Do you think .22 Rimfire is becoming obsolete?

[MedWheeler]

I hope people keep thinking like this. I've been finding some pretty decent deals in the last couple of years on used .22 caliber firearms, likely sold or traded by people who think the ammo is still hard to come by (it's not.)

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Originally Posted by TruthTellers

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

What's that got to do with the price of eggs?

I have killed a boxcar load of squirrels with my M82 Kimber. I don't depend on hunting for food, though -- does that somehow mean I don't actually use my .22 a lot?

 

[susieqz]

i got 2bunnies this month with my single 10.
with my arms on a barrel, i can get 1'' groups with my 22/4, at 25 measured yards.
you got a centerfire handgun that can do that?

 

[JohnKSa]

Do I think that .22 rimfire is becoming obsolete? Call me crazy, but I think that the shortage resulting from record high levels of demand for .22 rimfire ammo suggests the exact opposite.

 

[HGM22]

I do think a lot of people are moving towards 9mm as a replacement for .22. Whether that is permanent or temporary I'm not sure. I do think right now that if I didn't have a .22 I'd get a 9mm instead since its only slightly more but is much more "realistic" as a practice/training round (it actually has some blast/recoil). Then again, if I were shooting thousands of rounds every year that $0.10 difference could really add up.

 

[basicblur]

I think 22 LR will actually get more popular. AR-22 eat ammo like starving wolves and they need ammo to feed them.

Count me in that group.
I don't know what the demographics are in here, but I think a lot of folks still think single shot / squirrel gun when they think 22 - the times, they are a changin'.

Up until a few years ago, I didn't even own a rimfire - with the explosion in good 22 guns that mirror their centerfire big brothers, I now shoot a lot of 22. Being able to practice with the same platform without all the noise and cost is great.

I went from having no rimfires to now having a few AR's, ARX-160, 1911, M&P Compact, and probably a few others I can't name off the top of my head.

I've also recently bought my first "fancy" guns - always been a pragmatist - black and plastic was fine with me. Over the last few years I've picked up a couple of Savage thumbhole stock rifles with some purdy wood (22 and 17HMR), SS barrels, etc.

I've also turned a few friends on to the M&P 15-22 - they (and their wives / kids) use 'em on their farms to dispatch pests.

Our local gun shop has been awash in 22 ammo for a number of months now. Another, newer small shop told me the other day he's actually started turning down 22 from his suppliers.

Now all we have to do is wait for the price to come down to reasonable levels...

 

[stringnut]

Semi auto pistol cartridge carbines may have their uses, but, not for me. Accuracy is not any where near my standrds for a rifle. 22 lr is more accurate in just about everything. At times we do a significant amount of small game hunting . This require fairly tight grouping ability. Not a lot of damaged meat with a 22.
Noise is an issue also. Shoot 22 on my backyard range all the time. Can't see the neighbors liking me popping off centerfires all the time. Also, if a pest has to be taken care of in middle of the night, a centerfire would just be rude to those trying to sleep.

Fairly cheap 9mm is available. However , due to case material and other considerations, it may not be reloadable. Even reloading you will only beat the price of higher end long rifle ammo.

22 will be around as long as we are able to own firearms.

 

[FROGO207]

For many many years when the box of 50 .22 was almost empty the owner would just go to the local hardware store and pick up another box. Then along comes a run or two on it and that box they usually saw on the shelf dried up. So now the average .22 owner realizes they have to buy some ahead whenever he finds some to have on hand. It was commonly said that most people feel 1500 rounds on average was a reasonable amount of stock to ride out any further speed bumps. Multiply that with the number of people that usually only bought 50 rounds every couple years for pest control or those that have an old .22 in the closet and just need a few boxes that now see the need to stock up some. That is why I feel we are at least a year away from staking the thirst for put away .22 ammo in general. Then add those that want 10-50-100 K or more and we still are not back to reasonable supplies on the store shelves.

You can talk about everyone hoarding piles of the stuff BUT I have friends that are asking me if they can buy a box of 50 from me until things come back to the stores reliably.

 

[Ryanxia]

Aside from reasons RC and others have stated it's also still one of the best calibers to suppress definitely cheaper to shoot than say .300BLK or other calibers that suppress well. I'm contemplating doing a .22 suppressed handgun setup next not that I'd spend the outrageous money on .22's these days.

If the price ever comes back down to pre-panic levels it will remain popular for the cost. Even at $7/box for 9mm you're paying $70 for 500 rounds vs $20 for the pre-panic price of .22's.

Edit: As Frogo said, people will stock up a lot more than they need as supply returns to good prices to be better prepared for a future shortage. Personally I only ever kept a couple thousand rounds of .22 on hand but if I can get them for $20 a brick again I'm going to easily be squirreling away 10 or 20 thousand rounds to always have on hand.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

.22 LR

When Dad would take me to the mountains to visit family and old neighbors in the 1950s and 1960s, every farm house had a .22 rifle and a 12 ga shotgun. .22 had adequate power for edible small game and to protect farm animals from small to medium predators.

.22 rimfire was and is very accurate up to 100 yards for target practice. And using my .22 rifle I hunted with my Uncle Ed and his dog Henry, some of the better memories of my teens.

I speak for a lot of people, I think, when I say .22 rimfire is a long way from being obsolete.

BTW. I took the 1960s gun control threat to tax or restrict ammo out of existence seriously and began keeping a stockpile. After the 1968 Gun Control Act required ammo sales through FFLs only with each sale entered in a bound book with name. address, DL, etc. I saw no point in buying less than a brick at a time. I have riden out this panick without contributing too it by buying ammo at inflated prices. I still have a sizable stock.

 

[Deanimator]

And what exactly do you think people are going to shoot in the rimfire stage of of an NRA 2700 Convention Pistol match? NRA Smallbore Rifle? ISU rifle and pistol?

 

[v35]

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

No, he grew up in either Mississippi or Arkansas, I forget which.

You a Bonanza driver?

Had to sell the V35 when changing jobs a few years ago I miss it. Probably buy another one when I retire, but I want a G36 this time.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Do I think that .22 rimfire is becoming obsolete? Call me crazy, but I think that the shortage resulting from record high levels of demand for .22 rimfire ammo suggests the exact opposite.

Exactly right -- the shortage proves people are buying .22 ammo whenever they find it for sale.

 

[Warp]

Never.

 

[scaatylobo]

simple

NO !!!.

 

[Ranger Roberts]

This thread has left very little doubt that the .22 clearly isn't obsolete. I don't think there is a single poster that has said yes.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

I have no doubts about .22's superior nature in small game hunting and other SHTF capabilities, but I'm talking about general shooting. How many regularly use their .22's to harvest small game as a regular food supplement?

Huh?

What kind of "general shooting" are you talking about?

.22 is great for "general shooting" of all kinds, for a variety of reasons.

A great round with a HUGE history and support base that isn't likely to disappear for a long, long time.

 

[morcey2]

It'll become obsolete about the same time that the wheel does. And I've "harvested" about as much small game with my tires as I have with a 22. Difference is I'll eat it if I shoot it.

Matt

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Ummmm, no. It's one of, if not THE most popular cartridges shot today. It's utility for cheap practice and small game hunting have been proven time and again.

 

[Fiv3r]

I don't think it will go anywhere until modern technology figures out a way to shoot a small bullet cheaper.

I'm actually in the market for a good .22 lever gun carbine for taking down to the cabin. i figure it would be more than enough for my needs, and my daughter can shoot it without flinching, probably.

I will say, I'm pretty much done with .22 handguns. I have a 22/45 and a couple of revolvers. That's enough for me unless Ruger releases the LCR with a 3" barrel as a modern kit gun.

I'm also not going to hoard .22 ammo. If I have a couple hundred rounds, that's fine. If I can find it, I'll shoot it. If people want to stash 900 bricks in their basements while huffing through a gas mask...more power to them, I guess When the ammo disappears, I just switch over to archery.

 

[fastbolt]

Do you think .22 Rimfire is becoming obsolete?
With all the pistol chambered carbines coming out and those that already exist it seems clear that the popularity of pistol carbines that the sky's the limit. Magazine compatibility with handguns, low noise, cheaper ammo, availability of ammo, etc. are all appealing factors of the pistol carbines, so much so that I'm wondering if they are going to become the "new .22" for this century.

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. The .22 also has its drawbacks in its reliability and amount of residue it leaves in the gun, but the past several years the issue with .22 is being able to get it for a decent price.

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.

Add to that, if they're into reloading, they could buy brass ammo for a bit more, save that ammo, and go home and make their own ammo for just a bit more than .22.

I'm starting to think people are getting fed up with the .22 shortages to the extent they will abandon it and go with a 9mm or other pistol carbine that matches their preferred handgun round. Am I wrong? Do you think the .22 still reigns king as the sport/recreational cartridge?

Nope. Not by a long shot. If anything, it's seemingly becoming more popular with both new and existing shooters.

The .22LR is an ubiquitous rimfire cartridge that serves a multitude of roles that a centerfire cartridge can't really begin to approach. The other calibers just can't duplicate the advantages of the various different .22 rimfire cartridges, especially when being fired from a revolver.

The diminutive size in which .22 pistols and revolvers can be found are also something that can't be duplicated by the 9mmP (think Beretta M21 and NAA revolvers), and the reduced recoil impulse is appreciates by many folks learning to shoot (for whom even the 9mmP might be considered unpleasant in the early stages of their development).

Sure, previously low cost was a great thing, but the .22LR was still obviously selling quite well regardless of how high the cost rose in recent times.

Also, the concept of the pistol caliber "carbine" may be appealing to some folks, but it's still a niche category, and not even remotely approaching the widely popular .22LR carbine/rifle, especially for shooters who don't want the "power" of a centerfire hand cartridge for plinking, small game/varmints, "pellet popper" shooting venues, etc. The ubiquitous .22 bolt action, lever or semiauto rifle is still something that seems to sell quite well to that segment of the market.

Then, there's the .22MAG rimfire. Even with its cost rising, and the introduction of the .17HMR, the venerable .22MAG is a great little caliber. The last little revolver I bought was chambered in .22MAG, and I'm seriously considering getting another one.

I'd not mind picking up another .22LR or .22MAG rifle, too, but I'd not have any interest to add a 9mm (or .40 or .45) "carbine" to my collection. The last pistol caliber carbine I owned was many years ago, and it was an original Ruger .44MAG carbine (with the tube magazine).

 

[MaterDei]

At the risk of being redundant...

NEVER!!!

 

[200Apples]

.

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.

I'm sorry to hear that.

See, your problem is that you're shooting too fast, and wasting ammunition. Learn to use your sights. There's a whole new world that awaits you. But "it's a free country" and you're still free to do with your time what you wish!

But, seriously...

I can see how, perhaps, the larger powder charge and the smaller, faster Spitzer bullet of .17 HMR might spoil you of .22 LR... but I learned to shoot a handgun using .45ACP. Learned some shotgun fundamentals with 12 guage. My first rifle was a .30 cal... so when I finally started shooting .22LR I found it to be an even MORE relaxing time.

And there's no doubt, too, that .22 LR remains the perfect cartridge for pest control, varmintin' and very small game. None whatsoever. There's no way that cartridges such as .22 LR to the heavy magnums will ever become "obsolete" because just as in transportation, there will always be a need for everything from 18-wheel heavy trucks to small-engined, lightweight sports cars.

 

[mooosie]

22RF is an all purpose round that maybe is not perfect for anything , but will get you dinner and maybe save your life, because no one wants to leak! In a shtf situation you can carry hundreds of rounds on your person , how many center hire can you carry?

 

[TruthTellers]

22RF is an all purpose round that maybe is not perfect for anything , but will get you dinner and maybe save your life, because no one wants to leak! In a shtf situation you can carry hundreds of rounds on your person , how many center hire can you carry?

I agree with you on this 100%, but my focus was on target shooting and plinking. I'm of the opinion that a 9mm carbine is more economical to shoot for fun than .22 for reasons I mentioned in the first post. I asked if .22 was becoming obsolete in regards to a general shooting round, not as a shtf ammo because it's obvious it will be the #1 cartridge when shtf.

I got the responses I wanted, it appears that 90+ percent say it's not obsolete and not going anywhere. I guess I over thunk things because they're right in that the shortage isn't being caused by disinterest or lack of demand, but the opposite. If supply was able to meet demand, there wouldn't be a shortage and probably even more people would be buying .22.