questions on "conversions"...

[danza]

i'm a little confused so please bear with me...

i have a 'standard' .22 LR barrel for the .22 sportster.

i can safely convert it to .22 mag by way of the PROPER chamber reamer? correct?   

will the .22 mag chambering handle the .22 WMR?

is .22 mag the same as .22 WMR?   

geeeee...

[MSP Ret]

Yes, it can be safely done and I have had one of mine done, it is safe and shoots GREAT. I had a .22 LR Versa Pak barrel chamber reamed to .22 Mag. And again yes, the .22 Mag is the same as .22 WMR (Winchester Magnum Rimfire = WMR)....<><....

It took my gunsmith 15-20 minutes to do it while we talked. He has done many, both handguns and rifles. The rifles were all single shots. IIRC he told me a different reamer is required for a revolver cylinder vs. a rifle chamber, I don't recall the difference, piloted or non-piloted or something similar. He knows, and that was what was important to me....<><....

[Brett]

Danza,

It was my understanding that you cannot convert a 'standard .22lr barrel to shoot .22 mag.'s simply by reboring the chamber.  The .22 WMR  (Winchester Magnum Rimfire)  or .22 Mag. (yes they are the same thing) is slightly larger than the .22 lr (long rifle) and is not safe to shoot in a barrel sized for the .22 lr. even if you rebore the chamber.

Undoudtably you have seen some revolvers such as Ruger's Single Six which you can shoot either .22 mag.'s or .22lr in by switching out the cylinders.  This is possible because the barrels are bored for the slightly larger .22 mag.     

[MSP Ret]

The difference in bore diameter is somewhere between .001" and .002", not a concern nor a safety factor. In fact, with those numbers it is very possible many of your .22 LR barrels are larger than some of your .22 Mag barrels and some of your .22 Mag barrels may even be smaller than some of your .22 LR barrels.
The big difference is not in bore diameter, in fact the similar bore diameter is what makes the change possible and so easy. The difference is merely in the length of the shell and the diameter of the shell case itself. A .22 LR uses a "heeled" bullet, which is smaller within the case than the full diameter of the bearing surface of the front part of the bullet. A .22 Mag uses a bullet which is the same diameter the full length of the bearing surface and the shell case is a few thousandts greater in diameter to accommodate the larger diameter of the bullet.
NO PROBLEM with the conversion....<><....