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Any Chance for .22 Magnum Semi-Autos?

wmg1299

wmg1299

Professional
I’m fond of the .22 Magnum round. While I have mostly used .22 Mag for plinking, I have always thought that it was underrated as a self-defense option. With higher capacity .22 LR handguns hitting the market (ex. 16+1 Taurus TX22, 20+1 Sig P322), is anyone else hoping for .22 Magnum versions of these guns?

There are many excellent .22 Mag revolvers, but I only have two semi-auto’s chambered in .22 WMR. My Rock Island XT22M is a 15-round mashup of the 1911 and the Beretta 92, but it is a heavy steel gun that is as large as a full-size 1911. My Kel-Tec PMR-30 holds 30 rounds of .22 Mag, but it looks and feels like a large plastic toy (not a replica or airsoft, but more like something you’d find in a grocery store toy aisle). The PMR-30 is a fun range gun, but it just isn’t a practical carry gun.

I’ve shot .22 Mag more often since the COVID shortage because ammo prices increased by about 50% in my area, while 9mm doubled or tripled in price. Is .22 Magnum even on the radar for the major gun manufacturers, or is .22 LR going to be the only option for the foreseeable future?
 
Hi,

.22WMR is still pretty scarce where I am. While .22LR is quite plentiful, it's still not exactly "cheap" but it is the most cost-effective training ammo.

It seems you have two of the big names in .22WMR semi-auto pistols. There's also the Excel Accelerator. For a .22 pistol, it's a huge gun too. I don't see a lot of choice out there. But I'm an old noob. What do I know? :p


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
I would guess the most logical answer would be "can they make money on a .22 mag semi". Sure seems like an untapped market segment to some of us, but is it really?

With Sig announcing the P322 it sure looks like the .22 LR will be getting more love, especially in light of the success of the Taurus TX22. Guess we will need to see if this translates to a magnum offering.

My question would be how a .22 mag would be marketed. Don't know how many people would choose that caliber as their first option for carry. That would seem to discourage R&D on something like that.

Maybe a home defense option for the recoil sensitive? Capacity and ease of operation (racking the slide) could be selling points here, but how many people in this category would be first time buyers? Would seem to risk a lot of confusion with .22 LR, and I could see a lot of them not understanding why a .22 mag costs more.

I could see someone like Taurus stepping into the pool, given they seem to be taking advantage of the modularity of the G3 series. However, I would think that given the significant difference in cartridge length, it would require a major redesign of the TX22. If they follow the path of the G3, I would expect a compact .22 sharing parts with the TX first.
Of course, if a better .22 LR defense round becomes widely available, then I would think that would be the path manufacturers pursue.
 
Not a pistol, but the Kel Tech CMR is a great 22 Mag weapon
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I fell in love with the .22mag years ago when I had a .22mag automag pistol. It was the perfect size for a self defense pistol, the drawback for me was the amount of times I had a failure to fire with cartridges. It didn't matter which manufacturer, I had them with Winchester and CCI. Hornady was not in the .22mag game at that time. Time period was early 90's.

Now I wish I had a bolt gun to run some or a Ruger semi automatic. Those Rugers are very hard to find. One of two things those old Rugers either self destructed or they are so good no one wants to get off one.
 
youngolddude said:
I just checked Midway and they have ammo for $23.50/box. At those prices, I'd rather shoot .22 LR or reloaded .38 Special.
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I've been lucky enough to be able to buy local for .22 Magnum. The neighborhood Academy charged $11.99-$13.99 pre-pandemic. They currently sell 50 round boxes of CCI for $16.99-$17.99, and one type of Aguila for $14.99. 9mm was usually $9.99-$11.99 for range ammo, but they almost always had at least one brand (usually Fiocchi) for $7.99-$8.99. The cheapest brass 9mm they sell now is $19.99, but a few brands are still at $21.99-$23.99. I'm not happy about either of the price increases, but the .22 Mag is the lesser of two evils.
 
I got 2 boxes of 50 rds per box for 17.00 per box today I like that round also I can see myself getting a semi auto pistol someday need to knock a couple things off my list fist I have a Henry in a 22 mag and a heritage single action in a 22 mag
 
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