Thinking of dumping .22LR completely. Have you?

[boogerhook]

Thought about it for a while. Especially when .22LR was so hard to find at a decent price. .22LR might become scarce again if Hillary takes office and the hoarders return.

I rarely take my trusty 10-22 out much anymore. However, just recently I picked up Ruger Charger takedown. I added a cheap red dot site and a couple more BX-25 mags. Now I'm back plinking away with .22LR and having lots of fun. Guess I'll hang on to my .22s.

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Charger would make a great HD gun, in my personal opinion.

 

[boogerhook]

I built this for my son when he was 12, that was 14 years ago. All VQ internals fine tuned by our smith. It is still his favorite gun to shoot. This one will dot the i on the Pepsi can at 100 yards.

Have a 2.x lbs trigger and the same barrel, and it's a tack driver no doubt. More accurate than my .44 MAG Marlin repeater

 

[NCW_Robert]

I like the .22. My son, who is 31 yrs old gives me that look like you shooting that pea shooter again, haha when we are at the range. I will never give up the .22 even though I get irritated when ever I buy .22 ammo, remembering how cheap it used to be.

I'm not financially able to have 10k rounds for my AR or 9mm, so I have a few hundred rounds available and 3 or 4k rounds for the .22. I keep on finding deals on it so I buy a little, or a lot when a deal comes along.

For SHTF, if I'm out ammo of the other calibers, .22 will due.

I have a new grand daughter about 3 mo old, it will be a while but I'll need a .22 for her some day.

 

[Mistman]

The lowly .22 has probably put more food on the table than the venerable '94 in 30-30. Everything from snakes to elk. My G-pa use to use a Rem. Nylon 66 for shooting 'jack-rabbits' at night. When I was a kid my dad and G-pa would hunt 'jack-rabbits' at night here on the west side. Wasn't til I was older I realized all that venison I ate was from those nite time runs. I was probably 9-10 when I got to go for the 1st time. Grandpa was deadly w/that rabbit gun. Being from where I am I've 'heard' more than a few accounts of elk falling from a 40gr .22. Those that know know, if I were down to my last gun I'd have to seriously consider the .22 as my 'survival' weapon. Stored properly .22 ammo will last a couple lifetimes and is lightweight and compact.

 

[Legs]

With all the fun to be had with 22lr I couldn't imagine NOT having one... or ten. My gussied up Charger, sans can.

 

[Legs]

As long as I'm laying out 22lr pics....

Big brother to my Charger. Built these up from Nordic Component chassis'.


My trusty Mosquito. So much fun. Love 22's.

 

[70cyclone]

My youngest would be really mad if I ever thought of getting rid of the suppressed 10/22 take down...I would be mad too
we'll take all your ammo if you really feel the need to get out of it

 

[Martini_Up]

I don't know if I'll get rid of what I have but I'm fairly certain I'll not add another to my collection... probably ever again.

 

[jbett98]

The squirrels in my back yard would like it if I did.

 

[Topaz454]

Interesting thread.

Besides agreeing with all that has been covered. These days I have come to recognize the lowly 22lr as a superb training tool in a different way.

A couple of us in my group enjoy shooting "long range". Caliber expense, even reloading and ready access to 1000 or so yards makes it "cumbersome" at best. I am a life long believer in "trigger time, trigger time, trigger time". That said, I find 200 and 300 yard targets, clay pigeons, and balloons with a 22lr a perfect more convenient and cost effective practice media. Bullet drop, wind doping, mechanics of shooting basics.

100 yards with 22lr is for Off Hand once the bench is used to sight in the scope and rifle.

Lowest recoil, barrel does not heat up, quieter. Easier firearm cleaning. Right size and weight for youngsters and beginners of all ages.

Grand kids have been amazed and proud of their own accomplishments. THIS is what keeps them in the game.
Talk about bragging rights ...

 

[F2CMaDMaXX]

Ahh yes, i forgot about the long range thing, i found myself enjoying the very same, for the same reasons

 

[Norwestr55]

I've got bursitis in my shoulder so I've been turning more and more to 22's and light recoiling rifles the last couple of years. I counted the other day and slightly over a 3rd of my guns are 22's. I've picked up a couple of new CZ rifles and 2 new Buckmarks but the others are all pawnshop finds along with a few I've picked up from members here.

I live just a short walk from Bimart so it's pretty easy for me to snag 22 ammo when they have it. I've probably bought 5-6 bricks there since the shortage began, usually just a box or two at a time . Plus if I can find decent prices AND reasonable shipping I buy online. I've seen a number of places with good prices but they want $98 to ship a case?

I'd like to see a rimfire subforum here myself.

 

[Kruel J]

Charger would make a great HD gun, in my personal opinion.

My father uses one for HD. He can operate it well from his wheelchair if need be.

 

[Camelfilter]

I noticed that Caveman Jim withheld the new found source! It's okay Jim I have my 10,000 rounds. I have not made a effort to shoot my .22 LRs, just because I need to shoot others. and our indoor range charges each box like they were center fire. I have a Henry AR-7 that stays in my Pickup with three magazines like Cigar Lover does (You can leave one in the well, gun unchambered), I have a hundred pack of 22LR in there too. I have two 10-22's one never fired the other a takedown with the aftermarket Ruger trigger. My old JC Higgins made by Marlin, eight shot magazine fed, bolt gun was new in '59 going to my oldest.....some day. I have a Henry Pump that because of the octagon barrel, is a little heavy for a .22. My Lever Henry is a 22 Magnum. So I just have five 22LR rifles counting the AR-7. I can't see me firing my Mossy Oak 10-22, but I still won't get rid of it Come to think of it I have a good many guns that I haven't shot in a long, long time, not getting rid of anything. Two revolvers and three Rugers, MK I, MK III 22/45 Lite Bright Blue, and a SR-22, contemplating another 22/45 with NRA Logo on the Bolt and grips from Davidson's, it's red or 10-22 take down pistol. I still like 22s.

Fishermans Marine Tigard has a bunch of those 325 ct federal premium packs on the shelf at $19.99. No limit. As of 1pm today.

The fellow behind the counter asked me if I wanted a case when he saw me loading up half a dozen in a basket..,Sure!

 

[michaeljr]

Id never drop the 22lr, however I'm getting the 22 wmr bug. Cmr pmr combination looks super fun.

 

[slingshot1943]

I've got 22LR, 22wmr, 22wrf and 22 Winchester auto. All good fun. Big wmr fan.

 

[PaulB47]

I've gone in the opposite direction. I've increased the self-defense utility of my tube-fed .22's by buying these:
Spee-D-Loader™

Some people hand-make loaders like this also.

I expect that the time will come that I need to hand out a .22LR gun to a neighbor who has come to the self-defense mindset late in the game. The loader makes the gun at least somewhat viable. Better for women and kids too.

How many AR-15s do you have to hand out?

I also bought more magazines for my mag-fed .22's.

It's silly to get rid of .22's. How else to train newbies?

 

[Brutus57]

My first rifle is tack driving Remington Model 581 bolt gun with 5 round detachable mags. My dad gave it to me on my 10th birthday. My second 22LR was a sweet little 7 round semi-auto Marlin 995 with the micro groove barrel....$69.50 at K-Mart in 1978 and darn accurate as well. Gave that to a girlfriend for at least some home protection for where she lived alone (wish I still had both)... Then I bought a stainless new model SA Ruger revolver. I want to change the front sight blade and get her dialed in still one of these days but with .22 mag cylinder and 22 LR she's a keeper. I haven't fired either in 15 years probably. I hope to remedy that. I should buy more 22LR but can't seem get past the sticker shock cause I still got a few 100 rd boxes of CCI mini mags with K-mart $.50 ON SALE stickers on them. I'd like a can on the 581 but just can't see the money involved for threading the barrel and tax stamp on top of the price of the can!
Still contemplating a take down Ruger 10/22 but Mr. Practicality/SHTF keeps thinking that money could go in to more ammo for bigger calibers!
Brutus Out

 

[DunRanull]

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.

No, I won't "dump" .22LR purposely, BUT I've pretty much dumped it de facto BECAUSE finding .22LR at any of the local stores has been very hard to do- it's like they don't make the stuff anymore. So, while I have a decent supply I laid back ten years ago or more, replacement of fired rounds seems impossible.. Only thing I use it for now is dealing with critter issues around the homestead...

 

[Oregon Rob]

Overall I'm downright disgusted with the situation. I don't know what the real reasons are although I have my ideas, half of the time I forget to even ask anymore. Seems downright un-American when I go to Bimart and can't buy .22lr. Which is probably exactly the way our liberal azz, cosmopolitan azz, president likes it. Not that the Oregon and Washington governors are any better. See now I'm all worked up and don't even have a brick at home to blow off the steam. Guess I'll just have to spend the extra $$$ go shoot steel plates with my 9.