I got bit by the 22 mag bug about a month ago. Since then, I acquired a used Ruger single six in SS w/5.5" bbl. I went with the convertible so I could enjoy it "on the cheap". Overall I have found little difference in the accuracy of the 2 rounds but a good variation in MV. Here are the results using several brands of standard and HV ammo in the LR as well as a test with 22WMR 40gr SP rounds by Fiocchi. For starters I went with federal bulk back rounds(red box 36gr plated hp), they chrono'ed at an avg. of 1059 fps with an ES of 84 and SD of 23. Next up was the remington golden bullets bulk rounds(also 36gr plated hp). They fired out at 1070 fps(Avg) with an ES of 80 and SD of 25. I also thought no test would be complete without some remington thunderbolt bullets(40gr lrn). They produced and avg. speed of 1075 fps with an ES of 103 and SD of 27. Somewhere in the mix, I ran the Fiocchi mag bullets through the chrono as well. The 22 WMR loads zipped out at an avg of 1417 fps with an ES of 147 and SD of 43. To put the test in complete perspective, I also tested 2 different HV loads for the LR chambering. Keeping with the remington theme, I tested out the remington viper HV 36gr truncated bullets. These rounds avg'd 1137 fps with an ES of 49 and an SD of 16. Lastly, I loaded up some CCI velocitor rounds(40gr HV hp) and gave them a whirl. They popped out at 1165 fps(avg) with an ES of 124 and SD of 35. Just to satisfy my curiousity, I also ran the velocitors through a 10/22 w/16"bbl. The MVs increased on these to 1364 fps(avg) with an ES of 92 and SD of 31. Which does make perfect sense considering the extra barrel length.
Overall, it was a fun test to run. I love gathering "real world" data on various loads and these were revealing. I thought I'd have minimal increase in overall MV with a mag round(considering the short barrel) but they do produce about 35% more power for the same size projectile than the LR rounds. I also had no failures of any kind with all loads tested including the golden bullets in my 10/22(my first time with these). I didn't chrono those results but they were 100% reliable in all guns used. Surprisingly, the cheap bulk ammo was very consistent with low ES and SDs. For those of you who don't reload, that stands for extreme spread and standard deviation. Any load with a low SD is inherently accurate and consistent. It may be possible to produce a load with low SD that still shoot like crap but that hasn't been my experience. I was also impressed with the performance of the remington Viper rounds. An SD under 20 is hard to achieve. It is also noteworthy that, the CCI velocitors were a little more consistent in a longer barrel which may indicate that they are better suited for rifles. You could definitely feel the extra pop behind the 22 WMR bullets but the single six was just as fun to shoot with the 22lr bullets with virtually no recoil. Hope this info helps some of you guys on the fence about the 22 mag. If I'm lucky, my next test will be behind the trigger of a bolt rifle, where I can really stretch out the round to its full potential.
Overall, it was a fun test to run. I love gathering "real world" data on various loads and these were revealing. I thought I'd have minimal increase in overall MV with a mag round(considering the short barrel) but they do produce about 35% more power for the same size projectile than the LR rounds. I also had no failures of any kind with all loads tested including the golden bullets in my 10/22(my first time with these). I didn't chrono those results but they were 100% reliable in all guns used. Surprisingly, the cheap bulk ammo was very consistent with low ES and SDs. For those of you who don't reload, that stands for extreme spread and standard deviation. Any load with a low SD is inherently accurate and consistent. It may be possible to produce a load with low SD that still shoot like crap but that hasn't been my experience. I was also impressed with the performance of the remington Viper rounds. An SD under 20 is hard to achieve. It is also noteworthy that, the CCI velocitors were a little more consistent in a longer barrel which may indicate that they are better suited for rifles. You could definitely feel the extra pop behind the 22 WMR bullets but the single six was just as fun to shoot with the 22lr bullets with virtually no recoil. Hope this info helps some of you guys on the fence about the 22 mag. If I'm lucky, my next test will be behind the trigger of a bolt rifle, where I can really stretch out the round to its full potential.
