Fun with a .22 rimfire

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hokkmike

Hokkmike

Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2006
Messages
3,964
Location
Snack Capital of the US
I am a big fan of lever action rifles. So, I was vey happy to acquire a 1983 Marlin 39a Golden with a 24 inch heavy barrel.

Put a touch of red glow on the front bead and took it to the range, Very nice groups at 25 and 50 yards with the iron sites. (100 and beyond on my next trip)

Also have a base and rings for scope mount. I generally do not like scopes on levers so I am thinking about it.

I haven't shot .22 for a long time and realized what a joy it was to spend an hour or two at the range without spending to much $$$$$ on ammo.

Of course there is no recoil and I am wondering if one even needs ear protection. I am in the habit of ALWAYS using ear protection so I guess I will continue.

Except for the fact that the it can't be reloaded the .22 stands tall as a survival choice.

Eventually I will match this gun with a good quality revolver.
 
Glad you enjoyed you outing with your acquired Marlin 39A. My neighbor has an older Marlin 39A - nice rifle.
I also like lever action rifles. My lever action .22's are Henry's and I also don't really like scopes on lever guns but I have a scope on one Henry .22 and my grandkids grew up shooting that rifle. They are now in their late teens but they still prefer it over the Henry Golden Boy with iron sights, so that's what grandpa shoots.
 
As of late I've been shooting more of my 22lrs also, haven't shot my Henry GB in a while. My KYL/know you limit rimfire swinger targets arrived from shooting targets 7. might just break it in with the Henry...though probably won't hit anything at 50y w/irons though

image.png
 
Last edited:
One of the best trades that I have made was for 39A. I bought a Barnett recurve crossbow and decided that I could shoot my PSE compound better so I traded. That little rifle was one of the most accurate 22's that I have owned. Well, in the top 3 anyway. Like a dummy I got rid of it. Bought a Henry a couple years back but the aluminum receiver was a turnoff so it is gone too.
 
I put a Williams receiver sight on my Model 39 and really like the set-up.

Regarding ear protection, use it; even with a .22. Damage to hearing from noise is accumulative and can never be restored once lost. My hearing has been greatly compromised thanks to inadequate ear protection while serving as an Air Policeman in the USAF back in the early sixties. Back then, we used empty brass or cigarette filters stuck in our ears to ward off the muzzle blasts from .45 ACP and .38 Special handguns and the M1 Carbine. This went on monthly for the better part of four years; not to mention the noise generated from B-47 and B-52 bomber and KC-135 tanker jet engines. Put those ear muffs on!
 
It is always nice to see someone discovering the joys of playing with a 22. The KYL is interesting, but I see it a way of adapting simple offhand plinking to the limitations of being on a rifle range.

Things were much simpler 5 or 6 decades ago. In the "Olden Days" as my daughters refer to the days of my youth, a regular pastime was to get a box of 22 shells and go to the city dump. The casual targets I used for the KYL equivalent were the caps of small glass aspirin bottles (smaller than a dime). When the challenge began to wear off of that, I would stop using the sights. Having the time a resources to develop into an instinctive shooter has served me well through the years, and I am afraid that is too costly unless you are using a 22 or an air rifle.

All of this is starting to remind me that I need to go burn up a couple of hundred rounds of 22 shells...
 
When my dad and I shoot together, whether handguns or rifles, we finish up with a .22 shoot off most times. If he brings one of his custom 10-22's I figure I'm fine as long as I'm not off that day. If he drags his 39A out of the case, I know it's gonna be a challenge.
 
I've got a couple friends coming out this afternoon to practice with .22s and center-fire pistols.

A few years ago I bought a couple sets of .22LR silhouettes for my son to practice on; squirrels, crows and rabbits. We use them for practice for big game season by shooting from various field positions. It's a lot of fun, great practice and cheap to boot!
 
Last edited:
It's enjoyable, at least for me, to read about the fun most folks have when shooting .22 rimfire caliber firearms. I've also been enjoying my .22's for 52 years now, and most of the guns I do own are all .22 rimfire caliber.
It's sad to see there is no "dedicated" forum for .22 rimfire on this site. Anyone know why that is?
 
Hokkmike said:
Eventually I will match this gun with a good quality revolver.
Click to expand...

May I suggest a Smith & Wesson model 17? This one is 8 3/8” but I have one with a 6” barrel that is just fine.

42C46164-ECCC-4C44-B7F1-5375E6DD945E.jpeg

Or a Smith & Wesson Model 18, the 4” Combat Masterpiece?

F64CFEE6-7BFB-4F08-BCF8-B8925931AD1B.jpeg

Of maybe a Ruger Single Six?

BF798E24-9A66-41AF-BFBA-B7B18EA79098.jpeg

I have owned cheap .22s. But they are gone. Enjoy the good stuff while you can.
 
Over the last several years our gun club has held a "Family Range Day". I work the line for the .22 rimfire. In the past, the person that had duty on the .22 rimfire range had these kids shooting at paper targets. The club provides all the .22 rimfire ammunition at these events.
When I took over I went with all reactive, and mostly biodegradable targets. We used cookies, animal crackers, lollipops, steel flippers, eggs and a paper target of a "zombie" that when hit center-mass, a zip lock bag of green dish soap would leak down the backboard.
The wife made up some "peel 'n stick" stickers shaped like a star that read, "I'm a Shooting Star". All the kids that partook of the .22 shooting got a sticker, even a few moms that tried to hit a few targets. We had one little girl who was 8 years old that returned to shoot at least 5 times, and she wanted another sticker each time. :)
 
22s simply rock. I love how kids light up when shooting them as in offhand's awesome photo. Another observation is that Model 39s simply own 10/22s on the line.
 
try rimfire challenge or steel challenge. Took my granddaughter to a steel challenge match several years ago now we compete 2 3 times a month.
 
I don’t think I have any optics on my lever .22’s either but do have at least one pump with a scope on it. It’s your rifle though, set it up how you want and change it back if you don’t.

If survival is your goal a brick of .22 ammunition in a bunch of ziploc bags will be more likely to be useful than a bunch of match sticks, powder, tools and other stuff to reload them. Same goes for any other cartridge rounds, as far as that goes.

There is something about the lowly .22 that makes it the most prolific chambering I have, I am a sucker for another .22 for sure.

I am in the habit of ALWAYS using ear protection so I guess I will continue.
Click to expand...

If you’ve got to have a habit, that’s a fantastic one to have.
 
Shooting reactive targets with a rimfire is, for me, one of the greater joys in shooting. It is also good for honing your hunting skills.

I remember long ago that Winchester used to have comic strip-style ads in magazines like Boy's Life (anyone besides me remember the catch phrase "Crack! The Winchester speaks!"?) In one of them a shooting game called "Keep the Can Rolling" was shown. The object was to throw a tin can (or equivalent) out to a random distance and keep it moving as long as possible by shooting it. Boys being boys this game has evolved into a shooting version of Kick the Can as a contest where a can (now a reactive target cube or ball) is thrown out and you try to hit it before your opponent does with the object being to make your opponent--in my case one of my brothers or nephews--miss. For me, this is one of the few times I prefer to have a semiautomatic over any other action. I have this little factory model 10-22 Tactical Target with a Burris Fast Fire red dot that works very well for me in this game. We are fortunate to have a place to play this game with an appropriate backstop.

Are there similar games that others play?
 
I shoot .22lr in a bullseye league, pistol and rifle and shoot metallic silhouette with a pistol and rifle. If you want to test your abilities try silhouette shooting, it is a very humbling game. If you do it right it is bang, clang and plop, if you do poorly it is bang and the sound of a bullet hitting nothing.
 
Dr T said:
Shooting reactive targets with a rimfire is, for me, one of the greater joys in shooting. It is also good for honing your hunting skills.

I remember long ago that Winchester used to have comic strip-style ads in magazines like Boy's Life (anyone besides me remember the catch phrase "Crack! The Winchester speaks!"?) In one of them a shooting game called "Keep the Can Rolling" was shown. The object was to throw a tin can (or equivalent) out to a random distance and keep it moving as long as possible by shooting it. Boys being boys this game has evolved into a shooting version of Kick the Can as a contest where a can (now a reactive target cube or ball) is thrown out and you try to hit it before your opponent does with the object being to make your opponent--in my case one of my brothers or nephews--miss. For me, this is one of the few times I prefer to have a semiautomatic over any other action. I have this little factory model 10-22 Tactical Target with a Burris Fast Fire red dot that works very well for me in this game. We are fortunate to have a place to play this game with an appropriate backstop.

Are there similar games that others play?
Click to expand...
We do a version of this with golf balls.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

C
  • Locked
Lefthand CZ452 American or Marlin 39a 22s?
Replies
10
Views
602
cavman
C
D
  • Locked
Favorite Rimfire Scope
2
Replies
30
Views
4K
WVleo
W
J
  • Locked
A good .22 Rifle
Replies
18
Views
885
SDBoltz
S
T
  • Locked
Lyman receiver sight or rimfire scope for Marlin 39a?
Replies
16
Views
3K
CZguy
C
N
  • Locked
Survival Rifle in Colorado
Replies
18
Views
2K
diesel83
D
Back
Top