.22 LR vs .22 Mag - Size Matters!

[HoWink]

Hi y'all!  Have been lurking for a while and would like to cash in on your collective wisdom.  Here's the situation:  I spend a good deal of time in the north Georgia mountains.  I came across an old Freedom Arms .22 LR mini that had been sitting in my safe for a couple of decades and thought it would be a perfect companion for dealing with snakes while fly fishing and other chores as needed, being so much more compact from my "real" carry guns, which range downward in size from a Colt Trooper (.357), to a Springfield Compact 1911 (.45), to a Kahr CW9 (9mm), to a little Colt Pony Pocketlite (.380).  This little Freedom Arms is so much smaller than even the smaller Colt, that I can carry it in my waders or in a pocket and it's like it isn't even there.  So, a new front sight and fresh grips are on their way from Freedom Arms.

Naturally, having read a bunch of your posts, and understanding the significant ballistic advantages of the .22 magnum over the LR, I wandered over to our local gun shop to fondle the check out the possibility of moving up.

I was really surprised with how much larger the .22 magnum felt - definitely with the 1-5/8" barrel, but even with the 1-1/8" barrel.  It seemed not just a good deal longer, but also wider and heavier than the LR by a large margin - and yes, these were standard magnum versions, not one of the larger ones.  It seemed that carrying one wouldn't be significantly easier than carrying the .380 Pocketlite.

I'm trying not to make this the usual question about the relative effectiveness of the LR vs. the magnum - I got that.  I'm just wondering whether you consider the magnum to be in the same size class as the LR or whether you consider it more like a Ruger LCP, small Taurus or my little Colt - or, equally likely - am I missing something?

Thanks in advance.

HoWink

[RogueTS1]

I say definitely in the LR class. I find them much smaller and more easily carried than an LCP, Taurus or little Colt.

[dave5280]

One nice thing about the 22mag is the advancement in ammo.  In the last few years many short barrel "defense" have been introduced.  My fave is Speed Gold dot.  It does not keyhole from my 1 5/8 NAA.  The ones over 40 grains tend to be a little less stable.
This board had a good series posted by Jsan, June 23, 2012.  Google "http://www.naaminis.com/discus/messages/2/43360.html?1340463078"
Anyway that is what is in my records, don't know if it's still here.

[TwoGunJayne]

From a rifle, there is a measurable difference between .22 lr and magnum.

I feel that for all barrels under 4", things start getting really weird. In some configurations (particularly with supershort barrels,) the .22 lr can actually beat the mag in muzzle energy.

Mag starts to become dominant at 4" and above.

Supershort minis may do well to use CCI Velocitor or Stinger, depending on the specific gun. Barrel tolerances, cylinder gap, and other such things can affect velocity from a mini quite a bit.

A lot of ballistics testing in rimfire uses fixed barrels with no cylinder gap, nor a cycling action to soak up any energy, so those numbers will always be higher than a "real world" pistol.

[SteveZ-FL]

As far as the .22WMR / .380 pocketlite comparison made in Post #1, everything depends on the type of grip, holster/sleeve or whatever else one uses with the .22WMR.  If one uses a folding grip, an oversized grip or the standard grip, the situation changes radically.  Add to that the variety of ITW and other hoksters, and options continue to expand.

Bottom line is you can make the .22WMR (or the .22LR) as large or as small as you choose.  Having this wide variety of options with the NAAs is something that's not really available with anything else.

[grayelky]

First, welcome to the forum.

Don't know exactly what part of the Promised Land you are in, but I have a gun shop in Acworth, if you come down from the hills, towards Atlanta, stop by.

For my $.20 worth, for dealing with snakes, I prefer a .22 mag snake shot load, followed by 4 hollow points, either Hornady or Speer, designed for short barreled handguns. My personal first choice would be my 3" Earl. For me, it is the best combination of small, light, easy to shoot and easy to carry. I can make hits on half dollar sized targets at 30 feet, fairly easy and with regularity. Again, either the Speer or Hornady, designed for a 2" barrel. The Earl is also available in a 4" barrel if that length suits you better. If you don't happen to have a 3" Earl lying around, the NAA mini magnum you do have would be just about perfect.

Since you mentioned waders and fishing, I would suggest attaching some type of lanyard to whatever you end up with. For a mini, you could locate a spot at the base of the grip and drill a hole in the frame, and thread it. Insert a short, small bolt in the hole with a drop of locative, and thread your lanyard through the hole you drilled in the bolt before you screwed it to the frame. When you drop the mini, at least you will be able to retrieve it. If you opt for the CVang grips, which I really like, just drill into them.

If you don't have a particular attachment to the Freedom Arms gun, you just might be able to sell it for enough to cover the cost of a new NAA. I have not checked lately to see what they are selling for.

[Kevin55]

I find the grip on the 22LR to be too small.  I opted for the grip holster.

22mag vs 22lr
Under 2" barrels seems about equal in power. 
Over 2", the mag has more power as the barrel get longer.
Ammo choice is critical for these short barrel revolvers.

My past comparison, typos and all.
http://naaminis.com/smf/index.php?topic=4673.msg75019#msg75019

[warrnan]

Having carried and purchased my magnum sidewinder as an ultralight carry option for when my lcp felt too heavy, I can 100% say my sidewinder is roughly half the weight of my lcp and feels much smaller (2 finger grip lcp vs 1 finger SW). I love it. 7 oz fully loaded Sidewinder vs 12 oz Lcp.

Also I am a fan of Speer gold dot .22 mag. http://youtu.be/q-cqNCGnx_o  This shows 12+ inches of consistent penetration. It'll get the job done if you do your part.

[G50AE]

Welcome to the forum HoWink.