Thinking of dumping .22LR completely. Have you?

Kruel J · Oct 10, 2016

Look, we all here I'm sure have owned a .22lr of some sort. My first rifle was of course a .22 I got when I was 12. And there is nothing particularly wrong with the caliber. I just don't find myself interested in shooting it much anymore. I have a Smith 15-22 and plenty of rounds to shoot it but for some reason each time I take it out I find myself shooting pretty much everything BUT it. And when I do shoot it, I put a few rounds through it and then back in the case it goes. I'm not giving up on rimfire completely as I love my 77/22 WMR and its capabilities.

Anybody else dump the .22lr? If so, did you find that you regretted it down the road or found a reason that you couldn't NOT have a .22lr in your collection?

And yeah, I know if SHTF its capable and a lot of rounds can be carried. Besides that.

Joe13 · Oct 10, 2016

Won't ever dump it.

Too many heirloom guns and too many people to teach to shoot in the future.

Kruel J · Oct 10, 2016

In that case Joe it makes sense. But I don't have either situation. And my daughters prefer shooting my AR's

mjbskwim · Oct 10, 2016

My 22s are food guns

cigars · Oct 10, 2016

I think that we've all taken a beating with the ammo crunches over the last several years. It's easy enough to get fed up with it all when your particular caliber gets scarce and expensive when previously wasn't. After introducing my kids to 22lr several years ago, I encountered the same frustrations as you did. Turns out that my kids really loved the 22lr and it started becoming "unobtanium". So I did the best I could trying to find it. I even paid a bit more than I should have on a few occasions. Then I got sick of the whole situation and considered just cutting up the guns and sending them back to the manufacturer. Not that I would actually do that buy I think that's how we all felt, getting raped on 22lr ammo. Like the stock market, ammo these days ebbs and flows. I've noticed more and more showing up on shelves. Fisherman's Warehouse currently has plenty of bulk packs with no quantity limit. So I while I share your frustrations with the ammo crunches, I would say to hang in there. Unfortunately it's the world we live in now. At the moment, I'm shopping for a Ruger 10/22 Take Down for my daughter. Maybe one will find me at the gun show this weekend.

BlindedByScience · Oct 10, 2016

I'm hanging onto my modified 10-22 and my MK-III. With the can on them they are cheap and fun to shoot....in my back yard, for example......

Kruel J · Oct 10, 2016

It's not even just the ammo crunch, although that has part to do with it. And increased prices. But it's more that I don't find as much enjoyment anymore as my larger calibers.

Kruel J · Oct 10, 2016

mjbskwim said:
My 22s are food guns

I get that. Big time. And my 77/22 WMR can fill that role nicely when need be.

mjbskwim · Oct 10, 2016

Kruejl said:
It's not even just the ammo crunch, although that has part to do with it. And increased prices. But it's more that I don't find as much enjoyment anymore as my larger calibers.

I think you need more accurate 22s

BTW,do you have 10k rounds of 22wmr?
My grandson will eat good with the supply of 22 I have

11Charlie · Oct 10, 2016

I have two of them in my safe. I don't think one of them has ever been fired. Its been so long I can't even remember anymore. I just can't seem to get rid of them just in case. Maybe some day I can let my grand kids shoot them.

Kruel J · Oct 10, 2016

No, I don't have 10k rounds of WMR. But I have some. And I agree the 15-22 isn't a tack driver but frankly neither was my 10-22 when I had it. The only rimfire I've ever had that I considered a tack driver was a Marlin .17 HMR that I should have never sold.

Mistman · Oct 10, 2016

Shooting .22 is plain fun for me. I've got a lot of .22's, rifles and pistols. When I want to shoot w/the boy, that's our go to round (he's 8). We shoot bigger guns but it feels more informal w/.22's. I also feel it's good to practice fundamentals w/a recoilless gun, fatigue never becomes an issue. It's much quieter. Shooting daily I sometimes figure I give the 'neighbors' a break by spending some time w/the .22's. And since my 'main' pistol range is right behind the house it gives the people inside a break from the booming. If you can't shoot a .22 well chances are you won't shoot other guns well either. Dispatching small critters is cleaner w/the a .22 though lately I found a 12 ga works awesome to pop the heads off roosters

I'll never give up on .22s and make sure I have plenty of ammo on hand. I still have my 1st .22 pistol and rifle. There was a time a few years back when it wasn't worth it for me to shoot them much as ammo was almost dried up, lately things are much better. I'm happy to see manufacturers still take it seriously, the newer offerings are pretty cool.

Sstrand · Oct 10, 2016

Kruejl
I think you are making a subversive suggestion . . .

Sheldon

DB is Here · Oct 10, 2016

Kruejl said:
Look, we all here I'm sure have owned a .22lr of some sort. My first rifle was of course a .22 I got when I was 12. And there is nothing particularly wrong with the caliber. I just don't find myself interested in shooting it much anymore. I have a Smith 15-22 and plenty of rounds to shoot it but for some reason each time I take it out I find myself shooting pretty much everything BUT it. And when I do shoot it, I put a few rounds through it and then back in the case it goes. I'm not giving up on rimfire completely as I love my 77/22 WMR and its capabilities.

Anybody else dump the .22lr? If so, did you find that you regretted it down the road or found a reason that you couldn't NOT have a .22lr in your collection?

And yeah, I know if SHTF its capable and a lot of rounds can be carried. Besides that.

Never. My Ruger 10/22 like others have said is way to fun, great for beginners & training.

mrblond · Oct 10, 2016

From my cold, dead hands!

Kruel J · Oct 10, 2016

Sstrand said:
Kruejl
I think you are making a subversive suggestion . . .

Sheldon

Not at all. I'm really thinking about getting out of .22lr and was asking for opinions. Good word BTW, your name suits you well!

eldbillbo · Oct 10, 2016

To be honest when I first started shooting as a sport other than hunting I did not care for .22lr but back then 7.62x39 was $69 per 1000rds. At that time I owned 3 rifles a marlin .22 a Russian SKS and a Mossburg 7mm magnum which was my very first rifle that I received for my 14th birthday.

So you could imagine being a young man that the .22lr was quite boring and I never shot it. I really did not keep it long before i sold it. To me It felt like shooting a BB gun.

As the price of ammo started to climb and I found myself being the guy that would teach all our friend's kids gun safety and how to shoot and at that point I was in the Ar15 arena so I needed something a little more affordable to shoot and I had picked up a preban ruger 10/22 back in the bad era and bought basically just because it was a preban rifle and was actually assembled in the so called "assault weapon" configuration folding stock and pistol grip that I started shooting it more. Finding just how accurate they can be and they are fun to take the kids out shooting with it.

But besides that I don't get the satisfaction from shooting it that I get from shooting an Ar15 or .308 or .300wm Lets face it we are men and we like things that go boom! not pew pew pew.

Keep it and teach a kid how to shoot and respect it and appreciate the 2nd Amendment and it will be fun again for you unless you hate kids.

41mag · Oct 10, 2016

"it's more that I don't find as much enjoyment anymore as my larger calibers"

it's not unusual to go through periods of shifting affection for various calibers IMHO; not shooting them enough is one behavior that feeds that feeling greatly.

Finding a type of 22 match competition that you like may well regenerate that flagging interest in the entire caliber. The demands of 22 accuracy reinforces the skills of larger calibers.

I'm a pistol guy, and rifles of any caliber are way more boring to me than handguns. A buddy loaned his Anshutz match 22 rifle for a few months. I was astounded as to what 'real accuracy from a TWENTY-TWO' really could be. It raised my interest in more practice with the old Mk I etc. and multiplied enjoyment in all my range visits.

Flopsweat · Oct 10, 2016

My 22LR bolt action CZ is my favorite rifle. The action is buttery smooth, the trigger is perfect, the gun is very accurate out to 100 yards, and it just so much fun to shoot. With the very mild recoil and very, very quiet report (28" barrel), it's a remarkably peaceful experience to bench shoot for an hour or two all by yourself. I buy 22 in bulk to save a little, but really I'm probably never going to stop shooting that gun no matter how much the ammo costs. Oh, and I have a semi-auto pistol in 22LR with a holographic sight on it that is great fun for plinking. It's a keeper too. I should mention that I like big, loud guns too, so it's not that I'm hung up on 22LR or anything.

Quartermaster · Oct 10, 2016

Suppressed rimfires are the most fun guns to teach people with, and half the ammo I buy goes to letting new shooters learn about the lifestyle. Never ever will I ever stop shooting .22LR.