On Average? Which is more accurate....9mm, 22LR, or 22Mag?

Question

Which has the cheapest ammo? Thanks

Answer 1

Tim,

Accuracy is in the hands of the shooter...ammunition aside, the firearm has much to do with accuracy potential.

Most inexpensive ammo in your list is .22 Long Rifle. For plinking purposes, it cannot be beat, and is fairly accurate. A box of 550 rounds can be had at the local Wallymart for under $10.

Answer 2

You did not state rifle or pistol and yes there are 9mm rifles (9mm carbine)
So I’m going to answer both ways.

***Pistol***
I use a Ruger semi auto pistol in 22LR caliber and it is scary how accurate it is, I hunt squirrel and rabbit with it “no problem filling the game bag”

I have shot the 22 magnum pistol it is good but not near as cheap as the 22LR. ( 22 magnum is about 3 times the price of the 22LR ammo)

9 mm is good in a quality weapon for accuracy but has limited range and is the most expensive of the 3 calibers you listed.

***Rifle/Carbine***
The 22LR rifle I shoot is very accurate to over 100 yards for target shooting, for hunting to assure a clean 1 shot kill keep it to 100 yards or less, and is by far the cheapest ammo.

The 22 magnum is also very accurate to over 100 yards and can be used for hunting for a clean 1 shot kill 150 yards or less, but is not near as cheap as a 22LR. ( 22 magnum is about 3 times the price of the 22LR ammo)

The 9 mm rifle/carbine I was not impressed at all with my sons and neither was he, for he had it just over a month and traded it off for some thing new and shiny.
The accuracy at under 50 yards was fair, past 50 yards was very poor and the ammo is the highest of all 3 calibers you have listed.

In my opinion the 22Lr is the cheapest and most accurate of all 3 listed.
The 22 Magnum is next only in price and still is a very accurate caliber.
The 9mm is fine for close range combat and the most expensive ammo listed of the 3.

That my two cents, hope it was of some help.

D58

Answer 3

.22 LR is the cheapest, then .22 WMR, and then 9mm. The grade of the ammo, the quality of the firearm, and the individual shooter will determine accuracy. All three cartridges are offered in match grade ammo (especially the .22 LR and 9mm) that can produce very tight groups in certain firearms that shoot them well.

The .22 LR fired from a rifle bench rest will be the easiest to shoot accurately. It is more difficult to shoot a handgun accurately. The 9mm has a mild recoil, but it is a significant difference compared to the negligible recoil of the .22 LR. The recoil from the 9mm will also make it more difficult to shoot tighter groups than a .22 LR.

Answer 4

The .22LR, on average will out shoot the other two calibers, within its limits. It will start to loose the accuracy game to the .22MAG at longer ranges.

Be informed that .22s are picky about ammo. There are lots and lots of different types and brands of ammo for the .22 and a savvy shooter will try a lot of them before he/she settles on an accuracy load. Target loads are the place to start but I've found in some guns that plane jane run of the mill stuff will shoot better.

Good luck

Answer 5

Accurate? All three cartridges use their powder charges efficiently enough that will turn in low enough extreme spreads and the tiny standard-deviations needed to be exceptionally accurate. However, no factory 9mm firearm has the accuracy potential of either .22. This is because the vast majority of 9mm firearms are destined to military, police, or self-defense usage . . . so they're not designed for the sort of precision shooting you'd expect from a good target .22LR, or a good .22WMR varmint rifle.

For pistol usage, the most accurate ammunition is .22LR sub-sonic match ammunition. For rifle usage out to 125 yards, it will be the .22WMR For the casual target shooter, the .22LR will be the accuracy queen. hands down (on the account that accurate rifles are chambered for it, and even the most incompetent and timid beginning shooter would not be startled by the .22LR's weak report and absence of meaningful recoil . . . and they can afford to shoot enough of it to become a competent , confident shooter by way of repeated practice.)

The same goes for expense. The .22LR ammunition will be the cheapest by far. For the same price a box of 50 rounds of 9mm FMJ, or a box of 50 hot .22WMR varmint hollow-point cartridges, you can get a box of 1000 plain-lead .22LR cartridges.

Answer 6

Well it depends on the range. At short range they all are accurate but at a medium range I would use a 22LR and at a farther range (not too mcuh) a 22 Mag.

.22LR has the cheapest ammo

.22 Mag has the second cheapest

9mm has the third cheapest

Answer 7

The .22 mag, no question. The 9mm is good to at best for 125-150 yards, the .22 is slightly more accurate, but the amount of powder behind a .22 mag makes its trajectory far more stable.

Answer 8

Guns tend to be as accurate as the shooter. Match grade .22 pistols shoot better than .9mms and .22 Mags because regular, non-magnum.22s recoil less. Of course, a 'junk' .22 will be less accurate than a decent .9mm and a .22 Magnum revolver may cause an inexperienced shooter to flinch because of the moderately load bang, flash and slight recoil.

H

Answer 9

22LR is accurate and has by far the cheapest ammo....althought the MAG is just more accurate over 75 meters or so.

Answer 10

22LR Cheapest. And depending on what you want to do with it , is the most accurate.