![Best 22 Magnum Rifles [Field Tested]](https://gundigest.com/wp-content/uploads/cz-457-22-magnum-rifle-feature-768x496.jpg "Best 22 Magnum Rifles [Field Tested]")
When it comes to sending pests to varmint Valhalla, few implements hold a candle to a .22 Magnum Rifle. We’ve picked a few of the best—hitting every price point—that will dependably cut down nuisance critters like ripe wheat.
What Are The Best .22 WMR Rifles:
- Best Budget Bolt-Action: Savage Arms 93 F
- Best High-End Bolt-Action: Bergara BMR Steel
- Best Budget Semi-Auto: Savage A22 Magnum Pro Varmint
- Best High-End Semi-Auto: Volquartsen VM-22
- Most Handsome .22 Magnum Rifle: CZ 457 American
How We Made Our Picks:
There are plenty of other excellent .22 Magnum rifles on the market besides these models, but at the end of the day, after weighing all the different factors, these are what Gun Digest's varmint rifle aficionados believe are the best options available. If you're in need of a pest control implement with a bit more bite than a regular .22, these .22 Magnum rifles offer the best combination of reliability, quality, features, ergonomics and price. Whether you're shopping for something basic or a little more advanced, these five options should serve you well.
Specs Comparison Of The Top .22 Magnum Rifles
| MODEL | ACTION | CAPACITY | BBL LENGTH (IN.) | OAL (IN.) | WEIGHT (LBS.) | MSRP |
| Savage Arms 93 F | Bolt | 5 | 21 | 39.5 | 5 | $319 |
| Bergara BMR Steel | Bolt | 5 ; 10 | 20 | 38 | 5.8 | $619 |
| Savage Arms A22 Magnum Pro Varmint | Semi-Auto | 10 | 22 | 41.5 | 7.21 | $769 |
| Volquartsen VM-22 | Semi-Auto | 9 | 16.75 | 37.25 | 5.38 | $1,812 |
| CZ 457 American | Bolt | 5 | 24.8 | 38.2 | 6.17 | $629 |
Best Budget Bolt-Action: Savage Arms 93 F
Specs
Action: Bolt
Capacity: 5
Barrel Length: 21 Inches
Overall Length: 39.5 Inches
Weight: 5 Pounds
MSRP: $319
Website: savagearms.com
Pros
- Very affordable
- Ships with an AccuTrigger
- Lightest option on list
Cons
- Thin barrel heats up quick
- Older magazines had reliability problems
- Low magazine capacity
This is about as plain Jane as you can get in .22 Magnum rifles. But don’t let the 93 F fool you—it’s a solid iron. Set up as a bit of a flexible platform, the bolt-action works well for casual plinking and hunting iron. However, be aware, its tapered 21-inch sporter profiled barrel heats up quickly and gets whippy. We found that a long string will really open up group size.
Its synthetic stock is workable but leaves a little to be desired in the aesthetics department. And the sights (open) are passible, but we think it would be worthwhile to take advantage of the drilled and tapped receiver if you're going to use it for anything besides close-range pest control. It being a Savage, the rifle boasts the company’s snappy adjustable AccuTrigger, which does its part in improving the rifle’s accuracy. Though, we think it’s worth mentioning that the 93 had feed issues from the 5-round box magazine at one time. However, by all accounts, Savage ironed it out. If you come upon a faulty mag, we found that it’s correctable by slightly bending the feed lips in a hair.
Savage Arms 93 F Deals
| Cabela's | $280 |  |
| Sportsman's Warehouse | $300 | |
- .22 Magnum: What’s The Use?
- .22 Magnum Pistol: What’s Available In Semi-Auto</li
- .22 Magnum Revolver: 5 Excellent Options For The Hunt
- .22 WMR Vs .22 LR: Application Defines This Rimfire Rumble
- Top .22 Magnum Ammo Options For All Applications
Best High-End Bolt-Action: Bergara BMR Steel
Specs
Action: Bolt
Capacity: 5 ; 10
Barrel Length: 20 Inches
Overall Length: 38 Inches
Weight: 5.8 Pounds
MSRP: $619
Website: bergara.online
Pros
- Ships with a threaded barrel
- Lighter than average
Cons
- On the expensive side of .22 Magnum rifles
Bergara burst onto the rimfire scene a few years back and the shooting world is better for it. The Spanish manufacturer has turned out absolute gems, which includes its do-all Bergara Micro Rimfire. Originally only offered in .22 LR, the slick little bolt-action is available as .22 Magnum in 2021, a boon for any dead-serious varmint hunter. In complete honesty, we think that the BMR borders on overkill for hunting given that Bergara designed it with the NRL22 base class in mind. Yet, if you can afford it, the BMR would make an excellent field gun as well. It's not the lightest model on the list, but it's still light enough that we felt unburdened when hauling it in the field.
The 20-inch steel barreled BMR (the company also has a carbon-fiber barrel model) also has some interesting twists dedicated rimfire hunters are sure to appreciate. In particular, its trigger is upgradable with any Remington 700 aftermarket option. Though, Bergara’s stock Performance Trigger is nothing to turn your nose up at. In fact, we don't really think it warrants upgrading. Additionally, the BMR features 5- and 10-round detachable box magazines, an oversized bolt handle, a 30 MOA scope rail and threaded muzzle (1/2-28” TPI) with a thread protector. Not all .22 Magnum rifles come with a threaded barrel, so we especially appreciated this feature since we enjoy throwing suppressors on everything we can. For bolt-action .22 WMR hunting rifles, it’s difficult to do much better.
Bergara BMR Steel Deals
| Sportsman's Warehouse | $550 | |
| Scheels | $550 | |
Best Budget Semi-Auto: Savage A22 Magnum Pro Varmint
Specs
Action: Semi-auto
Capacity: 10
Barrel Length: 22 Inches
Overall Length: 41.5 Inches
Weight: 7.21 Pounds
MSRP: $769
Website: savagearms.com
Pros
- Semi-auto
- Picatinny rail for optics
- Features an AccuTrigger and a Boyds Pro Varmint stock
Cons
- Heaviest model on the list
- Rather pricey
Quick shots count in varmint hunting. That makes it a very good idea to consider a semi-auto like Savage’s A series .22 WMR rifle. Essentially a clone of the company’s A17 .17 HMR rifle, the A22 uses the same delayed-blowback action, utilizing an interrupter lug until peak pressure has subsided and the round is downrange. Consider it insurance against a ruptured case and damage to the rifle or the person behind the trigger. Historically, good semi-auto .22 Magnum rifles have been hard to make so there aren't a ton of options out there. While this isn't the cheapest model on the market, we think it's the cheapest you should consider if you want a solidly reliable semi-auto in .22 WMR.
As for accuracy, the A22 has it in spades. Thanks to the .22 Magnum’s light recoil, it's almost frightening how quickly you can crack off hits, too. Savage gives you every opportunity to take advantage of this, outfitting the rifle with a fluted heavy barrel that keeps harmonics sound, as well as a very comfortable Boyds Pro Varmint stock. The heavy barrel has its advantages, but we found it made the rifle feel more cumbersome than just about every other model we tested. Not a deal breaker, but something to keep in mind if you plan on carrying it in the field. A nice pistol grip and block stock offer the utmost control when setting up long shots on small targets.
Other features worth pointing out are Picatinny optics rail, AccuTrigger and 10-round rotary magazine. The A22 has everything you need, all you have to supply are the varmints.
Savage A22 Magnum Pro Varmint Deals
| Sportsman's Warehouse | $700 | |
| Midway USA | $650 | |
Best High-End Semi-Auto: Volquartsen VM-22
Specs
Action: Semi-auto
Capacity: 9
Barrel Length: 16.75 Inches
Overall Length: 37.25 Inches
Weight: 5.38 Pounds
MSRP: $1,812
Website: volquartsen.com
Pros
- Semi-auto
- Very accurate
- Impressively lightweight for a semi-auto
- Threaded barrel w/ compensator
Cons
- Very expensive
- Built to order, will take time to ship
If you're looking for a semi-auto .22 Magnum rifle and price isn't a limiting factor, we think that the Volquartsen VM-22 is the best that money can buy. Like all Volquartsen rifles, the VM-22 is extremely accurate thanks to its THM tension barrel. It's extremely lightweight as well because of the CNC-machined aluminum hard anodized receiver and carbon fiber barrel sleeve. The barrel is threaded 1/2-28” TPI as well and it comes with a blow forward compensator.
Because the VM-22 is made to order you can also choose your color of Hogue stock and the barrel sleeve. However, that also means the rifle won't ship to you immediately after buying it, but good things come to those that wait. Whether you want a .22 Magnum rifle for the field or the benchrest, we're confident that the VM-22 will be an extremely lightweight, accurate and reliable model to do it with.
Volquartsen VM-22 Deals
| Midwest Gun Works | $1,630 | |
Most Handsome .22 Magnum Rifle: CZ 457 American
Specs
Action: Bolt
Capacity: 5
Barrel Length: 24.8 Inches
Overall Length: 38.2 Inches
Weight: 6.17 Pounds
MSRP: $629
Website: cz-usa.com
Pros
- Longest barrel of models listed
Excellent trigger - Nice factory wood stock
Cons
- On the expensive side of .22 Magnum rifles
- Low magazine capacity
Among rimfire diehards, the 457 has achieved epic status—namely because of its modular design making it quick work to upgrade. However, you needn’t trick it out to reap the benefits of the Czech bolt-action. The 24.8-inch barreled CZ is a lights-out hunter, milking the most reach out from the magnum rimfire and delivering accuracy shot after shot.
Sans sights, the .22 Magnum rifle has an 11mm dovetail milled into the top of its receiver for attaching scope ring mounts. And CZ anticipates plenty of glass on top, with the rifle’s bolt-throw a terse 60-degrees—allowing for optics with a larger ocular bell. Trigger-wise, we think the 457 has an excellent switch, an adjustable system with almost no creep and a crisp break. And the receiver, it’s as small and nifty as they come, rigid to enhance accuracy but cutting down on the rifle’s overall weight.
As to the 457’s stock, it’s walnut and straight, a cut that we found to be quick to the shoulder and intuitive to get the eye in the scope. Once there, few critters are likely to escape unscathed.
While it doesn't win any awards for practicality, we can't help but mention the 457's classic looks that the walnut stock provides. It's the only .22 Magnum rifle on the list offered with a traditional wood stock and that still counts for something in our book.
CZ 457 American Deals
| Palmetto State Armory | $689 | |
| Guns.com | $589 | |
.22 Magnum Rifle FAQ:
.22 WMR, aka .22 Winchester Rimfire Magnum or just .22 Magnum, has a variety of applications. Its niche exists between .22 LR and more powerful centerfire rifle rounds. In other words, it's an excellent round for varmint/small game hunting, pest control on your property and sport shooting at longer ranges than what .22 LR would allow for. Also, while it's not an ideal choice for self-defense, some individuals with hand strength issues employ .22 Magnum in that capacity.
.22 Magnum ammo is significantly more expensive than .22 LR ammo for a few reasons. The simplest reason is because it's bigger and requires more material to construct each cartridge. Additionally, the projectiles are usually more complicated to manufacture than the typical unjacketed .22 LR bullet. Finally, there's scale to consider, as .22 LR is so well-established and ubiquitous that much more of it is produced than .22 WMR ammo which is more specialized. The huge production volume of .22 LR helps to keep its price so low.
The maximum effective range of a .22 Magnum rifle for hunting game can be impacted by the exact rifle, ammo and type of game in question, but it's typically accepted that 150 yards is about the farthest distance it should be used at. Beyond that range, .22 WMR simply won't have enough energy to humanely harvest most game, and that's assuming you correctly calculated the drop and made a good shot.
Hardly. It does have more oomf than .22 LR, but it's still very mild and pleasant to shoot. It's mild enough that it's a perfectly acceptable round for small children to use when learning how to shoot, though .22 LR will be easier on your wallet.
Next Step: Get your FREE Printable Target Pack
Enhance your shooting precision with our 62 MOA Targets, perfect for rifles and handguns. Crafted in collaboration with Storm Tactical for accuracy and versatility.
Subscribe to the Gun Digest email newsletter and get your downloadable target pack sent straight to your inbox. Stay updated with the latest firearms info in the industry.
