Does anyone know if anyone makes a .22 Magnum semi automatic pistol? Kind of like a Taurus PT-22 but in .22 Magnum.

I remember reading a number of years back some Co. was making one in 22rfmag., but don't know if it worked out or if it still being made ! Don't remember their name either ! JAGG

AMT made a 22 mag autoloader. As far as I know, they're not around any more.

AMT made a 22 mag autoloader. As far as I know, they're not around any more.

One of the ugliest, large, and shotest lived was the Grindel P-30...simple, ugly and pretty relaible...but it was designed with a 30round magazine, and the mag. ban pretty much killed it.

Amt had one...as mentioned in other posts,,,but it didn't set new records for reliability (and so far, nothing from AMT has). Seemed to be pretty well built, but it wasn't uncommon on teh range to hear, "bang, bang...click...*$&@%^#$POS...".

Can't think of any besides those two...may have been other prototypes, but those two made it into production...and both are now out of production, which may be a telling comment about the long skinny .22mag. is pistols.

Long skinny straight case operating at high pressures, with very thin case walls and a folded head - not a recipe for success with an autoloader.

Long skinny straight case operating at high pressures, with very thin case walls and a folded head - not a recipe for success with an autoloader.

MikeG

Would you discuss why this seems to only be an issue in autoloading pistols??

The 22 mag and 30 carbine function in long arms of varying action mechanisms i.e. blowback or gas operated without too many feeding or cycling problems.

Problems with feeding makes some kind of sense, but what about the pressure?

Could this be an issue similar to "limp wristing" a 1911?
Possibly with the smaller cartridges magnifiying the effect??

I've seen this kind of problem discussed on several forums, but nobody really explained why it was a problem.

Cheers!
BigMikeG

Long skinny straight case operating at high pressures, with very thin case walls and a folded head - not a recipe for success with an autoloader.

MikeG

Would you discuss why this seems to only be an issue in autoloading pistols??

The 22 mag and 30 carbine function in long arms of varying action mechanisms i.e. blowback or gas operated without too many feeding or cycling problems.

Problems with feeding makes some kind of sense, but what about the pressure?

Could this be an issue similar to "limp wristing" a 1911?
Possibly with the smaller cartridges magnifiying the effect??

I've seen this kind of problem discussed on several forums, but nobody really explained why it was a problem.

Cheers!
BigMikeG

Even at the low pressure of the .22mag., a straight blow back action may just have the case blow out. AMT used an odd kind of dimpled chamber to try and (1) harness the gas prssure to HELP locking and (2) to retard early case movement.

Think it could be done, and has been in some cases (that Grendel P-30 did have the rep. for functioning), but it won't be an adpatation of an existing handgun...would need to be geared up from the start to for that round (what current semi-auto round exists that is a good match to the .22mag.'s length and diameter?). Good chance there may be some on the market soon...the 17HRM is pretty popular, and if there is a percieved market for a semi-auto handgun version fo that round, then perhaps the .22mag. could ride that wave as well.

IF you could put up with the large action of a .22mag. carbine made into a handgun (and there are some legal issues here), could turn out a handgun of large size and weight that would proably work....but it would be a pretty "gawky" handgun.

You mentioned a good example: the .30carbine. Few semi-auto pistols were made for that round...an AMT (whcih was a pretty large handgun) and the Kimball. The Kimball was only made for a year or two in the late 1950's, looks like a big High Standard in design, chambered for the .30carbine...and it cracked slides and frames (which is why it was made for only one year).

Long skinny straight case operating at high pressures, with very thin case walls and a folded head - not a recipe for success with an autoloader.

MikeG

Would you discuss why this seems to only be an issue in autoloading pistols??

The 22 mag and 30 carbine function in long arms of varying action mechanisms i.e. blowback or gas operated without too many feeding or cycling problems.

Problems with feeding makes some kind of sense, but what about the pressure?

Could this be an issue similar to "limp wristing" a 1911?
Possibly with the smaller cartridges magnifiying the effect??

I've seen this kind of problem discussed on several forums, but nobody really explained why it was a problem.

Cheers!


BigMikeG


You can do a semi-auto .22 mag; just need a really heavy bolt. The 10/22 mag bolts are a LOT heavier than the regular 10/22 rimfire bolts, for example. Ruger went to some other real dense alloy to make it work. I don't have the exact weights in front of me, but it was a pretty substantial increase in weight. Plus it's a real long piece of metal, so the physical size is an issue, in a handgun.

The other option is a heavier spring. Either way, key is for the inertial / spring tension on the bolt to keep the action closed until the pressue has dropped enough. Blow-back actions operate within a fairly narrow pressure range for this reason, and almost all .22 semi-autos are blowback actions.

But you can't get too carried away making the spring stronger. Comparing the spring tension on a 10/22 against say the Mark II auto, you can see that the handgun already had a stronger mainspring (it's a lot harder to pull, some of that perception might just be leverage) so putting a still-stronger spring in a .22 mag handgun isn't going to work well, at least not with the Ruger platform. Presumably Ruger went with a heavier spring in the handgun to keep the overall weight down.

Now, on a 1911-type gun, where there is a big 'ol heavy slide anyway, and you can grip the slide on both sides, that might actually make a better platform. Plus the 1911 is of course recoil-operated. But straight blowback actions are a lot cheaper to build.

Sort of a chicken and egg. I'm sure it could be done, somehow - but the manufacturers won't do it until they're convinced that the market is there to recover the costs.

Gas operated - not so good with plain based lead bullets, certainly not for high-volume shooting.

I still have my AMT .22 Mag, it's called the AutoMag II. The first range session out, it would not extract any rounds. Called AMT, and was informed that the CCI Mini Mags I was using had too soft of a brass casing, and that the pistols were designed around Winchester loads. I changed to Winchester and Fedral loads, and never had a problem again. This pistol has put many a Squirel on the table, and is much handier than a rifle in many cases. The main objection is that it is as loud as a lot of centerfire rounds. Accuracy is as good as my Ruger MKII, and can hold 5 shots in a group that can be covered with a nickle at 50 yards. I have never had a case split, or swell in the head area, but the dimples in the case sides are quite evident. The CCI rounds expand, but do not contract enough after firing to clear the dimples, and fail to extract.

Lee L.

Grendel P30 and AMT AutoMag II were the most notorious. I do believe there was a third one that was more of a niche player - one of those things that I'll remember at 3am...

Long skinny straight case operating at high pressures, with very thin case walls and a folded head - not a recipe for success with an autoloader.


Correct about the long skinny straight case but not about the high pressure. The .22 Rimfire Magnum operates at the same pressures as the .22 Long Rifle.

I have often wondered why a short recoil action wouldn't work with a .22 mag pistol. Make the slide and barrel light enough, and you could get enough recoil. I really don't know why that would not work.