Читать книгу The Gun Digest Book of .22 Rimfire. Rifles·Pistols·Ammunition онлайн

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The main drawback to the 22 WMR has always been the cost of ammunition. Although some special target ammunition in 22 LR may cost as much as $10 for a box containing 50 rounds, the cost of most of the ordinary types is only $2 to $3 per box. Some promotional ammunition in 22 LR can be bought for around $1 per box. Most of the types of ammunition in 22 WMR sell for $6.00 or more with the Remington Premier selling for around $10 per box. It is simply a fact of life that it costs around 12 to 20 cents per shot to fire a 22 WMR.

Three magnum rimfire cartridges are (left to right) the 17 HMR, the 5mm Remington, and 22 WMR. The 5mm Remington has been discontinued since the 1970s.

Being a larger and more powerful cartridge than the 22 LR, the 22 WMR could not be adapted to most actions that were designed specifically for the smaller cartridge. The actions had to be made slightly longer than those used on regular 22s, but very soon after the 22 WMR was introduced a large number of arms were available to chamber it. Winchester marketed the lever-action Model 9422M, and Ruger offered single-action revolvers with two cylinders, one in 22 LR and the other for the 22 WMR. Marlin, Savage, Anschutz, and others produced bolt-action rifles for the 22 WMR soon after its introduction. Currently, bolt-actions, lever-actions, and autoloaders are available in the magnum rimfire calibers as are many handguns (see Chapters 3 and 4).