Rimfire Inclusion

[lizziedog1]

There are many threads here about what guns you would own if you were limited to a certain number of them.

In some of those lists some of you include some sort of rimfire gun. Sometimes it is an handgun, sometimes it is a rifle.

I usually include some sort of 22 rimfire. They are versatile, cheap to shoot, and the ammo for them is easy to lug around. I will include a rimfire in any list that is limited to three guns. If the limit was one or two guns, then I wouldn't include one. In other words, my number three firearm is a 22.

When would you, if ever, include a rimfire weapon in limited gun list? Here is another way to look at it.

You are picking guns for an imaginary list. At what number would you add a 22? Would it be your first pick, fifth pick, any pick?

 

[Gunnerboy]

22 would be my #2 just after 12ga cause i could use it from deer if i had to, down to squirrels and rabbits its just a nice versitile round.

 

[Onmilo]

Here in Illinois a .22 rifle, .22 handgun, 12 guage shotgun, and a 9mm handgun could cover ALL my real world shooting needs.
Thank GOD I am not so limited !!!

 

[possom813]

For my real world list? The first gun I'm going for is my Savage Mark ll.

It simple, carries about 600-800 extra rounds in the stock(hollow synthetic)

It's scoped with a Nikon 4x32 and zeroed at 75 yards.

.22lr, with excellent shot placement, will take just about any animal around here, within reason.

I've taken everything from crows to hogs with .22lr. I'm not talking about a 400lbs charging boar either. I've taken several hogs in the 120-175lbs range with it though, all the shots were inside 40 yards, and all the shots were just in front of the ear.

So yessir, I'm fairly comfortable with my .22 as a primary weapon.

Luckily, we're not limited to just a few guns. Because what I can do with my .22, I can do with my 12gauge, but better. The only real advantage to the .22 is that this particular model can store a large cache of ammo in the stock and it's still a lightweight rifle.

 

[huntsman]

#4 or 5
In .22lr I prefer plinking with a pistol and for hunting the .22 rifle would be a second choice at best.

 

[45_auto]

Different spots on different lists. Depends on whether you looking for hunting, target shooting, self-defense, survival, etc, and also on how many guns you're allowed to have.

 

[22-rimfire]

A rimfire rifle is my No. 1 pick. A rimfire handgun is my No. 2 pick. No. 3 is probably a 357 mag revolver, but that is something I swing around on... revolver, pistol, revolver, pistol..... There are a lot of what if's... Three is just a very tough minimum number. I won't limit myself to three short of some "event" causing me to choose rifles or handguns for a specfic purpose.

I grew up hunting... when I was a teen, my choices were, ... (1) 22 rifle, (2) centerfire rifle, (3) shotgun. A 22 revolver and pistol got added within a few years after I turned 21. There was little consideration for self defense, but nearly any gun works for that purpose. Guns were tools for hunting and enjoyment. Now I seldom shoot shotguns or have much of an interest in them.

 

[Owen Sparks]

I posted before about some guy who bought a pallet of .22's in bricks. (I think that would be 144 bricks?) His objective was to have them on hand as barter items if dooms day comes. If people were starving they could be very valuable.

 

[Ghost Tracker]

From a practical homestead, or even survival point-of-view, I would put it #2 behind a 12 ga. pump.

 

[22-rimfire]

I suspect the 22's were in case lots (5,000 rounds or 10 bricks). To each his own. America! Don't you love it!

 

[David E]

It all depends why I can only have a limited number of guns.

Personal economics? I'd keep the guns that meant the most to me, regardless of caliber.

Woods Survival? .22 rimfire would be ideal.

New laws passed? Depends what they are.

SHTF? Seems like I'd want more power than a rimfire.

But why not a .22 conversion kit for the last two scenarios?

 

[Legionnaire]

I'm always intrigued by such discussions. Yes, a .22LR can take most game animals, in a pinch ... but not legally in many instances. So what is the motivation behind the question? I'm not limited in the number of guns I own other than by the practicality of it, so the question is strictly hypothetical.

I think a reasoned answer has to depend on why you own a gun in the first place. If one is not a "shooter," but keeps one or more guns strictly for self defense, owning .22 LR doesn't make much sense, even though it would allow for cheap practice; it's just not a very good round for the purpose.

Likewise, while a .22 makes a good addition to a hunter's toolkit, it certainly isn't the be-all or end-all. One needs different tools for different applications.

I would say I am primarily a hunter who enjoys shooting. If I could only have ONE gun, it would no doubt be a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun with a minimum of two barrels: a vent rib with removable chokes, and a rifled slug barrel with a cantilevered scope base. With those two I could cover all my hunting needs--if I had to--and have something I could use for home defense, although I'd prefer to add an 18" cylinder bore for that application. Wouldn't be very pleasant for plinking or target shooting, though.

I think #2 would be a 4" .357 mag revolver. While I consider the .357 in a revolver marginal for deer-sized game, I think such a revolver could be used both for hunting and self defense, as it could be carried concealed with the right holster and attire. It's not optimized for either (for hunting I'd prefer a .44 mag, and for CCW I'd prefer a semi-auto in 9mm or .40S&W), but it has the versatility, especially with light reloads, to be used for plinking and target shooting in addition to more "serious" applications.

#3? Although I could make the case for a .22 rifle at this point, as a hunter I would opt for a scoped bolt action rifle in a good intermediate cartridge ... probably a .308 or a .30-06. While the shotgun would allow me to hunt big game, its range is simply too limiting. I'd want to extend my effective range out to 200 yards and beyond, and that requires a good centerfire.

So I guess a .22LR would be #4. And it would be a bolt-action rifle, not a handgun.

But that's just me ... because I'm a hunter. I love .22s, and have several. One (or more) always goes to the range with me. They are great for practice, plinking, targets, introducing others to shooting, and small game hunting. In my opinion, everybody should have at least one. But where it will fall on the list depends entirely on why one owns guns in the first place.

 

[USAF_Vet]

Depending on the scope of the list, my .22 would be in the top three. Also included would be my 12 gauge, and my 9mm.

Those three cover the basics of my needs. .22 semi auto rifle is my go to for small game. The 12 gauge can is useful for small to large game, and quite effective for defense. The 9mm is my carry gun, pretty much only useful for defense.

Although, I would need to be in dire straights if those were the only three guns I could have.

 

[huntsman]

I posted before about some guy who bought a pallet of .22's in bricks. (I think that would be 144 bricks?) His objective was to have them on hand as barter items if dooms day comes. If people were starving they could be very valuable.

As long as he has a centerfire rifle or shotgun to protect the pallet.

 

[rcmodel]

My dad ran a wheat farm & cattle operation for 50+ years with a .22 Winchester pump and a single-barrel 12 ga.

He used the .22 far more then the shotgun, and I imagine everyone else would too.
Unless they lived where they had to fight off hungry grizzly bears every time they went outside.
Or needed a deer rifle.

If you hunt or shoot clays for sport, then the shotgun might land higher up the list.

rc

 

[Neo-Luddite]

.22 is a generous miser and has many applications---I can't much take rats from an attic w/ a 12 ga nor would want to pop a snake with a .357 in my basement. With a .22 one could take survival game of nearly all shapes and sizes up to deer within a 100 yrd range making little noise and costing little ammo. Though not ideally suited for defense by any means, something like a bone stock 10/22 with a 25 rd mag loaded w CCI Velocitors is nothing I'd want to face down for any reason. Add some 'toys' to specialize that for your needs and it becomes a pretty nasty item that would serve in many 'niche' locations in which larger weapons wouldn't work well.

That said, depending on geography and so on and tactical needs--probably 3rd or 4th down the list but if pressed---it 'could' be number 2---but a 12 ga and .357 are real priorities as is center fire rifle in a military caliber.

 

[jcwit]

Another "gun" I include is a quality air rifle either break barrel or side lever.

Extremely inexpensive to shoot and trouble free if a quality one is purchased.

Forget the chinese imports, no matter what the brand name.

 

[El Mariachi]

Is .22WMR included in this scenario?....

 

[56hawk]

#117 the only thing on my list that a 22 beats is the Taurus Judge.

I own four 22s, but I never shoot them anymore. Just don't find them interesting at all.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Forget the chinese imports, no matter what the brand name.

Eh, I've got a Chinese TS45 I bought in 1990 for 40 bucks that still shoots great and will bust a squirrels head at 30+ yards.

 

[jcwit]

Eh, I've got a Chinese TS45 I bought in 1990 for 40 bucks that still shoots great and will bust a squirrels head at 30+ yards.

Check this article out. Explaines all about the TS45. I sold 100's of those at the flea market years ago, know all about them. No comparison to a British or German air rifle.

http://www.airguns.net/reviews_ts_45.php

 

[ColtPythonElite]

That article pretty much sums up what I already knew... They are pretty good air rifles at a fraction of a price of the European guns.

 

[tubeshooter]

For me it's #2, right behind the centerfire handgun and just ahead of the shotgun.

Shotgun is useful, no doubt - but I'm not really a shotgun kind of guy.


Preferably a rifle, as I find them more useful and shoot them better. But a good .22 pistol or revolver would be fine too.

 

[danez71]

A .22 rifle would probably be #1 or possibly #2 for me.

 

[Bobson]

A rifle in 22LR is my #4 choice. #1 is a shotgun for HD. #2 is a handgun for EDC. #3 is a rifle for hunting and range fun. #4 is the rimfire rifle. A handgun in 22LR... I don't know if I'd ever buy one.

Now, if these were recommended guns for a new shooter (of any age), that order would be very different. A 22LR rifle would be #1.