# .22 mag



## ucfireman (Oct 27, 2019)

Just bought a .22 mag. 
Can you shoot .22LR through it or will they not chamber correctly? 
Just curious. kind of like shooting a .38 spl in .357 mag. or .223 in 5.56.


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## fishfryer (Oct 27, 2019)

If you do it won't be accurate,and you may have jamming and other problems. A .22 magnum bullet is .001-.002 larger in diameter. If you want to shoot .22 ammunition use the right firearm not a magnum. Combination revolvers like the Ruger Super Single Six have two different cylinders for the respective cartridges. The magnum cylinder is more accurate because the barrel is made for the larger bullet.


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## 1eyefishing (Oct 27, 2019)

No.
The 22mag brass surrounds the base of the bullet, where as the LR brass flush fits the outside diameter of the bullet. The rim is also different diameter.
So the shell will fit very loosely in the chamber and the bullet not seated in the throat.
It may fire, but it won't be good for the firearm. And forget about accuracy.


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## ucfireman (Oct 27, 2019)

10-4. I wasn't going to do it without 1st hand knowledge from someone. 
All I was thinking is I could load up a different mag with LR for squirrels or even shot shells for snakes.


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## PopPop (Oct 27, 2019)

ucfireman said:


> 10-4. I wasn't going to do it without 1st hand knowledge from someone.
> All I was thinking is I could load up a different mag with LR for squirrels or even shot shells for snakes.



As OneEye said, definitely a no, no. Dangerous for the firearm and the shooter. CCI does make shot shells for the magnum, shoot CCI solids at squirrels, keep it to headshots.


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## 1eyefishing (Oct 27, 2019)

An accurate 22mag is quite a tool.
I popped many a critter with one in my country boy years...


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## GunnSmokeer (Oct 27, 2019)

I don't know that it's "dangerous" to fire .22 LR in a .22 WMR (.22 magnum) gun.
I've done it with every .22 mag firearm I've ever owned, some of my friends have too.

But, they are a rather loose fit in that longer and wider magnum chamber.  With some makes and models of Magnum guns, there may be an ignition problem with the firing pin not making a deep enough strike on the rim of a LR round.
And The Long Rifle rounds may not seal the chamber fully, thus allowing hot gas to blow out past the bolt.
And in my experience your group size will be twice as big --which may still be acceptable, depending on your purpose an application for that gun. One of the handguns I used to shoot a lot of Long Rifle rounds through was a self-defense revolver. I wanted to practice quick point shooting at five and 7 yards.  If my groups were the size of a paper plate, that was just fine with me--I just wanted to practice a lot to do it FAST. I shot several hundred .22 Long Rifle rounds (usually standard velocity) out of that one particular revolver which was chambered only for 22 Magnum.

That's just my experience. Your mileage may vary. Using the wrong ammunition in a gun is always less safe, and if you blow your fingers off one hand and blind yourself, don't go suing me over it.


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## NE GA Pappy (Oct 27, 2019)

no.  don't even try it.  go get a 22LR gun for 22LR duties.  Use the magnum for magnum duties


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## GunnSmokeer (Oct 30, 2019)

SAAMI specs for these cartridges are just suggestions to manufacturers, who can and do deviate from them for business efficiency reasons.

I suspect any gun company that builds .22 lr and .22 WMR barrels will use the same bore diameter for both. The chamber will be different, though.

The other day I took my digital calipers and measured the bullet diameter, and then the case diameter, of various .22 long rifle and .22 magnum ammo.

Result:   The .22 mag bullets from both CCI and Winchester were .222". (only 1 out of six had any deviation  from that, at .2215")
Most types of .22 LR that I measured had a bullet diameter of either .221, .2215, or .222.  Those figures made up 90% of the new, clean ammo I tested. I checked cheap stuff like Remington Thunderbolt and Golden, Federal's No. 510, and Lapua SK.  

One of the Rem. Gold bullets was .223" wide, and one T-bolt was only .220.  So, it looks like Remington is not very consistent.

AS TO CASE DIAMETER, there was a big difference between the LR rounds snd the Magnums.
.221 or .222 was standard for the LR ammo, measured midway along the case.
The WMR ammo was significantly fatter: .2370" for CCI Maxi Mag, and .2385" for Winchester Super X.


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## Para Bellum (Oct 30, 2019)

This is unreal.  The answer is no.


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## GunnSmokeer (Oct 30, 2019)

For a lower powered cartridge that fits and works in many .22 Win Mag Rimfire guns, try the .22 WRF.

Winchester Rim-Fire. (non magnum)

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1301126619

The velocity out of a rifle is only 1300 ft/sec,  not the 1950 you'd get from a .22 mag rifle.


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## lonewolf247 (Nov 6, 2019)

I always keep things simple and also error on the side of safety.  In general, I only shoot the exact caliber that is stamped on the barrel, from a given firearm.

I own a couple of .22's  that will fire .22 short, .22 long, and .22 long rifle, but that is stamped on the barrel.


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## bfriendly (Nov 7, 2019)

Ammo is so cheap again, no need to even bother.....I have a box Winchester’s you can have, pm me.


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## bfriendly (Nov 7, 2019)

Besides, that magnum is one bad dude! Congrats and welcome to the club! I love mine!
Shoot different ammos at 100 yards and you will see and hear a difference.


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## bfriendly (Nov 7, 2019)

I like the Winchester v tip, but cc TMJ and hps also work great ! I just love that gun. I have a marlin 925....little beat up, but’s a good one.


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