.22LR vs .22WMR Rifle

sk8snwmx said:
Same with 17hmr, I bought a rifle in it, shot about 2 boxes of ammo before I realized I could reload better .223 for the same or less money, and that was like 8-10 years ago... LOL
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I'm not so sure about that any more.

I've bought a bunch of 17hmr from stores for around $0.40/rd..

I also lucked out on the EE and got nearly 700 rounds of 17hmr for around $0.25/rd.

Even if I use the store rate of $0.40/round, I'd be pretty hard pressed to load a round of .223 for that (which I also do).
Primers now are approaching or surpassing $0.10/rd.
Varget, at say 25gr, is probably somewhere in the neighbourhood of $0.28/rd (can vary widely).
Even the cheapest bullets I can find, campro, are around $0.13/rd.
So right there I'm already at $0.51/rd for .223 using the cheapest bullets available and not accounting for my time or capital costs of the reloading equipment.

And besides all that, it is comparing apples to oranges. I have a 17hmr and a 556 and a 308 and 22lr, and a bunch of other calibers because why not have some fun and some variation?
 
I picked up a 22WMR for two reasons:

-- The rifle was on sale for $199, a tube fed Marlin XT-22 with Fleur-de-lis checkering. Topped it with a 4-12X40AO Bushnell Trophy @$99 on sale.
-- The 22WMR can toss a jacketed projectile, unlike the 22LR which is a drip of lead...

If it's not going to be a high volume shooter, and you like the extra power of the WMR, then grab one...

Otherwise the 22LR would be the cheaper route & likely do everything you'd be asking the WMR to do if you're not shooting too far...

Cheers
Jay
P.S. My guess is guys don't like the tube fed & that's why it was on sale 1/2 price... Oh, and I probably wouldn't own a WMR if it wasn't for the sale... But I do like it!

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I have a Chiappa Little Badger in .22LR. It's a great little rifle and does exactly what I need it to do.

The rear sight was not very good. The adjustment is bad and elevation doesn't stay where you leave it. When brand new, the peep hole had a piece of plastic flashing in it that I had to clean out, no big deal. However, the hole was also too small to see anything except in bright sunlight. I could barely see the first grouse I shot with it because it was in the shade at the base of a tree. I tried to drill the hole larger, but I broke the sight in the process. I then put an aftermarket aluminum top rail on it and installed a very cheap and terrible scope. I used the scope for a few years and had no problems shooting a lot of grouse. This year I swapped to a SeeAll sight to loose a bit of weight and it's been very effective so far this year.

Accuracy is good enough for shooting grouse while big game hunting. It's good for a body shot on a grouse at 20 yards. The trigger helps, it's quite good. I've never had the hammer fall accidentally, but I had it not want to lock back when I try to #### it. After playing with it for a while, I figured out this only happens when I don't close the action properly. If closed too gently, the action will seem closed, but the lever on the bottom isn't fully engaged (not fully forward). This situation can also cause the rifle not to fire even if the hammer cocks. The solution is to push the lever forward or just close the action firmly. I also took the whole rifle apart and painted it tan, that didn't make it shoot any better, just look cooler.

I shoot CCI Quiet .22LR ammo because I don't want to scare everything away with a full power/full volume ammo. I don't know if it really matters, but it makes me feel better. Shooting a grouse in the breast with a .22LR will cause a bit of meat damage, but it's really not a big deal. I prefer body shots because I find a wounding shot more likely when trying for a headshot. Although my buddy does find it funny to watch me chase a wounded grouse running through the underbrush so I can pull it's head off.

For what I use it for, this thing is perfect and a lot cheaper than a Pack-Rifle.
 
I have an old Lakefield Mossberg with 3-9 Bushnell on it. I have shot ground hogs, jackrabbits, heads off grouse and coyotes and am pleased high it. I also have a Browning F-N semi in .22LR for those days I just want to rattle some brush.
You need both
 
Jut said:
I have a Chiappa Little Badger in .22LR. It's a great little rifle and does exactly what I need it to do.

The rear sight was not very good. The adjustment is bad and elevation doesn't stay where you leave it. When brand new, the peep hole had a piece of plastic flashing in it that I had to clean out, no big deal. However, the hole was also too small to see anything except in bright sunlight. I could barely see the first grouse I shot with it because it was in the shade at the base of a tree. I tried to drill the hole larger, but I broke the sight in the process. I then put an aftermarket aluminum top rail on it and installed a very cheap and terrible scope. I used the scope for a few years and had no problems shooting a lot of grouse. This year I swapped to a SeeAll sight to loose a bit of weight and it's been very effective so far this year.

Accuracy is good enough for shooting grouse while big game hunting. It's good for a body shot on a grouse at 20 yards. The trigger helps, it's quite good. I've never had the hammer fall accidentally, but I had it not want to lock back when I try to #### it. After playing with it for a while, I figured out this only happens when I don't close the action properly. If closed too gently, the action will seem closed, but the lever on the bottom isn't fully engaged (not fully forward). This situation can also cause the rifle not to fire even if the hammer cocks. The solution is to push the lever forward or just close the action firmly. I also took the whole rifle apart and painted it tan, that didn't make it shoot any better, just look cooler.

I shoot CCI Quiet .22LR ammo because I don't want to scare everything away with a full power/full volume ammo. I don't know if it really matters, but it makes me feel better. Shooting a grouse in the breast with a .22LR will cause a bit of meat damage, but it's really not a big deal. I prefer body shots because I find a wounding shot more likely when trying for a headshot. Although my buddy does find it funny to watch me chase a wounded grouse running through the underbrush so I can pull it's head off.

For what I use it for, this thing is perfect and a lot cheaper than a Pack-Rifle.
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I used to shoot grouse in the breast until a ww2 vet told me shoot it in head or let it live, I learned to shoot after that.
 
Jay said:
I picked up a 22WMR for two reasons:

-- The rifle was on sale for $199, a tube fed Marlin XT-22 with Fleur-de-lis checkering. Topped it with a 4-12X40AO Bushnell Trophy @$99 on sale.
-- The 22WMR can toss a jacketed projectile, unlike the 22LR which is a drip of lead...

If it's not going to be a high volume shooter, and you like the extra power of the WMR, then grab one...

Otherwise the 22LR would be the cheaper route & likely do everything you'd be asking the WMR to do if you're not shooting too far...

Cheers
Jay
P.S. My guess is guys don't like the tube fed & that's why it was on sale 1/2 price... Oh, and I probably wouldn't own a WMR if it wasn't for the sale... But I do like it!

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So where is this sale happening????
 
sk8snwmx said:
Same with 17hmr, I bought a rifle in it, shot about 2 boxes of ammo before I realized I could reload better .223 for the same or less money, and that was like 8-10 years ago... LOL
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Depending where you get the supplies, average .223 reloaded will cost you between 40 and 50 cents per round....that's more than 17hmr.
 
wkp774 said:
I used to shoot grouse in the breast until a ww2 vet told me shoot it in head or let it live, I learned to shoot after that.
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I used to shoot grouse in the head, then I started shooting them at the wing joint. Can’t fly away, quick death, and no meat or organ damage. Easier target too. I’ve seen enough grouse shot in the beak/neck that end up flying away and will inevitably die later on.
 
Brian011 said:
Depending where you get the supplies, average .223 reloaded will cost you between 40 and 50 cents per round....that's more than 17hmr.
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Been a while since I loaded .223, but I only load centerfire for hunting purposes. In other words, I normally buy bullets in boxes of 100, a couple of trays of 100 primers, powder 1lb. at a time, etc. Always load no higher than spec, and get great brass life. Buying in those qtys. pushes your reloads well over 17HMR territory. I remember working it out at the time, was almost $1/trigger pull. Still, far better than buying factory ammo.
 
Every time I sell the WMR rifle I have, I need get another one juste a few months after. So last Friday I got myself a CZ 457 American in WMR topped with a Vortex Diamondback HP 4-16. I'm looking forward to start calling yotes on my small land!
 
.22LRGUY said:
Been a while since I loaded .223, but I only load centerfire for hunting purposes. In other words, I normally buy bullets in boxes of 100, a couple of trays of 100 primers, powder 1lb. at a time, etc. Always load no higher than spec, and get great brass life. Buying in those qtys. pushes your reloads well over 17HMR territory. I remember working it out at the time, was almost $1/trigger pull. Still, far better than buying factory ammo.
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I reload .223 ammo for less than 35 cents per round, even with good bullets. Even with specialty bullets, 50 cents max.
 
USPfan said:
I used to shoot grouse in the head, then I started shooting them at the wing joint. Can’t fly away, quick death, and no meat or organ damage. Easier target too. I’ve seen enough grouse shot in the beak/neck that end up flying away and will inevitably die later on.
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This, it's amazing how many hunters have no clue as to how unethical head shots are on any game, from Quail to the largest big game. Even a slight miss will cause a long, lingering, agonizing death.

Good on you.
 
22WMR is fun to shoot from a Ruger Single Six single action revolver. I only buy that ammo for that very purpose. Feels like a bigger gun then when shooting 22LR.
 
I have a Matched Pair of CZ455 rifles one in 22 LR and the other in 22 WRFMag - Both have matching Burris Droptine 3x9 Scopes in Talley rings and Both have Yo Dave trigger springs ! Both shoot great ! I LIKE shooting the 22 MAG Mostly - BUT i like the cost of Shooting the 22 LR better ! jmo RJ
 
bearhunter said:
I reload .223 ammo for less than 35 cents per round, even with good bullets. Even with specialty bullets, 50 cents max.
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I've spent almost $0.30 on the bullet itself. (not always, but I have) Sounds like you're a better shopper than I am...or bought your components a long time ago, or in qtys. that allow for lower costs. My point was this-it always seems misleading to tell a person new to reloading that they can get their cost that low when they're most likely buying at today's prices, and in low qtys. to start. They'll be searching for that magical "lower than HMR" cost, and get nowhere near it.
 
.22LRGUY said:
I've spent almost $0.30 on the bullet itself. (not always, but I have) Sounds like you're a better shopper than I am...or bought your components a long time ago, or in qtys. that allow for lower costs. My point was this-it always seems misleading to tell a person new to reloading that they can get their cost that low when they're most likely buying at today's prices, and in low qtys. to start. They'll be searching for that magical "lower than HMR" cost, and get nowhere near it.
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Yes, exactly. It doesn't matter if someone bought their powder for $30/lb, primers for $35 for 1000, and bullets for $0.10/pc because those prices can't be had anymore unless you are extremely lucky on a personal sale. It only makes sense to compare today's prices with today's prices when comparing a caliber. I broke down the rough costs in a post above about reloading 223 for as cheap as possible, and even using campro bullets it is over $0.50/round plus your time and equipment to reload at todays prices.

X-reload has a great reload cost calculator: https://x-reload.com/load-cost

Once you put your prices including taxes and shipping (if applicable) you can get the true cost of a round.

Anyway, I still contend that there is no reason to limit yourself... get a 223, and a 22wmr, and a 17hmr... They are all fun and all serve different purposes.
 
.22LRGUY said:
Been a while since I loaded .223, but I only load centerfire for hunting purposes. In other words, I normally buy bullets in boxes of 100, a couple of trays of 100 primers, powder 1lb. at a time, etc. Always load no higher than spec, and get great brass life. Buying in those qtys. pushes your reloads well over 17HMR territory. I remember working it out at the time, was almost $1/trigger pull. Still, far better than buying factory ammo.
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I'm reloading .223 as well and I can tell you based on the best possible supply price I can find today, a round costs me no less than 50 cents.
 
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