Replacement for .22 LR?

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Wolfman Zack, good to see you over here. <waves>

You like .22 more than .17? I've read (in the past) some comparisons. I guess for squirrel, perhaps you're right. And mine as a kid was .22 come to think of it.
 
Yep, I much prefer the .22 pellet.

I have used .177 on squirrels, and had issues with over penetration and lack of stoping power without a perfect head shot.
Once, I hit a red in the shoulder with a .177 and it hardly slowed him down, I chased him for a couple hundred yards and it took a second shot to finish him, on later inspection both hits were through and through, with little damage.

With the "sledgehammer" effect of a flat point .22, you can aim for the head, and if you miss and hit the body you are still assured of a clean kill.
This is the best technique for squirrels IMO, since it guarantees a clean kill or a clear miss.

Only advantage I see to the .177 is cost and availability, though it worked well on nuisance birds a few times.
I used a Chinese B-3 under lever .177 extensively for target shooting, and I could shoot it all afternoon for all of $2-3.
 
Or use 177 Crow Magnum hollow points which are devastating. Finding hollow points that actually work are not easy and so far the CM is the only one I've tried that works. The new Barracuda Hunter Extreme are supposed to be really good too but I haven't tested them yet. I have them finally, just haven't shot 'em. My guess by looking at them is the BHE need more speed and distance to open, so for squirrel sized stuff I'd still consider the CM the #1 choice.
Just an option tho. I like the speed and versatility of 177 over 22, so basically anything under 20ftlbs power I use 177, over say 25ftlbs 22, from 20-25 I'm undecided.
 
Last year I played with the idea again, curious now that I have chronographs, and used nail gun blanks.
Click to expand...
I'd want to have a rough idea of the pressure the "blanks" generate before trying it in a gun I cared about.
 
I'll second that. My friend put a 40gr 22LR slug in his Marlin 60 followed with a purple blank, which at the time was the most powerful one, and the gun exploded. Ooops...
So I suppose light blanks and lighter pellets are fine, but at some point it becomes not so fine. And of course a poor replacement for real ammo but great entertainment. I suppose if I ever did it I'd use heavy alloy pellets since they're nice and hard.
I did a similar experiment where I pulled the bullet of a 22lr and added a little more powder. Since the pulled bullet was further down the barrel there was certainly more power to be had at the same pressure, but I added until the cases started sticking. I didn't have a crony so I could only guesstimate by impact time, noise and recoil but it easily doubled the power. It was a TC Contender pistol w/ 10" bbl btw, and I couldn't tell you how much more powder I added but I kinda remember it being about 50% more.
 
I have been shooting 25/20s. Unfortunately now I have just found out that
25/20 brass is almost impossible to get. It's a great substitute for the .22
rimfire, especially if you use cast bullets.

Zeke
 
I'd want to have a rough idea of the pressure the "blanks" generate before trying it in a gun I cared about.
Click to expand...

I agree. I also wouldn't have tried it in anything other than a break open single shot.

I can tell you that the highest level just melts the pellet, not that a pellet is much of an obstruction but I also wouldn't want to try them with solid projectiles either.
 
The more people get out of .22 the more there is for me :)

A brick of .22 LR for $50 these days will last you years the way you say you shoot. No use in changing platforms quite yet!
 
AStone: Look at a site called "teds hold over". This guy makes shots out to 100 yds with a PCP rifle. He hunts and does pest removal. He does a lot of air gun review U-Tubes.
 
Brick of .22 LR will last me a long time now as I have lost interest in trying to replace my stock for a reasonable price.
5 cent bulk from Walmart sounds great until you realize it like winning the lottery finding some in stock.

I like to shoot 500 .22's for $5.00 not 500 .22's for $50.00

Plus no clean up afterwards. No shells on the deck , no gun cleaning, airguns for the win in back yard target fun.
 
Depends if your killing or shooting. Cost per kill is not important even if your shooting 50 BMG but you wouldn't want to run through a few thousand a week, every week, unless you want to turn a large fortune into a small one.
 
I wouldn't swear off 22LR, just use airguns as a filler. Like the good ol' days when peep preferred 308, 45-70 etc etc but mostly shot 22LR. Well, that's what I did... So now 22LR is 10x the price I mostly use airguns.
Maybe after Hussein is out and some redneck is in maybe 22LR will drop down again. At least that's my Xmas wish... I have a few k of 22LR so I can wait.
I hope obama care and all the fines leave with him.
 
I suspect the .22 "shortage" is temporary and I will never reach the bottom of my two GI ammo cans of .22 LR rimfire.

When the antis started talking about prohibitory 500% taxes on ammo in the 1960s, I made a point of keeping a five year supply of .22 rimfire. Buy when prices are low, move old stock up front, never buy during in a panik.

Plan long term, people. Steer by the stars which are steady, not by the wavetops which are whichever way the wind blows.
 
I for one love .22 and will not be dumping mine anytime soon but I LOVES me some high end air guns. Most are better made with better triggers then most normal .22s.

IMG_5870_zpsf4c61485.jpg

IMG_8378_zps60bc6989.jpg

6 shots 30 ft
IMG_83882_zps30c6089d.jpg

IMG_8540%202_zpsklr4mw16.jpg
 
OK, I'll confess. I own a low end Norinco .177 air rifle i acquired in 1997. In the past month, my shootsting has been in doors at 33 feet (10 meters) with an airgun using a plastic bucket, 2x6x6 wood block, and old phonebook as backstop.

I modified the triggergaurd to serve as a trigger stop (no overtravel after release) and used Daisy pellets and got and still get the advertised 3 cm groups at 10 meters range. Sorry, the Chinese made pellets that came with the gun never delivered 3 cm groups at 10 meters.

I would not hesitate to use it to stalk the Norway rats should they return to plague my daughter's yard and outbuildings.

BUT .22 was the first rifle I shot at the age of six. It is the caliber I had plinking sessions with my dad and siblings as a kid and teen. It is the caliber I used to take the sitting squirrels with Uncle Ed and his dog Henry while he took the runners with his 12ga. It is the caliber I plinked with with my kids on the mountain and at the rock quarry. Long live the .22 rimfire.
 
After 30 squirrel kills with compressed air...

I would not consider any kit complete without a good high powered air rifle, and agree that cheaper and better are available than the Sheridan in the O.P. HOWEVER - personal choice in defense and hunting tools is highly individual.
As for lethality, I have lost squirrels poorly hit with .22lr I am sad to say. Have also lost some to poor hits with adult air rilfes ( Mostly a GAMO black cat ).


I have put down at least 30 squirrels some at very close range ( That will happen when they actually move into your home ) and one possum that thought it wise to take up residence in our shack. buds.jpg

The appeal to me with the air rifle is that the noise is less than a .22 and the ammo is generally cheaper and easier to carry. I also like beanshooters ( slingshots ) and archery tackle, especially home made.

Now living in Delaware, am looking forward to retiring to a state where I can roam with a nice scoped air rifle with a .45 Colt revolver or .44 Army black powder replica for just in case.

I really like the high powered air guns, you do need a REAL precise hit to take a squirrel out. Rabbits are a bit easier to kill it seems, have been told they won't do the job on a beaver's skull but will take groundhogs and raccoon at reasonable ranges ( less than 30 yards ) and precise brainpan hits.

I read about BP revolver enthusiasts talking about reduced loads in a .44 army for "popping rabbits" in the garden, the air rifle is a primo weapon for that.
They are accurate enough for head shots on sitting doves, of course you need a bunch for a meal but still, they will put meat in the pot. Would be fine for grouse, sitting quail, work great on bullfrogs, and have even taken the odd snake or three.

Bottom line, I love the high powered air rifle for being able to put down small critters without alerting the whole world to the fact that somebody just secured a meal. I say go for it and get the rifle you like. If somebody else wants to pay for it I would consider going with their recommendation.
 
My direct experience with air rifles began in my early teens with a Crosman 760. It became revived in 2009 in dealing with a serious rat infestation. I gravitated towards the Crosman 760 once again and found it to be accurate and powerful. Powerful and accurate enough to readily neutralize the problem. Today, there are numerous lowcost multi-pump .177 options out there and break barrels as well. As an example, the H&N Baracuda .177 pellet costs approximately $13-$14 dollars for a 400 count package. There are of course a number of rifles available and different brand names of pellets such as Crosman, Daisy, RWS and H&N. All within the same price range and less. The accurate and powerful .177 caliber air rifle with the right ammunition can be a solid .22LR alternative based on my own experience.
 
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I didn't switch cartridges,,,

I didn't switch cartridges,,,
I switched guns instead.

Before Obama, when I could buy 550 rounds of Federal for $16.97,,,
My favorite range plinker was a Mossberg 702 Plinkster,,,
I would happily burn through a pack per trip.

After Obama, when all ammo started to be made from unobtanium,,,
I simply switched from that semi-auto to a Henry Acu-Bolt.

I still spend as much time when at range as I did before,,,
But now will shoot between 50 and 100 rounds,,,
And I'm finding I hit the target more often.

But if I couldn't get .22 anymore,,,
I would probably reload .38 special for my H&R Handi-Rifle.

Aarond

.
 
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