22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire Cartridge:
The .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire (also known as 22 magnum, 22 mag, or 22 WMR) was introduced in the 1950s by Winchester, and it was the only successful rimfire cartridge introduced in the 20th century as it was quickly chambered in handguns and rifles.
The rest of this article will discuss the cartridge in more detail, as well as give a couple ballistics tables for the 22 WMR.
22 WMR Rifle:
The .22 Magnum, when chambered in a rifle, gives its users many opportunities for a wide selection of ammunition.
The purpose of much of this ammo is for hunting varmints or small predators and is more than capable of taking each.
22 Mag Handgun:
22 magnum are great loads that can be used in hunting applications and self-defense applications for those who are more sensitive to recoil.
There are plenty of 22 WMR revolver options that offer increased capacity for self-defense, as well as guns like the Kel Tec PMR 30, which offers an extended capacity magazine.
The 22 magnum is on the low end for self-defense, but will serve someone with weaker hands well.
22 Magnum Ammo:
Popular bullet sizes (in grain weight) range from 30, 40, and 50 grains.
The strength of the .22 Magnum casing allows for higher pressure levels, which were needed for lighter bullets to get a flatter trajectory.
On the other end of the .22 Magnum spectrum would be a possibly slightly heavier bullet designed for deeper penetration with excellent expansion qualities as well. Hornady filled in these gaps with their .22 magnum ammunition line.
Specifications:
Bullet Diameter: .224 Inch.
Case Length: 1.052 Inches.
Cartridge Overall Length: 1.350 Inches.
22 Magnum Rifle Ballistics:
This 22 Magnum Ballistics Chart shows 30 Grain Hornady V-MAX Varmint Express loads with a 24 inch barrel:
| Muzzle | 50 YDS | 100 YDS | |
| Velocity (FPS) | 2,200 | 1,798 | 1,454 |
| Energy (FT/LB) | 322 | 215 | 141 |
| Drop (Inches) | / | +.6 | 0 |
22 Magnum Handgun Ballistics Chart:
This next 22 Magnum ballistics chart shows 45 grain 22 WMR Hornady Critical Defense fired from a 1.8 inch barrel:
| Muzzle | 50 YDS | 100 YDS | |
| Velocity (FPS) | 1,000 | 920 | 857 |
| Energy (FT/LB) | 100 | 85 | 73 |
| Drop (Inches) | / | +4.4 | 0 |
These guys have 22 WMR Ammo in stock more often than not, for decent prices.
