"Benefits of reloadable 9mm over 22LR with new CA ammo law change"

[LiveLife]

If you are tired of looking for hard to find 22LR, consider switching to 9mm carbines.

PSA has following 16" Keymod/M-Lok complete uppers with 1:10 twist rate barrels in stock for Christmas sale price of $419. To finish the carbine, simply order complete dedicated lower to use (Magpul and Army recently adopted the M-Lok).

Keymod upper - http://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-9mm-16-carbine-1-10-13-5-keymod-upper-with-hrbrid-bcg-and-ch.html

M-Lok upper - http://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-...pper-with-hybrid-g-9-bcg-and-ch-77813011.html

Various lowers - http://palmettostatearmory.com/ks-47-ar-47-ar-9/ar-9.html

 

[Cannibul]

Everywhere I go but Walmart has plenty of .22 ammo in stock. Academy, Bass Pro, Cabela's and all the local shops have it on the shelves.

 

[Billyzz]

I sold my 22s a while
Back
If i cant reload it
I wont own it

 

[Swampman]

So $419 + @ $279 + $20 to $30 per magazine + the price of components and the time to assemble them, all to avoid a shortage that was artificially created and which seems to finally be ending?

No thanks.

 

[Billyzz]

A shortage is a shortage.
Givr it any name you want.
Results are the same

 

[CraigC]

While I haven't given up on .22LR and have been able to snag another several thousand rounds over the last several months, I've been shooting more 9mm the last couple years and put this thing together a few months ago.

 

[CraigC]

I sold my 22s a while
Back
If i cant reload it
I wont own it

That makes no sense whatsoever. Nothing you can handload matches the economy, utility and versatility of a good .22LR.

 

[Swampman]

I sold my 22s a while
Back
If i cant reload it
I wont own it

Do you make your own primers and powder?

If you look at shooting related shortages over the long haul, powder and primers have been much more problematic than .22 ammo.

 

[LiveLife]

While availability of 22LR has improved, things just got more complicated for California. Starting in 2019, Senate Bill 1235 will require IDs and background checks for ammunition purchases with a state-wide database to track such purchases which will make online purchases more difficult.

This has already and will undoubtedly expand the shooter base who will reload and this will certainly give the reloading related companies another huge boost in sales for years. At work, Democrats and even liberals are scrambling to reload and many have begged me to teach them to reload. As I have in the past, I welcomed their request with a strong dose of Second Amendment remedial education which have become much more tangible and obvious to the left leaning shooters.

I have Ruger 10/22 Take Down that I enjoy shooting but the last two 22LR shortages made me decide to shoot 9mm carbine as primary plinking caliber as I am able to reload 9mm readily. As to cost, using RMR 100/115 gr with W231/HP-38/Promo allow me to reload 50 rounds under $6 so I consider cost to be comparable to 22LR that is still not readily available where I live.

I posted PSA 9mm uppers on sale as they have not been available for some time and thought may benefit those who may have been looking to build 9mm carbines. I ordered 16" upper with M-Lok to add to other PSA upper with Keymod for wife and daughter as I am partial to JR carbine with 1:16 twist rate barrel compared to 1:10 for PSA with conversion kits for 40S&W/45ACP to do accuracy testing.

9mm carbine may not be for everyone but for California, it may become more of a viable reloading solution over 22LR.

There are other benefits of reloading and shooting 9mm carbines over 22LR out of my Ruger 10/22:

- Wife and daughter enjoy the light recoil and point & shoot ease of AR based carbines which share same components with .223/.300 BLK ARs that provide transferable practice.

- 124 gr JHP around 1400 fps will be more effective as defensive load than 22LR, especially if they enjoy shooting the 9mm carbines and become proficient.

 

[wally]

While I haven't given up on .22LR and have been able to snag another several thousand rounds over the last several months

Problem is we were shooting a couple thousand rounds a month of .22lr before Sandy hook. By dumb luck I had over 50K on hand and have been basically reserving it for when my wife shoots with me. I'd lots of 9mm components set aside for my retirement, and would rather shoot my 9mm reloads that cost me less than the $0.10/round .22lr ammo that has been plentiful for a good while.

When I find it for $0.06/round I buy what I can and have enjoyed getting back to some .22lr shooting recently.

 

[LiveLife]

For many Californians who have experienced challenge locating preferred 22LR ammo and forced to settle with whatever is available, reloading plinking and match grade 9mm rounds may be a better option when cost is particularly comparable.

I don't reload 22LR and must factor new ammo pricing when comparing to 9mm reloads which are comparable in my neck of the coastal woods.

Mind you, I still enjoy shooting 22LR out of my 10/22 Take Down but when store shelves are empty and new CA ammunition law makes online purchase more challenging, I rather keep reloading 9mm that are accurate and comparable in price.

 

[hdwhit]

If you are tired of looking for hard to find 22LR...

I have to disagree with the premise of your post - at least as it applies to me in North Texas. After many years of difficulty finding .22LR, it is now plentiful in Wal-Mart and the major sporting goods stores at a price of between 5 and 8 cents per round depending on brand, velocity, configuration and quality.

I don't cast my own bullets, so even with plated bullets, range pick-up brass and 30 year old primers, I can't load 9mm for anything approaching 8 cents per round. Your situation may be different and the economics may work out for you, but they don't work for me.

Further, when I consider that my primary rimfire rifle is an Armi Jager AP-74 (purpose built .22 that looks like an AR-15), I don't see any reason to abandon .22LR to invest in guns (or even AR uppers) to fire a new (to me), more expensive cartridge whose only advantage is that being center-fire it may not be in short supply in the future. But, then availability of the crucial center-fire component is the current problem for me. Locally, 22LR is now plentiful but small pistol primers are not in stock at the stores and I am loathe to mail order enough to make the HAZMAT fee worthwhile.

 

[Average Joe]

.22's are not hard to find, if your willing to pay an arm and a leg for them.

 

[Billyzz]

I got bored with 22s compared to centerfire anything so it didn't take much to make me abandon the round.
And when I can reload for the same price?
For me it was a no brainer.
Ymmv
Imho
Yabba
Dabba
Do
Etc

 

[hdwhit]

...with a strong dose of Second Amendment remedial education...

When someone finds out I reload and asks about learning the hobby, I figure they're already having a change of heart regarding their attitude towards guns and ammunition, so I welcome them just as gently and wholeheartedly as I would someone coming down the aisle at church looking to be baptized.

 

[Chuck R.]

I have to disagree with the premise of your post - at least as it applies to me in North Texas. After many years of difficulty finding .22LR, it is now plentiful in Wal-Mart and the major sporting goods stores at a price of between 5 and 8 cents per round depending on brand, velocity, configuration and quality.

I don't cast my own bullets, so even with plated bullets, range pick-up brass and 30 year old primers, I can't load 9mm for anything approaching 8 cents per round. Your situation may be different and the economics may work out for you, but they don't work for me.

Further, when I consider that my primary rimfire rifle is an Armi Jager AP-74 (purpose built .22 that looks like an AR-15), I don't see any reason to abandon .22LR to invest in guns (or even AR uppers) to fire a new (to me), more expensive cartridge whose only advantage is that being center-fire it may not be in short supply in the future. But, then availability of the crucial center-fire component is the current problem for me. Locally, 22LR is now plentiful but small pistol primers are not in stock at the stores and I am loathe to mail order enough to make the HAZMAT fee worthwhile.

I agree, here's a listing that show's plenty of .22LR available:

http://gunbot.net/ammo/rimfire/22lr/

While I love shooting my Colt 9mm carbine, there's no way I can load for close to .06 per round either. Best I can do is around:

.08-10 for plated bullets
.025 for a primer
and a couple .01's for powder. So probably around .12-.14 per, which is about what I can find .22LR for.

While close, I still can't get 9mm down to much cheaper than I can get .22LR. I do prefer the 9mm carbine to my dedicated .22AR when working carbine drills due to the recoil, but the 9mm carbine isn't exactly my go to gun for squirrels.

Chuck

 

[JO JO]

now that my kids are bigger and bored with the 22lr and prefer center-fire I to have considered dumping the 22lr and I can reload centerfire close to the cost of 22lr , but I never understood the 22lr frenzy anyway !

 

[[email protected]]

The last 9mm bullets I bought was from cabelas. They were 61.90 per thousand shipped after 10% off and free shipping. I used some cabelas bucks on the order which brought them down to around 40.00 per thousand. My last primer order was the S&B primers last year also form cabelas. If I remember correctly they were around 22.00 after hazmat. I bought an 8lb jug of promo locally for 109.95 years ago.
So I'm looking at;
Bullet .04
primer .022
powder .0096
So I'm at .0716 a round or $3.58 a box. If I were to use my cast bullets from free wheel weight alloy I'm at $1.58 a box.

 

[CraigC]

I got bored with 22s compared to centerfire anything so it didn't take much to make me abandon the round.
And when I can reload for the same price?
For me it was a no brainer.
Ymmv
Imho
Yabba
Dabba
Do
Etc

Nothing can be reloaded as cheap as .22LR can be bought. Not even close. Even if you cast your own bullets from free scrap and place ZERO value on your time. The cheapest thing I reload is .38Spl. The primer and bullet are $0.10/rd.

No, in reality, you never cared too much for the .22LR in the first place.

It's always interesting when folks say they're bored with the .22LR. I have dozens of centerfire handguns ranging from .32H&R to .500JRH. I have dozens of centerfire rifles ranging from .223 to .416Rigby. I handload for most of them. I load thousands of rounds a year on my Dillon 650's and am contemplating another. My most used guns are still my three dozen rimfires. No amount of handloading will ever replace them.

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

My PSA 9mm forged lower shipped yesterday. Still haven't decided if I want to do a pistol or carbine. Eventually it will be an SBR.

 

[Billyzz]

Nothing can be reloaded as cheap as .22LR can be bought. Not even close. Even if you cast your own bullets from free scrap and place ZERO value on your time. The cheapest thing I reload is .38Spl. The primer and bullet are $0.10/rd.

No, in reality, you never cared too much for the .22LR in the first place.

It's always interesting when folks say they're bored with the .22LR. I have dozens of centerfire handguns ranging from .32H&R to .500JRH. I have dozens of centerfire rifles ranging from .223 to .416Rigby. I handload for most of them. I load thousands of rounds a year on my Dillon 650's and am contemplating another. My most used guns are still my three dozen rimfires. No amount of handloading will ever replace them.

Thats the beauty of the hobby.
So many different ways to go about it.
From penny pinchers to the fabulously wealthy
Theres a niche for each of us.
Merry Christmas

 

[Reefinmike]

Nothing can be reloaded as cheap as .22LR can be bought. Not even close. Even if you cast your own bullets from free scrap and place ZERO value on your time.

I enjoy casting the bullets as much as I enjoy loading them which is precisely as much as I enjoy shooting them. Its all a hobby and with plenty of free time, I'm fine being one of those that value my time as $0.00USD/HR(do we have to put a price on everything?). with a 6 cavity mold, it isn't difficult to cast 700 bullets an hour. For 38spl, a simple alox tumble lube will do. maybe a minute per 500. Primers can be had for 2¢ a piece, powder charge is 1¢ and add in 1¢ per bullet for propane/electric used when casting. Cases were picked up at the range for free. 4¢ a piece to reload 38spl. I'll shoot it all day over a 6¢ 22lr.

 

[Rule3]

I see no shortage of 22 lr ammo (on line). Local stores do not have any , but they never did. 22 lr is not real cheap like it used to be. but still fun to shoot.

I have enough 9mm handguns and carbines. Heck getting older, I need to shoot more 22 lr. Tired of picking up my brass.

Look at the ads for places like CDNN, they have so many "Tactical" 22 rifles for sale, they can't give them away!

Ruger has their M IV version now with a one button push to completely field strip it. Bet they sell tons of them.

 

[Swampman]

Other benefits of shooting 9mm carbines:

- Wife and daughter enjoy the light recoil and point and shoot ease of AR based carbines which share same components with .223/.300 BLK ARs that provide transferable practice.

- 124 gr JHP around 1400 fps will be more effective as defensive load than 22LR, especially if they enjoy shooting the 9mm carbines and become proficient.

Are you saying that reduced recoil compared to .22 rim fire is a "benefit" of the 9mm?
'Cause that's kinda what it sounds like.

Also, please be advised that there is more than one maker producing AR pattern rifles in .22 Long Rifle.

As far as defensive use, do you honestly believe that it's really a factor in this discussion? I think most people reading this forum are already aware that 9mm will offer better terminal ballistics than .22 rimfire in that particular role.


I think a 9mm Carbine would be fun and cheap to shoot, but as a replacement for the .22 rimfire?

I just don't see it.

 

[FROGO207]

Thanks for the heads up on the gear at PSA. I have "enough" .22LR around for now if I choose to shoot it some. When things started going wonky with ammo supplies I started to reload/cast for my handguns more. I did go to 9MM some but settled on 38 SPL for most of my target practice with a handgun. First there is the factor of less propellant and a lighter SWC bullet as well as it takes me longer to shoot and reload a cylinder of six 38 SPL than a full MAG of fifteen 9MM. With rifle I already had several light recoil loads using lead and Promo/Red Dot that I used instead of .22 LR as well. Avoiding the semi auto there as well to save resources and reloading time.YMMV