Firing .22lr in .22mag chamber

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bigben98

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I have this Winchester pump .22 MAG rifle. When I bought it the guy said that it would handle .22slr .22lr and .22 winmag. So reading the side it only mentions .22MAG nothing about .22lr or the like.

I've shot .22lr in it and although it sort of jams sometimes when pumping, no other issues have arisen. I was told by a gunsmith not to shoot anything but .22MAG ammo through it as the magnum ammo is slightly bigger in circumference and thus shooting a long-rifle .22 shell could result in damage due to it not fitting the chamber perfectly (even though it's very close).

My question is: How dangerous is it and should I not continue this practice of shooting .22lr in the mag chamber?

I only ask because of cost. .22WINMAG shells are very expensive and so if I cannot safely shoot .22lr in it I'll be selling it for a regular .22 rifle.

Thanks
 
The cases of .22LR will rupture if fired in .22mag chambers.
I did hear of some guys cutting the back end off .22mag brass and sliding the LR shell into it but then sounds like a surefire recipe for one heck of a jam. Apparently they were re-using them though.
 
If it was meant to shoot .22 LR...it would be marked on the barrel. Guess whomever sold you the gun must have had empty pockets from buying ammo and wanted to get rid of the "expensive" gun. The guns are imprinted for a reason and deviation can get YOU hurt.
 
Winnipeg Toymaker said:
If it was meant to shoot .22 LR...it would be marked on the barrel. Guess whomever sold you the gun must have had empty pockets from buying ammo and wanted to get rid of the "expensive" gun. The guns are imprinted for a reason and deviation can get YOU hurt.
Click to expand...

That's what I figured. Thanks guys. Anyone wanna buy a .22 MAG? lol

I'll be posting it in the exchange forum.
 
My cousin from the USA had a bolt action in .22 magnum that he left at our farm for gopher shooting when he came up to visit. My father used it occasionally but being a cheap azz Finn he used .22 LR rounds. They functioned fine until one night when he had to dispatch a family of raccoons in our chicken pen. The first round he fired he could not eject and had to run back and get the shotgun.

Later he found that the constant use of .22 LR had filled the chamber with lead and powder residue and when he needed the gun most it had finally accumulated to much and jammed the shell in there.


As you have found, the .22 LR will fire in a .22 WMR rifle but will lead to problems. In an emergency when no other ammo is available I would not hesitate but not if proper ammo is an option.
 
there are few guns that will shoot both .22lr and .22wmr! and those are usualy revolvers that have a spare cylinder to use the other ammo! i have an old beat up ruger bearcat that has 2 cylinders for this purpose, and this year i picked up a brand new heritage arms revolver that also had two cylinders! think i will relegate the ruger for the keeping in the safe for later potential trading material, and shoot the living daylights out of the heritage arms lol!!!!
 
I've done the "cut-off .22 Mag case" trick, and it works; but it's not a great trick, lots of fiddly work. I've also wrapped the .22LR cases with a strip of aluminum foil, that worked better, and accuracy was actually pretty good; but, I was using a single-shot, I doubt it'd work in a pump.

Really, sell the gun or trade it for something you'll use.
 
22lr=.219x.990

22mag=.235x1.330

.17hmr=.235x1.345

235-219=16

The barrel is same but the chamber not. Dangerous ? not really .Have sens ? surely not......

22mag is 12$ per box of 50 / 12 = 24 cents per unit ....... Same paintball ammo price :))))) Shoot only 22mag whit your rifle.....

Some soldier in ww2 shoot 9mm in .45 pistol but is war time :)))))

La sécurité en premier le plaisir en suite .....
 
The .22 Magnum is an extended version of the .22 WRF case, both of which have a conventional .224" bullet, rather than the heeled (bullet diameter is the same as case OD) .222" bullet of the .22 S/L/LR.

You could safely use .22 WRF in a .22 Magnum. Winchester and CCI load it, but you won't find any for a lower price than .22 Magnum ammo.
 
sunray said:
"...the guy said..." He was wrong. The cartridges are not interchangeable. Shooting a LR in a Magnum rifle is unsafe.
Go here and look at the chart of unsafe firearm and ammunition combinations.
http://www.saami.org/
Click to expand...

^x100 Dangerous precedent to start ignoring the data stamps on the barrels guys. Sure, most rimfires are at significantly lower pressures than any centerfire ammo., but if this discussion plants the idea in even ONE persons mind to start tinkering with other calibers...there could be some tragic results.
 
I bought a cut down Lee Enfield years ago in .22 LR (or so I was told). I never got the chance to shoot it and a friend wanted to buy it. I sold it to him and when he brought it back he was quite angry. He only fired a couple of shots, but both cases ruptured and it blew gas and debris back into his face. I gave him his money back and looked into it. Some genius had rechambered it to .22 Mag and didn't bother to mark it. If that gas, and possibly a piece of ruptured case, happened to get you in the eye, you could easily be blinded. So much for "it really can't hurt you".
 
.22LR will fit and fire in a gun made for .22 Long, as the cases are identical, but you may have problems with bullets keyholing. Some .22 Long guns have a slower rifling twist than standard for .22LR.
 
mikeystew--- Im never remember that (Canada using mm):)) Im take mesurements of complete ammo whit galiper for show different diameter whit .22 lr and .22mag jacket ......

0.235 - 0.219= 0.016
22mag 22lr = Thurs jacket 0.016 , one(a) hair = +- 0.002

Look the 22mag have same diameter of 17hmr....
 
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