What makes a 22 LR rifle or pistol fun?

[Bronco72]

Just maybe,
It is the closest we can get to being that youngster who pointed their finger and went " pew pew" and hit what we were pointing at. Very little noise and recoil, AND the pew, pews did not cost much !

 

[Spats McGee]

If we’re honest, I think most of us enjoy shooting as adults for the same reasons we enjoyed it as kids. It’s fun to have gun go bang. It’s fun to hear the report of gunfire. It’s fun to feel recoil. It’s fun to punch a hole in a piece of paper exactly where you want it at 50-100 yards, or hear the satisfying “ting” of a steel or aluminum target.

And the thing is, you really don’t need centerfire cartridges to enjoy any of these things.

Moreover, as adults, with adult concerns like running a household, managing a budget, etc., the cost effectiveness of .22 LR will never cease to be attractive. As much as I enjoy handloading my own ammunition, it takes time, money, and the wherewithal to do it — and at any given time, I may be missing one or more of those things. With .22 LR, you just go out and shoot. You don’t count the pennies, and you don’t care about your brass. You just go shoot. It’s just fun.

.22 LR is also accessible to shoot for children and adults alike, which means you can share the experience with kids, grandkids, friends, etc. Which adds more and more enjoyment to the shooting hobby.

That’s my 2 cents.

This covers a lot of my reasoning for loving the .22LR, as well. Every boy loves it when things go bang or splat. I was no different. And I've discovered as an adult that if you use fruits and vegetables for targets, you can get both bang and splat in one shot! (Plus they're biodegradable so I don't have as much cleanup to do on the farm afterwards.)

It was a favorite of mine as a teenager, and then got shoved to the back burner for years. But it's now back as a favorite, and I mean back with a vengeance. I rediscovered .22s in probably 2016 or 17, and I've bought about 4 since then, and I'm not at all sorry.

Goes bang, low recoil, low cost . . . . what's not to love?

 

[Barbaroja]

This covers a lot of my reasoning for loving the .22LR, as well. Every boy loves it when things go bang or splat. I was no different. And I've discovered as an adult that if you use fruits and vegetables for targets, you can get both bang and splat in one shot! (Plus they're biodegradable so I don't have as much cleanup to do on the farm afterwards.)

It was a favorite of mine as a teenager, and then got shoved to the back burner for years. But it's now back as a favorite, and I mean back with a vengeance. I rediscovered .22s in probably 2016 or 17, and I've bought about 4 since then, and I'm not at all sorry.

Goes bang, low recoil, low cost . . . . what's not to love?

Oh if you enjoy shooting produce, you would love a game I call “ spuds”
It involves shooting old potatoes as they soften up in storage over the winter. good stand in for a rabbit’s vitals at 25yds. Makes good small game type targets. The seem to explode best with a full choke 12ga

 

[Waterboy3313]

Speaking of shooting produce, it's almost that time to shoot those little leftover pumpkins from Halloween. This year my son said he is too old to even carve a pumpkin. I used to always get 1or 2 extra small ones to carve up with a 45acp or 5.56.

 

[wiscoaster]

I think for me, it's being able to pull the trigger, hear a bang, and see a new hole in the target about four times more often for the same hit to my wallet as the cheapest centerfire caliber.

 

[Tommygunn]

Fun .22s? (Initiate brainstrain here) ..... oh, heck, accuracy, reliability.... I have a couple lever-action carbines in .22 that are fun ....'cuz they're .22, inexpensive to shoot, plinking fun. Classic design. I have a Uberti Stallion, an 1873 S. A. A. Colt repro in .22. That's fun for the same reasons. Oh, yea, a Ruger Wrangler. Cheap .22 fun .... not as nice as the Uberti.
And a few .22 semiautos. Heck, they're ALL fun. What can I say? Now you know why it took a brainstorm ......

 

[I6turbo]

I would be interested in hearing what others think make the 22LR such a fun little cartridge. Obviously price is a big factor I'm sure. I reload everything else I shoot on a regular basis so cost really isn't what is driving me on this.

I've always shot .22 LR along with centerfire rifle and handgun (and shotgun), but .22 LR has been the one that I shot the most. It has just enough oomph to be a "real" gun, so it makes the grade there except for the times when you just have an itch for something bigger like .223, .30 Caliber, or more. That's a minority of my rounds, though.

To me, a key requirement in making .22 LR satisfying to shoot is having a quality gun that is accurate, and also enjoyable to operate. 22 LR rifle wise, I enjoy shooting semi-autos, but not as much as I do a good bolt action with a great trigger (most factory triggers will need some work). Find the right gun with a great trigger and action, and operating it is half the fun for me (this is true for centerfire as well). I'm a fan of the BRNO and CZ 452 platform and find these rifles very satisfying and accurate.

My favorite .22 LR handgun is the Browning Medalist. I love those guns and can't believe that it took me 40+ years of shooting other semi-autos and revolvers before I happened to discover the Belgium Brownings. I also enjoy shooting the Smith & Wesson K-22, but all things considered, I get more enjoyment out of the Medalists.

Also, regarding 22 rimfires, I actually like the .22 Magnum more than the .22 LR in rifles because the magnum round just seems to be what the LR should have been -- the little extra punch and power to put it a level up in those regards without getting into 5.56/centerfire territory. One downside is that magnum ammo doesn't quite match up to the better quality .22 LR target ammo accuracy-wise, but it'll still shoot MOA +/- in a good gun.

 

[Waterboy3313]

New
Fun .22s? (Initiate brainstrain here) ..... oh, heck, accuracy, reliability.... I have a couple lever-action carbines in .22 that are fun ....'cuz they're .22, inexpensive to shoot, plinking fun. Classic design. I have a Uberti Stallion, an 1873 S. A. A. Colt repro in .22. That's fun for the same reasons. Oh, yea, a Ruger Wrangler. Cheap .22 fun .... not as nice as the Uberti.
And a few .23 semiautos. Heck, they're ALL fun. What can I say? Now you know why it took a brainstorm ......

Like I said for me it's not a cost thing or the long hours I spend reloading center fire. I do spend a lot of time reloading it is something I enjoy doing. I also like the technical part of it trying new bullets and powders and chasing down the most accurate load for each caliber and gun that it's used in. I guess I don't have much of life outside of work so I use it as something to do when I don't have anything else going on.

Im thinking my next personal shooting goal is to push my longer distance shooting with my 22 rifles and pistol as well.

I will admit my 20 year old Remington 597 shoots decent when it's not being a pain. It has always been very finicky with ammo and probably on at least 2-3 magazine generations that have also been very sensitive. It probably say in the closet for most of its life until I decided to get my son into shooting. After putting a scope on it for my son when he was about 8 I did see him make some pretty tight groups and pull off some pretty impressive shots.

 

[doubleh]

To sum it up in a nutshell, 22 rimfires are fun. They are the perfect starter gun for young and old alike. Having little noise and recoil they allow you to see what YOU are doing wrong much easier than with larger calibers. I shot my first 22 when I was around 6 years old, found my very own under the Christmas tree when I was 12, and have never quit shooting them.

Yes, I really like to shoot centerfire guns too but there is something special about the 22.

 

[buck460XVR]

Growing up in a rural Mid-west town in the early 60s, odds were pretty good I had an air gun or a .22 rifle in my hand whenever there wasn't much to do. Local grocery store sold both BBs and .22 ammo and most of my income from the paper route and busing tables/washing dishes at the local restaurant at that time went towards them. The thousands of .22 shorts that got shot at the local dump in the effort to reduce the rat population are some of my best childhood memories. Seemed once I turned 14 and could hunt/range shoot on my own, it was shotgun and centerfire that drew my attention and .22s and pellet guns were delegated to the back of the closet. They got brought out twice when my two boys went thru their introduction to firearms, but just as before, went back to the gunsafe. Nowadays, I use them for my grand-kids and to introduce new shooters to the sport. While I still do enjoy them and feel they were an integral part of my life as a gun owner, I can never see them as my first choice again when I head out to the woods or the range. They still do not give me the pleasure at the range that my centerfires do.

 

[bannockburn]

For me shooting .22s is just flat out fun! My .22s are reliable, accurate, and easy on the recoil. Stocked up on Wolf Match Target and CCI MiniMags some time back so I'm pretty well set with ammo. Just need to find the time to get to the range.

 

[film495]

plinking, and it is a lot of trigger time shooting targets and action targets, best training round for volume practice IMHO

less concern about rounds finding their way off range, a .22LR round can go a long way, but not as likely as a .223 or 30-06 round etc.

 

[Waterboy3313]

I am going to have to experiment with this next time I can get to the range. I am curious if I never caught on due to frustration using my finicky Remington. Some days were were than others but I felt like all I did was chase jams due to the gun not liking ammo or crap magazines that I think Remington finally figured. When it actually worked it did shoot decent but more times than none I was fighting it.

I also have the cmmg conversion kit that I have used in several of my ARs. The conversion kit seems to run flawless. Of all the ARs I have the one I really enjoy shooting the most is an iron sights no frills model. That being said carry handle rear sight with the A2 front sight isn't exactly a surgical tool. I am now curious as to what my long heavy Barrel scoped upper would produce for accuracy.

I guess if it works good it works for me and if it's something I feel I would like to get more involved in I could always upgrade to a serious dedicated rim fire rifle with a good scope.

 

[Riomouse911]

Everything about the .22 LR screams fun times because it’s almost always accurate, it’s inexpensive and has low noise and recoil in anything that fires it. The biggest plus was mentioned by many posters; it brings back good memories of the simple care-free times we had carrying one through the woods many years ago.

No matter what else I plan on shooting, I bring at least one on every range trip and they always come home dirty.

Stay safe.

 

[mjsdwash]

those 22lr kits really change things. I got a lightning grip loader, and black dog mags. My AR weight was 5.5lb and shooting m193 for a few hundred rounds actually gets to you. Your shoulder doesn't really hurt, but you do feel it.... but its the noise that really get you.
With the 22, we could shoot 500 at a time, no worry about wear, ammo cost, reloading difficulty, just fun.
Many years ago, me and some friends made an effort to take a shooting trip a few times a year that was limited to shotguns and 22's. This was to ensure everyone could join with minimal investment, and most of the time no earplugs due to the low noise, so conversation was there too. the 10/22 people (like me) usually burned through a full 500 round box in a day. I only stopped because I moved.
After the 22 shortage, I gave up, bought a 9mm 1911, and 9mm AR. That ammo dries up, but comes back. 22LR was off the shelves for 4 years here. Online not much better. It was 5 years before you could walk into a store and expect to find some, and 6 years until you could expect to pay underinflated prices. Because of the shortage, I bought a used Savage Lakefield off a guy for cheap.... no ammo, and didn't want to keep it if he couldn't use it, and bolt action 22's are really fun as well.

Another thought, I have used a lot of semi-auto 22's but mostly 10/22's and Marlin 60's. One thing they all had in common was they jammed... frequently. I upgraded mine, and most friends 10/22's with Volquartzen extractors and the jamming stopped, but not everyone knows about that. Both rifles work for a thousand or so just fine new, then parts wear and they don't work anymore. If you don't know about the VQ extractor, or don't have the patience to bend the 60's trigger group and clean thoroughly ever few thousand, auto 22's aren't fun. I hear other models are far more problematic. But the CMMG kit went many, many thousands without issue. I can legitimately say the conversion is the most reliable 22 rifle I have ever seen. That really adds to their fun.

 

[Waterboy3313]

I can legitimately say the conversion is the most reliable 22 rifle I have ever seen. That really adds to their fun.

My first trip out with the conversion the first 10 rounds had issues. It jammed up and stove piped every single round in the first magazine. I was really thinking I screwed up. Reloaded another magazine full and it worked flawlessly and I can't think of any other time it had a problem.

 

[Meeks36]

For $50 one can shoot all day. That's why I love 22s. With todays pricing maybe $75.00.

 

[Waterboy3313]

For $50 one can shoot all day. That's why I love 22s. With todays pricing maybe $75.00.

I like to shoot don't get me wrong here. If I go by myself I am good for about an hour and a half maybe two hours. At the very most I use up around 100-150 rounds if I'm really shooting. If someone goes with me I'm good after 2 hours or maybe 2 and half. Sometimes I will find someone interesting to talk to but from home to range I'm usually no later than 2.5-3 hours tops.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

I have almost as many .22s as I have 9mm's---the last several purchases have been rimfires---I'm currently loving the heck out of flicking the lever on my BL22 with almost semi-auto speed plinking away. The rifle wasn't cheap but feeding it is. Huge fun that doesn't carry that far or cause a ruckus with all the noise.

The last time I took out my 22/45 the first shot was dead center in the bullseye and proceeded to tear out the rest of the bull with ease--- no recoil to pull me off the target like the bigger bores. Something very satisfying about that.

 

[jmorris]

I'm just curious why all of sudden this is something that I never really cared about in the past but now I see it as an interesting thing?

You are growing as a person.

 

[Waterboy3313]

You are growing as a person.

That is possible. I remember the days when I thought pulling both triggers at the same time on my grandfather's double barrel 12 guage was cool. Or unloading any thing I was shooting as fast I could yank on the trigger was the way it was supposed to run.
I'm 38 years old it's not exactly young anymore but it's still a long ways from being old. I remember before ca had the high capacity magazine ban as well. I borrowed my oldest brothers 10/22. It had to 25 round magazines that clipped together. I remember it was about $5 for 500 rounds and sometimes they had the 550 round bonus pack. I could blow through one of those easily on a weekend shooting at things off of my parents deck.

Now when I'm shooting my ARs it feels like a 10 round ca magazine is big enough. As people grow up things do change and that probably part of why I don't think I need the loudest bang or the heaviest recoil to have fun. That's probably why I can sit and focus on shooting a 50 round box of pistol ammo while just enjoying being outside alone and spend well over an hour doing it.

Most of my range time is spent where 250-300 yards is pushing the limits for distance. I think opening up to a rim fire will be a new fun challenge. My mind has been thinking about this all weekend. I can't wait for the red flag fire danger weather to be over so I can out and have some fun.

 

[kmw1954]

A few years ago I purchased a used Savage Mark II rimfire rifle to renew that kid shooting memories and to join some friends to the rifle range and not just shoot pistols which is what I normally did. I shot it a bit but never a lot.

Then this year I started working as a RO at that range and spend most of my time working the 200/300yd range, ignited a flame of interest in rifles it did. So a few months ago I purchased a used Savage Axis 223 as an entry level gun. After a few trips and talking to the regular long range shooters a few told me to start shooting that 22 LR more as it will build the same muscle memory skills as the 223 for a lot less money and that way I can work on trigger control, sight picture and breathing control.

They have also informed me that Long range 22LR shooting has become quite the rage. Some of these rifle are costing over $2k.

 

[grammontS]

Most of the time when I go shooting , I go with my girlfriends father. We always start out the shoot with a .22 shoot off. We shoot from 30yards out , 5 shots a piece at paper plate targets with bullseye painted on them , 7 rounds to the contest and most bullseye hits wins. It's a good way to start the range session and who doesn't enjoy a little competition?

 

[Ernie Bass]

I love the 22.cal for rapid fire training and point and shoot skills. My favorite is the 22. cal LCR. Just a certain satisfaction from shooting one with proficiency to multiple targets.

 

[SwampWolf]

My favorite .22 LR handgun is the Browning Medalist.

The Medalist is certainly one of my favorites. Lots of lead was poured down the bore of mine when I was competing in Bullseye matches-but I used plenty of other .22 handguns during those paper-punching days.