Author Topic: .22 Magnum, will it become obsolete in 20-30 years? (Read 13518 times)

His lordship. · « **on:** August 15, 2003, 02:02:33 PM »

I wanted to wait on this question as the .17 magnum rimfire was so new. I was about to buy a .22 magnum rifle 2 years ago but heard alot of complaints about mediocre accuracy, but with some marginal recent improvements. I bought two .17 magnum rimfire rifles (CZ 452 and Ruger 77/17) and really like the cartridge, it is flat shooting, accurate and smooth. I have nailed a crow with the Ruger at 90 yards using the Hornady brand and it did the job quite well. :-)

But before the new .17 magnum rimfire CCI hollowpoint came out and we only had the Hornady red tip bullet to choose from, there was an article on prairie dog hunting that said that they noticed that the .22 Magnum was more explosive on the hits over the .17 at the longer ranges. I felt that this made the .22 better for certain applications. With the increase in new bullet designs with the .17 magnum rimfire cartridge this may/has changed.

Will we see the decline in .22 Winchester Magnum down the road which would entail a reduction in guns and ammo chambered for it? Will it remain steady for 10-20 years and then loose ground, or will it drop like a rock in the next 5 years? :?

Thanks

KN · « **Reply #1 on:** August 15, 2003, 03:41:08 PM »

I'm going to jump in this one! I think the popularity is already droping off. The 17HMR is in my opinion just too far superior to the 22 mag. The only drawback I see so far is the cost of ammo. If the price comes down I think you'll really see a decline in 22 mag popularity. As for long range performance, I have made lots of kills on PD's out to 200yds. At that range it's not so spectacular like a 223 but its still plenty potent. At under 100yds it tears them up pretty good. I don't have any experience with a 22 mag at 200 yds so I can't compare. I have my doubts if I could hit anything with a 22 mag at 200yds. But I've never tried. KN

Robert · « **Reply #2 on:** August 15, 2003, 05:00:36 PM »

22 mag will out live everyone on this forum. But how long will the 17 last? That is the question! 22 is already pushed around enough by the wind, a 17 can only be worse. I would imagine a 17 HMR would be fine if there isnt a breath of wind, I dont think it wil ever unroot the 22 mag.

jhm · « **Reply #3 on:** August 15, 2003, 05:06:03 PM »

I will have to 2nd Roberts post I believe the 22 mag has it over the 17 on the heavier targets the 17 is a mighty small bullet and it will have its limit as to what it can be used on true the 22 mag has its limit also but it is a little larger target.

JIM

Graybeard · « **Reply #4 on:** August 15, 2003, 05:14:48 PM »

Yup put me in the same camp with Robert and Jim. The .17 HRM is a passing fad and will pass away. The .22 Mag has been around since '59 and is more popular now than ever.

Stories of it not being accurate are the product of magazine writers who parrot what someone said about it way back in the early 60s and none of them likely have shot it since then. I have a right off the shelf Marlin 882SS that with Winchester 40 grain HPs will stay under an inch for five shots all day long. With CCI 40 grain HPs it shoots about 1.5" groups. I've never bothered to even try any other loads in it. Those two have done all I've asked of it.

To me it is a far superior round to the .17 HRM for most uses I have for such a gun and ammo is half the price. Nope I think it will be around a lot longer.

GB

Omaha-BeenGlockin · « **Reply #5 on:** August 15, 2003, 05:24:31 PM »

No interest in a .17 here either-----have 2 .22mags and am considering another one.

The .17 is just a flash-in-the-pan good-for-nothin cartridge to me.

Lawdog · « **Reply #6 on:** August 18, 2003, 09:50:16 AM »

Put me in the same boat with Graybeard, Robert and Jim. I wanted a rifle that would take down the occasional coyote or such and the .17 HMR just isn't going to fill the bill. I got a Ruger M77/22 and put a Green Mountain Running Boar barrel on it(heavy 22") and accuracy is everything a person could ask for. Sub 1" groups at 100 yards is the norm. I checked the local sporting goods store and their were no used .22 mags. in the rack but there were two used .17 HMR in the rack. Reason for them being sold was stated "cost of ammo". I believe Graybeard is right and the .17 HMR is going to end up like the 5mm Remington. Lawdog

jh45gun · « **Reply #7 on:** August 20, 2003, 01:18:31 PM »

Well First of all I am a 22 mag fan and as far as accuracy goes I have put 4 shots at 50 yards into one 30 cal hole with one flyer to make a 5 shot group .5 inches with my 22 mag Henry Lever. It will shoot .5 inches consistanly with ammo it likes and when I do my part. as far as 100 yards goes it still shoots well enough that any critter I see is dead. As far as farther than that goes where I shoot and hunt a 100 yards is a long way so the 22 mag will suit me fine. will the 22 mag stay you bet and I think that the ammo companies will make ammo even better in the future. Will the 17 stay yes I think too many rifles are out there already as the 5mm was only a Remington thing the 17 is being sold by most every one now. I do think the 17 market will even out after a while and will be comparitive to the 22 mags sold each year and yes I think there will be a market for both. Just like some like a small bore centerfire and some like a medium bore or big bore every one has their likes and dislikes. I have said from the beginning the the 17 does not interest me and it still does not. I think the 22 mag is better on critters at normal ranges. What a 17 does on paper at 200 yards does not interest me if it cannot kill a critter fox or coyote size at 100. The 22 mag will. Jim

vmaxx · « **Reply #8 on:** September 11, 2003, 11:25:23 PM »

I'm with Jim. The 22 mag is here to stay just like the 30/30 its nearly obsolete but sales remain high so manufacturers continue to make rounds and rifles for it. Its the seventeen that may not live. In any case it will not unseat the 22 mag. The 22 mag retains more energy out past 100 yds or so though it starts out slower. Tell me in what way the 17 hmr is superior and I bet you can't name even one. Is it the fancy polymer tip or the little extra speed, or cause it can buck the wind better, which we already know it can't. Are people trading in their 22 mags for 17's? Not that I know of.
vmaxx

vmaxx · « **Reply #9 on:** September 11, 2003, 11:29:32 PM »

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vmaxx · « **Reply #10 on:** September 11, 2003, 11:32:38 PM »

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Swamp Fox · « **Reply #11 on:** October 11, 2003, 12:40:23 AM »

I'm with the .22 mag fans.

My Ruger 77/22 Varmint will print 3/8" at 50 yrds with the ammo it likes.

I won't go so far as to say the .17 is a fad. It does seem to have found a niche of sorts between the .22 mag and the .22 hornet. However, it's a pretty small niche.

jjodell · « **Reply #12 on:** October 15, 2003, 12:13:10 AM »

.22 Mag will probably dissapear about as much as the .223 Rem. did when someone decided to neck it down to.17 Rem. Just my humble opinion, but it sounds like quite a few others feel the same. BTW I have owned several .22's in Mag rf and center fire but no .17's at all so I really can't make an honest comparison.

Danny Boy · « **Reply #13 on:** October 17, 2003, 06:12:22 PM »

.22 Mag is here to stay. With a large .22 Mag owner base, the ammo is cheap. It will take .17 a long time to catch up.

Danny Boy

SingleShotShorty · « **Reply #14 on:** October 22, 2003, 11:12:01 AM »

In my opinion the 22 mag will be around long after the .17hmr is long gone. The 17 has made the folks at hornady and the gun manufacturers allot of money but it is simply a answer to a question no one really ever asked. It was simply something new that everyone had to have. I think that you will able to buy one before long for a song and that allot of them will be rebarreled to 22 cal and converted to the old standard 22 mag. I have seen allot of guy's I know buy the 17 and even have them built but less than half of them still have the rifles now.

22shooter · « **Reply #15 on:** November 02, 2003, 05:19:57 AM »

I have a 22 magnum and a 17v. I think they both have their place. The 17 is much more accuarate although less powerful. For my personel use I would buy and recommend a 17 before buying a 22 magnum. I wouldn't used a 22 magnum for coyotes because there are much better cartridges for them. This is all my personnel opinion and anyone else is free to express their own opinion.

I am sure that the 22 rimfire magnum will be around for a long time. But I wish that someone would learn from the 17 hrm and bring a more accurate rifle and ammo combination in the 22 rimfire magnum.

Lawdog · « **Reply #16 on:** November 02, 2003, 08:31:29 AM »

22shooter,

I concur with you completely about the ammo companies coming out with better ammo for the .22 magnum. I would love to see a bullet on the lines of a Ballistic Tip. I believe that this would improve accuracy to the point of the .17 HMR. A bullet weighting in the neighborhood of 30 to 45 grains would work great. This could result in greater accuracy and flatter trajectory. Lawdog

jh45gun · « **Reply #17 on:** November 02, 2003, 06:13:23 PM »

Lawdog, Remington Premire 22 mags have a ballistic tip and seem to be good when you do not get a misfire. They are just as pricey as the 17 ammo if not more I paid over 11 bucks a box for some and had over 9 misfires which is too many for me for the price paid. I wish Remington would fix their priming problem in rimfire ammo. Their centerfire ammo seems to be great and most shotgun ammo though I did buy some hevi shot this year that was leaking the plastic filler out of it that was not acceptable either

. Jim

grendel · « **Reply #18 on:** November 02, 2003, 08:04:34 PM »

The real advantage (IMNSHO) the 22Mag has over the 17Rem is this. My Ruger SingleSix came with both 22LR and 22Mag cylinders. I suppose they could ship one with 22LR and 17Rem but I just have a hunch that accuracy would suffer a little for one round or the other. It's real convient, and fun, for me, to be able to shoot a couple of hundred rounds through the RSS and not brake the budget. Then when I want to I can switch cylinders and have the extra power (and in my gun, accuracy) that the 22Mag supplies.

Ted

Lawdog · « **Reply #19 on:** November 03, 2003, 09:21:42 AM »

Jim,

I agree with you completely about Remington ammo except I have had my problems with all their ammo - rimfire, centerfire, shotshell even their un-primed brass. Bought a bag(100 count) of nickel .25-06 brass from them and over 10% of them the primer pockets were to large. Tried to insert a CCI-200 primer, didn't feel right and looked at the case and what do you know, no primer. I'm not into gluing primers in their pockets. I also had the same problem as you with the .22 magnum ammo. You can't depend on it when 20% of every box misfire. I'm praying the ammo companies get their act together and start producing a higher quality ammo. I know I wouldn't mind paying a little more for better quality ammo or how about just selling the primed .22 magnum cases so reloaders could choose their own bullets and loads? Most likely some type of liability clause would keep them from doing that. Lawdog

Questor · « **Reply #20 on:** November 04, 2003, 02:46:06 AM »

I think the 22 mag will be around until something superior comes along. The 17 HMR doesn't count because it's not superior, except for a very narrow range of relatively unusual circumstances.

T.C. · « **Reply #21 on:** November 05, 2003, 04:54:42 PM »

ABSOLUTELY NOT! 22mags. have been my game for 18yrs. i know 3 guys who have sold theirs to buy the 17, boy do they brag about em till we leave the range. my browning A-BOLT groups the rem. prem. ballistic tips great. my RUGER m77/22 doesn't like ANYTHING but the winchester 40gr JHP but it groups .500in. @ 100yds. i have a cheap single six that i keep ready for home defense, got rid of the 9mm cause the wife feels alot more comfortable with the 22mag. using the ballistic tips, especially after seeing what they do to a squirrels head, and even coyotes out to 100yds. one of my buddies who swapped for a 17 was really ticked when we did the pop can trick, his 17 really tore a hole in the back of his can but my 22mag tore the same size if not bigger! i am not saying that the 17 does'nt have its place but i don't see where it could replace my 22mags. and by not buying one buys me alot more .308 ammo.

JUST MY POSITION AND GLAD THAT THEY ARE STILL MAKING NEW FIRE ARMS INSTEAD OF DELETING THEM!! T.C.

Bama76 · « **Reply #22 on:** November 07, 2003, 02:28:44 PM »

What's a .17 hmr?...LOL :twisted:

WMR is here to stay, the hummer is the one that will go down and almost disappear in years to come. Or so my crystal ball says anyway.

Bill T · « **Reply #23 on:** November 27, 2003, 03:58:51 AM »

I agree that the .22 Mag. will outlive any other rimfire with the possible exception of the .22 L.R. I see nothing to get excited about the .17 HMR. Ammo cost is still twice that of the .22 Mag., and for no reason other than people will pay it. Remember, it's nothing more than a necked down .22 Mag. Why $9.00 a box? Thats silly. I'm hearing it's more accurate than a .22 Mag., but I've never had any accuracy problems with the .22 Mags that I own. To each his own, but I'm certainly not going to run out and buy one. Bill T.

spitpatch · « **Reply #24 on:** November 29, 2003, 06:18:01 PM »

22 mags ARE here to stay. I bought a marlin 882SS (to replace my old WMR) and I put it to the test. Three of my co-workers bought the 17 HMR's(all three different brands). It was the "new" thing and we took all four to the range. With a 5-10 MPH cross wind my 22WMR ate them up! They were blowing and going before we arrived and eating crow as we left. Don't believe the hype, their wanting to sell rifles. To be fair they did shoot well, but didn't keep up with my 22 WMR. Might have been different on a still day but I'm not impressed and will never buy one. The 22 WMR has been a preformer for many years. and will be for many more.

Jack Gilbert · « **Reply #25 on:** December 06, 2003, 04:39:48 AM »

Hey, mine has just been terrific, I have had more fun with this rifle than about any other I have owned, though I realized it had been a long time since I had shot it. It's accuracy is still right there--Savage O/U with .410. Many is the ground squirrel and rock chuck, also jack rabbit which has fallen to this outfit-- I wouldn't part with it for the world. Even the older ammo seemed to shoot well, that made in the 60's and 70's. I have always used Winchester and it has performed well. Hey how old is the .22 LR and it's still going strong--look at all the new developments in it--Stinger, etc. Still the same basic old cartridge and still a winner. Some things just have their proper place in the shooting world, these two are just two of many.

sambar02 · « **Reply #26 on:** December 23, 2003, 01:01:07 AM »

I have traded 1 of my marlin 22mags for a savage 17HMR, have found the 17 much better for rabbits ,foxes and hares but not up to humanely taking roos ,wallabies, and totaly useless for feral goats ,pigs or dog control .I have used the 22mag i traded in for over 25 years with no complaints and it was only on the shelf at the gun shop for a day or so before it was gone, i think they will both be around for a long time,we shouldn't be comparing them to each other as i feel they are both suited to different purposes. like comparing 308 to a 300mag

Graybeard · « **Reply #27 on:** December 23, 2003, 05:22:59 AM »

Test

Good. That fixed it. For some reason it hadn't made the second page and was cutting off some posts. All can now be seen.

GB

hkg3k · « **Reply #28 on:** January 10, 2004, 08:11:24 AM »

.22 magnum obsolete in 20-30 years? I kinda doubt it. Maybe the .17HMR will gather enough momentum to carry it through to long term existence.......the jury is still out. Either way, I think both have their place and if one does fall by the wayside, I doubt it will be because the other directly displaced it. I personally have not jumped on the .17 bandwagon yet. Alot of people are writing a lot of good things about it. We'll see.

Was at the range recently to sight in new scopes mounted on:

TC Contender Carbine / .22lr match bbl
ABolt .22
94/22 magnum

after getting the scopes dialed in, I shot a 10rd group @ 50yd with each rifle to see how tight each was printing. Much to my surprise, it was the 94/22magnum with its 2x scope which won the day, with the ABolt and TC match Carbine right behind with much higher power scopes. I figured the ABolt or TC Carbine would be tighter, but the lever action .22 mag beat them..........just reaffirming my confidence in this great little "magnum" round.

Jon

stevinator · « **Reply #29 on:** January 28, 2004, 01:01:50 PM »

I think everybody hit it on the head. I never had an inaccurate 22mag either and it's got more ft lbs of energy also. Cheaper ammo and we love a bargain in this country. Don't you think it's the same game as 223,22-250 thing with the 204 ruger? I like 22centerfires and ruger but with a 222 and 223 and the stepfathers .17 rem and 22-250 what could they really do to impress you with a 20 cal bullet and a few feet per second? If you needed a varmit gun it might be alright.