that you won't have a problem with bullet diameter differences, but the case will do you in.

I bought a S&W 651 that someone had shot 22 LR in. The first time I fired it with WMR rounds I had to pull the cases with a pair of pliers. Luckily there was no damage to the cylinder from the previous owner doing so. I was able to clean out the chambers with a lot of elbow grease!

Couldn't have been me!

Jeff

So basically the chambers had been "fireformed" to the LR.

I think what he means is that the cylinder/chambers were fouled from firing the shorter 22 LR cartridges. Scrubbing with a copper/bronze brush would clean them up good as new. In theory, you could burn a ring into the cylinder/chamber by firing the shorter 22 LR cartridges, but I think that you'd have to fire thousands of 22 LRs in a 22 Magnum chamber to do any damage to a firearm with any quality.

Other than making a dirty chamber, the only real problem with firing 22 LR in a 22 Magnum chamber is that the cartridge isn't supported properly, since it is a smaller diameter case, and the bullet can't be centered in the chamber, so it will hit the rifling at an angle. If you use a chamber adapter, such as those sold by Ace Dube, the 22 LR cartridge is properly supported and centered, so the bullets hit the rifling straight and go pretty much where you're aiming.

Jeff

Well I understand that. My last comment was supposed to be sarcatic/humorous. I guess I need to work on that.

The 22LR bullet is .223 in diameter, while the 22 Magnum bullet is .224 in diameter.

Bill

Once forgot that I had the .22 magnum cyliner in a Colt single-action. Had a cylinder full of bulged and split long rifle cases when I was done and stil took some time to figure out what was wrong.

What about 22 WRF in a WMR? I always thought that was OK but while looking at the specs for CCI WRF I see thay say it should never be done. I have even read articles that say to use WRF if you want a lighter load. CCI is the only company I know that still makes WRF (other than special runs by Winchester every few years). Here's the link to CCI for anyone interested - WRF is at the bottom of the page. CCI

Keep the 22 Mag brass and cut the heads off with a hack saw about half way up the case. Use the cylinders so formed as a sleeve for the 22 LR ammo. Works like a charm and is cheaper.

Wayne

Over the past 40 years I've shot Winchester/Olin 22 WRF, Remington 22 Rem Special, and CCI's 22 WRF ammo in a variety of 22 Magnum rifles and revolvers without any trouble. I think that CCI's caution against firing 22 WRF ammo in firearms chambered for the 22 MRF has more to do with "due diligence" related to defending against any potential product liability litigation than any real or imagined problems.

They may be correct about firing their jacketed 22 WRF ammo in 22 WRF revolvers, since I suspect that there haven't been any new firearms chambered for the 22 WRF since before the US became involved in WW2.

Jeff

FWIW, I followed up with CCI regarding the use of 22 WRF ammo in 22 MRF firearms. I was told, in a circuitous manner, that as a good SAAMI member, they could not recommend using any cartridge in a firearm that it wasn't originally intended for. The guy I spoke to also said that the 22 WRF bullet has a slightly larger diameter than the 22 MRF bullet, so in a revolver it might be possible for the jacketed 22 WRF CCI bullet to lodge in the barrel and let the gas escape out the gap between the cylinder and the barrel, thereby creating a dangerous situation.

Jeff

I should check back a bit more often! Nope, it wasn't the one I bought from you !

Heck, one time I mistakenly fired a .243 out of a .270. It blew the neck off the case but did no other damage.

I could see how easy that would be --since the 243 and 270 are so similar.