Do you think .22 Rimfire is becoming obsolete?

[Ranger Roberts]

The .22 is the last rimfire cartridge that still exists

Nope, the .17

in return he'll get to shoot a real gun that could be a legit decent defensive gun.

A .22 isn't a real gun? There is a long standing saying that .22 has killed more people than any other caliber. Whether it's true or not I'm not sure.

I'm starting to think people are getting fed up with the .22 shortages to the extent they will abandon it

I think at this point the shortages apply to particular geographical areas. I have no problem getting .22 near me. I travel a lot for work and I pop into gun stores all over the country out of boredom. Generally I see .22's in most of the locations I visit. Maybe not at "pre-panic" prices but I still see them available.

How many regularly use their .22's to harvest small game as a regular food supplement?

Completely based on someone's lifestyle. I don't think members of the Beverly Hills Gun Club are having squirrel stew anytime soon, however I was in the service with a lot of guys who grew up eating fried squirrel and eggs for breakfast in the morning. Heck, this discussion is going on in the Hunting sub forum right now:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=800441

So no, .22 isn't going anywhere.

 

[doubleh]

The 22 will be around as long as kids are.

 

[yugorpk]

Yeah I dont see or hear about anyone eating rodent stew where I'm at. Not that theres anything wrong with squirrel stew I just don't know of anyone that eats those things. The 22 has become more of a target/plinking gun. The modern preoccupation with one shot one kill and it always being necessary to KILL ( stop the threat , whatever ) whomever it is you are shooting at has lead to the .22LR being relegated to a non defensive gun and I think has marginalized its perceived effectiveness. Its still a dangerous round and it still deserves respect. I don't know about more people being killed with the .22LR than anything else. I don't really believe that but there might be some measure of truth to it.

The .22 ammo shortage will pass once the horders have filled their larders and the world doesn't end...once again.

 

[mnrivrat]

The only thing that will kill the .22 is anti gun polititions and the fools who vote for them.

Never will there be a time that the .22 is not a popular cartridge to those people who shoot.

 

[Spats McGee]

In most of Arkansas, everybody and their dog has a .22. I've been known to refer to 10/22s and Marlin Model 60s as "standard issue," because every boy seems to get one for his 16th birthday. IMHO, there's no better cartridge with which to teach young shooters. Low recoil, not particularly loud.

Even if they quit making .22LR firearms tomorrow, someone will keep making the ammo as long as there's demand. When was the last time you heard about someone wearing out their .22?

The lowly .22 isn't going anywhere.

 

[reddog81]

What’s the opposite of obsolete? That’s what 22LR has become…
I have a 9mm carbine, but I can’t remember the last time I saw one for sale. I also can’t remember ever seeing one at the shooting range.

 

[yugorpk]

If you look around, you can get 9mm for under under 20 cents a round while the cheapest .22 will run you around 10 cents per round. For less than double the price, a shooter could get steel case 9mm and be on his way and in return he'll get to shoot a real gun that could be a legit decent defensive gun.

10 cents a round for .22? Match ammo maybe. I have never and would never pay 10 cents a round for .22 ammo. 5-6 cents maybe and Ive done that as recently as last week.

 

[yugorpk]

..from what I read. I've not noticed any such shortages in Australia, nor significant increases in pricing beyond normal inflation over recent years.

I don't know why there should be a shortage of such common mass produced ammunition, unless it has been artificially created in some way. I don't expect it will be that way forever.

.22LR (don't know about Shorts or Longs, never had need to buy them) in normal circumstances is still by far the least expensive common ammo to shoot, aside perhaps from some reloading. It's inexpensive and accurate - I can't see it going away too soon.

Opinions vary on whats going on. Heres my take.. When Obama first got elected ALL ammo disappeared from the shelves because everyone knew he was going to push for advanced gun control measures. Didn't happen and the ammo came back. Then the Sandy Hook massacre happened and ALL ammo disappeared from the shelves. People bought it all up thinking more gun control was coming. That didnt happen either and almost all the ammo came back but something weird happened . The .22LR didn't. It came back all righht but there is/was a subsection of the population who came up with a mantra that the world and/or country was about to collapse and that .22LR was going to become the currency of the future when the SHTF. .22 is/was cheap and they could buy lots of it whereas actually useful ammo isnt so cheap so it hasnt disapeared. As soon as the stores open they are there in the morning buying up whatever is on the shelves. Different parts of the country seem to be affected more than others. It used to be you could go into a store and the .22 want even behind the counter and there were shelves of it. Not now. I know people with upwards of a million rounds of .22LR in their basement stacked up next to a years supply of dried eggs. If they go into a store that is freshly stocked with .22LR they call all their friends and relatives to come over and clean it out since most stores have put a limit on how much .22LR you can purchase in a day.

It takes all kinds.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

The .22 is the last rimfire cartridge that still exists and that's largely been because of the inexpensive price, the small size of it, recoil, and the low noise.

They're coming out with new rimfire cartridges every second Tuesday -- look at the flock of new .17 rimfires.

 

[Furncliff]

I don't hunt anymore so the .22 rimfire has become a target round for me. I have a bunch of center fire pistol caliber carbines and none of them can come close to the repeatable accuracy that you can get from a box of off the shelf of .22LR. Imagine trying to improve your shooting skills and you are using a rifle that's only capable of (at very best ) 2-3MOA.

We'd all like to see .22 rimfire return to 1.5 cents a round, but it's not likely. Take some of the money you are saving on gas now that it's $2.00/gal. and apply it to your .22 rim fire ammo stash.

 

[huntsman]

Do you think .22 Rimfire is becoming obsolete?

No what I think will be obsolete is the blasting away of .22lr bricks for *****&giggles.

 

[jrdolall]

I burn through 22 LR at an alarming pace. We shot over 1,000 rounds this week. Next week we will double that. I shoot suppressed. I shoot squirrels every year with the 22 LR and yes we eat them. Not because we can't afford "real" meat, but because we enjoy the hunt and really don't want to kill things for the fun of killing.

The shortage is over around where I live. I see 22 LR in every store, big box and LGS that I walk into, except Walmart. I have seen it online for $.05 per round so under $.06 delivered in the past week. If your 22 shopping means popping in Walmart twice a week then you probably won't find any ammo.

I always see the reloaders talking about how they can load 38 cheaper than 22 LR and I applaud them. Maybe they can load up a couple of billion rounds for the rest of us. I can't load 38 for anywhere CLOSE to $.06 per round. I don't have components from 10 years ago nor an unlimited supply of lead.

 

[v35]

... How many regularly use their .22's to harvest small game as a regular food supplement?

I can't speak from personal experience but a former coworker of mine grew up dirt poor and that's how he fed his little family. Squirrel and rabbits were not a supplement; that was all there was. No game, no food. I had reason to believe him after he invited me for dinner once and saw how he and his wife lived, once he became successful enough to be considered "middle class". His lifestyle was so frugal most people would find it hard to comprehend.

He was a firm believer in tithing. 10% of everything he took home after taxes went to his church. He owed not one penny of debt to anyone, ever.

I have a lot of respect for that man. If circumstances were to become difficult, he could still survive with a .22 rifle and a pot to cook in, no problem at all. I can't say the same for myself.

 

[bikerdoc]

Im getting 22 for 5.99 box. Not great but better than last year.

 

[Pilot]

I can't speak from personal experience but a former coworker of mine grew up dirt poor and that's how he fed his little family. Squirrel and rabbits were not a supplement; that was all there was. No game, no food. I had reason to believe him after he invited me for dinner once and saw how he and his wife lived, once he became successful enough to be considered "middle class". His lifestyle was so frugal most people would find it hard to comprehend.

He was a firm believer in tithing. 10% of everything he took home after taxes went to his church. He owed not one penny of debt to anyone, ever.

I have a lot of respect for that man. If circumstances were to become difficult, he could still survive with a .22 rifle and a pot to cook in, no problem at all. I can't say the same for myself.

Was he in PA, V35? I'm in Chester County and can't imagine living off squirrels and rabbits.

You a Bonanza driver?

 

[Da Yooper]

Do you think .22 Rimfire is becoming obsolete?

yes & no

but I would not be quick to buy anymore rifles or handguns chambered for it.

in my neck of the woods 22 ammo is not available at all

 

[Onmilo]

Even at $5 per 50 costs now .22 rimfire isn't going away.
It can extend your range time.
Many hunting areas restrict use of any centerfire but allow rimfire cartridges.
Nope, the stuff isn't going away and if anything, the popularity of the cartridge continues to grow.

 

[Panfisher]

I think 22 LR will actually get more popular. AR-22 eat ammo like starving wolves and they need ammo to feed them. Companies are making it as fast as they can. Heck given a good deal I wouldn't hesitate to buy another .22 LR rifle, but I like bolt actions, my 10/22 is seldom used anymore.

 

[hot chili powder]

22 rimfire obsolete....?????

The only time the 22 rimfire will be obsolete is whenever the manufacture of ammunition in the world is the law........and that ain't ever gonna happen!!

 

[Candyman87]

Nope. The reason it's so hard to get is hoarders. Yes I have a stock of .22 but not cases and cases like some people.

I still buy a brick every time I find one of my two preferred brands for a reasonable price. Yes, I still shoot it regularly. Have 3 guns in the caliber.

For me, most use is out of a dedicated AR upper. I can run through 200-300 rounds at a trip to the range for $20-30 in .22. If that was my 5.56 I'd only be shooting about 80 rounds for the same money.

It's not going anywhere and I'm really happy about that. Great little round to focus on the fundamentals.

 

[Buck13]

If you look around, you can get 9mm for under under 20 cents a round while the cheapest .22 will run you around 10 cents per round. For less than double the price, a shooter could get steel case 9mm and be on his way and in return he'll get to shoot a real gun that could be a legit decent defensive gun.

If you can show me a 9 mm pistol that is as accurate as a Ruger MkII/III for the same price, with ammo that is no more expensive than CCI SV, then, yeah, I'd worry about .22s going away. Otherwise, I'll be keeping my .22s, and you can keep your "real gun."

 

[Walkalong]

No.......

Thread was over after post #2 (Reply #1).

 

[Robc84]

It's become obsolete in my house. The only fun thing about shooting a 22 was that you didn't feel bad blowing through a whole brick in an hour or so. We would have competitions just to see who could go through an 25 round clip the quickest. If I'm hunting small game I go to the .17hmr. If your over 10 shooting a 22 just isn't fun in my opinion.

 

[WestKentucky]

22 is the only centerfire cartridge still around...I guess 22 mag, 17hmr, 17 mach 2, and a couple others would not like to hear that news. And as much as I like the idea of magazine interchangeability I simply do not see the 22 rimfire (of any flavor) being supplanted by a center-fire pistol round. You will not ever see a 50 rd box of centerfire ammo for 4 dollars. You will not see many pistol caliber carbines in the 200 dollar range. You will certainly not see 32 acp or 25acp carbines mass produced, so your only hope for a small game round would be the .380 and even it is too much for rabbit and squirrel...and there aren't many 380 carbines out there either. Next one up is 38 special but you want an auto so now your taking 9x18 or 9x19 and that's even more power than the .380. 22 is here to stay. Its kinda like the automobile industry...so you think that battery powered is going to replace gasoline... The industry is too heavily invested in the rimfire rounds to ever do away with them.

 

[SVTOhio]

Thread was over after post #2 (Reply #1).

I agree 100%. I can go to the local sporting goods store and buy 4 fifty round boxes of eley prime and have an hour of fun with my sig 1911-22 for less then 20 bucks. In today's world that's cheap for some fun.