Do any of you experienced shooters have time for .22's?

[Sheldon J]

.22's are a hoot!!

For the just plain fun of shooting it is real hard to beat a .22, so Yes after the smoke from the .416, the .223, the .45's, and the 12 ga clears it is .22 time!!

 

[dm1333]

Yes! I shoot .22 every time I go to the range (at least twice a week spring through fall) and shoot more .22 than all other cartridges combined. I was doing this well before ammo prices sky rocketed.

 

[NASCAR_MAN]

I want to find out if any experienced shooters who have a good stable of guns still spend much time afield for any purpose shooting .22's.

Yeah..of course. I mean, how do you think we keep our edge?

NASCAR

 

[Avenger29]

I love .22s. Started out with a BB gun, moved up to .22s. Still shoot .22s the most (I hate recoil and high ammo cost). The centerfire that I own with recoil comparable to my .22 is my 9mm Marlin Camp Carbine- also a favorite, but more expensive than the .22

Happiness is a ruger 10/22, Butler Creek magazine loader, plenty of mags, a couple of bricks of ammo, and spinner and reactive targes.

 

[sacp81170a]

Shooting .22's is not only a cheap way to train, it allows you to concentrate on the basics and keep your form correct. I've got an AA .22 kit for my Glock 22 and 17 and a Ciener .22 conversion for an AR.

 

[Barr]

How can you "outgrow" a .22? They run the entire gamut from dirt cheap models to uber expensive models. It is hard to beat a Ruger III 22/45 with grip modification and a CZ 452 Training Rifle.

 

[sm]

Experienced?
I fell off the truck tailgate going through a pasture, does that count for experience?

I learned to shoot at age 3 with my .22 revolver, competed with one, got run out of county fairs shooting "gallery games" and I still shoot .22s a lot and use these to assist new folks, especially kids.

I assist in shotguns using a .22 rifle as well. Yep, sure do.
Just like with a BB Gun, instead these rifles have the sights removed and folks shoot tennis ball and golf balls and little ones made of Nerf.

.22s, especially .22 short from a .22 rifle has less recoil than some BB Guns.
We just have to have better backstops is all.

 

[Master Blaster]

I own and shoot more .22lr than any other caliber. Its my favorite caliber. I never go to the range without a .22lr, and yes I reload centerfire pistol and rifle.

 

[RancidSumo]

I was just waiting for sm to come along. He always has good posts about .22's.

 

[orionengnr]

I think that the sheer number of responses tells you all you need to know.

First firearm I ever shot was a single-shot .22, back when I was about eight years old. I passed the half-century mark a year or so back, and .22s are more a part of shooting than ever. Between rising ammo prices, maintaining a degree of proficiency, and just having fun shooting, the .22 is without equal.

Whether rifle or pistol, every range session starts out with 50-100 rounds of 22LR, then move to the centerfire.

That CZ452 is starting to talk to me...

 

[Brian Dale]

My .22s get used a lot. I first fired a .22 rifle when I was five years old, and I'm 48 now.

Except while I'm hunting (on a particular day), the .22s go out almost every time I go shooting:

-it can be 22s and the match AR-15,
-or 22s and the borrowed Python,
-or 22s and some other revolvers,
-or 22s and an M1 Garand,
-or 22s and the shotguns, and so forth.

Some days, I shoot only .22s. Several 22s.

My Dad was the same way. Combat veteran (field artillery; he had experience with big guns), career Federal law enforcement officer who called himself an "accumulator" rather than a proper collector, he was a gun guy. He always liked and shot .22s, too.

Yes, I have time for .22s

Edited to add: I just looked at the post times for these responses. High Roaders are typical of the experienced shooters I've known who've talked about .22s. The reaction here has been:

Hey, a .22 thread—Pounce!

 

[SavageMOA]

I've been shooting for a little over 10 years now and own three .22s. A ruger 10/22, Marlin model 60, and a Beretta U22 Neos. The Beretta is an EXCELLENT training pistol if you want to practice handgun shooting without burning through 9mm, 40 S&W, or .45 ACP. (especially at $25/box of 20 rds.)

 

[TimboKhan]

I am 36, have been shooting regularly for probably 25 years (and irregularly a few more) to include time in the military, and not only do I find time to shoot my several .22's, I actively still look for new .22 firearms. I love the .22. I like that it's cheap, I like that some of the coolest looking guns around are in .22, I like that I can do mild to wild custom work (mainly on 10/22's, but others as well) on my own and get quality results, I like that .22's are available in every action you can think of, I like that I can get accuracy far beyond my own ability out of generally inexpensive firearms, but I also like that if I was so inclined I could buy a very expensive .22 and get even better performance. Man, there just isn't anything not to like about .22's. I have a fair collection of guns, and I like shooting them all, particularly my mil-surps, but I would be lost without a .22 to plink with. Thats just the fun stuff.

For utility, it's pretty hard to beat a .22 for pure versatility. It shouldn't come as any surprise that many people would choose a .22 as their one and only survival gun, largely because you can carry so much more ammo with less weight, and cover so many more situations effectively than you can with other guns/calibers. Oh, I know a .22 won't stop invading hordes of zombies, Crips or bison, but it's utilitarian value in other scenarios far exceed it's disadvantages when it comes to big game hunting and self-defense round.

In short, I believe every shooter should have at least one .22 firearm. To not have one is to miss out on a whole bunch!

Edit to add: Also, I should add that the .22 will indeed take down both human and large animal targets. It might not be immediate (althought it can be), and it might take a whole bunch of shooting with a healthy does of luck, but it is capable of anchoring large targets. Best or most suitable choice for large targets? Assuredly no, although I must add that SM has mentioned before that for certain people the .22 is about the only choice for SD on account of physical disabilites and things like that. Having been shot with a centerfire caliber, I can tell you I am no hurry to be shot again, with anything, and that includes a .22 in the hands of someone who knows how to use it.

 

[Win75]

I have and shoot more than one .22 RF. Also the .17 HM2. They are great fun.

 

[Sistema1927]

44 years of shooting everything up to and including 105mm and yet I still have the most fun shooting the lowly .22.

 

[sixgunner455]

I shoot .22 most. Some months, that's all I can afford to shoot!

 

[Scanr]

22's are great, you can buy a brick of ammo very cheap and have a blast.

 

[Colorado]

.22's are AWESOME!

I have 2 now. Have had many others in the past. Now I own a Ruger 10/22, but who don't. They are a blast to shoot and one of the most popular guns to customize ever built. The other one is my "KIT" gun. It's a S&W model 317. weights 10.5 oz, unloaded and not much more loaded. It goes with me everytime I shoot. Most people can't beleive it when they pick it up. Have fun with what ever you buy! - CO

 

[Wes Janson]

Well, it looks like I'm going to be the black sheep in this crowd.

I'll admit it-I don't find .22s fun. If it doesn't have at least some moderate amount of kick, it somehow doesn't seem like I'm really shooting. Even .223 is on the low end of the enjoyment scale for me. Or put another way, the "fun quotient" of a single .45 ACP outweighs that of an entire 10-round magazine of .22 LR for me. I own three or four .22s, but with the possible exception of suppressed shooting, they just don't do it for me.

I guess something's wrong with me..it sure would be nice if it were the other way around, because .308 sure is pricey these days...

 

[Huddog]

I can't add much but to say I work my 22/45 ruger as practise for my 1911. Easier to work on trigger control and sight alignment without having to be concerned about recoil. Also have a 10/22 Ruger which is just plain fun to plink with and you can do it all day for very little money.

 

[Hardtarget]

A .22 is like a family connection. I have my Grandfather's Rem. mod. 510...single shot. My Dad gave me a Savage mod. 24. Its a .22/410. I have two more rifles and two handguns and a .22 goes to the range every time. In fact, I just packed my range bag for Tuesday's trip. Thats right, there are two .22 pistols ready to go! I've got a 4' square of cardboard and I'm going to try some shots at 200 yards. I'll let you know how that works out.

Do your self a favor.Go get that .22! Every shooter NEEDS a .22 rifle and handgun (or four) in the lineup. They are just too much fun. Don't miss out!

Mark.

did all that sound like I like 'em?...good.

 

[Maddock]

I fire more rounds through my K22 than any other handgun. Probably more rounds than ALL my other handguns together. A .22 and 20 bucks of ammunition is a great way to spend the afternoon.

 

[Seven©]

Always!

 

[JA22]

I may not qualify as an "experienced shooter" but I highly commend you for asking this question. I have both a 22LR rifle (Remington pump) and a JA22 semi-auto. Sure, I love the bigger stuff, but it is refreshing to know I can shot 500 rounds for about $10. Go for it!

 

[Floppy_D]

I run a Savage 64 and MkIII22/45, and shoot the hell out of both. When I take a new shooter to the range (one or two a month on average, I like to think of myself as a 2A recruiter) I start with the 22 for fundamentals. Some people are terrified of noise and recoil, and the rimfire is a great way to get them over that.

For me, I print off dartboard targets, pooltable targets, bring popcans, necco wafers, bottlecaps, anything. Bang for the buck, it wins... and I reload any and everything.