Is there any reason why nobody except a few European Cos. makes a 22 magnun SEMI AUTO?

Just not much demand for them...

Used Ruber 10-22 magnums are running $700 and up.

Alexander Arms makes a .17 HMR AR15 as well as separate uppers. They have said they will eventually make the 22 Mag as well.

"Just not much demand for them..."

Yep. Sorta like 16ga trap guns. If somebody would buy them, somebody would make them.

Semi-autos aren't popular in many states because they aren't legal for hunting. For instance, the only autoloaders legal for hunting in Pennsylvania are shotguns and then only for birds - all other game must be hunted with a manually-operated firearm.

Ed

They are a tough one to get to work right due to the unique case dimensions of the .22WMR.

When you get one that works right, you have a gem. Mostly though you get one that works ok and you live to learn with a certain level of inadequacy.

I learned this the expensive way when living in Michigan and trying to build a coyote rifle that conformed to their convoluted night time hunting regulations.

H&R 700 works.

Having spent 15 years in a sales position I beg to differ with some of the above posts. We had numerous requests for 22 mag autoloaders with Ruger being the only reasonbly priced auto loader that was available to my knowledge. Along came the 17 and people started loading 22 mags ammo in them and the lawsuits ensued or at least that is what the Ruger people told us at several shows. I wish I had picked up one before they all got gone. At one show I was also told that Keltec had plans for a 22mag autoloader rifle. I look forward to getting one of those to go with my 22m autoloader pistol. Jackie B.

I'll second the H&R. Check out gunbroker.com there is one on there now. Mike.

Yes there is a reason

People were converting them to 17MRM which was blowing up guns

Regards from Iowa

Gene

remington 597 22mag

Trap906 unless something has come up recently the 597 22mag is no longer available. Not in any of our catalogs anyway. Jackie B.

I have a HK300 for many years now - will hit pennies with the entire mag at 100 yards.

As you all know, Keltec has a semi-auto .22 mag pistol in production. It is called a PMR-30.

THey are currently developing a .22 mag semi-auto rifle called a RMR-30.

The P in PMR-30 indicates - pistol. The R in RMR indicates - rifle.

A picture of the rifle can be seen by Googling "Keltec RMR-30."

Keltec set off a forest fire of demand for their pistol. They are in hot demand and short in supply.

A gun dealer told me he expects the same demand for the rifle, if Keltec ever gets their production numbers up.

Says something about the popularity of this caliber.

The ammo varies too much in blowback intertia between the the different bullet weights and ammo types for semi-autos to function reliably. The gun practically has to be made and set up for just one type of ammo. That's what Volquartsen told us when we had one built. Volquartsen "tuned" the action to a specific brand and bullet weight, and told us to stay with just that one exact type of ammo. Rick

3dram: I find that tough to believe regarding pressure. The bullet size/weight changes in relation to barrel diameter is in no comparison to different formulas in higher powered rifles. Just how much can you change a .22 mag? They're not even reloadable are they?

I have a CZ .22 magnum semi-auto that runs like a clock. Feeds, ejects and is accurate to boot. Death on coyotes inside 100 yds or so. It isn't the most attractive rifle I own, but for something to carry on the 4 wheeler at my deer lease is is great.

I've been waiting for, and researching for an answer to this question for 2 years now. The only product answer I've found is Magnum Research, Magnum Lite rifles.

Their are many good discussions about the 22 mag auto on the web. From what I've gathered, the Ruger 10/22mag was a maintenance and warranty failure for Ruger. Many would not feed and/or would break bolts and internal parts. Ruger discontinued the gun for this reason.

The Magnum Lite is gas op and tuned bolt/action for just this reason. I've talked to Anderson about their .17 and they say the same thing - no plans on a 22 mag due the feed and pressure problems. Nordic had a similar response.

I've finally given in and have my local dealer locating a Magnum Lite for me. It seems that they are in very short supply.

I decided on the Magnum Lite because it uses many Ruger parts and magazines - lots to toys.

Win, Marlin, Ruger, H+K Great gun to the 300, Cooper, Browning, CZ, Savage, and lot other make 22 mag's. They are out there all you have to is look for them. Go to any gun site and put in the search box 22 magnum. Any gun that is in 22 mag will come up for you to look at. Let us know what you find.h

Auctioneer: But not in semi auto.

Why is .22Mag so desireable? Is it that much better than 17HMR or .223? I've never fired one so just asking. Alan

I know why I never bought one no matter who made it...cost...the guns are not cheap and neither is the ammo for a round you cant reload...bolt guns shoot 22mags up as fast as my wallet can stand

Always wondered why the U.S. Army never used a 22 mag for close house to house work with a 100 round drum feed. Seems to me to be an excellent choice for such work. Lightness of ammo is a big plus on the battlefield. In most cases and under close conditions a 22 mag is every bit as good as a 223 imo.

Dave, .22 mag semi-autos (like the .22 standard rimfire semi-autos) function on the "blowback" principle. Since the .22 mag ammo can be had in bullet weights from 29 to 50 grain, there are going to be a significant differences in blowback intertias with the various types of loads. That's why many standard semi-auto .22 rimfires will state ".22 LR only" on the barrel. The shorts and longs with their 29 gr. bullets just wouldn't cycle the actions reliably. Some semi-autos won't even reliably cycle subsonic or standard velocity .22 LR - you have to use the high-velocity .22 LR's. I'm sure some others of you here will bear me out on this. In my opinion, a bolt-action .22 mag is generally a far better choice because you can test difference types of ammo for ACCURACY rather than just to find the type that will reliably cycle the action. ....Rick

I own three .22 mag rifles.....two Win. 9422Ms and a Marlin bolt action with a Rifle Basix trigger. All are solid and accurate. I can' t get too upset about not having a semi auto.

Ken Rucker

I have a Winchester model 61 22 magnum still unfired in the box. What I like about this gun even though it has never been put together or fired is the value has gone up about $1600.00 since I bought it.

Don't take this wrong or personal, but xringjim do you seriously think the 22mag would make a good military round and compares to the 5.56x45?

To start with rimfires of any kind are not as reliable as centerfires, we got away from military rimfire many years ago. The 22mag has a fairly large rim which makes feeding from a large magazine problematic.

The 5.56/223 has way way more power than the 22mag. Just compare the Federal 223 vshock p223b load firing a 40 grain Nosler balistic tip at 3700 fps to a equivalent 22mag hp going 1700 fps........huge difference!!!!

Maybe you're thinking about the comparison between the new 22mag Keltec pistol versus the FN Fiveseven 5.7x28 pistol which is closer in some loads but the centerfire will always have advantages.

Redcobra,

I choose my 22mag after my 22LR wouldn't reach out to the ground squirells like I needed. Also bunnies that were hard to reach out to. I could not see using a .223 on these little critters. I also love the extra push it gives when compared to a 22lr. I am very pleased with mine and have a scope on order to be able to see the head above the grass when they are hiding.