Rimfire rounds are fun for shooting and hunting. Relatively inexpensive and without felt recoil, the .22 Magnum, .17 HMR, and the good ole .22 Long Rifle are ideal cartridges for youngsters, newbies, and for guys and gals who just love to shoot. The .22 Mag will also challenge your best accuracy and hunting skills. Many states offer late season squirrel hunting and if you can locate a frequent food source and exercise patience, you can “head shoot” enough for a great stew or fry.
Home Defense
The best personal defense pistol is the one you shoot well. Often, a home defense firearm must be versatile enough for the lady of the house to fire and that can rule out today’s traditional semi-autos because women may have difficulty working the slide. A revolver in .22 magnum is an excellent compromise that yields a firearm that’s fun to shoot and powerful at close range. A self-defense pistol is useless if the user is afraid or unable to use it and the .22 magnum overcomes both of these obstacles.
Muzzle Blast
One of the many benefits of rimfire cartridges is reduced muzzle blast and today’s suppressors help reduce sound even more. As a result, you can shoot your .22 magnum in a basement, garage, or other inside location without alarming neighbors. Or, prompting a visit by the police.
Great for Predators and Pests
Many rural and Eastern predator situations are close range encounters and the .22 magnum can shine in close quarters. Also its the perfect caliber to “have handy” if a roaming coyote shows up and you only get a quick shot.
Richard Mann covers the full gamut of .22 Mag uses in this comprehensive post from Outdoor Hub:
About 15 years ago, Hornady introduced the .17 HMR. This was a .17 caliber rimfire cartridge made by simply necking down the .22 Magnum case. The .17 HMR is blistering fast and shoots very flat. Soon everyone was pontificating that it would be the end of the .22 Mag., and for a few years that was the case. However, savvy hunters realized that the .17, as flat shooting and fast as it was, wasn’t as versatile as the .22 Mag.
The versatility of the .22 Mag. lies in the wide range of ammunition available for it. With bullet weights ranging from 28 to 40 grains, and with rifle muzzle velocities spanning 600 fps – from about 1,700 to 2,300 fps – the .22 Mag. might not shoot as flat or fast as the .17 HMR, but it is unquestionably a more practical cartridge.
https://www.outdoorhub.com/how-to/2017/12/11/shooting-mann-magnificent-22-mag/
