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November 7, 2015
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A nice enough (+/- 80%) 1914 vintage 1890 in WRF jumped out of its temporary custodian’s arms and into an empty spot on my display rack Saturday in Waco. It has a few decades of grime covering several spots but I feel sure it will clean up very nicely. I don’t have any pics yet, hadn’t planned on wasting the bytes on a standard rifle. Also scored some light reading/ coffee table books in a silent auction. I suppose as many bids as I made I was lucky to only “win” one, but they all look interesting.
Mike
April 29, 2024
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Nice I have a 1908 1890 in 22 WRF 🙂
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November 7, 2015
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Uplander said
Nice I have a 1908 1890 in 22 WRF 🙂
I know little about this cartridge, last I heard the ammo is somewhat underwhelming, is that still the case?
Mike
April 30, 2023
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TXGunNut said
Uplander said
Nice I have a 1908 1890 in 22 WRF 🙂
I know little about this cartridge, last I heard the ammo is somewhat underwhelming, is that still the case?
Mike
A lot of folks are stocking this CCI ammo: https://ammoseek.com/ammo/22wrf
It’s a cartridge with 22 magnum looks and 22 LR performance, so depends on how you look at it! I’ve been forming a little personal stockpile of not only .22lr, but all its cousins too like 22 S, L, and WRF.
November 1, 2013
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TXGunNut said
I know little about this cartridge, last I heard the ammo is somewhat underwhelming, is that still the case?
I’ve had two: first was an 1890–accuracy was very mediocre, so had it lined, but no significant improvement resulted. In truth, I regard these guns as plinkers, so wasn’t expecting much. But I WAS expecting more out of a Stevens target model I later acquired, with a mint bore & good trigger. It performed better than the 1890, but accuracy was still below that of a good .22 LR, about 2 MOA. From that experience with a first class target rifle, I concluded that the ammo, not the gun, was at fault. What I SHOULD have done with the Stevens (& I’ve always regretted not doing so) was rechamber it to .22 Mag, because that ammo is known to be mfgd. to much higher standards of quality than WRF.
April 15, 2005
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TXGunNut said
Uplander said
Nice I have a 1908 1890 in 22 WRF 🙂
I know little about this cartridge, last I heard the ammo is somewhat underwhelming, is that still the case?
Mike
Mike,
The ballistic performance of the 22 WRF is slightly better than the 22 LR (45-gr vs. 40-gr bullet), but the added cost of the ammo does not offset the performance difference. The 22 WRF was the predecessor to the 22 WMR and it can be safely fired in any 22 WMR chambered firearm.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
March 31, 2009
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TXGunNut said
Uplander said
Nice I have a 1908 1890 in 22 WRF 🙂
I know little about this cartridge, last I heard the ammo is somewhat underwhelming, is that still the case?
Mike
Mike, I need to take one of my WRF’s to the range and chrono it. One of my 90’s is a family gun and I have collected ammo since the 1980’s. Most of my ammo is the Winchester batch made in the 1980’s, maybe 1984/5? I might have some CCI too.
June 1, 2023
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I have fired both the Winchester WRF ammo and the CCI WRF ammunition in my 1890’s and on a lark, in an Anschutz 54 I own that is chambered in 22 Winchester Magnum.
I don’t have the chronograph info handy, but the CCI ammo is decidedly faster. As a further aside, the CCI ammo produced near match performance in my Anschutz, shooting bug hole groups repeatedly at 50 yards. Plenty of accuracy there for the rifle that can use it.
BRP
April 15, 2005
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CCI advertises it @ 1300 fps
Buy Winchester Rimfire for USD 18.99 | CCI (cci-ammunition.com)
Per the October 1905 catalog, the listed velocity of the 22 Winchester (WRF) cartridge was 1137 fps
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
November 7, 2015
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Good info, thanks. I hadn’t realized it was a BP cartridge at one time. I heard the Aguila was very inconsistent but had forgotten CCI made WRF, found it when I was hunting 22 Winchester Auto for a 1903. I can load 32WCF and 38WCF for less than the prices I’m seeing. Probably not going to buy much.
Mike
September 28, 2016
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My experience ditto’s BRP’s experience. The late production (80’s) brown box Winchester ammo was terrible for accuracy while the CCI was more than satisfactory. I do have several old boxes of miscellaneous manufacturers and all the ones I tried were better than the late production Winchester ammo.
