Just a bullet question.....22 Magnum.
If 22LR is cheap ammo.....and several other same diameter bullets are faster , what was the reason to make or invent the 22 magnum round? Is it an answer to a question nobody had?
Breech
Breech
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.22 mag ammo is not cheap,but it does give you a bang for the bucks.
Psalm 109:80 -
As I understand it, aside from marketing a new and improved, the issue was that the folks popping squirrels and other small varmints wanted something with more reach and killing power then they were getting from the age old 22LR. Remember that quality, affordable variable rifle scopes have only come into causual use since the end of WWII and with iron sights the 22LR is plenty of cartridge. 0 -
I've hunted prairie dogs and jack rabbits with both 22lr and 22 mag. For rimfire, my favorite of the two is by far the 22 mag (22WMR). I get the Remington ballistic tips and they're just devastating within the same range. I'd prefer not to take a 150 yard shot on a prairie dog with a 22lr, but I'd rarely hesitate to with the WMR. Like victor said, it's just more bang for the buck. Now, if I didn't already have the 22WMR, I'd get a .17 HMR. That is an impressive varmint round.
"When the going gets weird, the Weird turn pro"
Hunter S. Thompson"0 -
quote:Originally posted by breechman
If 22LR is cheap ammo.....and several other same diameter bullets are faster , what was the reason to make or invent the 22 magnum round? Is it an answer to a question nobody had?
Not really.
Ballistic performance of the .22 Magnum is really a lot better than .22 LR.
Depending on whose data you look at, from a rifle, the 22 magnum puts gets a muzzle velocity close to 2000 feet per second for about 300 ft-pounds of energy with the standard 40 grain bullet.
Compare that to maybe 1000 feet per second and 80 foot pounds from a standard 40 grain .22 LR, or maybe up to 150 foot pounds from a maximum power 40 grainer like the "Velocitor".
The point is, the magnum gives you much more power, and with it a much flatter trajectory for a longer practical range. The ballistics with the magnum are more comparable to a centerfire rifle, but the ammo is a lot cheaper.0 -
My brother has a 22LR/22 WM Rossi revolver with a 2" barrel. Does he get anything extra, besides an impressive muzzel blast, shooting WM? 0 -
"My brother has a 22LR/22 WM Rossi revolver with a 2" barrel. Does he get anything extra, besides an impressive muzzel blast, shooting WM?"
nope0 -
Hi Breechman,
This may help to answer your question. I think this just graphically displays what most responders have already said.
The 22 Mag is much flatter shooting compared to the 22LR and maintains approximately twice the downrange energy.
When the 22 Mag was introduced in 1959, it was a 22 rimfire round without equal, when it replaced the 22 WRF, the previous champion. At the time there were no hyper-velocity 22's or 17 rimfire magnums to compete with. The 22 Mag can still generate slightly more power than the 17 HMR with the right combination of components.
Regards,
Heavyiron
"If I don't see you nomore on this world, I'll meet you on the next one, and don't be late!" - Jimi Hendrix0 -
quote:Originally posted by MIKE WISKEY
"My brother has a 22LR/22 WM Rossi revolver with a 2" barrel. Does he get anything extra, besides an impressive muzzel blast, shooting WM?"
nope
Mike Whiskey is wrong.
Muzzle Energy in foot-pounds:
22 LR from Pistol = 96
22 WMR from Pistol = 175
22 Long Rifle from Rifle = 135
22 WMR from Rifle = 313
Momentum in Power Factor (grain-feet per 1000 seconds)
22 LR from Pistol = 42
22 WMR from Pistol = 57
22 Long Rifle from Rifle = 50
22 WMR from Rifle = 76
A .22 revolver with a 2" barrel firing the .22 WMR will develop more energy energy than a .22 LR fired from a full sized rifle barrel. Both the 22 LR and 22 WMR loose quite a bit when fired from a pistol, but the advantage of the 22 WMR from a pistol is still there.
MEMBER SINCE 10/24/1999.
To err is human, to moo is bovine.0 -
quote:Originally posted by boeboe
quote:Originally posted by MIKE WISKEY
"My brother has a 22LR/22 WM Rossi revolver with a 2" barrel. Does he get anything extra, besides an impressive muzzel blast, shooting WM?"
nope
Mike Whiskey is wrong.
Muzzle Energy in foot-pounds:
22 LR from Pistol = 96
22 WMR from Pistol = 175
22 Long Rifle from Rifle = 135
22 WMR from Rifle = 313
Momentum in Power Factor (grain-feet per 1000 seconds)
22 LR from Pistol = 42
22 WMR from Pistol = 57
22 Long Rifle from Rifle = 50
22 WMR from Rifle = 76
A .22 revolver with a 2" barrel firing the .22 WMR will develop more energy than a .22 LR fired from a full sized rifle barrel. Both the 22 LR and 22 WMR lose quite a bit when fired from a pistol, but the advantage of the 22 WMR from a pistol is still there.
And not to rub it in, but even from a 2 inch barrel, the .22 Magnum will put out 175 foot pounds of energy. That's comparable to the 185 foot-pounds from a .380 ACP. . .except the super high velocity .22 is probably going to have more penetration and a better range. Its a viable defense round, especially if you consider that you can probably get nine of them out of a wheelgun.
Compare prices: $12/50 for .380, and $8/50 for .22 magnum, and its economical.
If you're hunting with a .22 pistol, it makes even more sense to go with the .22 magnum, because the hypervelocity .22 LRs require long barrels to get up to speed and there is little real advantage to them in a pistol.0 -
GEE, A ONE WORD ANSWER SURE GENERATED A LOT OF VERBAGE. DID YOUR M.E. FIGURES ABOVE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE 2INCH BARREL? I'VE FIRED THE .22 MAG. OUT OF A 2" BARREL WITH VERY UNREMARKABLE RESULTS. A .22 SDT. VEL. L.R. OUT OF A 6" BARRELED REVOLVER HAD MORE PUNCH. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by MIKE WISKEY
GEE, A ONE WORD ANSWER SURE GENERATED A LOT OF VERBAGE. DID YOUR M.E. FIGURES ABOVE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE 2INCH BARREL? I'VE FIRED THE .22 MAG. OUT OF A 2" BARREL WITH VERY UNREMARKABLE RESULTS. A .22 SDT. VEL. L.R. OUT OF A 6" BARRELED REVOLVER HAD MORE PUNCH.
That's really not a fair comparison, though. There is a big difference in performance between a six inch gun and a two (or smaller) inch gun, particularly in a bullet designed for use in a rifle. If you want to compare, you have to compare using similar guns.
The original question was why does the .22 magnum exist?
Answer: Its a lot faster and more powerful than a .22 LR, particularly out of a rifle.
Question #2: Is there still an advantage to a .22 magnum from a pistol?
Answer: Yes, a .22 mag is still better than a .22LR from a pistol, though you lose much of the power (from either) in the short barrel.
Question #3: Is there still an advantage in even a puny two inch barrel?
Answer: Still yes. . .check out these ballistic data from North Amerian Arms, which is in the business of selling little teensy .22 pistols:
http://www.naaminis.com/naaveloc.html
You'll see that comparing similar weight bullets, from similar barrel lengths (whether in a 1-5/8" barrel or even the shorter 1-1/8") the .22 magnum still puts out significantly more muzzle velocity than a .22 LR from the same barrel length.
Now admittedly once you get down to that small barrel length, the performance of both is pretty lousy. . .but if you have to use a gun that small, that's all the more reason to use the .22 magnum to get the maximum power you can!0
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