Replacement for .22 LR?

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AStone

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Earlier tonight, in several threads, I read something like, "If I run out of .22 LR, I'm done", or, "I'm getting out of .22 LR."

Those writers were talking about the absence of .22 LR ammo.

So, I thought to myself, an owner of a rifle in .22 LR (see sig line),
what if ammo was no longer available? What then? What gun for squirrel?

My thoughts turned to air rifles. I took my first few squirrels with a Benjamin pump at age 11. Why not now.

Found this bad boy. I might score one.
 
I think swearing off from 22 LR is a little over dramatic. Even at 10 cents a shot it's still cheaper than anything else available.
Walmart, when available is still around a nickle, the thing one needs to do is establish a desired reserve and maintain an excess beyond that.
 
I have a pellet rifle which is good for the occasional backyard pest, but cannot even come close to .22LR in my opinion. Haven't you noticed that the supply of ammo is returning?
 
Just change games. I never had trouble finding match .22 ammo to feed my benchrest guns and the price didn't get over inflated on it due to panic driven demand.
 
My thoughts turned to air rifles.
Click to expand...

I had the same thought about two years ago and ended up finding a Ruger Air Hawk break barrel in .177 on sale for $75. It has been a great pellet rifle and darn accurate out to 125 feet. I would recommend lots of research before dropping the cash on one because your needs and preferences are very different than mine or the next guy. Check out pyramid air for articles and a good selection of different guns to compare.
 
If your low on cash just forget about air rifles to replace your .22lr. The good ones all cost more than a decent .22 LR, some many times more.

The cheap ones will just disappoint you.

The one you linked to in the OP would be better than a lot of the cheap springers (same price range) but still a long way (around 126 ft/lb less energy) from a .22lr.

That said, I too still have my first rifle, Benjamin 342 and it will still kill a squirrel at 25 yards but not as accurate at long ranges as my .25 cal PCP air guns that can shoot under 1.5" @ 100 yds.
 
Did you even look at the link I posted??

http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Crosma...ombo/2405/4824

rc
Click to expand...
I indeed looked at it, and scrolled down, before posting. But I guess I didn't look close enough. (Late in the day; hit the sack immediately after my last post here with the resolve to sort it out in the morning.)

What my tired vision focused on was the ones over 200, which seem to predominate there (no statistics to back that up).

But indeed, there are several there under 200, including the infamous "bad boy" (very very similar to the Benjamin I owned as a kid, so I gravitated right to it).

Some of the spring cockers that are rated pretty high come in $50 less than your pumper upper lounden cracker.
Click to expand...
If you'd have added that to your first post, I would have caught it, even tired. But yes, thanks, I get it now. Point taken. :)

Pumper upper lounden cracker (PULC). I think we have a new name. :D

I've read all the other posts, also, and am going to reflect on them. Good points made. I'll get back to this after work ... Thanks to all for the conversation. Please, continue.
 
I would put money on the 397 being more accurate than the Optimus, especially from various hunting positions.

It is a lot easier to shoot "springers" well from a bench and accuracy goes down quite a bit if your not holding them just right.

Here is a review on the Optimus with a better scope than they come with in the "combo".
http://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2011/06/crosman-optimus-177-rifle-part-3/

And the 397 without optics. Not exactly apples to apples but you can draw your own conclusions.
http://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2011/06/benjamin-397c-part-3/
 
Each air gun type has its pluses and minuses. To get one anywhere near a .22 in power and performance you will shuck out some big bucks for a PCP and its accessories. The springer break barrels are more powerful than the Benji. you were looking at, and quieter, but the trade off is most of them are hold sensitive which may limit your shooting from any kind of rest except off hand, no resting on a tree limb or against a tree trunk. One problem I have noticed and is seldom mentioned, check the size and weight. My springer is as big and heavy as my 30/06 deer rifle. My .20 sheridan is 36" and 5#. a lot more fun to tote for an afternoon of woods loafin'. I can also "power down" my sheridan for in house or back yard plinking, I cant do it with my springer. So each one has its good side and bad side. I find mine haven't "replaced" my .22s but they have given me a new and fun addition. I look at them a lot like I do hunting with my .50 cal Hawkin. Still fun but different.
 
I can tell I'm going to learn a lot here. Thanks for your tutelage.

To clarify my OP -- I was a bit shorter on info than I usually am in those -- I take your points that an air rifle is not really going to replace a .22. Definitely understand that.

For me, the .22 is mainly a squirrel gun -- or will be. I haven't hunted squirrels in longer than I care to admit or think about, but am eager to get back to it next season. I'm not a target shooter. I only shoot paper to zero it, practice a bit. Mine (Remington 597 HB) is new to me from a couple of months ago.

I'm also not a plinker. So this is mainly a small game hunting rifle.

I certainly hope that the stories that I'm reading about .22 ammo making a comeback are accurate. But even so, in today's world, with the kinds of events and politics we have going on, another shortage could be just around the corner.

(ETA: ColtPE, good point about match grade ammo; since I'm not a high volume shooter, I'm definitely going to consider that. Could improve my hunting, also.)

So I'm thinking having an air rifle "back up" in the kit may not be such a bad idea.

If there was a real rifle -- meaning powder cartridges -- in the same league as the .22 for small game like squirrel and rabbit, I'd consider it. But I don't know of it.
 
For me, the .22 is mainly a squirrel gun -- or will be. I haven't hunted squirrels in longer than I care to admit or think about, but am eager to get back to it next season. I'm not a target shooter. I only shoot paper to zero it, practice a bit. Mine (Remington 597 HB) is new to me from a couple of months ago.

I'm also not a plinker. So this is mainly a small game hunting rifle.
Click to expand...

If that is the case just buy some .22, here are some places that have it in stock.

http://www.slickguns.com/category/ammo?caliber=3

Even if you shoot half of your ammunition sighting in, practice and missing, that is still 50 dead squirrels for $10.
 
That's a useful link, JMorris. Thanks.

ROA, slingshots are on my list, too (even though I think you may be kidding in this case).
 
I am a .22LR convert. This is my data point.

I used to shoot a lot of .22 LR then the ammo crunch came. I shoot PCP's now in .22
I am no longer as interested in shooting .22 LR as I was prior. I don't think .22 LR can be truly replaced by air guns as you won't have the range or energy.

That being said I do think dollar for dollar air guns are a better value for fun. The best part is when you go to the store you never have to worry about getting pellets. You don't have to clean the guns as often and you don't smell like acrid smoke when your done shooting. Another plus is they can be quieter when moderated than .22LR.

.22 LR really started turning me off when it became 10 cents a round compared to a year prior at 3 cents. $15.00 a brick to $30.00 or $50.00 really took the fun out of it for me because I shoot high volume.

With air guns I have to work at it to spend $7.00 on pellets in one sitting.

If you plan to shoot pellets in the winter time go with a pump gun or a PCP . My experience with springers when it's less than 15 degrees outside has been less than desirable. Maybe it's just my guns but they lose performance pretty bad.
 
For general plinking a 9mm encore fills the bill.

For hunting the round found is low enough not to matter but if it did a .410 or pellet gun is a more responsible choice for shooting squirrels in trees. ImageUploadedByTapatalk1448939403.009343.jpg
9mm TC
 
If being an a budget and putting a squirrel on a plate were my goal, I would buy a beat up H&R single shot shotgun. I would probably get it in 12 gauge since the ammo is easier to find and often costs less tHan othe gauges....$75 bucks would probably buy said gun.

Just tonight I pull my H&R out of the closet and wiped it down for the first time in probably a year. It set me back 40 bucks at KMART in 1980. It has killed a truck load of squirrels.
 
I'd highly recommend a Benjamin 392.

I've been pleased with mine, although I wish I could get more time to shoot it.
One nice attribute is that it can be easily taken apart and worked on if it needs it, I resealed mine in about 45 minutes.
It also breaks in half with the removal of one screw, making it easy to store or pack.

I disagree about it being louder than a springer, as mine isn't loud at all, maybe a bit more noise than a CB cap, it is nowhere near a .22LR in noise.
Also, you can leave the 392 pressurized for longer periods than a springer without issue.
In fact, it is important to keep one pump of air in the gun when storing it to protect the seals.

image.jpg1_zpssftuepx8.jpg
 
...410...
Whoa. Thanks for the reminder.

http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/Model42

I'm thinking might be a good "replacement".
Click to expand...

I don't own a 42 but do have a few 24's. When I was a kid I used some old started blanks behind a .22 cal pellet, made similar power to my Benjamin 342 but was silent. I never could find another tin of the same blanks and none of the other blanks I tried ever gave me the same results.

Last year I played with the idea again, curious now that I have chronographs, and used nail gun blanks.

The #2&3 worked and gave over 2000 FPS.

IMG_20141018_123047_071_zps959ad9ff.jpg

I wouldn't try it with anything but a single shot. Actually I only did it to learn something and stick with .22 ammo myself.
 
My .22 LR suppressed don't seem to be nearly as quiet as my Marauder in .22.

I am running a Silencerco Sparrow on the .22 LR. Jmorris what can do you use? Are you shooting CCI quiets?
 
That one is form 1 can I built (uses K baffles). I don't remember what ammo I grabbed but it is obviously not going supersonic.
 
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