22lr Vs 22mag

46374 Views 14 Replies 11 Participants Last post by big shrek, Sep 30, 2012

rfr4evr

Discussion Starter · Mar 6, 2009

I am looking into buying a semi auto 22LR or 22Mag in a couple weeks.

I have checked them both out and as far as price goes they are the same price $300.

This was for a Savage 22 Mag and a Ruger 10/22. I also looked at a Savage 22LR as well it was about $80 cheaper than the Ruger.
What I liked about the Ruger 10/22 was the choice of bigger magazines, I can get 25 shot mags for the Ruger for $25, where the Savage only has 10 shot mags and extra mags are $30.

I am interested in the extra punch of a 22Mag but I don't like the cost of the shells compared to regular 22LR and mostly it would be used for gophers, I have heard conflicting opinions regarding using 22LR in a 22Mag. My question are...
Which is my best choice for a 22LR?
Can you use 22LR in a 22Mag rifle?

I also have my eye on a Ruger 22LR/22Mag convertable revolver as well.

Collin

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Win73

· #2 · Mar 7, 2009

You can't (at least should not) use .22 lr in a .22 mag gun. The diameter of the magnum case is larger than the long rifle case. The long rifle uses a heeled bullet and the case diameter is the same as the bullet diameter. The magnum does not use a heeled bullet and the case diameter is greater than the bullet diameter. Fireing a long rifle in a magnum chamber will likely result in a ruptured case and could even injure the shooter.

The bullet diameters are the same which is why a convertible revolver with two cylinders can fire both rounds.

stalkingbear

· #3 · Mar 7, 2009

The bullet diameter on .22 magnum is .224, whereas the bullet diameter of .22LR is .223. You CANNOT use .22LR in .22magnum-the case WILL split! I currently have 3 Ruger 10/22s and feel they are THE most reliable .22LR semi-auto on the market. I recommend getting a Ruger 10/22 and later get a .22 magnum in bolt action or lever action. The Ruger Super Single Six convertible is bored to fit .22 magnum or .224. It WILL still shoot .22LR well however.

Gene L

· #4 · Mar 7, 2009

I'm a .22 LR guy myself, and something of a .22 nut. There are few .22s that aren't pretty good rifles, at least none I"ve seen, so in a way whatever you buy is going to be a good rifle.

A .22 magnum is a great round but is a overpowered for most game I'd hunt with a rimfire. I hunt for food, shoot pests for fun, and the Mag is fine for the second, but not the best for the first. Great on larger animals like groundhogs and got a longer range, but the price of ammo is something I can't live with. Plus, it's not versitile like a .22 LR, which will shoot LRs or CB caps if you want to go quiet.

What is the best .22 depends on what you want in a rifle. The 10-22 as mentioned is a great semi auto rifle and reliable. Holds a good deal of ammo, too. And they're buildable, lots of aftermarket accesories and replacement parts so you can get very accurate results. I'm building one (if you call bolting on parts building) right now, and hope it will shoot really well.

Marlin makes good and reasonably-priced .22s in either auto or bolt. Not beautiful, but adequate.

I've got a TC Classic .22. It's very accurate and very good looking, but it's real sensitive to cleaning issues. Still, worth it if you want an accurate semi.

Also have a CZ which is a great bolt rifle. Good looking as well. It's got a 5-round magazine, which is a handicap somewhat.

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big shrek

· #5 · Mar 7, 2009

rfr4evr said:
I am looking into buying a semi auto 22LR or 22Mag in a couple weeks.

I am interested in the extra punch of a 22Mag but I don't like the cost of the shells compared to regular 22LR and mostly it would be used for gophers, I have heard conflicting opinions regarding using 22LR in a 22Mag. My question are...
Which is my best choice for a 22LR?
Can you use 22LR in a 22Mag rifle?

I also have my eye on a Ruger 22LR/22Mag convertable revolver as well.

Collin

Stalkingbear is RIGHT! Don't even try to use a LR in a WMR or vicey versey...too dangerous...anyone who does is a few sandwiches short of a picnic.

Kinda like using 9x19's in a pistol made for 9x18...it's an accident waiting to happen.

The convertible revolver has TWO cylinders. You switch them out to fire each type of ammo in it's Specific cylinder. And it's a pretty darn reliable revolver.

Now, on to the Gopher question...at less than 75 yds...a .22lr would work fine. If you plan on shots up to 150 yds, get the .22 magnum, it'll drop 'em all day long.

Ruger also made a 10/22 in .22 Magnum (discontinued last year), if you can find one used, they are supposed to be pretty nice

Benefits of .22LR...decent up-close power at cheap rates. Pretty much will kill any varmint at up to 50-75 yards. Some folks say anything over 50 is stretching it, but your personal accuracy also figures in.

Benefits of .22WMR...average price $9-$10 a box of 50, but will knock the socks off coyotes & smaller out to 150 yds...

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stalkingbear

· #6 · Mar 16, 2009

Ruger's 10/22 mag was discontinued due to the extractors blowing out due to the increased bolt energy/speed of cyling of the .22 mag cartridge. it IS an easy fix however for a gunsmith to simply drill a tiny hole then pin in the extracter in so that it can't fly out. Ruger actually made 2 different designations of the 10/22mag. 1 had 1 extractor (right side), while the other (earlier), featured 2 extractors-1 on each side. The 1 with dual extractors would let the left side extractor blow out and lock the bolt up. As I said,an easy fix for either model.

The .22 magnum when loaded with FMJ bullets will leave exact same wound channel as .22LR HV HP, only with increased range & penetration. The only disadvantage is the increased price of .22 magnum ammo.

Rex in OTZ

· #7 · Mar 16, 2009 (Edited)

The question is what you want?

I guess I have a couple questions, first is What you interested in doing? just plinking? or seious hunting?
Also you mentioned semi auto, Is this a pistol or rifle?

The magnum is a hunting round and I wouldent recomend it as a plinking round its too expensive for that, as of right now there isant a semi auto .22 mag being produced presently domesticly there are used ones floating round but expect to spend allot.

For semiauto rifles the Ruger is nice and has lots of gizmoes one can attach to it and can be tweaked to be more accurate.
The Ruger has availability of high capacity mags for plinking.

The Marlin 60 is good rifle that's been around as long as the Ruger 10/22 but is a down to earth hunting arm.

I like a good semi, I like Browning designed arms like the Taurus 63 semi or the Norinco JW 20 or the Browning BA.22 semi auto these little butt stock fed semi's are designs that been around
awhile (all these are take down's for easy stowage).

I also recomend a good pump like the Remington 572 or the Rossi/Taurus 62's(takedowns)

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hunter Joe

· #8 · Mar 16, 2009

I was was also considering a 22 mag, although, I'm wondering if .204 would be a wiser choice. Any thoughts on the .204 would be appreciated. I understand that you can reload .204 and those little suckers do around 4500 fps. By the way, I'm the proud owner of a 10/22 and just love it.

sgtdeath66

· #9 · Mar 16, 2009

well rfr4evr you could save your self some money and get a reliable rifle like the marlin mod 60. although total cleaning of the rifle is a little difficult for the beginer, but they are wicked accurate out of the box, and i mean wicked accurate. the only downfall ive encountered is when out in the feild the tube is a little hard to reload in an instant. or you can do what i did and get the remington 597. with a scope it only cost 170. now thats alot of ammo right there. plus you might get those people that say the 597 is unreliable....thats bs. its usually from those 10/22 fanatics that want to get everyone to convert to their posse

but in all honesty the 597 and 10/22 are basically the top competing rifles in the .22lr field.

big shrek

· #10 · Mar 16, 2009 (Edited)

sgtdeath66 said:
well rfr4evr you could save your self some money and get a reliable rifle like the marlin mod 60. although total cleaning of the rifle is a little difficult for the beginer, but they are wicked accurate out of the box, and i mean wicked accurate. the only downfall ive encountered is when out in the feild the tube is a little hard to reload in an instant. or you can do what i did and get the remington 597. with a scope it only cost 170. now thats alot of ammo right there. plus you might get those people that say the 597 is unreliable....thats bs. its usually from those 10/22 fanatics that want to get everyone to convert to their posse but in all honesty the 597 and 10/22 are basically the top competing rifles in the .22lr field.

The Marlin 795 (.22LR) is a magazine-fed rifle with pretty much the same action & reliability as the Model 60. 16-groove barrel makes them freakishly accurate.

For a .22WMR, you would have a hard time doing better than a Marlin 982VS...heavy barrel with 16 grooves. Average price around $249

Gonzilla

· #11 · Feb 19, 2012

Quick facts : 22 mag in a 6" pistol has the velocity of a 22 rifle.
Hits foxes, coyotes hard out to 150 yds and w good equip n shooter, even more.
Bucks the wind better than 17 caliber.

coyotex

· #12 · Sep 29, 2012

I recently purchased a CZ 455 American = Cz .22's are Very accurate and will shoot as well as alot more expensive bolt actions out there. I bought mine from cheaper than dirt for $335 in .22lr = the really neat thing about these is that the barrels are interchangible and you can buy 1 in 22/22WMR or 17HMR for the same price. Then you can buy different barrels later from CZ America for $125 a piece. It takes 5 minutes to switch from 1 to another. When using .22 LR, a spacer goes in the mag well to make up for the extra room. Look into it at CZ.com (im trying to make space in my safe so having 3 rimfires in 1 rifle helps.

Gonzilla

· #13 · Sep 30, 2012

Cz455

Read good reviews in gun mag but they love everything. The concepts been out there awhile but it's been expensive. I've read good n bad about the new 455 from various Internet sights.

New platforms always require some tweaking which is why I never buy one.

nitestalker

· #14 · Sep 30, 2012

The CZ Bruno semi-auto Mdl 611 take down was chambered for the .22 Mag it is a great rifle. I used this rifle for years packed on horses and canoes. It is retired now and lives in the safe.

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big shrek

· #15 · Sep 30, 2012 (Edited)

coyotex said:
I recently purchased a CZ 455 American = Cz .22's are Very accurate and will shoot as well as alot more expensive bolt actions out there. I bought mine from cheaper than dirt for $335 in .22lr = the really neat thing about these is that the barrels are interchangible and you can buy 1 in 22/22WMR or 17HMR for the same price. Then you can buy different barrels later from CZ America for $125 a piece. It takes 5 minutes to switch from 1 to another. When using .22 LR, a spacer goes in the mag well to make up for the extra room. Look into it at CZ.com (im trying to make space in my safe so having 3 rimfires in 1 rifle helps.

Anytime you revive a thread started over two years ago, you have to buy it a birthday cake

I've been noticing the CZ 455 semi-auto, will wait to see how well they act after a few years...
shakedowns in the .22WMR community are common, as it is a difficult caliber to get right in semi-auto...
and that's putting it Nicely...Ruger stopped & started the 1022M Five Times...finally sold the rights to Magnum Research & VQ...

The two .22WMR semi-auto rifles I currently own that actually Work...and neither are being made currently...
Grendel R-31 which I got lucky on...now worth over $1500 according to the latest auction site pricing...
shoots like a freeking DREAM, but it required that I use the Goldenloki.com Keltec tweaks to get it reliable...

Marlin 922M, which I also got lucky on the price...and have yet to sight in at the range (nice Nikon scope on it),
but I've test-fired it and taken a black rat (used ratshot) with it thusfar...functions Quite Well!!
Granted, I also polished the bolt & rails the first time I took it apart for cleaning after purchase...

The Grendel R-31 was created by George Kellgren (Kel-tec/Gren-del, get it?)
and has now been replaced by the Keltec RMR-30, a 30-rds per mag wonder-carbine

The Marlin 922M was killed due to Bill Clinton's Gun Ban of 1994 (as was Grendel, Inc),
and since Marlin semi-auto's are made in NY state, unlikely to return to production...
although if Marlin would give me the contract & a factory, they'd be produced in Florida along with the rest of the Camp series

Florida has no Anti-Gun laws, just Anti-Crook laws!!

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