Help me make up my mind!

[Prince Yamato]

I'm trying to decide here.

I have an AAC Pilot (.22 suppressor) on the way...

A local dealer has a Kel-Tec PLR-22 pistol on hold for me until tomorrow.

I can't decide whether I want to buy it (it'll be ~$240, because I have store credit) or save my money and get a couple bricks of .22 sub-sonic ammo. I intend to Form 1 and SBR the PLR pistol if I buy it.

I already own a Walther P22, so I have a host for the suppressor.

Part of me thinks a compact .22LR with a suppressor would be cool. The other part of me says, "you're an idiot, you're a musician, you don't make that much, you should be spending your money on ammo, you don't need another toy."

But then I keep picturing that scoped and silenced .22LR SBR...

Help THR!

 

[crazy-mp]

I would put it on the Walther and buy some sub-sonic ammo. The PLR is a neat gun (I have a .223) but it is a BIG gun. I would also consider getting a threaded barrel for a 10/22 or having a .22 rifle threaded.

Hey at least you did your homework on the sub-sonic ammo. Enjoy! Quietly...

 

[zminer]

I agree - once you have a new toy you're also going to want to have a bunch of ammo to test it out, and you probably don't want to stretch your finances too thin right now. I recommend skipping the PLR, with the knowledge that you can save up over time towards an awesome setup for the suppressor. If that's a PLR, then great. If it's something else, that's also fine. But don't make a purchase if you're not sure it's what you want, when you could do some research, save up some cash, and in a few weeks/months get something that's perfect.

 

[Gamera]

Walther P22s look really neat with suppressors on 'em, that's all I have to say.

 

[mnrivrat]

I'm a little confused - a couple bricks of subsonic or a PLR-22 ?

Has subsonic ammo gone so high that a couple bricks is nearly equal to the cost of the PLR-22 ?

 

[Kind of Blued]

I don't see the allure of the PLR-22, unless one already has nearly every .22 around. Paying $400 in taxes for a cheap gun doesn't make much sense to me, especially if the gun won't serve a defensive purpose. It would be a lot of fun, but from one musician to another, you could probably have as much or more fun with an accurate non-NFA rifle.

If I were you I'd wait for the can and shoot the Walther suppressed a whole bunch. The good news there is that you won't need subsonic ammunition. Even 550 rnd. bulk pack stuff will be subsonic in a 3.4" barrel.

After shooting that a lot, you'll probably want something that you can shoot as accurately as possible.

I'd go with something like a CZ 452 American 16", which comes threaded from the factory, but that may not be your style. I'd also check out the new Sig 556-style rifle in .22LR for semi-auto cool-factor.

Are you specifically looking for a semi-auto so you can dump a bunch of lead downrange without going broke? I definitely understand the allure THERE.

 

[Kind of Blued]

Has subsonic ammo gone so high that a couple bricks is nearly equal to the cost of the PLR-22 ?

Not at all. The standard Remington Subsonic stuff you might find at any old place is about twice the price of the cheap standard bulk boxes.

 

[Prince Yamato]

I'm a little confused - a couple bricks of subsonic or a PLR-22 ?

I mean like 10,000+ rounds

Even 550 rnd. bulk pack stuff will be subsonic in a 3.4" barrel.

The kicker is that I have the 5" version, but I think it will still be subsonic. If not, I'll just plunk down $80 for the 3.4" threaded barrel.

My reservation about a 16" barrel is that 16"+5" = 21" barrel = too long for me. I tend to not bring rifles with me to the range so often, because they don't fit in my backpack and feel bulky to carry. An SBR is less bulky. I also have a desire to get another NFA item. I may even SBR a pistol to put on a forward grip. Why? Because it just looks evil.

Paying $400 in taxes for a cheap gun doesn't make much sense to me, especially if the gun won't serve a defensive purpose

See, that's what I'm thinking now too. I don't hunt or anything like that so when I buy something I say, "how can I use this for defensive purposes?" I refuse to buy a gun that's "just a toy." For all my weapons, I like to know that if SHTF, I could grab any one of them and they would serve me well.

I think now I may lean towards spending that money on a ton of .22 ammo. Actually, my Walther digests the Remington 525 green box stuff quite well.

Well, I have a couple hours, I'll sleep on it. In the meantime, keep the suggestions coming folks!

 

[Kind of Blued]

I think standard velocity .22LR goes supersonic right around 4.5", in a semi-auto, although I'm sure the consistency isn't spot on from cartridge to cartridge even out of the same box.

An absolutely silent suppressed bolt-action .22 rifle is one hell of a SHTF rifle.