.22 Magnum Projectiles

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.22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by Gaznazdiak » 12 Jun 2018, 12:45 pm

This is possibly another stupid question but WTF?

I was recently given a pile of .22WMR ammo for which I have no use, not owning a .22mag, I toyed with the idea of getting one but it would entail a new safe or getting rid of one of my current line up, neither of which I'm up for.

Yesterday I popped one of the projectiles out of one and measured it, it was .2225" and 39.9gn, which got me to wondering, can I load them into a .223 case and use them on rabbits?
I couldn't easily get one into a freshly washed, trimmed and sized .223 case by hand but my worry was, would they engage the lands enough to be accurate? They are only 1.4mm shorter than 35gn Vmax but the diameter worries me.
Has anyone tried this, I have 116 of them and thought it might be a way of putting them to use.
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by bigpete » 12 Jun 2018, 2:13 pm

I used to load them into a 222 rimmed. They worked well
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Post by bladeracer » 12 Jun 2018, 3:18 pm

Gaznazdiak wrote:This is possibly another stupid question but WTF?

I was recently given a pile of .22WMR ammo for which I have no use, not owning a .22mag, I toyed with the idea of getting one but it would entail a new safe or getting rid of one of my current line up, neither of which I'm up for.

Yesterday I popped one of the projectiles out of one and measured it, it was .2225" and 39.9gn, which got me to wondering, can I load them into a .223 case and use them on rabbits?
I couldn't easily get one into a freshly washed, trimmed and sized .223 case by hand but my worry was, would they engage the lands enough to be accurate? They are only 1.4mm shorter than 35gn Vmax but the diameter worries me.
Has anyone tried this, I have 116 of them and thought it might be a way of putting them to use.


I used to buy the Winchester 40gn JHP WMR bullet in bulk packs when I was a kid - I think packs of 500 maybe. Used them in the .222Rem, especially useful for reduced loads to replicate .22WMR and LR. Made my .22WMR rifle pretty much obsolete. I also tried shooting .22LR bullets through the .222Rem but that wasn't successful.

I don't remember them being smaller than .22LR bullets though. I think I still have some here somewhere...these are .224", and .2235" just ahead of the cannelure. I just measured some sized .223 brass (using the point of a VLD bullet) at .2200".
Only way to be sure is to load some up and see how they shoot.
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by bigrich » 12 Jun 2018, 4:03 pm

have read on a american forum i think ,of 22 mag projectiles being loaded in 22 hornet. supposed to have worked well
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by Noisydad » 12 Jun 2018, 5:07 pm

I still use them in my .222 with full power loads - they are extremely good for providing ventilation in rabbits, crows, galahs, corellas, cats and foxes without any possibility of ricochet if you miss. They are also very cheap and easy to get.
There's still a few of Wile. E Coyote's ideas that I haven't tried yet.
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by gunnnie » 12 Jun 2018, 5:21 pm

The Winchester 40gn 22 Mag JHP pills were the ducks nuts for the 22Hornet. Especially the BRNO ZKW465'2 due to the .223 bore.
I used the last of a stash I had for my 22K-Hornet Martini custom, about 2yrs ago. Was still lamenting the lack of these pills on the store shelves, when I received an email asking if I was interested in 1200 of them!!!! :shock: :o :clap: :clap: :clap:

Hell yeah!!!

Try them in your 222 but with a slightly reduced powder charge.
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by Stix » 12 Jun 2018, 5:46 pm

Hey guys...
How cheap are these projectiles...? & are they available everywhere...?
Im interested for use in my .222...
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by gunnnie » 12 Jun 2018, 5:52 pm

Stix, these projies don't turn up all that often. The 1200 I've got onto are from an old fella who sold off his Hornet and is cleaning out the cupboard.
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by SCJ429 » 12 Jun 2018, 6:25 pm

Could you give the loaded rounds to a mate with a 22 magnum or swap them for a box of Vmax?
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by SCJ429 » 12 Jun 2018, 6:26 pm

Seems to be a waste to pull apart perfectly good ammo.
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by bigrich » 12 Jun 2018, 6:45 pm

just a thought, winchester make a 46gr HP for the 22 hornet that could be a good thing.you can buy the projectiles new. rebel gun works or winchester australia website have them ,most accurate factory ammo i've shot in my hornet. even better than 35gr v-max.
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by bladeracer » 12 Jun 2018, 6:52 pm

gunnnie wrote:The Winchester 40gn 22 Mag JHP pills were the ducks nuts for the 22Hornet. Especially the BRNO ZKW465'2 due to the .223 bore.
I used the last of a stash I had for my 22K-Hornet Martini custom, about 2yrs ago. Was still lamenting the lack of these pills on the store shelves, when I received an email asking if I was interested in 1200 of them!!!! :shock: :o :clap: :clap: :clap:

Hell yeah!!!

Try them in your 222 but with a slightly reduced powder charge.


Are you implying that the WMR bullets you used were .223"?
.224" bullets work well in .223" Hornets.
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by bladeracer » 12 Jun 2018, 7:08 pm

Stix wrote:Hey guys...
How cheap are these projectiles...? & are they available everywhere...?
Im interested for use in my .222...


They were really cheap in the eighties, I think they were probably rejects from the production line.
I don't know whether Winchester even use the bullet anymore. I haven't noticed them anywhere.
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by Oldbloke » 12 Jun 2018, 7:15 pm

SCJ429 wrote:Could you give the loaded rounds to a mate with a 22 magnum or swap them for a box of Vmax?


+1
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by Roo farmer » 12 Jun 2018, 7:23 pm

Just find someone who has a 22 magnum, and sell them the ammo you have. 22 magnum rounds are ridiculously expensive for what they are. Even if you sold them for half shop price you could still go and buy decent projectiles instead.
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by bladeracer » 12 Jun 2018, 7:30 pm

Stix wrote:Hey guys...
How cheap are these projectiles...? & are they available everywhere...?
Im interested for use in my .222...


I don't have any records from back then, but I do recall these were very cheap bulk bullets. They were "packed" on a cardboard tray and wrapped in unbranded clear plastic, obviously somebody bought them en-masse and weighed them out into resale packs. I was buying my ammo from Elders and it's possible it was something they did themselves. I was paying $18.00 a brick for Aussie Ammo .22LR. The cheapest .22LR I've bought recently was Highland RX Solid at $34.00 a brick - roughly double what I was paying in '83. I would think the current deals on bulk .224" bullets (like 6000 55gn SP's for $750) probably compare quite well at $62.50 per 500, possibly even cheaper than I was paying relatively for the WMR bullets $35 years ago.
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by Sergeant Hartman » 12 Jun 2018, 7:54 pm

Hey if you have 22wmr rimfire bullets, I'll happy to take some/all off your hand depending on price and if you in vic. Last I paid $30/50.... my relaxed 308 are coming at just a lil more expensive than a brick of 50 wmr
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by bladeracer » 12 Jun 2018, 9:34 pm

Ziad wrote:Hey if you have 22wmr rimfire bullets, I'll happy to take some/all off your hand depending on price and if you in vic. Last I paid $30/50.... my relaxed 308 are coming at just a lil more expensive than a brick of 50 wmr


If you want some cheap plinking ammo, try Berry's .311" copper-plated 123gn bullets on Trailboss. They shoot around 2MoA out of my '03-A3 .30-06 over open sights on 15gn charges. $229/1000. I'll take the chrono out next time and see what speed they're doing.
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by Sergeant Hartman » 12 Jun 2018, 10:05 pm

Oh should have mentioned I got a 22wmr rifle. For pow pow got a 22lr as well
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by Stix » 12 Jun 2018, 10:24 pm

Thanks Gunnie & Blade...
Was just a thought for cheap...(or a cheap thought...lol)
Guess ill stick to Zmax for now.
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by Stix » 12 Jun 2018, 10:30 pm

This...
SCJ429 wrote:Could you give the loaded rounds to a mate with a 22 magnum or swap them for a box of Vmax?
:thumbsup:

This...
SCJ429 wrote:Seems to be a waste to pull apart perfectly good ammo.
:thumbsup:

& This...
Roo farmer wrote:Just find someone who has a 22 magnum, and sell them the ammo you have. 22 magnum rounds are ridiculously expensive for what they are. Even if you sold them for half shop price you could still go and buy decent projectiles instead.
:thumbsup:

You get the idea...
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by bladeracer » 12 Jun 2018, 11:31 pm

Personally, I'd just buy a .22WMR rifle, and another safe :-)
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by Gaznazdiak » 13 Jun 2018, 9:58 am

Thanks for all your suggestions guys, I think I'll just hold them until I can find someone to give them to.
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by gunnnie » 13 Jun 2018, 4:22 pm

bladeracer wrote:
gunnnie wrote:The Winchester 40gn 22 Mag JHP pills were the ducks nuts for the 22Hornet. Especially the BRNO ZKW465'2 due to the .223 bore.
I used the last of a stash I had for my 22K-Hornet Martini custom, about 2yrs ago. Was still lamenting the lack of these pills on the store shelves, when I received an email asking if I was interested in 1200 of them!!!! :shock: :o :clap: :clap: :clap:

Hell yeah!!!

Try them in your 222 but with a slightly reduced powder charge.


Are you implying that the WMR bullets you used were .223"?
.224" bullets work well in .223" Hornets.


Not quite. The European Hornet rifles had a .223" bore & the WMR 40gn JHP pills shot very well in them. Sierra also produced a 40gn HP projectile which was .223", specifically for Hornet rifles. There were also a lot of Martini Cadet 22 rf rifles which were re-chambered to Hornet. Such rifles had a .223" bore. So it's feasible to say that the 22WMR pills are/could be .223".

When the 1200 arrive I'll measure one and confirm.
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by bladeracer » 13 Jun 2018, 5:04 pm

gunnnie wrote:
bladeracer wrote:Are you implying that the WMR bullets you used were .223"?
.224" bullets work well in .223" Hornets.


Not quite. The European Hornet rifles had a .223" bore & the WMR 40gn JHP pills shot very well in them. Sierra also produced a 40gn HP projectile which was .223", specifically for Hornet rifles. There were also a lot of Martini Cadet 22 rf rifles which were re-chambered to Hornet. Such rifles had a .223" bore. So it's feasible to say that the 22WMR pills are/could be .223".

When the 1200 arrive I'll measure one and confirm.


I know you can still buy .223" bullets for the early Hornet, but I've never heard of them being loaded in WMR ammo. As far as I'm aware WMR has only ever been loaded with .224" bullets, I'd be interested to know if I'm wrong is all.
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by Bills Shed » 13 Jun 2018, 9:08 pm

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I think this is what you have. They are a soft point and the lead point seems to be "copper washed". They are a .224" projectile. I had several thousand of them and sold my last seven hundred to the LGS as he could not get them.
I build my own now as a HP. With a short jacket you can make an evil soft point.
I too would sell the WMR rounds complete. As far as I know the 22WMR has always had a .224" projectile. To have a hornet that has a .223" barrel it would need to be a pretty old rifle now.

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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by bladeracer » 13 Jun 2018, 9:40 pm

Bills Shed wrote:
image.jpeg
I think this is what you have. They are a soft point and the lead point seems to be "copper washed". They are a .224" projectile.


Yep, that's the bullet I'm talking about.
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by bigpete » 14 Jun 2018, 10:17 am

Yep,that's what I used to shoot too
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by gunnnie » 14 Jun 2018, 6:20 pm

That's the ones Bill. I have 1200 coming from a guy down in VIC.
Well you're on the mark re old Hornet as I'm referring to the BRNO ZKW465's and the later Model 2 Fox in Hornet. The ZKW's were made from the late 40's on till the Fox came out. Which from memory was in the late 60's early 70's until production stopped in the late 80's I believe; could be wrong on that time frame though!
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Re: .22 Magnum Projectiles

Post by bladeracer » 14 Jun 2018, 7:32 pm

gunnnie wrote:That's the ones Bill. I have 1200 coming from a guy down in VIC.
Well you're on the mark re old Hornet as I'm referring to the BRNO ZKW465's and the later Model 2 Fox in Hornet. The ZKW's were made from the late 40's on till the Fox came out. Which from memory was in the late 60's early 70's until production stopped in the late 80's I believe; could be wrong on that time frame though!


I knew a bloke in WA with a Brno Fox Hornet, beautiful rifle.
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