Hickok45 tests his own Hammerli Force B1 in .22 Magnum

Hickok45 bought his own Hammerli Arms Force B1 after borrowing an earlier version for review, and this time he's running it in .22 Magnum, a cartridge that turns a plinking rifle into something with real reach and authority on steel and junk targets alike.

The short version

In a video from hickok45, the channel's host walks through his personal Force B1, a straight-pull bolt rifle built around an interchangeable barrel system that lets him swap between .22 Long Rifle and .22 Magnum in about the time it takes to disconnect an air hose. He'd already tried the rifle on loan from Davidson's Gallery of Guns and liked it enough to buy his own along with the conversion kit. In this outing he runs .22 Magnum through it on an adjustable stock set to his length of pull, working the bolt by hand on everything from steel gongs to two-liter bottles and an old paint can.

Hickok45 notes the rifle shares magazines and some parts, including trigger packs, with the Ruger 10/22, even though it's built on a different, more Olympic-style platform. He found the .22 Magnum round itself notably fast and hard-hitting compared to .22 LR, and came away calling the whole setup "a pretty cool little rifle" worth a look for plinkers and some small-game hunters.

Key points

• Barrel swap: The Force B1 uses a quick-change barrel system that lets shooters switch between calibers like .22 LR and .22 Magnum in a matter of seconds.
• Magazine compatibility: It feeds from Ruger-pattern magazines, with separate 10-round and 15-round .22 Magnum mags used in the video, plus an adapter to run .22 LR mags in the same gun.
• Action type: It's a manually operated straight-pull bolt rifle, not a semi-auto, which sidesteps reliability issues that subsonic .22 loads can cause in self-loading actions.
• Parts sharing: Some components, including trigger packs, are compatible with Ruger 10/22 replacement parts despite the Force B1 being a distinct design.
• Adjustability: The stock offers an adjustable comb and length of pull, which Hickok45 dialed back from full extension to fit himself better.
• Threaded barrel: The rifle ships threaded for a suppressor, though the host hadn't yet tested one on this particular barrel.

Bottom line

For shooters who like the idea of one rifle platform that can switch calibers fast and still take common Ruger 10/22 magazines and parts, the Force B1 looks like a flexible option worth researching further. Anyone considering it for small-game hunting or serious plinking in .22 Magnum should watch the full demonstration before deciding if the manual bolt and adjustable stock fit their needs.

Source: hickok45