22 lr

[Onward Allusion]

Nope. It ain't the kinda post about how little of it is out there and the scalper...etc...etc.

My question is - why would anyone shoot cheaply made 22 LR anymore when steel cased 9mm can be had for pretty much the same price?

Cheapest 9mm (Tula) is .18 a round. Average low price for crappy Remington Thunderbolts are around .15 a round. I think steel case and cheap 22LR is a good comparison because shooters of both are going for value, plus there's no brass to recover. Personally, I'd rather shoot something that can help me shoot pistol better than shoot 22LR.

 

[ATLDave]

Why? For one thing, it's a lot easier to get a truly accurate .22lr pistol than a really accurate 9mm. For another, people working on flinch issues or seeing the sights in recoil sometimes need to spend time with .22s to make progress with other guns. 22lr and mild centerfire rounds both have their place and use.

 

[bannockburn]

Well I still have plenty of .22LR on hand that was purchased quite some time ago, when it still was less expensive than any centerfire pistol ammo. Have only recently found .22LR ammo for sale again and while it's priced a little bit more than it was before, it's still cheaper than Tula 9mm. ammo.

 

[cat_IT_guy]

Average low price for crappy Remington Thunderbolts are around .15 a round.

That statement is inaccurate, at least in my area. Perhaps if I were ordering online, from say Gunbroker that is the going rate (idk, havent checked).

In the last year, Ive bought .22 from at least 4 different stores (walmart, gander mountain, and 2 local gun stores). The MOST expensive .22lr I bought was CCI SV @ $5+tax/50, or ~$.11 per shot. The cheapest I bought was Federal bulk pack at $23+tax/550, or ~$.05 per shot.

That said, I've not been shooting .22lr as much lately as I have in the past, but its not a matter of cost, its a matter of availability. On a normal day, the local walmart has 7.62x39 or .45acp in stock. .22lr? not so much.

 

[bhk]

Cabelas has Winchester Super X available right now (on line) at less that 8 cents a round. Why on earth would anyone pay .15 cents a round for .22, definately a scalper's price? When you can find it, bulk ammo is cheaper than that.

 

[shafter]

22 ammo is nowhere near .15 cents a round in my area. It's closer to 5 cents.

 

[vamo]

When you can actually find it at a store .22 is still the cheaper option. That being said I don't know why people were buying it from gougers at 9mm prices; as in at that price might as well shoot 9mm.

 

[danez71]

Cabelas has Winchester Super X available right now (on line) at less that 8 cents a round. Why on earth would anyone pay .15 cents a round for .22, definately a scalper's price? When you can find it, bulk ammo is cheaper than that.

Resellers/flippers are selling in for .10 per round pretty regularly around here.

 

[Grassman]

In my area I'm finding .22 for .07, and 9mm about .35 per round. So it's not close for me.

 

[au01st]

Because the controls on my .22LR mirror the controls on my .45, and that's the reason I got it in the first place.

 

[huntsman]

I get shooting a .22 for the sake of enjoyment,(I've done it a time or two myself) but as a substitute? yeah if you can't regularly shoot your carry gun then it's time for a firearm reevaluation, the shoot what you carry mantra seems to be sound doctrine to me.

 

[mdauben]

I've bought CCI .22 for just under 10¢ a round and both Federal and Winchester for less than that in the last six months. Anyone paying 15¢ a round for crummy Remington bulk .22 is a fool.

 

[Mike1234567]

I recently bought CCI Blazer for 6 cents per rd delivered. Granted, it takes diligent searching and rapid response but it can be done. Personally, I don't put a lot of time into it and I only bought .22LR recently to pass along to friends at my cost. I don't like beating my head against a wall for little gain.

 

[PJSprog]

Well...
1) I don't even own a 9mm anything, and
2) I still have thousands of rounds of .22LR which can be fired from any of the four firearms I have chambered for it.

So ... that's why ... at least for me anyway.

Start reloading for your centerfires, and you won't have to ask these questions in the first place.

 

[JR47]

I teach a lot of younger people. The .22 is a FAR better reaching tool than anything in 9mm.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I bought 5 boxes of .22 lr the other day for $2.19 a box. When I can find 9mm for that price, I'll stop buying the .22 lr.

Now at the crazy panic prices, I'm with you. I can handload 1k .38 Spcl/9mm/.45 Colt/.40 S&W etc. for under $70 per thousand. Wouldn't make much sense to pay that for a 500 .22s.

 

[03fatboy]

Two reasons a 8 and 7 year old

 

[danez71]

Two reasons a 8 and 7 year old

That sounds like a life time of reasons to me.

 

[Onward Allusion]

Wow. I guess ammo prices and availability really vary quite a bit geographically! 9mm & 40 S&W available, but not much of anything else in pistol calibers here. I have been resorting to online (no - not Gunbroker scalpers) shops and getting hit on shipping for everything else.

 

[mavracer]

I"m not paying 15 cents a round for 22 of course my 9mm don't cost that much either and it's match grade.

 

[Agsalaska]

Because it is fun. In fact the only guns I truly enjoying firing on a consistent basis are my .22s. I shoot my centerfires from time to time to get ready for deer season or some hogs and coyotes and such. I also from time to time shoot a handgun or two to stay somewhat sharp(although not near as sharp as I should be). The semi centerfires never come out. And the shotgun may or may not come out when the birds are flying. But .22s are just fun. Whether its just plinking a tin can, thinning out turtle populations, or teaching others how to shoot, nothing in my mind beats rimfire. It doesnt bother my ears, doesnt kick, and is relatively cheap.

 

[Racinfan83]

I just got 4725 rounds of Remington .22 for .05 per round. Beats the heck outta .25 a round of 9mm. And I won't shoot steel case garbage in any of my guns...

 

[MagnumDweeb]

Ammo availability is quite geography driven. .357 magnum, .45 ACP, and .40 have been available around my way but good luck finding practice 9mm or .22lr. That said i stocked up like crazy after the last panic that I was finding ammo I had forgotten about in still unopened shipping boxes. I put my .22lr stock of unopened bricks around 13k and my loose stash around a thousand. Granted my loose stash is hit or miss when it comes to discharging in my Heritage Rough Rider but it goes pop every time in my Ruger 10/22.

I don't shoot .22lr in place of 9mm or any other handgun caliber but that's me. I mainly have it now for my 10/22 which has taught me the love of .22lr rifle shooting. I don't like .22lr handguns anymore and never really did but since everyone had one I figured I should get one, and maybe one day I'll pickup a S&W 617 for the heck of it. There are few things more fun that having a scope zeroed at a hundred yards and from a prone position holding quarter size groupings (really should be down to a nickel).

Oh and I save all the brass I find, even steel case, when I get the chance. I actually melt mine down into discs for various purposes. On a by-and-by .22lr brass with a small amount of zinc makes for an excellent primer cup for .44 Magnum and .303 cases once you make your drawing parts for the cups.

 

[Racinfan83]

Try a Beretta Neos next time u see one in store. If u have large hands the grip is a bit small - but I got one with the 6" barrel for the wife and she loves it. The gun looks kinda funky - but I put a tru-glo on it and it shoots REALLY well!

 

[Rollis R. Karvellis]

Why would you not shoot .22, and 9mm, and .45, and ..............

Shooting is a buffet, enjoy a little bit of everything. Better yet enjoy a whole lot of everything.