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From: snitor!petert@uunet.UU.NET (Peter Toth)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: Long gun for rural property advice request
Message-ID: <35678@mimsy.umd.edu>
Date: 15 Jun 91 02:56:14 GMT
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In article <35607@mimsy.umd.edu> moore@tc.fluke.COM (Matt Moore) writes:
#In article <35505@mimsy.umd.edu> snitor!petert@uunet.UU.NET (Peter Toth) writes
##[...]
##The lowly 22 is something to recon with well past 75 yards, and certainly
##fits.  It does ricochet though, so a 22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire is
##better, because it doesn't.
#
# Could you explain this statement? It seems strange to me that speeding up
#a .22 bullet would reduce its ricochet hazard.

Agreed: if it were the same bullet, it would be strange indeed.

The 22LR/Long/Short/CB/BB projectiles are nude (unjacketed) "lead".
They are fairly high in Antimony (~10% ?, anyone?) to keep them hard.
As a result, they resist deformation and penetrate and bounce quite well.

When making the 22WMR, folks at Winchester found it hard to make a bullet
that wouldn't smear itself all over the barrel when pushed out at ~200fps,
so they went jacketed.
The 22WMR projectiles i believe to be pure lead, surrounded by the thinnest
jacket i've ever seen.  (Warning: always WEAR EYE PROTECTION when dismantling
live ammo.  Better yet, take my word for it).
Thus the 22WMR is a true varmint round.


Another difference between the two is that the former projectiles are crimped
into the case (thus the exposed part is flush with the case), whereas the
22 magnums are not.  This is of no relevance to the issue of ricochet,  but
has the following consequences:

The 22WMR case is .016 inch wider (to surround the bullet) than the bore,
so it won't chamber in guns chambered for the 22 Long Rifle on down.
That's a good thing, because the 22LR is a 26000 CUP cartridge (and even that
may "challenge" some older guns), whereas the 22WMR is rated 34000.

Conversely, members of the 22LR/Long/Short/CB/BB set will be loose in the
22WMR chamber, leaving space for the case to split upon firing and for the
gases to take the shooter's eye out, so it's not recommended.
Those of you finding yourself short of a bolt action 22 (LR) but with a good
bolt in 22WMR (like yer scribe), can remove the base from a fired 22WMR case
by grinding away the rim, and use it as a chamber sleeve. (Removing it from
the chamber is not so easy, so if you want to try this email me, and i'll post
if there is sufficient interest).

Since the bore of guns chambered for the 22LR is of constant diameter,
you can fire the any of 22LR/Long/Short/CB/BB out of a 22.

Peter Toth