Greatly enjoyed your post on the new Ruger LCR22 .22 !MAGNUM!. Looks like a honey. Its always interesting to do a comparison with a different pistol that kinda similar, kinda different. That would be the Ruger SR22 in the lowly .22 RF.

Attached are Jeff's reviews of both:
http://www.gunblast.com/Ruger-LCR22Mag.htm
http://www.gunblast.com/Ruger-SR22P.htm

Side by side the auto is a touch shorter, at touch taller, about .30" thinner than the revolver and loads out with 11 rounds instead of 6. With good sights and crisp single action trigger it would make a wonderful little small bore field pistol for plinking and small game. Easier to hit with than the little !MAGNUM! revolver.

What is of most interesting is the absolutly amazing difference in power between the vaulted !MAGNUM! and the lowly .22 RF. Clearly as stated the !MAGNUM! is in a completely different class than the little .22.

Over Jeffs chronograph the !MAGNUM! revolver averages a blistering 1050 FPS with 40gr bullets completely leaving the pitiful .22 in the dust as it only averages a slow 950 FPS with 40 gr bullets.

Anyone knows that that remarkable increase of 100 FPS behind that formidably lethal 40 gr bullet adds a staggering 15 FPs of energy (which clearly is a lot) to this powerhouse of a !MAGNUM!.

When combined with the impressive muzzle blast and 300% price difference this is clearly an impressive combination and the !MAGNUM! deserves its reputation as as a real hotshot and value leader WHEN CHAMBERED IN SHORT BARRELED PISTOLS. The fact that a 9mm will do anything a .22 !MAGNUM! can do better for the same money is irrelevent.

I always enjoy the GunBlast reviews and value the information published in them.

there are 22 magnum bullets being loaded that are true jacketed bullets. Speer even makes a Gold Dot round. I suspect the 22 magnum rounds tend to be more reliable as well.

The .22 !MAGNUM! is truly loaded with 21st century high tech bullets that completely changes its terminal ballistics when compared to the .22 RF lead bullets especially at the high velocities demonstrated by the .22 !MAGNUM! when fired from short barreled pistols. One must simply accept the fact that a sub-sonic .224" 40 gr Gold Dot jacketed bullet is without question "more better" than a sub-sonic .223" 40 gr lead bullet in damaging tissue. This is without debate and everyone knows it. It makes a huge difference at 1050 fps.

It is also the general opinion of those in the know that the technology and manufacturing processes in producing primed .22 !MAGNUM! cases is completely different from the antique technology and manufacturing processes used in the .22 RF.
Clearly, the rimfire .22 !MAGNUM! is more reliable than the .22 RF because of this.

Upon it's introduction, the .44special emerged into a world of well tested other cartridges that used a ".44" bullet. Nobody expected anything "special". When serious shooters began to notice it's oddly superior accuracy, nobody could figure out why, it just shot extrememly well, even up against the-same-but-shorter .44russian. Elmer Keith, with his vast experience, could have just as easily brewed up a "38-40magnum", a "44-40magnum", or even a ".45colt magnum". There is a *reason* he preferred, and chose the .44special. The caliber just outshined all the other big-bore handgun calibers, *especially* at the extreme distances that Keith loved to try them against. Nothing "on paper", or "in the lab" gave any indication of why this was true. Keith didn't care about papers, or labs, Keith hit what he shot at with it.

Upon being presented with the idea of shooting a deer with a .22mag, I laughed. I considered the caliber to be a complete scam, nothing but a foolishly expensive version of a common caliber, certainly not worthy of hunting deer. Thank goodness I had an old waddie with years of experience, and I had an open mind. Many, many dead and eaten deer later, I have become the old waddie, winking in mirth at the "experts" with papers and lab reports, scoffing at the .22mag. Why will it drop-a-full-grown-deer-in-it's-tracks-out-to-100+-yards, every-single-time? Time-after-time? I have no idea. Nor do I care.

JLF

I have always said that the .22 Magnum from a rifle is a very effective round.

I could not agree with you more.

Double the velocity and square the energy.

Byron

Beautiful!