Who here DOESN'T own a .22lr?

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If one is interested in self-defense (not gun collecting, not 'fun' shooting, not 'plinking')....why would that make someone not 'a serious shooter?
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Not necessarily. Bottom line is that it is a physical and economic impossibility for most shooters to practice as much with a centerfire as you can with a rimfire. I burn through 2000-3000rds a month in .22LR. Even with my cheapest .38Spl handloads, it would be over $400 a month in ammo. Versus around $100 for .22LR. Trigger time = skill and trigger time is cheaper and easier with a .22LR.

Yours is a question of intent. If all you're doing is making noise, then no, it's not very productive. Fun but not productive. If you take your rimfire shooting as serious practice, then there is no better tool for building shooting skill and that equals proficiency a centerfire-only shooter can only dream of.
 
CraigC said:
Not necessarily. Bottom line is that it is a physical and economic impossibility for most shooters to practice as much with a centerfire as you can with a rimfire. I burn through 2000-3000rds a month in .22LR. Even with my cheapest .38Spl handloads, it would be over $400 a month in ammo. Versus around $100 for .22LR. Trigger time = skill and trigger time is cheaper and easier with a .22LR.

Yours is a question of intent. If all you're doing is making noise, then no, it's not very productive. Fun but not productive. If you take your rimfire shooting as serious practice, then there is no better tool for building shooting skill and that equals proficiency a centerfire-only shooter can only dream of.
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This was a total consideration for me. $ vs practice. That is one reason I went with 9mm. Of the calibers that 'most experts' consider for self-defense, it was the cheapest (as someone else said, you never see police depts carrying .22).

It made little sense for me to practice with a lower caliber and less kick than I would need in a RL situation. So I do my practicing with 9mm. It certainly provides a closer experience to RL since that is what I carry.

Are you saying that people cant achieve the same proficiency practicing with other calibers? (probably not) Or just that they can practice more, cost-wise, with .22?

I agree, it would have been fun to practice with .22. I shot a friend's sometimes and it was fun....if anything, too easy! But it didnt replicate the same experience as my carry 9mm, so I think that time spend practicing with my carry gun was/is better spent.

BTW Craig, the guys at the range watched me as I came along with my shooting and after awhile, suggested that I join the IDPA group for practice. They said that at SD distances, I had good proficiency and was just wasting ammo after a certain point ( I would keep shooting until I my arms/hands tired and then could develop bad habits) Not to stop doing that, but to expand my experience.
 
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If you practice with a .22LR of the same platform as your carry gun, yes, it does translate. Recoil is but one of many factors present in shooting. The fundamentals are the same and the fundamentals are the most important. There's nothing you can't do, do it better and more often with a proper .22LR. I can easily attribute 90% of my centerfire shooting skill to lessons learned with a rimfire. Ten years ago I shot two deer in such quick succession that my hunting partners thought it was somebody else with an automatic. It was me with a .30WCF levergun. I didn't learn my proficiency by shooting thousands and thousands of centerfire rounds. I learned it with .22's. The only reason I'm able to hit small objects at 50yds with a 1911 is practice with a .22 conversion. The only reason I'm able to fire five rounds through a single action revolver, reload and fire five more in 18seconds is rimfire practice. The only reason I'm able to hit a Coke can from contact distance to 15yds, point-shooting with a Colt SAA is rimfire practice.

Unfortunately, yours is an all-too-common misconception. Properly applied, rimfire practice will make you a better shooter. No matter what.
 
CraigC said:
Unfortunately, yours is an all-too-common misconception. Properly applied, rimfire practice will make you a better shooter. No matter what.
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You may be right then. Altho I'm not sure why. I'm not sure why the same number of rounds shot with 9mm (or .40 or .38 or .45) would be less worthwhile than .22. But there may be something.

I'm not knocking .22 (except IMO it is not a useful SD round), just that for me, it seemed to make more sense to spend my $$ and practice time on my carry gun.

Would I like to have the time and gun and $$ to plink with a .22? Sure. It's very fun. But I dont. My time is measured and as such, is spent on my carry weapon. I'm open to your claim that practicing with a .22 is more beneficial, but I'd need to see some concrete data on that.
 
I don't think it is the time, but the expense. I can't reload for what it costs me to shoot .22. I still do reload and shoot lots of centerfire. I got back into .22 after developing a very nasty flinch from shooting my 'big' gun. The only thing I have been able to do to correct it is hours spent popping off .22. It is liberating not concerning myself with picking up brass either.

As far as a SD round, a lot has to do with shot placement. Are there better options? There sure are, however; a well placed .22 shot is better than a miss with a .45.
 
My .22s had to be - reluctantly - sold to pay for trivial things like rent and car payments, so I don't have any at this time. But I would never consciously choose to not have one (or several).
 
Right now I have a Ruger Single Six and a Marlin 981. Very soon I am going to trade-in/sell so I can get a Ruger Mark III 22/45. I'm going to do the same thing with the rifle as well, but not sure what I am going to get. Any suggestions??? I do not want a bolt action and I'm not a fan of the Ruger 10/22.

Shawn
 
9mmare, if you can afford to shoot until you're tired with 9mm then a .22 is a moot point for you. If you are "the man with one gun" or one caliber, that's great. I shared your same thought process in the past. But most of us can't or don't want to spend that much on shooting. Plus, .22's are a lot of fun and they are practical to a large degree.
 
I'm not knocking .22 (except IMO it is not a useful SD round), just that for me, it seemed to make more sense to spend my $$ and practice time on my carry gun.
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Yeah, tell this woman that a 22LR does not make a reasonable caliber for a self defense tool. http://peachtreecorners.patch.com/a...-6?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl1|sec3_lnk1|213916

So you shoot a gun at the exclusion of others that in all likelihood you will never use for self defense. Makes perfect sense to me.

Shooting 22's will make you a better shooter.

I own more 22's than any other caliber and more than all the others lumped together. No point in listing 22's as nobody would be interested in reading the list. I don't qualify for this thread.
 
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In my experience, a lot of people who are not shooting sports enthusiasts do not have more than 1 or 2 guns and they're usually not in .22LR. I know more than a few that has a handgun or shotgun for home protection and shoot it once a year, if even that. Usually it's a 9mm or 12 shotgun.

BTW, yes I have 22LR and it was my 2nd caliber. The first being a .25ACP 'cause I bought the thing for protection (when I was a total newbie 25 years ago).
 
22-rimfire said:
Yeah, tell this woman that a 22LR does not make a reasonable caliber for a self defense tool. http://peachtreecorners.patch.com/a...-6?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl1|sec3_lnk1|213916

So you shoot a gun at the exclusion of others that in all likelihood you will never use for self defense. Makes perfect sense to me.

Shooting 22's will make you a better shooter.

I own more 22's than any other caliber and more than all the others lumped together. No point in listing 22's as nobody would be interested in reading the list. I don't qualify for this thread.
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At least Craig was constructive and offered information.

You just sound offended that I dont 'like' your preferred caliber.

I barely even understood what you wrote...are you saying that I shouldnt practice with my gun because in all likelihood I'll never really need it in self defense? Cuz that's about the silliest thing I've ever read here and alot of other people here are wasting ammo too.

I dont shoot for fun...I realize that is not the common view around here. The enjoyment I get from shooting is a by product of my desire to be proficient with my chosen self defense weapon. I find standing on the firing line boring after awhile....but I certainly enjoy the challenge of IDPA practice. It is great training and fun.

And the .22s lack of stopping power is a BIG reason that I do not consider it a reasonable SD round. Sorry if that bothers you.
 
del4 said:
9mmare, if you can afford to shoot until you're tired with 9mm then a .22 is a moot point for you. If you are "the man with one gun" or one caliber, that's great. I shared your same thought process in the past. But most of us can't or don't want to spend that much on shooting. Plus, .22's are a lot of fun and they are practical to a large degree.
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I'm a woman :) Hence the 'mare'.

And going to the range once a week, spending $25 on ammo didnt seem all that much. (That was 2 boxes of 50 when I had to hunt for $12/box). Now it's easier to find cheaper 9mm again.

Cheaper than most of my other hobbies, that's for sure!
 
Some how I do not own a .22 yet. Surely my next firearm will be a .22lr Sig p22x. I've discovered how fun pistols are and now i NEED a .22 to become proficient without going broke.
 
I don't have anything really special just a couple of Marlin model 60's & a Heritage single action revolver. As others have said .22's can be a lot of fun & the price is right.

I believe shooting just about anything can improve us as shooters. I haven't done it lately but there for a while I was spending 10-15 minutes a night in the yard with a cheap Daisy CO2 pistol. When I went back and shot my centerfire pistols my groups had shrank considerably.
 
You just sound offended that I dont 'like' your preferred caliber.

And the .22s lack of stopping power is a BIG reason that I do not consider it a reasonable SD round. Sorry if that bothers you.
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Doesn't bother or offend me in the least.

I barely even understood what you wrote...are you saying that I shouldnt practice with my gun because in all likelihood I'll never really need it in self defense? Cuz that's about the silliest thing I've ever read here and alot of other people here are wasting ammo too.
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It is not silly at all. I don't spend my life and my resources preparing for something that will likely never happen. Practice is good with your 9mm. Never hinted that it was not. But there are a lot of people wasting ammo in pursuit of reaching some skill plateau of self defense skill that simply is not necessary unless it's fun, you live in a place that you believe requires you to take measures for your self defense, or you regularly come in contact with people that are potential threats to your person. As a woman, you have a different perspective than I do about potential threats.

You will improve as a shooter overall shooting 22LR handguns and rifles if it is fun for you. If it is not done for recreation, then I would stick to the 9mm. Everything doesn't have to be done in preparation of some low probability event.

If money is an issue, you can retain or develop most of the skill you have developed with the 9mm shooting a 22. It does not seem to be an issue for you. So, it is all a mute point. No argument here. Keep shooting.

Statements or opinions offered on THR are not necessarily directed to every member who might be a gun nut. There is another potential audience where a common sense approach has validity.

Added later: 9MMare, you're pretty perceptive. I actually stated that at one point in my post (about the amount of practice) and then deleted it out to simplify my message to you and others. We all need practice. The lowly 22LR is quite a useful caliber and should never be discounted as insignificant or impotent. I don't carry a 22 by the way.
 
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I have one pistol and three rifle's one pending sale right now.
I love .22's they are the most fun out of anything I own.
 
9mmare
"If one is interested in self-defense (not gun collecting, not 'fun' shooting, not 'plinking')....why would that make someone not 'a serious shooter?' Probably?"
"all I really ask of a gun...stopping an attack and reliably going bang every time."

If you have the wherewithal and willingness to send 15,000 or more rounds downrange annually with your choice of centerfire, then you probably have no real "need"

but... it could still be an asset to you
those who say you should practice with your self defense rounds are right
but those who say you should practice ONLY with your self-defense rounds are missing part of the picture

you cannot correct technique problems you do not recognize
there are thjngs that can be better seen and recognized shooting 'recoilless' rimfire that may not be recognized if shooting only hefty centerfire rounds, and neither intuition nor pride is a substitute for that
you cannot blame misses with 22 rimfire on anything but yourself, not if you know what your guns "can do"

some say using high X rifle scopes is just a crutch
I say it's a great tool for teaching you what you are not doing consistently enough, not an exclusive tool, but a useful tool
I say the same about rimfire practice with "same frame" or "conversion kits" in handguns
try that, and if you do not hit same/same with both rimfire or magnum centerfire (or 9mm), ask yourself why

your "need", maybe not
but some of us do benefit from it
collecting is good, plinking is fun, but "serious shooting" never was about caliber only

shoot well, be well, and always mind your backdrop

PS
no deliberate offense intended, ma'm
but you do seem to be saying "I do not do that, therefore I know"
and telling others here that do do that, that they don't know
you could, of course, be right
 
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I don't own a .22 anything and never have, even though I have shot a lot of .22's

I grew up in the city so real firearms were out. I pretty much learned to shoot accurately with a crossman, and then an RWS airrifle in the basement and the backyard.

Now that I'm grown up, I still live in a city (Miami) and there is no where to plink, which is what .22's are great for. I get to the range about once or twice a month, when I do I want to practice with my SD pistols, or my HD long guns 7.62x39 or .223. I'm sure shooting .22 rifles would help my accuracy cheaply, but I just don't see a great need in light of the foregoing.
 
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