Talyn
SAINT
The 22 Magnum is a rimfire cartridge, with a bore diameter in the same ballpark as earlier 22 rimfire rounds. Aside from that, there’s little real similarity.
The 22 Magnum has a longer case with a larger diameter. The bullet, like with nearly all centerfire rounds, has its outside diameter within the case. This allows use of a truly jacketed bullet – mostly a lead core inside a copper jacket. As a result, the 22 Magnum brought out by Winchester in 1959, was loaded hotter. You could expect a 40-grain pill to exit a rifle barrel at around 2,000 fps – vastly greater than a 22 LR out of the same length barrel.
But the 22 Magnum load is largely made for rifle barrels. So how much do you get from 22 Magnum in handgun barrels?
The 22 Magnum has a longer case with a larger diameter. The bullet, like with nearly all centerfire rounds, has its outside diameter within the case. This allows use of a truly jacketed bullet – mostly a lead core inside a copper jacket. As a result, the 22 Magnum brought out by Winchester in 1959, was loaded hotter. You could expect a 40-grain pill to exit a rifle barrel at around 2,000 fps – vastly greater than a 22 LR out of the same length barrel.
But the 22 Magnum load is largely made for rifle barrels. So how much do you get from 22 Magnum in handgun barrels?
