I think I have gone crazy....

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Boarhunter

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Aug 8, 2005
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I have been shooting and concealed-carrying pistols and revolvers literally my entire adult life. I have competed at local levels for years to refine practical skills and am certified as a firearms instructor in several areas. And I have accumulated a lot of handguns in calibers ranging from .22 short to 45/70. But my joints are wearing out (those that have not been replaced), and I do not feel driven any more to impress my buds with my tolerance to recoil.

All of that is by way of background...

Anyway, back in the fall, I decided to pick up a Smith Victory 22lr and spend some time revisiting the little rimfire cartridge, something that I have done only rarely over the years.

And I had an absolute blast.

So I had the barrel cut to virtually nothing so I could carry the gun and use it as a dedicated suppressor pistol.

I had even more fun, so I picked up a Smith 43C 8-shot 22 revolver to carry as front-pocket back-up. But that was not enough so I picked up another 43C so my first 43C could be my primary and my second could be my pocket backup. And I put the rounds through them. I bought 10k rounds of mini-mags to make sure I had enough.

I bought two more 43Cs, one for my child bride and one for my baby girl. Then a Smith 63 22 revolver. Then a 317 kit gun. I found a pristine Beretta Bobcat 22lr in the back of my safe and started shooting it. That inspired me to pick up a used Bobcat to keep in my pocket for backup to the first in case I wanted to carry concealed with the Bobcats.... And then added another new stainless Bobcat for summer heat....

And I pulled an old, old Beretta Minx 22 short out of the safe....

The bottom line....

I have added 9 22lr handguns to the accumulation just since November, and I cannot tell you how many mini-mags and Stingers I have put downrange since that time though all the various accumulated 22s. I figure I am running about 400 to 500 rounds a week or so, and having more fun than I can remember, all without breaking the bank on ammo costs and without aggravating what few original joints I have remaining. I think I have put only 50 rounds of centerfire ammo downrange over that same period of time.

I have gone absolutely crazy for the 22lr cartridge and the little guns that shoot them. And I don't see myself slowing up or returning to centerfire ammo any time soon.

Not sure if I am alone in my transition, but I am having more fun now with these 22lr handguns than I have in years.

Just thought I would share. Maybe others suffer a similar mental condition....

BOARHUNTER

Ps: This is not an invitation to discuss the appropriateness of 22lr for carry...Please.
 
Everyone should have a .22 handgun and rifle.. or three. They are fun, versatile and effective within the limitations of the cartridge and shooter. Although ammo is not as cheap as it was a decade or two ago, it is still the best bang for your buck. Last and not least, they can always be put to good use as the introduction for a new shooter.
 
Boarhunter said:
But my joints are wearing out...
Click to expand...
I have had the exact same epiphany. My right wrist has become so painful, even when I'm not shooting, that I am thinking about shooting with my left hand only. My wife has always supported my hobby but seldom went with me to the range because she is recoil sensitive. She will shoot and is proficient with a .38 Special revolver but she does not like shooting it much after getting the cobwebs out.
So, I began to find some .22LR guns for her to try out. She liked them a lot and in the process I discovered that they are fun to shoot. A Christmas "gift" I got for "her" was an AR style .22LR rifle which it a total blast to shoot. My last purchase was a S&W 422 in near new condition. That thing is a tack driver and is as fun to shoot as any gun I own. Yeah, the pain in my wrist sucks but rediscovering how fun the .22LR is to shoot keeps me in the game. I've also found good ammo at $0.05 a round as well which makes it nice!

They may be for her but I find that I enjoy them so much that she may have to beg me to shoot them.

SW422 left (2).JPG

AR22 right.jpg
 
My favorite handgun shooting format is Bullseye and I've competed in many matches since the early sixties. In addition to my center-fire handguns, the three rimfire pistols that I've used over the years are the Ruger Government model, the Smith & Wesson Model 41 and a Browning Medalist. I still love shooting .22s and my latest plan is to add the two American-made .22 target pistols to my inventory of "classic" Bullseye pistols that I don't have, the Colt and High Standard entrants. The "hunt" can be almost as much fun as the "find"!
 
I can relate to the OP........ I've always said that some day the makers of .22 pistols and revolvers are gonna have the government force them to put a warning on all new .22 handguns; ........"WARNING..........MAY BE HABIT FORMING"....
 
When I shoot pistols I always start with a .22. If I'm shooting a revolver I start with a S&W 617, If I'm shooting a semi-auto I start with a S&W M&P 22.
This helps with my hold, trigger control and sighting while shooting low cost ammo and I find it relaxing.
 
The one thing about the .22LR shortage from about January of 2013 to about a year ago that I liked was that many people were getting rid of guns in the caliber, and I was finding them for pretty decent prices. I just wish I could get as much time to shoot them, and some better places to do so, as most of you here do.

Among those guns I acquired during that period were (in no particular order): FEG AP-22, Heritage RR, Ruger NM Single-Six, Taurus 94SS, Taurus PT22, Two Marlin 99M1 rifles, Glenfield 75, Marlin 25, Henry H001, and Ruger Mk-II Target (already had a Mk-II Standard.) Those are the ones I can recall offhand.
 
Well, since I am baring my soul....

I also made the conversion to 22lr long guns as well. Two Smith 15-22s for myself, one with iron sights and one with red-dot sights. And I figued my child-bride and baby girl ought to have their own 15-22, but theirs are in pink camo. And the final 15-22 I got for my oldest daughter so she would not feel left out.

My name is BOARHUNTER, and I am a 22 addict....

BOARHUNTER
 
nZQvOJt.jpg

I've made a couple of .22 handguns. They're fun, but single-shots only amuse for so long... Then I inherited- among other things- 7 bricks of .22LR ammunition and I owned not a single .22 repeater... My wife quickly found me a lovely vintage Colt Frontier Scout and put it on layaway for my birthday. An old buddy on the east coast saw a post about getting the ammo and sent me this little gem- a vintage H&R 922. Needs a little cosmetic work but it's timed and tight, with a surprisingly nice DA trigger. I love it- not only a nice gift but a neat piece of useable history!

Now of course Linda has found a little Ruger semi-auto that 'does it' for her... it's a slippery slope and we're going down.
 
Bearman, I do the same thing. I always warm up with about 100 rounds of 22lr before I start shooting centerfire handguns. It's a relaxing way to get started and settled in.
 
Boarhunter

Nothing wrong with your acquisitions as far as I can tell. As long as you have the means to support your .22 interests (and still pay all of your bills), then feel free to continue on with your handgun pursuits.

My very first gun was a Hawes Deputy Marshal convertible. My very favorite .22 is a Beretta Model 70S. My very best target .22 is a Ruger Model 512 Mk.II. Probably have in excess of 40,000 rounds of .22 ammo available.

See, you're not alone.
 
Boarhunter, I am here because of your choice of @SUBJ: "I think I have gone crazy...."

... but I thoroughly enjoyed reading your epiphanial saga.

Good way to start a day, thank you! :)

If the cost of .22RF ever gets back to where that I feel that it "should be", I will probably be taking my 1 revolver & 2 rifles out of the gunsafes much more often, as I have always enjoyed shooting .22RF.

 
Boarhunter, you may be crazy but I am only kind of goofy. I've only added four new 22 pistols this year. I started out many years ago with a 22 handgun and have continued to them shoot regularly. The reasons for the new ones are twofold. they all different from the others I own and my wrist is getting in bad shape so more 22 shooting. Shooting anything with much recoil isn't fun anymore. The 44 mags have become 44 specials and the 357s have become mostly 38s now. Just the weight of some is becoming a problem.
 
I probably shoot 500 rounds of .22 for every 50 rounds of centerfire. Even though my .22's aren't in the same platform as my defense guns, they still help me improve and they are incredibly fun!

There's something I find very satisfying about popping 10 rounds into a dime sized hole out of my Buckmark or Mark I and having no muzzle flip.
 
chicharrones

Excellent .22 collection you've got there! Can you tell me who made the grips on the Super Single Six? They remind me a lot of a pair of grips (Mustang I think), that a friend of mine has on his Super Blackhawk. Did wonders for making the gun much more manageable to shoot full house loads through.
 
My 83 yo father has recently rediscovered. 22 handguns.
He never was much of a handgun enthusiast, he was more of a collector and shooter of classic shotguns. Due to his deteriorating shoulder and hand strength he just bought a new Ruger MKIV 22/45.
I found a nice leather holster for it that also has a pouch for the spare magazine.
I expect to spend father's day afternoon on the bluff above the river on our property unloading a couple of bricks of ammo, and grilling some brats. 20170604_164728.jpg
 
Tallball said:
I still shoot centerfire too, but I own more 22lr firearms than any other caliber and shoot way more 22 than anything else. It's fun and inexpensive. :)
Click to expand...
... AGAIN.
When .22LR was hard to find and the price rose to above "reloaded" 9mm, many of us lost interest.
 
bannockburn said:
Can you tell me who made the grips on the Super Single Six? They remind me a lot of a pair of grips (Mustang I think), that a friend of mine has on his Super Blackhawk. Did wonders for making the gun much more manageable to shoot full house loads through.
Click to expand...

Those are Herrett's Shooting Stars that I found on eBay a couple years ago. The larger size gives me more leverage with that long barreled revolver. Especially when I scope it. I'm probably going to put a 2x20 scope back on it at some point in the next few months.
 
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