Innovations and advances in technology tend to be applied unevenly. Today's smart-phone technology allows folks to walk around with access to the sum total of human knowledge literally at their finger tips. And yet, here we are in 2024 walking around in shoes using the same lacing systems developed for leather sandals thousands of years ago.
This lopsided nature of innovation is sometimes evident in the shooting-sports industry as well. All too often, much-loved cartridges get left behind in the efforts to upgrade, modify and outfit firearms for calibers currently garnering the lion’s share of the media spotlight. In regards to micro red-dot optics-ready options, there has been no shortage of efforts to bring defensive 9mm pistols and big-bore hunting revolvers up to speed.
But what about the handguns chambered for the .22 Winchester Magnum Rifle (WMR), which is more commonly referred to as .22 Magnum or just .22 Mag.? What's available for folks who want to take advantage of this souped-up rimfire, while using a red-dot optic to improve the sight picture? It turns out that there are a few top notch optics-ready semi-autos to choose from and at least one affordably priced single-action revolver which arrives with an optics rail installed. Let's take a look at what they have to offer.
The Walther WMP Pistol
It may come as something of a surprise to some folks to learn that, as of this writing, there are three polymer-framed, semi-automatic pistols chambered in .22 Mag. currently on the market. They include the Kel-Tec PMR30, the Smith & Wesson M&P 22 Mag. and the Walther Arms WMP. I've conducted full evaluations of all of three models and found good reasons to like each of them. But if someone twisted my ear, and made me pick just one for hunting small game, I would probably go with the Walther WMP for this particular application.
For any type of hunting, a firearm that gets out of its own way and lets the shooter focus on shooting is an invaluable asset. With its up-to-date features and mild levels of felt recoil, the hammer-fired, double-action-only WMP is just such a gun. Those who use optics-ready semi-automatic pistols for at-home or out-and-about self defense, Walther or otherwise, will find that the WMP has a familiar feel and control layout which shortens its learning curve considerably.
The German-made, blow-back operated WMP's aluminum slide gives this gun an unloaded weight of 27.1-ounces, which is similar to many polymer-framed 9mm pistols and contributes to easily controlled, mild levels of felt recoil. The factory installed sights consist of a bright orange/red fiber-optic at the front and a serrated square notch rear sight which is drift adjustable for windage. The slide has front and rear cocking serrations with some lightening cutouts just behind the front sight.
The target-grade 4.5-inch bull barrel rests flush with the front of the slide. Unlike some Walther pistols, this model's barrel does not have recessed threading for muzzle accessories. But considering the handling, there's little need for a muzzle brake or compensator. The frame features a 2.25-inch five-slot Picatinny accessory rail, a trigger guard finger rest and ambidextrous controls, including the slide stop lever and tear-drop magazine release button.
I'm particularly fond of the hand-filling grip with contours and texture echoing those of the Walther PPX and Creed series. The grip locks in and stays put when using a two-handed grip. The trigger has a feel comparable to Walther's striker-fried pistols but it is noticeably lighter. This particular gun has a trigger pull of just 3-pounds 13-ounces. The pistol ships with two 15-round, metal-lined magazines which are sturdily built. They are easy to load thanks to a follower-mounted slider that can be pulled down to ease the magazine spring's tension.
Before shooting the WMP for the first time, I opted to take advantage of the standard-size, optics-ready slide and the mounting hardware provided with the pistol. Three red-dot optics mounting plates are provided that are sized to accommodate Trijicon, Docter, Vortex and Shield model optics. In this case, the slide was topped off with a Swampfox Justice model (JTC00127-3; $209). This is an RMR footprint, competition-style optic with a 1x27mm lens and a three MOA red dot. Features include an anodized 7075 aluminum housing, Shake N' Wake activation, ten brightness settings and roughly a year of operation using one CR1632 battery. I've been using this optic with this pistol ever since. Its styling, operations and just-right size make it an ideal fit for this gun, so I have yet to find a good reason to take it off.
The Heritage Tactical Cowboy Revolver
Technically speaking, Heritage Manufacturing, Inc. does not offer a budget friendly optics-ready .22 Mag. revolver. However, what they do have in the catalog is the 6-shot .22 LR Rough Rider Tactical Cowboy (RR22B6-TH) along with a selection of drop-in caliber conversion .22 Mag. cylinders which are sold separately.
The Tactical Cowboy was first released in 2022. Most likely it was intended to be a bit of a humorous wink and nod at the current trend of giving classic 19th century gun designs 21st century feature make overs. If you can put an AR-pattern handguard and a skeletonized modular stock on a lever-action carbine, like this, then why not offer a railed and suppressor-ready single-action rimfire revolver? But Heritage took the Tactical Cowboy revolver project seriously, resulting in an eminently practical set of features.
The revolver sports a 6.5-inch round-profile barrel with right-side ejector assembly and a muzzle threaded at 1/2-28 TPI to accommodate a variety of .22-caliber compatible muzzle devices. A thread protector is provided. The sight system consists of a removable bright red/orange fiber-optic sight up front with a 2.5-inch long receiver-mounted six-slot aluminum Picatinny optics rail at the rear. This rail has a deep groove down the center with a square notch at the rear. This allows the rail to form the rear sight when no optic is installed.
Rough Rider revolvers are built around an aluminum alloy frame, or receiver, with a swing-out loading gate located to the right of the hammer and flip-down thumb safety lever located to the left. As a scaled down version the Single Action Army revolver design, the hammer must be manually cocked for each shot fired. With the hammer cocked, the smooth, clean-breaking single-action trigger of this particular gun weighs in at just 3 pounds 1 ounce. The Tactical Cowboy ships with a fluted .22 LR cylinder and a set of smooth polymer grip panels for a suggested retail price of $213.99. As of this writing, that translates into real-world prices closer to $190.
In addition to their expansive catalog of Rough Rider models, Heritage also offers an impressive selection of drop-in cylinders and replacement grip sets available through the shopheritagemfg.com website. The unfluted plain blued steel cylinder shown here (331-0002-01) is $29.99, making it one of the least expensive caliber conversions on the market. Other .22 Mag. cylinders include decoratively engraved blued steel or bright color PVD finishes for between $34.99 to $38.99.
The online catalog currently lists over 70 grip set options for the models with the plowshare-style grip frame, including polymer, laminated hard wood, faux ivory and G10 with prices from $19.99 to $35.99. I swapped out the factory installed polymer grips for the deeply textured blue and black G10 grips (GGHAG10-TEXTURE) which provide plenty of purchase with or without gloves. And it doesn't hurt my feelings that they look sharp too.
For this range test the revolver was fitted with a fully enclosed, rifle-style Swampfox Liberator II with a compact 6061 aluminum housing and hydrophobic coated lenses. Available in three configurations, the model shown here has the two MOA red-dot aiming point. Thanks to new emitter technology, the company says you can expect up to a 10,000-hour, constant-on CR2032 button cell battery life using a medium brightness setting. But the ten brightness settings and the Shake N' Wake automatic on/off feature can make the battery last even longer. This optic arrives with two T-2 footprint mounts sized for Picatinny rails, one AR-height co-witness mount and the flush-fit mount shown here. The Liberator II is an affordably priced package (RDLR122-2RD; $149) which proved to be a great fit for this revolver.
At the Range
Heading to the shooting range, I was curious to see how these two enjoyable .22 Mag. handguns would perform side-by-side. It is, of course, an apples-to-oranges comparison considering the differences in their price points, barrel lengths and action types, but interesting nonetheless. Since I've shot both of these guns before and found them to be mechanically sound and reliable, I got right down to the formal accuracy testing.
It's been my experience that handguns in this rimfire caliber tend to put their best foot forward when firing cartridges topped with bullets in the 40 to 45-grain weight range. With this in mind, the bench-rested three-shot group testing was conducted at 25-yards using CCI 40-grain, Federal Champion 40-grain and Hornady 45-grain loads. Here are the accuracy results for both models along with the bullet velocities measured for 10-rounds next to a Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph:
Because the .22 Mag. is a rifle cartridge, the majority of commercial loads are tuned for use with barrels between 16- to 20-inches in length. As a result, a significant drop in bullet velocity and a larger standard deviation should be expected when using either a 4.5-inch semi-automatic or a 6.5inch revolver. In this case, the WMP's closed chamber generated greater bullet velocities despite having the shorter barrel.
As for accuracy, the WMP kept the group sizes hovering right around one inch with a particular fondness for the heavier Hornady load. Simply stated, it's one of the most accurate rimfire pistols I’ve worked with so far. It certainly makes the grade. The Tactical Cowboy printed groups between 2.03 and 2.86-inches in size with an average extreme spread of 2.38-inches. But we are talking about a .22 Mag./.22 LR convertible revolver package that can cost somewhere around $220 out the door if you use the factory grips. Considering the price, it's a deal that works for me. And interestingly enough, the Hornady load produced the largest groups from this model. It’s just a good reminder to test your ammunition in a given gun before heading out into the field.
Parting Shots
The .22 Mag. cartridge continues to be a popular rimfire option, coming in second only to the ubiquitous .22 LR. Most of the ammunition made in this caliber will be fired through rifle barrels. Nevertheless, it's good to know that those of us who enjoy .22 Mag. handguns can find semi-automatics and revolvers with the up to date features we're looking for. To learn more about the Walther WMP, visit waltherarms.com. And for more information about Heritage Rough Rider revolvers, visit heritagemfg.com.
