My First .22 Mag........What should I expect?

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Weapontech

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On my way to Hell in a handbasket
So, I bought it on a whim.
I've always wanted a Winchester 9422, and this one just happened to be in .22 WMR. It's going to be a great companion for my back-packing this summer. But let me get to my point.......and questions.

Aside from my center-fire military stuff, my .22 collection has only ever consisted of guns chambered for S, L and LR's (semi's, bolts, and pumps). I don't recall even having fired a .22 Mag at anytime in the last 25 years.
So what should I expect in terms of accuracy, range, etc when compared to a standard .22 Long rifle cartridge? I've seen the paper ballistics, but what about practical experience for those of you who use it on a regular basis?

I picked-up some Winchester Super-X 40gn HP's and FMJ's to try out this weekend. What sort of 100/200 yard accuracy would be reasonable to expect with this load/rifle combo??

Thanks in advance for taking the time to respond....
 
+1. The WMR is an incrediable little cartridge. In my mind it is very under rated and doesn't get the attention it deserves. Good find :D
 
9422 mag.

I've had a winchester 9422 mag., now for over 33 years , it's a great rifle , and mine has worked flawlessly , good choice of ammo , stick to the 40 grain bullet weight , my gun didn't like the dynpoints . At 100 yards without scope and deoending on the users ability you should get 1 inch to 1-1/2 inch groups . The .22 mag., is under rated , i have taken shots on ground hogs at 140 yards with mine with success , that 40 gr., hollow point is stable even if a cross wind bucks up. It is a bit loud , but nothing to worry about , and a big difference over the .22 long rifle ( even the high velocity ammo ) i think one you use this rifkle the first time , you will never part with it . good shooting Joe
 
What to expect?

<SmartAssMode>
Wishing you bought a 17 hmr especially after 100 :)
</SmartAssMode>

Or maybe having fun with a levergun

When I had my 22 mag hitting a golfball @100 was doable but but maybe only 30-40% of the time.
 
i had a nice little 9422mag that i wish i had held onto. IMHO they are the #1 jack rabbit cartridge.
i am hunting for another 9422, if the stars are in alignment it may come to pass.
a good find for you. you will enjoy it i'm sure. i never scoped mine but had a williams receiver sight on it. good for 100 yards on jacks.
trouble with the mag is it's expensive plinking. great cartridge tho - especially if you don't like digging around for brass in the snow.:)
 
I was sighting in my dads .22 mag, and forgot about the punch it has. I was shooting my brothers spinning silhouette target. Needless to say, it left a considerable dent, whereas the .22LR doesn't do much.

That spinning silhouette has taken quitte a beating over the years. It once got shot with a .50 black powder. We took it to the shop to straighten it out. Still works kinda....

They are good little rifles for beaver too. It hits em pretty hard with the FMJ's when compared to the .22LR
 
Try as many brands of ammo as you can, all 22 Mag rifles will shoot one brand better than all others. It is best if you have friends with 22 Mags so you can try a few rounds instead of buying whole boxes of each.
 
My Grandfather bought me a 9422mag for my first gun when I was 16, and I still have it. It seems that whenever I'm looking in the cabinet to decide what I'm going to shoot that lever always jumps into my hands. It's great at playing tag with gophers and rabbits or anything else that wants to sit still for a second. I got a couple of coyotes with it 10 years ago or so, but haven't used them for dogs in a long time.

Great little gun, it'll always impress you.
 
A great choice. I've had a 9422M as my main 'go-to' gun around the farm for a few years now. It's quiet enough that it doesn't draw attention, but as others have said, it's vastly under-rated in terms of knock-down power. Mine is scoped with a Leupold VX-1 2-7 Rimfire, and prefers the Winchester 40g HP load. It may not shoot as flat as the 17HMR, but when putting down larger pests (large raccoons, beaver), the 40g bullet hits much harder. I flattened 3 beavers at about 75yds this summer. I centre-punched them and all 3 just fell over dead. No follow-ups needed. An awesome little round.
 
Vastly under-rated gun, it hit's real and is very accurate out to 125 yards then you have to do a little juggling. I have the HMR .17 and the .22 mag and there is no doubt the .22 mag. hammers the rodents away harder than the .17 HMR.
It sure doesn't bother me to shoot off a $6.49 50 round pack of Wal-mart dyna-points either.
 
It was 1980 and I was 16 at the time. After milking cows all summer for the
neighbor I saved up enough money to buy a win. mod. 9422 mag.
I can still remember my heart beating as I removed it from the box... anyway you will not regret buying one.
Thane
 
I agree with what Silverback stated. Try as many different brands, you'll see what I mean. My friend I gopher shoot with has a ruger 77 in 22mag and he loves it. We tested a bunch of different boxes and came up with the win. jacketed as the most accurate---Cowboy
 
I used to shoot prairie dogs with my Savage?Anschutz .22 Mag While the "big" guns were cooling down...
I don't remember the exact name of them, but there was some CCI shells that really tore them up. I think it was the CCI Maxi Mag +V ( plus velocity)
They were kind of a .22 mag version of the Stinger with a lighter bullet (30 or 35 grain) for much higher velocity.
They were not good for anything bigger than rabbits, but man did they work on gophers! Too much fun!!

Try as many different rounds as you can. Chances are you will find one that your gun likes a lot more than the rest...
 
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