Armscor 22 WMR 40gr JHP – Great Value Varmint Ammo

Description

The 22 Magnum sits in a useful gap between a 22 Long Rifle and a centerfire varmint round, and the Armscor 22 WMR 40gr JHP is one of the more sensibly priced ways to feed one. A 40 grain jacketed hollow point at 1875 feet per second in a nickel plated case, loaded by a manufacturer that has been making rimfire ammunition for decades.

• What the 22 Magnum does that a 22 LR cannot
• Full specifications
• Varmints, pests and a useful farm load
• Honest notes before you buy
• Rifle or handgun, and why it matters
• The bottom line

What the 22 Magnum does that a 22 LR cannot

Roughly triple the muzzle energy is the short answer. A standard velocity 22 Long Rifle produces around 100 foot pounds. The Armscor 22 WMR 40gr JHP produces 312. That is the difference between a round that works on squirrels at forty yards and one that handles coyotes, foxes and groundhogs out past a hundred.

It also shoots considerably flatter. At 1875 feet per second the Armscor 22 WMR 40gr JHP has a much shorter time of flight, which means less drop and less wind drift at the distances where varmint shooting actually happens. For a farm gun or a pack rifle that has to stretch a bit, that matters.

Full specifications

• Caliber: 22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire
• Bullet weight: 40 grain
• Bullet: jacketed hollow point
• Muzzle velocity: 1875 fps
• Muzzle energy: 312 ft-lbs
• Ballistic coefficient (G1): not published for this load
• Case: reloadable boxer primed brass
• Quantity: 20 rounds per box
• Part number: 50 rounds per box

Two details are worth noticing. The jacketed hollow point construction means the bullet expands on impact rather than pencilling through, which is what you want on small game. It also fouls the bore far less than a plain lead bullet, so a rifle shooting the Armscor 22 WMR 40gr JHP stays accurate longer between cleanings.

Varmints, pests and a useful farm load

Groundhogs, foxes, raccoons, coyotes at moderate range and every kind of barn pest. The Armscor 22 WMR 40gr JHP has the energy for all of it and the expansion to make a clean job of it. For anyone who keeps a rimfire behind the door on a property, this is a more capable load than a 22 Long Rifle by a wide margin.

It is worth saying plainly that the 22 Magnum is not a deer cartridge, and is illegal for deer in most states for good reason. The Armscor 22 WMR 40gr JHP is a small game and varmint load. Within that role it is genuinely effective, and outside it you are asking a rimfire to do work it cannot.

Honest notes before you buy

Rimfire cases cannot be reloaded, so the nickel plating here is about corrosion resistance and smooth feeding rather than brass value. It does help in a tube magazine or a rotary magazine that sees dirt and moisture, which is most farm rifles.

One honest caveat. Rimfire ignition is less reliable than centerfire by its nature, and every brand produces the occasional dud. That is true of premium ammunition as well as value ammunition. If you are carrying a rimfire for anything where a failure to fire matters, know that going in rather than expecting the Armscor 22 WMR 40gr JHP or anything else to be perfect.

Rifle or handgun, and why it matters

The published 1875 feet per second comes from a rifle barrel. Out of a revolver the Armscor 22 WMR 40gr JHP will lose several hundred feet per second, because the 22 Magnum was designed around a long barrel and a slow burning powder. It still works from a handgun, but do not expect rifle numbers and do not expect the same expansion.

Rimfire ammunition is also inherently less uniform than centerfire, and rifles are famously particular about which brand they prefer. Buy a box of the Armscor 22 WMR 40gr JHP and shoot a group before buying a case. If your rifle likes it, and many do, you have found an affordable load worth stocking deep.

The bottom line

For pest control, varmints and small game, the Armscor 22 WMR 40gr JHP is a dependable 22 Magnum load at a price that lets you actually shoot it. You can read more about the bullet design at swiftbullets.com, or browse the rest of our stock on the MAG5 Firearms ammunition page.

MAG5 Firearms keeps the Armscor 22 WMR 40gr JHP in stock and moving, and we are glad to talk through bullet choice before you order. If you are working up a load for a new rifle, a single box of the Armscor 22 WMR 40gr JHP is a sensible place to start.