What is the effective range for the 22 mag?
skinner

I've taken chucks at 100 yds,,cleanly.Never really tryed beyond that range.Don't shoot any rabbit under 25 yds and expect much to be left of it.Sounds like you don't have one,,It's a must have for any collection,,Go for it Happy Shooting!

Agree with claybuster, 100 yds or so. A must have for any varmint arsenal.

With the 30 and 33 Gr. 22wmr bullets the round is good to 140 Yds. For rimfire data I log on to http://www.rimfirecentral.com The Win .22 Mag is a great roung for P dogs.

My experience with the .22 WMR is that it is even more sensitive to ammunition type and brand than the .22 LR. There is a much larger variety of ammunition available in .22WMR than just a few years ago. Try several different loads before dismissing a gun as "inaccurate".

mine is for use on squirrels, so i use FMJ win bullets in mine and it doesn't tear up them up too much (i never have saved parts to eat that had bullet holes in them, anyway).

i have it sighted in at 50 yards, and have taken squirrels out to or perhaps slightly beyond that range. you just don't get too many shots beyond 50 yards in the piney woods of east texas.

troy

I think that the effective range if the 22mag is limited by the accuracy of the rifle/ammo combination. One of the previous posters referred to this implicitly by saying, in effect, try several different kinds of ammo. The 22mag has a rather bad rap in the accuracy department. 50 yards, with a really good scope should be a good number. If you think 100 yeards, try yours at 100 and see what kind of groups you get! If you just want to hit a fox in the gut then go ahead. I suspect that you will be getting groups in the 3" and up range. In other words, a good centerfire like 222 or 223 will do MUCH better. Plus, 22mag ammo is not cheap any more. Not trying to talk you out of it, in fact I have one, but talk of 100 yard headshots on turkeys I take with a grain of salt.
peter.

Peter,
I have a 22 Mag already, it's a Marlin 882SS, and with CCI stuff, I can get 1/2" groups at 100 yards so I now I have the accuracy, it's jest the power I didn't know about,(and I don't get to shoot it that much).

I have killed P-dogs at about 150 yds. The gun has the potential if you do your part. I have taken larger animals out to 100.

Great round! Everyone should own two. There small.

I picked up a Volquartsen tensioned barrel and a Fajen stock fromt the Volquartsen bargain room about a year and a half ago for my 10/22 mag, along with some trigger parts. After a good bedding job, this gun will shoot several types of ammo under MOA at 100yds. Where I shoot prairie dogs, when the jig is up and the dogs are scattered from our centerfires, I'll take a break and walk around, sneaking prone to the top of berms for a little ambush action. It's a hoot. Only problem is the chamber is a bit snug and I'll get an occasional failure to extract--I fixed that with a Volq. diamond extractor...I agree it's a must have in the varmint arsenal. Any PD within 125 yds is toast, especially if it's not very windy....

R

[ 03-15-2003, 03:33: Message edited by: rogerinneb ]

I've got on of the $140 Savage rifles. After smoothing up the trigger it will consistently shoot 1" 100 yard groups from the sandbags. I only use solids in mine. I bought it because some public hunting areas around here limit you to 22 rimfires. It is a good hunting rifle. I like it.

I shoot more 22 mag ammo than any other of my varmiters. I use a caller and shoot coyotes mostly under a hundred. It has however taken some LONG shots on tall jacks.

Be carefull with it... its great round, but its no wonder.

IT IS VASTLY MORE EFFECTIVE THAN A 17 HRM.

[ 03-16-2003, 06:34: Message edited by: smallfry ]

Personally, on game such as gophers the .22 mag is good out to 200m. This of course reguires a good rest and knowledge of your chosen load's trajectory. Recently I have been shooting the 30gr TnT load from CCI. Accuracy is excellent, and terminal performance is second to none. I am currently testing the 50Gr Gold dot load from CCI for use on coyotes. Yes I know the .22mag is not ideal for coyotes, but the area that I must shoot is quite populated and a centerfire cannot be used. The Gold dot produces excellent penetration, with no bullets or fragments recovered from three water filled milk jugs placed inline.
what other thoughts are out there on the .22mag?

Thomas... I am glad to hear that you also use a 22 mag on coyotes. Watching your range and seting up the shot... the 22 mag doesnt give me any problems on coyotes. I mostly shoot winchesters 40 gr Hp for them, never tried the fed 50s on them, but do have them in stock.

It is very true that most .22 mag rifles are very sensitive to ammo type. My Marlin 882 does not like CCI Maxi-Mag +Vs at all and seems to prefer the plain jane Winchester 40 gr HPs. I do want to experiment with the loads featuring Sierra, V-Max or Speer TNT bullets to see if the grouops get better. I can usually get groups under an inch at 100 yards with the Winchester HPs.

By the way, I shoot at ground squirrels out to 150 yards and jackrabbits out to 100 or so with that load.

I agree with calif hunter on the ammo.winchester does as good or better than most of the other offerings,+v hasnt really grouped well for me in either of my rifles.I have'nt tryed any of the 2nd generation ammo either.

I shoot a Marlin that groups around 1.25" at 100 yards. I believe that shot placement is the key to how far you can cleanly take game. I have taken several grounghogs out to 150 yards with my farthest at 158. I have shot crows with it out to 176 yards but they are not as tough as chucks. I shoot the Remington 33gr. v-maxes and know where my gun shoots at the longer ranges.

"The 17 will make the 22Magnum obsolete". No, I didn't originally make that statement but after a year or shooting the 17HMR, I'm not sure if it wasn't an accurate statement! When I get 100 yard groups under 1/2 inch and 200 yard groups under 1 inch with an out of the box rimfire rifle, I am astounded!! Allbeit, the little pills drop severely after 150 yards but at least I know where they're going!!!!!!!! My 22 Magnums have been gathering dust for a year!! Probably should sell them if I'm not neding them anymore!! GHD