22 WRF vs 22 WMR
mike reno
Member Posts: 2 ✭
I have seen an alarming amount of info saying that these 2 calibers are interchangeable when they absolutely ARE NOT!!
There are a lot of guns listed right now as 22 Mag that are actually WRF. For some reason, S&W made a bunch of model 48s in WRF but marked them MRF. There is no MRF, I read that S&W did not want to give Winchester credit for the cartridge.
There are some beautiful guns, some even with an extra .22LR cylinder for sale now. If you look, these guns are marked as MRF if S&W 48s, sometimes advertised as WRF. The sellers are claiming in many instances that these guns are actually the same as .22 mag WMR. This is completely wrong.
WRF is an almost obsolete cartridge from the turn of the century for rifles, at that time they warned against use in revolvers. It shoots a 45 gr bullet at 1300 fps. Modern revolvers can shoot it.
I have a beautiful 48-2 I bought years ago thinking it was 22 Mag. I'm sure the seller thought so too.
I took it to the range and put regular 22 mag ammo in it, seemed to chamber OK but a little sloppy. As soon as I fired, I knew something was not right, the recoil and sound was not right, and after 3 rounds the cylinder was tightening up. These cases are 2 different sizes, the 22 Mag case is thinner, and I think the head size is slightly different.
My gun was almost locked up, so I quit, and dumped them. I tried to reload just to see, and the rounds of 22 Mag would not chamber, because the chambers were completely fouled at the throat.
I always planned on taking it to a gunsmith friend, but I got distracted and parked it in the safe. In a casual conversation last year with a buddy who worked in a gunshop for 3 years, I told him about my problem, and he knew right away. He explained the diff between WRF and WMR.
I bring this up because these guns are being misrepresented in terms of caliber, WRF is very hard to find and totally unavailable on line now, I think because many people have been told that it's the same as WMR.
It most certainly is not. Be aware, and please spread this info. People are asking $1500 and more for guns you can't get ammo for. I know ammo is short everywhere, but WRF is always hard to find.
If anyone has any WRF I would like to buy it.
Comments
Did you look on the auction side? Right now there are both vintage and current production (CCI) on auction. A bit pricy but so is all ammo right now. Bob
IIRC you can shoot 22wrf in a 22 mag but not 22 mag in a 22wrf. Anyone clarify?
When the .22 mag first came out there were several gun magazine articles that said you could shoot .22 wrf in .22 mags but not the other way around because firearms designed for the .22 wrf were not designed to handle the .22 mag while .22 mag firearms can easily handle the .22 wrf. Note: wrf case length .965", .22 wrm case length 1.055"
Back then it made good sense because the .22 wrfs were easily available & cost quite a bit less.
If you Google .22 Magnum, it gives a fairly comprehensive rundown of the caliber.
22 wrf in a 22 wmr OK. Not the other way around. I had a ruger single six that shot better with the 22 wrf in the magnum cylinder than the 22 magnum. Ammo is being manufactured.
wrf neck dia is .242 vs .24o for the wmr : wrf base dia is.243 vs .240 : rim dia is .295 wrf .291wmr. and case length is .960 vs 1.052
I assume S&W marked the model 48 as MRF due to a reluctance to have any markings associated with Winchester. I could be wrong but I think the model 48 was chambered for the Winchester Magnum Rimfire cartridge. I am not by any means an expert, but I have several different volumes of S&W materials and can find no reference to the model 48 having been chambered in any other caliber. There was an optional .22 LR cylinder and yoke available.
Ricci I agree. I can find no reference to the 48 being anything other than 22MRF (WMR). I know the one I had years ago was WMR. It did suffer from hard extraction after a few cylinders full were fired, and I put it down to it being a Bangor Punta production gun. Chambers were a bit rough. I would be interested to know where the OP got his information about them being WRF. It would have been silly for S&W to make a 22WRF when that cartridge was almost obsolete when the Mod48 was introduced. Bob
Didn't even think a 22 WRM would chamber in a 22 WRF.
It won't; it is too long. I just tried it in my Model 90.
If you have a model 48 S&W it is a .22 magnum/WMR, it is not a WRF. WRF was developed for the 1890 Winchester. Remington used the WRF, but called it Remington Special. There haven't been any firearms chambered in Winchester Rimfire/WRF since the early 40s. I don't know of any revolver chambered in WRF. A lot of S&W revolvers in .22 Long Rifle and WMR have tight cylinder chambers and need a brush through them after a few cylinders have been shot. A lot of .22 shooters run a finishing reamer through their model 17s and 18s. I have shot WRFs in my magnums, but not WMR in my old WRFs.
This is all WRF, including Peters Remington Special/WRF