.22wrf

Knottaclu

Well-Known Member
Hi

I know they are slightly less common than an honest politician but has anyone got a suggestion where I might find some .22WRF's. Apparently, CCi/Remington make a few every once in a while just to tease, but they never seem to get out of the States.

TIA
Knots
 
I take you are talking about .22 winchester rimfire magnum? If so hardly a rare calibre Knottaclu, most gunshops will stock .22wmr ammunition.
 
No, unfortunately not. The 22WMR is the more powerful successor to the 22WRF (or perhaps I should have said Winchester Rimfire non-magnum) and whilst you can use WRF in a WMR gun, the reverse isn't true (particularly as it's a venerable Winchester Model 1890).

Thanks anyway,
Knots
 
Sorry Knottaclu but I thought you were asking about wrm. I've never seen anything advertised or in gunshops about the .22wrf so I guess they must be pretty rare in this country.
 
That's a kind thought, Muir. Without wishing to intrude - may I ask where 'here' is?

Regards
Knots
 
Across the Wine Dark Sea in the US, I'm afraid. I have several boxes I used for a test in a series of 22WMR weapons. The WRF will work in the 22 Magnum, but not the reverse.~Muir
 
I had presumed that you were. The reason I was interested was that I was wondering whether reloading supplies/cases etc. for 22WRF existed on your side of the pond. If (as it seems) ammunition is not going to be found over here, the only remaining possibility is to make some up and the home of the Winchester must surely be the best place to look.

Regards
Knots
 
Mmm. It would be getting to the desperation stakes. I have heard stories (probably nonsense) over the years of people handloading rimfires - either via primed cases or re priming used cases - and thought if it had ever been really done, it would a wildcatter from your way.

It is just a shame to retire such a great gun because of lack of ammo.
 
I am familiar with the challenges of loading safe, effective, rim fire cartridges on a production level and tho it has been done by handloaders, it would be a serious undertaking. Most ammunition makers -and CCI would be at the top of this list- won't sell primed cases to the general public in small lots. It is a shame that someone couldn't just order a few boxes for you as it is a regular stocking item for CCI.

Were I totally desperate, and wanted to shoot this cartridge, I would order a 22WMR (magnum) shell holder from Huntington Die Specialties in Oroville, California. Then, with a collet style bullet puller I would pull the bullet from a 22WMR case and discard the powder. I'd trim the case to 22WRF length. I would then load a 45 grain cast lead bullet over a full case of Trail Boss powder from Hodgdons and hope for the best. It would probably go "bang" without killing anyone or breaking anything but I'd test it in a good, strong 22 WMR (magnum) before I put it into that slide-shucker of yours.

But that's me. I'm not recommending you do it. Rimfire priming is usually applied to specific cannister powders and can cause weird things to happen when off-the-shelf smokeless is used.~Muir
 
sorry for hijacking the post!
nice tip. couldnt find a WMR shell holder on the site though.
I have read of people using a 25ACP holder but that sounds a bit suspect. is there a dedicated WMR holder or is it designed for something else?
 
They probably quit the the practice of stocking them. Back in my mis-spent youth, when I was shooting NRA (US) 100M Hunter's Pistol Silhouette comps, I would pull the copper plated 40 grain bullets the 22WMR came with and reseat a ballistically superior Sierra 40 HP using a set of specialty dies sold by RCBS. I shot these in my Thompson Center single shot. It was a somewhat popular practice back then but the competition has faded away in recent years, and 22WMR ammo has advanced quite a bit.

That said, I'll guarantee you that if you pulled out your check book and contacted Huntington, they would make up a set of WRF loading dies! (They ain't proud)~Muir
 
I tried getting some to use as low power loads in my 22WMR. Everywhere I asked couldn't get any. I treid very hard persuading my local RFD to order some from the states, but he coudln't. I'd be pretty confident you won't get any off the shelf in the UK... SOrry to bring that kind of news. The reloading option sounds interesting though
 
It's really not viable to reload. By the time you got dies and such you would perhaps be able to "special order" enough WRF to last a while!

The closest you can get is the 50 grain Federal. I have never gotten more than 1725 fps with it.~Muir
 
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