I wonder...

[xxjumbojimboxx]

THIS IS NOT A THREAD ABOUT THE AMMO SHORTAGE, Please don't treat it as such.

For some reason or other, I feel as though the amount of rimfire shooters has been greatly exaggerated in the wake of sandy hook. I personally didn't even have a .22 (had a few.. they usually ended up as trade fodder) at the time. Now I have three, and they're not going anywhere... I guess what I' wondering is if the situation has made people more into the .22 because its tough to get. I used to get bored shooting .22... now i love every second of it. Perhaps its a "don't know what you got til its gone" scenario. I wonder if there's others like me who didn't care less before all this happened.

 

[MistWolf]

I have always had 22s

 

[bannockburn]

Well I have always enjoyed shooting .22LR guns; my first rifle was a Ruger 10/22 and my first handgun was Hawes Deputy Marshal in .22LR/.22 Magnum. And since I enjoy shooting them so much (always take a couple of rimfire guns everytime I go to the range), that I have always tried to keep plenty of ammo on hand.

Anytime I went to Walmart or the local gun store I picked up some .22s; more of it if it happened to be on sale. So far this practice has seen me through this current situation and I think will continue to serve me well for a long time to come.

 

[horsemen61]

Well jumbo I tend to agree with you I no longer own any rim fire stuff I have traded it for center fire stuff I can shoot and reload

 

[ken grant]

Luv .22's.
77-22
10-22 (2)
GSG 1911-22
22-45
Ciener Conversion for 1911
AA Conversion for 1911
AA Conversions for Glocks (4)
Ciener AR15 Kit
M261 Military Kit for AR

 

[Ranger Roberts]

In my house .22's definitely have their place. I shoot very often because I have a range in my backyard. Don't get me wrong, I love all of my centerfire calibers because I reload for almost all of them, but sometimes I'm just in the mood to plink with one of my .22's. I've had .22's as far back as I can remember and I can guarantee I will always have at least a handful of them laying around.

 

[Wildbillz]

I have always had a 22lr around. But I never seen to shoot them that much. When I was younger and couldn't afford to shoot my center fire stuff as much the 22lr got a lot more use.

WB

 

[Queen_of_Thunder]

Its not. My rimfire shooting was one match a month where our centerfire pistols used for conceal carry was pared with a 22. The course was shot with both firearms. After that we would bring out the dueling tree. That put my 22lr needs @ 600rounds a year. With the onset of an ammo shortage and higher prices what shooting I was doing was with my 22's. I went so far as to add a 10/22 to the collection. I now shoot more 22 then I've ever had in the past. Thankfully I've reached a point where I can shoot a match and a practice once a month with my 9mm CZ75 TS and as things get better my 22lr will drop but nowhere near pre panic usage. I expect to shoot about 5,000-7,500 rounds a year of 22lr. A good 10 fold increase over last year.

 

[Racinfan83]

I have always loved .22's. First gun I ever shot other then a pellet gun was a Glenfield bolt action .22 that I still have. First gun I bought was a Remington Nylon 66, still have it too. It probably has 20k rounds through it. Got a couple others, and recently picked up a Beretta Neos and a Ruger 10-22.
As far as ammo goes - I can't find it here anymore either. And yes u can get it online but prices are ridiculous. Maybe that's part of it - the stuff was so cheap and plentiful we never dreamed it would be hard to find. And never thought about how much it cost to shoot .22 because it was negligable. Kinda like gas used to be. Used to you just jumped in ur ride and went wherever. How much was gas gonna cost was not even a thought. I used to rapid fire a box of .22 just for the heck of it. Now, at more then .10 a round it makes u think about it.....

 

[pockets]

I've always had .22s around also......for the past 50 years of firearms ownership. I enjoy .22s, in addition to the other types I own.
Although I have not bought another .22 in over a year, I still have a few. I currently have: 24 handguns and 11 rifles chambered for .22LR.



.

 

[22-rimfire]

I have always found it unusual for a gun owner not to own at least one 22 rifle. Handguns are a bit different. But as I shot more 22's, handguns were a perfect platform where limited space, portability, and visibility are issues. I for one can not afford to rattle off 100 rounds (or more) of 9mm, 40S&W, or 45ACP just for the fun of it on a regular basis. But I can afford doing that with 22 ammo purchased at normal pricing levels.

 

[mahansm]

My first rifle was a Wards-Western (made by Mossburg) that I got at Christmas in about 1962, passed down from my mother. It's still in the safe and I still shoot it. There are a couple other .22 rifles in there as well as a Ruger MK II and a couple MK III's. I take rimfires to the range on every trip just because they're fun.

When I teach a NRA course, the first shots are always taken with a .22.

Yes, there's about 20K rounds of .22 on my shelf, bought during times of plenty.

 

[xxjumbojimboxx]

So im the only one then!

 

[snakeman]

^pretty much!

 

[kimbernut]

.22 lr

.22 LR should be a permanent fixture in every household in America.(Yes there may be exceptions due to special needs) The .22 LR is still an excellent training tool in both handgun and rifle for both new shooters and experienced shooters. There have been some great videos put out since the crunch began on the effectiveness of that little round and even though it is now 2-4 times as expensive as it was it is still the least expensive practice ammo you can buy when you can find it. It is beginning to show up as available more often in the last couple months but it doesn't hang around long.

 

[xxjumbojimboxx]

I just like recoil i think, Maybe when i get older I'll give up on it... But right now my favorite gun to shoot is my type 53.... Which kicks everyone's ass! It really does hurt after a while. its 5x the kick of a 91/30... Rimfire has just never done that for me. In the wake of the shortage though, Ive bought a pellet gun, (for back yard fun) and a few .22's...

I've gotten more joy from my .177 cal pellet gun than anything else in the last few months.

 

[jcwit]

I've had .22's since I was 8 yrs old, that was way back in 1951. Still do, and I shoot most of them.

 

[Newcatwalt]

I like .22LR because of the light recoil. low cost (until recently) and not feeling obliged to pick up the brass. It's also a great caliber to teach a newbie how to shoot.

 

[xxjumbojimboxx]

I'm all about teaching. Its one of my favorite reasons to own firearms. Theres so many fence sitters on the issue that whenever someone find out i shoot and they even have a question about it I invite them to the range with me.... That probably my most popular use for any of the 22's ive had. But usually those folks will grab hold of a handgun or an AK and the love of the 22 fades quickly.

 

[Lonestar49]

A must have IMHO

...

I've had my Ruger 22lr semi-auto rifle for most of my life w/banana clip way before the 10 round law and it's real accurate, dependable, no problems over all these years and one can carry a brick of ammo if need be to go from A to B and back if in the big event ever hits without packing a ton of weight - ommv


Ls

 

[javjacob]

I have shot 22 since I was 10 years old. my 2 favorite calibers have always been 22MAG and 22LR

 

[Louca]

I used to get bored shooting .22... now i love every second of it.

Let me introduce you to pellet shooting, especially pre-charged pneumatic (PCP). You will love it. Quiet, accurate, clean, relatively inexpensive and highly available ammo.

 

[ldlfh7]

.22 was my first rifle and I love shooting it now as much as I did the day my Dad got it for me years and years ago.

 

[On An Island]

.22LR was what, at 12 years old, I learned to shoot on - forty years ago. I've had them around the house my whole life and won't stop shooting them now (as long as I have/can get ammo).

 

[MedWheeler]

I'm a .22LR lover as well; nearly half my "arsenal" is chambered in that caliber. I started shooting in late '85 or early '86, with a .22LR Winchester rifle (M190.) When I gave it to the son of my stepfather, who had sold it to me and then died in 1986, I replaced it immediately with a Ruger 10/22, which I still own. In 1987, I turned 21, and started with handguns. Not doing so well teaching myself to shoot with a .357 Magnum, I was right back in the store within weeks picking up a Ruger Mk-II. I also still own that.

I feel, actually, that all my firearms needs could be met with guns in that caliber (I'm not a hunter.)

I think many rimfire guns are going into the hands of new shooters, particularly those who don't think they're going to make a pastime or hobby of firearms-related activities.