.22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire - Firearms Using .22 WMR

Firearms Using .22 WMR

It first appeared in the Savage Model 24 combination rifle, followed by Winchester's own Model 61 pump action rifle. A number of single-shots and repeaters were offered in .22WMR. The .22 WMR operates at pressures beyond what normal blowback actions typically handle, but the self-loading Jefferson Model 159 was introduced for cartridge. Until the 1990s, most .22 WMR firearms were bolt action rifles. In 1977-1985 Harrington and Richardson made the first American-made semi-automatic .22 WMR. In the 1990s semi-automatic .22 WMR rifles were also introduced by Sturm Ruger, Savage, and Marlin, and more recently Remington and Kel-Tec. Revolvers in .22 WMR are made by Smith & Wesson, Taurus, North American Arms, Tanfoglio, Heritage Arms, and Sturm Ruger. The Argentine EDDA submachine gun uses the .22 WMR round. Semi-automatic pistols for this cartridge are (or were) produced by Kel-Tec, Grendel and AMT, the latter two now defunct (AMT has been since resurrected by High Standard). The Grendel, AMT and Kel-Tec designs used specially designed chambers with flutes or gas ports, designed to lubricate the long, thin cartridge with gases from the chamber, overcoming the Blish effect and allowing easy extraction of the cartridge. High-standard produced various models and versions of their classic two-shot over/under derringer in both .22 WMR and .22 LR.