Question on the subject of 22lr and 22mag

sundance44`s · September 28, 2006, 05:29:28 PM

Something that has always puzzled me .. you can buy a 357 revolver and shoot eaither 38 specials or 357 mags out of the same cylinder .. but when you buy a 22 mag revolver you get an extra cylinder to shoot 22 lr out of ... Why can`t ya shoot 22lr`s out of a 22 mag cylinder ? I know there`s someone out there with the answer .

Silver Creek Slim · September 28, 2006, 05:43:02 PM

You can and I have. There might be the chance that the cases split.

Slim

Delmonico · September 28, 2006, 05:58:01 PM

Don't do it, the bullet is the same dia. but the case on the 22 LR is smaller due to the heel crimped bullet. A 22 LR operates with nitro powder at somewhere around 20,000 psi. It could cause you to get a face full of brass bits. Know a guy who got a piece in his eye trying that.

hellgate · September 28, 2006, 09:39:50 PM

The body of the 22LR is smaller and may split as it swells into the larger diameter 22Mag chamber. Also the rim may be of a smaller diameter and it is possible the firing pin might strike the edge of the chamber and dent it if it only engages the edge of the LR case. The case splitting would be the biggest problem plus unreliable extraction.

sundance44`s · September 29, 2006, 07:30:11 AM

Thanks for the info Pards ...

Silver Creek Slim · September 29, 2006, 09:14:03 AM

Thanks, pards. I won't do it agin.

Slim

Dick Dastardly · September 29, 2006, 09:24:24 AM

FWIW, I've got one of 'em Ruger SS Single Six guns with two cylinders. The 22 Mag does mike larger. 22 LR will chamber, but it's loose in the 22 Mag cylinder. 22 Mag will NOT go into the 22 LR cylinder. I'm sure that was done on purpose to keep the taller pressures in guns made for them. The bullets are indeed the same diameter, but the 22 LR, as correctly pointed out, is externally lubed and a healed bullet. The 22 Mag bullet sits inside the brass with no heal.

If 22 LR is fired in a 22 Mag chamber it has to swell enuf to fill the chamber. It's called fire forming. There is danger of brass failing when it's being fire formed. I've done a LOT of fire forming and know this up close and personal. My 38-55 brass is fireformed from 30-30. One out of a hundred may split the neck. These necks are annealed. 22 ammo is NOT annealed. It's hard. So, if it fails when being fire formed, it's likely to shatter. Pieces could go anywhere.

DD-DLoS

Delmonico · September 29, 2006, 10:09:03 AM

Dick, the main reason is the 22 mag was designed in the 1950's the 22 rounds based on the short from the 1850's was so popular that they never changed it from a heel crimp bullet. The industry today would never design a round for a heel-crimp.

Delmonico · September 29, 2006, 10:56:13 AM

Ok, I went upstairs and miked both 22 RF's I keep in stock, the 22 Winny standard shorts that Grandpa's 06 Winchester pump likes and the old Federal Lightnings that my Nylon 66 likes. Using Barnes's book for the 22 mag the mag has a base of 0.241 and the others mike 0.224. The bullets in my ammo run 0223 and the mag is 0.224.

My understanding is that most 22 rf barrels today slug at about 0.224 so the same equpment can be used to make 22 mag and 22 lr barrels, the exception is the 22 match rifles which mike at 0.222. This information comes from a friend who shoots BR50.

The only 22 lr barrel I have ever checked is the 22 Springfield Armory barrel that is on my Low-wall and is chambered for 22 Hornet. I didn't slug it but when I got it I did a Cerosafe casting of the chamber to make sure it was 22 Hornet and ran the alloy on into the barrel to get the dimensions. My notes say 0.225. I use 0.223 Hornet bullets in this. This is the reason they make both 0.223 and 0.224 bullets for the Hornet, there were thousands of 22 Hornets made with 22 LR barrels, many are still in service. I understand the original factory ammo was 0.223 and changed to 0.224 after WWII. I don't know if the pre-war Hornets built on the M70 use a 0.223 or 0.224 barrel. But if they used a 0.224 barrel it migh account for the fact that the Hornet never has had a reputation for great accuracy.

The 22 Hornet was based on the German 5.6X35R and the 22 WCF from the 1885 Winchester and the Rare 73's chambered for this round. (I've heard less than 100 73's) The 22 WCF is a black powder round and the German round is Nitro, but at less velocity than the Hornet.

Since I kind of got off course here I'll add this, the 22 Hornet round can be a tack driver by using the bullet that fits the bore, using small pistol primers and keeping the velocity at around 2500 fps.