BCRider
Member
As a trainer for your "big boy" guns yeah, you'll want to fine one that has a similar manual of arms and that has a similar grip size and angle. Ideally it would even fit your big gun holster similarly so you can practice draw, sight/point and shoot drills.
If the SR22 fits all these points then pay the bucks and go for one. Or if the M&P22 resembles your big gun to a greater degree then go with one of those.
By adding the idea of matching your big gun fairly closely you upped the anty. If you put a value on this sort of "big gun" similarity then loosen the purse strings a trifle.
If you're looking at a plastic and alloy gun that resembles the center fire guns for anything other than similar grip angle then I'd say you're over thinking things. Even the lightest gun is simply not going do any sort of justice towards replicating the feel of shooting any center fire gun. So the only thing you'll get from practice with the .22 is that first up and sight action. The pull of the trigger and the recoil from the rimfire round is just the mark on the paper to tell you if you did the stuff up to that correctly. There's certainly no point in taking a second shot with the idea that you're practicing follow up shots for the center fire gun. The draw/sight/shoot one shot is as far as the practice for the center fire gun goes. After that you're plinking with a rimfire.
Still sound like it's worth finding a gun that mimics the look and feel of your center fire?
The other thing to consider is that when you draw and shoot there are four points of contact and feedback with the gun. First is the physical fit of the grip area and reach to the trigger. Second is the visual appearance of the sights coming up between your eyes and the target. Third is the mass of the gun and how it works with your muscle memory for swinging and stopping the gun in position for use. Fourth is the manual of arms used for any safeties and for clearing jams and operating the pistol.
Each of these four items will play varying levels of importance in how well any two guns match up for being suitable for practice with one being advantageous to the other. We already realize that the recoil difference greatly restricts what drills are applicable between the two. And these others will further limit the suitability of using the rimfire version towards practice for the center fire.
Obviously we would want a high degree of similarity in the grip and trigger fit and the angle of the grip. That applies to draw/sight/shoot as well as casual target plinking.
It would also be advantageous if the sights are highly similar as well. Makes it easier for the eye to set up the sight picture. So if one gun has white spots so should the other. All black target sights? Then both should have them. Skinny and short "service" sights? Then again it's better if both have them if the goal is to practice with one towards using the other more effectively.
The last two are manual of arms and the swing mass of the guns. If your center fire gun is an all metal heavy gun then really for the more motion style drills to be applicable you want to have a heavy rimfire gun that somewhat mimics the same location for the center of mass as your center fire gun. This will greatly aid with the draw and sight portion of any speed oriented drills being similar for when you might need to draw and sight or draw and simply point very quickly. If you're used to a light plastic rimfire but carry a fairly heavy all metal gun you'll tend to not have the same degree of rapid point consistency when you switch back and forth.
The manual of arms comes into play in terms of disengaging any safeties between the two guns. Needless to say the SR22 and the M&P22 do not have any safeties other than the trigger hinge deals. If your center fire gun has any thumb safeties you might want to consider getting a rimfire pistol that has some form of similar safety and USE it consistently to make engaging and disengaging the safety automatic to your handling process.
All of this is a big side step from a casual plinking option that you first asked about. But since your choice seems to be moving this way I'd suggest you stop and consider which rimfire gun matches your center fire gun in all these parameters as closely as possible. Or that you at least consider which parameters are actually important to YOU and which ones you wish to enhance.
If the SR22 fits all these points then pay the bucks and go for one. Or if the M&P22 resembles your big gun to a greater degree then go with one of those.
By adding the idea of matching your big gun fairly closely you upped the anty. If you put a value on this sort of "big gun" similarity then loosen the purse strings a trifle.
If you're looking at a plastic and alloy gun that resembles the center fire guns for anything other than similar grip angle then I'd say you're over thinking things. Even the lightest gun is simply not going do any sort of justice towards replicating the feel of shooting any center fire gun. So the only thing you'll get from practice with the .22 is that first up and sight action. The pull of the trigger and the recoil from the rimfire round is just the mark on the paper to tell you if you did the stuff up to that correctly. There's certainly no point in taking a second shot with the idea that you're practicing follow up shots for the center fire gun. The draw/sight/shoot one shot is as far as the practice for the center fire gun goes. After that you're plinking with a rimfire.
Still sound like it's worth finding a gun that mimics the look and feel of your center fire?
The other thing to consider is that when you draw and shoot there are four points of contact and feedback with the gun. First is the physical fit of the grip area and reach to the trigger. Second is the visual appearance of the sights coming up between your eyes and the target. Third is the mass of the gun and how it works with your muscle memory for swinging and stopping the gun in position for use. Fourth is the manual of arms used for any safeties and for clearing jams and operating the pistol.
Each of these four items will play varying levels of importance in how well any two guns match up for being suitable for practice with one being advantageous to the other. We already realize that the recoil difference greatly restricts what drills are applicable between the two. And these others will further limit the suitability of using the rimfire version towards practice for the center fire.
Obviously we would want a high degree of similarity in the grip and trigger fit and the angle of the grip. That applies to draw/sight/shoot as well as casual target plinking.
It would also be advantageous if the sights are highly similar as well. Makes it easier for the eye to set up the sight picture. So if one gun has white spots so should the other. All black target sights? Then both should have them. Skinny and short "service" sights? Then again it's better if both have them if the goal is to practice with one towards using the other more effectively.
The last two are manual of arms and the swing mass of the guns. If your center fire gun is an all metal heavy gun then really for the more motion style drills to be applicable you want to have a heavy rimfire gun that somewhat mimics the same location for the center of mass as your center fire gun. This will greatly aid with the draw and sight portion of any speed oriented drills being similar for when you might need to draw and sight or draw and simply point very quickly. If you're used to a light plastic rimfire but carry a fairly heavy all metal gun you'll tend to not have the same degree of rapid point consistency when you switch back and forth.
The manual of arms comes into play in terms of disengaging any safeties between the two guns. Needless to say the SR22 and the M&P22 do not have any safeties other than the trigger hinge deals. If your center fire gun has any thumb safeties you might want to consider getting a rimfire pistol that has some form of similar safety and USE it consistently to make engaging and disengaging the safety automatic to your handling process.
All of this is a big side step from a casual plinking option that you first asked about. But since your choice seems to be moving this way I'd suggest you stop and consider which rimfire gun matches your center fire gun in all these parameters as closely as possible. Or that you at least consider which parameters are actually important to YOU and which ones you wish to enhance.
