The 22 Magnum is properly called the 22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire or 22 WMR. It uses a considerably longer 1.0551-inch than the .22 Long Rifle and propels a 40-grain jacketed bullet at considerably higher velocity, up to 1910 feet per second. Other choices include lighter bullets, down to 30 grains at 2250 fps; and heavier bullets up to 50 grains at 1530 fps. The 22 Magnum was introduced by Winchester in 1959. It has remained popular ever since, but although it is much faster and more powerful it has never approached the 22 Long Rifle in popularity. It is offered by all firms who load rimfire ammunition, with wide choices in both rifles and handguns. A historic problem is that it has been very difficult to make it function consistently in semiautomatics, but it offers capability for small and game varmints to at least 125 yards, thus filling a gap between the .22 Long Rifle and centerfire .22 Hornet.
