# A henry rifle and some jacked up rabbits



## Last Man Standing (Dec 7, 2011)

I had been wanting a new lever gun for a few months now and this weekend I had some extra money burning a hole in my pocket, So I took a little drive and ended up bringing home a Henry .22 mag repeater with an Octagonal barrel. I'd been eyeing some .22 mags lately but wasn't sure if I wanted to deal with the ammo being twice as much as normal long rifle. Well naturally I had to go out that night to see what it capable of and if it was worth the extra cost, so me and a buddy headed out to our latest bunny hotspot. I ended up taking four, and I was amazed at the difference between standard LR and magnum rounds. My LR would usually make kills with no easily seen exit wound and often required follow up shots to dispatch the animal. But the magnum was something else... It's exit wounds were sometimes up to 4 inches around, and the jacks always just stopped in their tracks, no need for follow ups. There was bunny carnage the likes of which I haven't seen since I went out with some guys using 12 gauges a few years back. The magnums also have quite a bit less of a rainbow trajectory than LRs, making long range shots much more of a possibility. I'm definitely a fan of the .22 WMR and I think it is worth paying more for the ammo. I love the gun itself too. Not only is it a looker, but it performs perfectly. Very smooth action, very solid feel and I love the look of an Octagon barrel. I'm pretty satisfied with my latest addition to the collection.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

GREAT pick! I have a Henry .22 WMR and it is my favorite bunny buster I own. Its fun to shoot, and purdy.

Glad to hear someone else caught the leaver fever!


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## Frisco Pete (Sep 22, 2007)

Just from looking at it from a theoretical point of view, the 22 Mag doesn't look like it would be _that_ much better than the LR.

But once I saw it in action I quickly realized it was more than twice as good. Of course this was with another forum member who _never_ lets me forget I once was a naysayer for his favorite bunny round. So I'm still paying the price to this day for being a non-believer.

But as a born-again .22 Mag man I think that it is great when combined with a good lever action like your Henry or my Winchester 9422M. Also works good in my _soulless_ Ruger 77/22M bolt.
All this to the detriment over over a 1000 jackrabbits or more. I've lost track...


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## Squigie (Aug 4, 2012)

I used to make fun of all the "idiots" that would waste their money on .22 WMR.

Then, somehow, I bought one in 1999 or 2000 - a Marlin 882 with their then-new fiber-optic sights (which I didn't actually like - I wanted traditional sights).
I took it out after Jack Rabbits, two days later. 
1 shot - 1 rabbit.
1 shot - 1 rabbit.
1 shot - 1 rabbit.

I was sold.
On paper, it doesn't look like much of an improvement over .22 LR. But, people often forget that .22 WMR uses jacketed bullets in most loads. That, alone, improves performance dramatically. The added velocity doesn't hurt, of course. 

Today, I look at it as a .22 Hornet, but I don't have to keep tabs on my brass. I get near-Hornet performance, but can leave the spent hulls behind, instead of chasing every piece of brass.

To try keep the cost of .22 WMR ammo down, I buy in bulk. 
ArmsCor and Fiocchi (same factory) offer the same "economy" loads that have become my standard ammunition: a 40 gr SP or HP (dimple in the SP). I buy by the brick (500) or case (5,000), when it's on sale.
They yield average 10-shot groups of about 1-1/4" @ 100 yards. For an 'economy rifle' with rimfire 'economy ammo', I'm perfectly satisfied with that.

The ArmsCor/Fiocchi bullets are tough enough to punch fairly clean holes if they only hit soft tissue; but fragile enough to expand rapidly if they hit bone. If you get a chance to choose your shot on a stationary target, that knowledge can be useful. :twisted:

If I really want to do some damage.... I skip right past all of the CCI offerings (including the stuff labeled for Speer, Remington, and Hornady), and use Winchester Supreme 34 gr HPs. It is the most ridiculously explosive bullet I have ever seen in a rimfire; and even more impressive than many comparable .22 Hornet loads. But, it's also the most expensive .22 WMR ammo in most stores.

EDIT: Fiocchi .22 WMR is now being produced by CCI, as well. So, that leaves current offerings at: ArmsCor, Winchester, and CCI (including Speer, Remington, Hornady, Fiocchi, Federal); for commonly available brands. But, there may be "old stock" Fiocchi around, that was manufactured by ArmsCor.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

I gotta say one of my favorite parts of the .22 WMR is the sound the bullet makes when it hits a jack rabbit. I really cant explain it because I have nothing to compare it to. But when I shoot a jack with a .22 LR I dont hear that sound, and when I shoot them with my .22 Hornet, .223, .204, and .17 HMR, I dont hear the thud that the .22 WMR makes


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Saw this over on the fivesevenforum, kind of interesting little demonstration of the damage a .22 WMR can cause.


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## Last Man Standing (Dec 7, 2011)

Bax* said:


> I gotta say one of my favorite parts of the .22 WMR is the sound the bullet makes when it hits a jack rabbit. I really cant explain it because I have nothing to compare it to. But when I shoot a jack with a .22 LR I dont hear that sound, and when I shoot them with my .22 Hornet, .223, .204, and .17 HMR, I dont hear the thud that the .22 WMR makes


I noticed the same thing. It's a really solid thud, not especially loud or fast sounding, but just kind of a drawn out thump. I imagine that walking up and just kicking the rabbit real hard wouldn't sound too dissimilar.


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## chet (Sep 7, 2007)

you guys are mean..... shooting poor little defensless wabbits....... without inviting chet!!!!!


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

chet said:


> you guys are mean..... shooting poor little defensless wabbits....... without inviting chet!!!!!


Chet, I will go bunny blastin with you any time


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## Cooky (Apr 25, 2011)

Bax* said:


> chet said:
> 
> 
> > you guys are mean..... shooting poor little defensless wabbits....... without inviting chet!!!!!
> ...


Honk and wave when you go by.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Ha! You'd think that everyone in the SL valley went your way or somethin'

Cooky, why dont you come too. We'll make it a UWN bunny blast


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## chet (Sep 7, 2007)

cooky, up there in them chained down junipers over there we used to see a few jacks. how's the numbers these days? maybe we should take a drive after the muzz.


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## Cooky (Apr 25, 2011)

chet said:


> cooky, up there in them chained down junipers over there we used to see a few jacks. how's the numbers these days? maybe we should take a drive after the muzz.


There still aren't enough to just go walking. After we get some snow so you can tell where there are concentrations we'll have to get out. Maybe I'll get that 9422M put back together by then. I had lunch at the Silver Sage today and didn't see one dead rabbit on the highway between here and there.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Ahh the Silver Sage.... I love geting enchiladas from them after hunting. They are probably terrible any other time, but after a hunt they are delicious!


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## Last Man Standing (Dec 7, 2011)

Bax* said:


> Ahh the Silver Sage.... I love geting enchiladas from them after hunting. They are probably terrible any other time, but after a hunt they are delicious!


Well, never had one after a hunt, but I've been there after camping and I'm gonna have to say it was probably the exertion of the hunt that made yours edible


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