In Defense Of The Lowly 22LR

[WildBill]

Hijacked from another thread:

Why a lot of shooters seek 22LR? It is inexpensive but have limited use. One has to shoot and train with his standard rd rifle and pistol.

Why wouldn't a .22LR be someone's standard rd rifle and pistol? If I could have only one caliber it would be .22LR. Great round for small game and pests. Even larger animals can be taken with the proper shot placement.
I have probably shot more .22LR rounds than all other calibers combined. It's just a useful round that is also fun to shoot.

I agree. Back in the '80's, I read an article in one of the gun magazines that annoited the Ruger Single Six (.22/.22 mag) as the best overall handgun for home defense. I don't recall their rationale but we'er all aware of the pluses and minuses of .22's. I still have that Single Six.

The Ruger Single Six is a great handgun. When it came out it was relatively inexpensive. It is well designed and well-made durable and reliable handgun. The interchangeable cylinders was a masterful combination of engineering and marketing.

Shooting and training with the .22LR helps with aiming, muzzle and trigger control. IMO this experience enhances shooting skills of every gun caliber. It can not replace the training and practice of his "standard rifle and pistol", but can make that practice more productive.

I have shot more 22LR than any other rounds combined. I know that this has improved my marksmanship skills in all calibers and firearms.

[texanjoker]

I love 22. Probably my favorite caliber to shoot until the ammo hoarders came along, but still my favorite.

[hillfighter]

You guys are wrong. 22LR is horrible. People should stop buying it.
Maybe then I will finally find some on the shelf at Walmart or Academy.

[txcharvel]

I love shooting 22lr. I have a Sig Mosquito that my kids love to shoot. I love it when my middle son asks me if he can empty the mag as fast as he can. He's learning to shoot, learning safety, and when he can shoot a bigger pistol he'll already understand how to keep it on target.

I also have a 22lr conversion BCG for my AR. That thing is a blast to shoot and has been 100% reliable. I can go to the range or my uncles farm and let the whole family shoot all day for about $20. I just run three or four .223 rounds through it every hundred rounds or so to keep the gas tube clean.

My oldest son has a Marlin 795. When we go the range, he always tries to cut the middle of the target out with his shots.

My oldest and I are both hoping to qualify as Marksmen in the Appleseed program shooting 22s.

Back on the Mosquito...a lot of people gripe about this gun but I've found mine to be nearly 100% reliable with halfway decent ammo.

22s are awesome!

[WildBill]

You guys are wrong. 22LR is horrible. People should stop buying it.
Maybe then I will finally find some on the shelf at Walmart or Academy.

How come I don't believe you?

[74novaman]

.22lr is a fantastic training round. Yes, recoil impulse is different than a carry caliber, but all the other fundamentals of shooting remain the same. If you have a .22 conversion kit for your handgun, even better. Same trigger, same grip, same magazine release...

Not to mention that before the great panic of 2013/2014, I could shoot 500 rounds of .22 or 50 rounds of other ammo for the same price. 500 repetitions is more useful for building skills than 50 is. Without .22 as a training tool, shooting can become expensive quick.

[Pawpaw]

Sounds a lot like what I posted in another thread:

Actually, .22LR has a lot of uses. When times get rough, it will put small game on the table when larger calibers will turn the meat into mush. It's effective for snakes, rodents,& varmints.

It can also be effective and inexpensive practice ammo. I have a 1911 set up with a .22 slide conversion which is perfect for getting back to basics without the distraction of recoil & muzzle blast.

Besides, it's fun!!!

[Oldgringo]

I love my .22's. Now, if I could only find a few bullets at reasonable cost?

ITMT, I've developed a strong affection for air rifles. Anybody got any old clunker pellet guns they want hauled off?

[RJGold]

Seems like I heard the Air Force used to train marksmanship with M16s set up as 22s...

[jimlongley]

.22lr is a fantastic training round. Yes, recoil impulse is different than a carry caliber, but all the other fundamentals of shooting remain the same. If you have a .22 conversion kit for your handgun, even better. Same trigger, same grip, same magazine release...

Not to mention that before the great panic of 2013/2014, I could shoot 500 rounds of .22 or 50 rounds of other ammo for the same price. 500 repetitions is more useful for building skills than 50 is. Without .22 as a training tool, shooting can become expensive quick.

Trigger control is trigger control, sight picture is sight picture, and a minute of angle is a minute of angle no matter what caliber you are shooting. Yes, that is oversimplifying it, but it holds true (and holding true is the same from caliber to caliber too.)

More years ago than I care to count these days I was very active in several target shooting disciplines and could often be found at the high power range in the morning and the .22 range in the afternoon or evening, and besides the difference in felt recoil, rifle used, and actual sights, almost everything else was the same.

[strider67]

As txcharvel said, it is invaluable as a tool to bring kids into the sport of shooting...safely and correctly. My 8-year-old daughter, a seasoned 2-year .22LR veteran, can attest to that!

[Pawpaw]

Seems like I heard the Air Force used to train marksmanship with M16s set up as 22s...

True, on bases that didn't have a real rifle range. They built indoor ranges and we shot at reduced-size targets to simulate the real deal.

We hated it. They were FAR too prone to jams. Some days it was rare to get through one mag without 2 or 3 jams.

[The Annoyed Man]

I love 22. Probably my favorite caliber to shoot until the ammo hoarders came along, but still my favorite.

As soon as everyone else is done hoarding it, I'm gonna hoard me some.

[RJGold]

I was at my folks over the weekend. My dad has two 500 round bricks of Federal 22LR in his gun safe. The price tags were from WalMart and each read $8.98...

Those were the days...

[Chuck Bullitt]

At some point I'd like to get 22lr versions or conversions of my carry guns. I'm at the range twice a month, and it gets expensive.