Best .22 Magnum Ammo
Every load we price, sorted by cost per round delivered to your state
We track 22 .22 Magnum loads from 3 dealers. The cheapest delivered to AR, shipping included, is Winchester Super-X .22 WMR 40gr Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) Rimfire Ammo at $0.22 a round.
The .22 WMR, or .22 Magnum, is a longer, wider rimfire case than the .22 LR that pushes a .224-inch jacketed bullet much faster. Winchester introduced it in 1959. It's used in rifles on varmints and small game to about 125 yards, and in compact revolvers and pistols. Never fire .22 LR in a .22 WMR chamber; the smaller case can split and vent gas.
Most loads here are 40-grain bullets at 1,875 to 1,910 fps. Jacketed hollow points (Winchester Super-X, CCI Maxi-Mag) are for small game and fur; FMJ and TMJ are for targets. The 30-grain polymer tips at 2,200 to 2,250 fps (Hornady V-Max, CCI Varmint Tipped) shoot flatter and fragment on prairie dogs and groundhogs. Handgun loads like Hornady Critical Defense 45gr FTX list velocity from a short barrel, so don't compare them with rifle figures.
All .22 Magnum Loads
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.22 Magnum Trajectory Calculator
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Advantages and Disadvantages
Pros
- About 1,875 fps with a 40-grain bullet, against 1,200 to 1,300 fps for high-velocity .22 LR, for a flatter path to 125 yards.
- Heavier bullets than .17 HMR (30 to 45 grains vs 15.5 to 20) give more penetration on fox-sized game up close.
- Runs in compact revolvers and pistols with little recoil.
Cons
- Slower than .17 HMR, so it drops more past 100 yards.
- Louder and harder on a suppressor than .22 LR.
- Loses much of its velocity in short handgun barrels.
- A .22 LR can't share the chamber unless the revolver has a second cylinder.