Jump to content
SASS Wire Forum

.22s. Discuss values and shortcomings!


Recommended Posts

This week on The Gunslinger Hour; we'll be discussing, among other things, the benefits and shortcomings of the .22 cartridge.  Practice?  Table fare? Personal defense?  What works and what doesn't?

 

The Gunslinger Hour, on KABC 790 AM radio, Los Angeles, from 7:00-8:00 a.m. PST.  Tune in, listen in, and call in!  1 (800) 222-5222.  Available on Podcast at https://gunslingerradio.com/

 

Don't want to call in? Comment below or message us by private message or email at gunslingerradio@yahoo.com with any and all questions you want answered.
As usual, Rick Travis from the California Rifle and Pistol Association will be joining us on the show to give us the current updates of all the 2nd amendment legislation and what we can do to keep our rights intact.
 
Remember, you can join us via am radio at KABC 790, on iHeart Radio, or you can join us for Facebook Live right here on The Gunslinger Hour Radio Show's facebook page.
 
Cheers,
FJT
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a pair of Single-Six Bisley in 22LR... they have the same feel and heft as my Bisley Vaqueros.
We also have a Henry Frontier in 22LR that is a slightly scaled down version of our Marlin 1894CB.

I have no guilt nor concern using these for practice, and saving my center fire cartridges.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Always, always, always have a .22.  Inexpensive to buy - especially if you don't mind buying a used one. My favorite is a Mossberg Mod. 46b that I picked up for $100 about 15 years ago.  Bolt action, tube magazine, peep sight. Will hold on a quarter at 50 yards with almost any ammo you feed it.  If I use CB caps in it (those are expensive!) about all you hear is the click of the firing pin.   

.22s are comparatively inexpensive to feed.  Only drawback to a .22 is that the ammo isn't reloadable (yes, I know, you CAN do it if you really have to, but it is a complex business).  But, you can store a lot of ammo in a small space for not a lot of money.

Fun to shoot.  Almost no recoil. Good to teach with, good to practice with.  I'd wager that 90% of the shooting community in the US got started with .22s.

 

People, when talking about when/if TSHTF, usually go to AR, AK, shotgun, etc. and talk about fending off hoards of people.  If you can get out of Dodge, and probably even if you can't, you will not likely have to face that, or even small bands of 3 or 4.  Gross generalization here - if you show courage and don't back down a display of firepower of any sort usually makes the thugs look for easier marks.  Yes, nice to have something heavier, and I would have that, but also have some .22s for daily use.
A good .22 rifle and pistol or revolver should be high on the list.  You won't survive on deer and elk and other large game.  Rabbits, squirrels, and the like will be the usual pot fillers.  A .22 is perfect for that.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The .22 Long Rifle.  The first cartridge I shot. The one that I competed with for 3 years in high school ROTC and the first year of college.  The cartridge I used to introduce my wife and kids to shooting.  The cartridge I use to warm up with before every practice session.  The cartridge my grandpa’s revolver is chambered for.
 

If you don’t love the .22, you are depriving yourself of much joy.

 

 I’m hard pressed to choose between a Ruger Single Six and a Smith and Wesson Model 17.  So I shoot both!  :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I was a wee kid, my Dad gave me his Remington #6 falling block, 22LR/22Short.
I crawled through a lot of sage bush in SW Idaho after a whole lot of prairie dogs.

I could only take the 22 when I was alone.
"One boy is one boy... two boys is half a boy... three boys is no boy at all."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, bgavin said:

"One boy is one boy... two boys is half a boy... three boys is no boy at all."

 

One of my uncles phrased it, "One boy can do the work of one man, two boys can do the work of half a man, three boys can do no work."

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I could use more .22's!

 

I gave my son my Winchester Model 62 and my High Standard Sport King pistol.  That leaves me my J.C. Higgins Mdl 31 (first rifle I bought myself!), my MAS 45* (Love it!), Marlin 39A, and Ruger Mk II, Bearcat, and Wrangler (gift from son).  Need more!

 

I pine for the Winchester 52 I shot in high school ROTC.  Because of moving, I only got to be on the rifle team my senior year - but I was the top scorer on the team, and at the end of the year received a medal for being second overall high scorer in the Greater Bay Area (just about every school had a rifle team back then).  I'd LOVE to find a '52 before I check out...  :blush:

 

*Remarkably accurate, with CCI CB Longs the MAS 45 is almost silent - quieter than a pellet gun.  I used to sit in the patio and pick off ground squirrels in the garden.  Slight "Ptt!" and a squirrel would fall over without alarming his buddies.  "Hey, Lookit Ralph!  He's taking a nap!  Uh... Wait... Heck!  Ralph's DAID!!  LUNCH ON RALPH!!"  ^_^  

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a 12 shot Uberti 22 pistol and 4 lever 22s 

2 Mp15 22s .. buckmark pistol and rifle 

6 10-22s 

as for self defence   10 22 hollow point will wreck any punks day 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I feel the.22 Long Rifle cartridge is one of the most wonderful cartridges of all. How many shooters started out shooting rifles, revolvers and pistols chambered in the venerable .22 cartridge? How many fantastic memories have been created around events in many peoples lives where the .22 played a part?

How many Dads and Moms watched their children learn about the outdoors, hunting, target shooting, enjoying the shooting sports with “the .22”?
 

I loved shooting the .22 LR as a kid. It was affordable and fun. I love shooting it now for the same reasons. 
 

I can’t tell you how many times an impromptu shooting match would get going with “.22’s” (rifle, pistol, both) and all someone had to say is “Hey, I’ll bet you can’t hit that (fill in the blank)”

 

Some of my favorite times were little friendly fun competitions when out shooting with family and friends. 
 

Hunting:

I have only hunted squirrels with .22’s. I was pretty good with my Dad’s S&W K22 8 3/8” barrel, but gave up using a .22 the day I thought I wounded a squirrel and it went into a big knothole in a huge tree. I climbed up to see if I could kill it. I couldn’t fathom leaving a wounded animal suffer. Climbing up there with a coat on and a holstered revolver in big boots was quite a challenge and took me a while but the squirrel helped me get down in very short order. 
As I reached the limb just below the knothole and was just about to stick the barrel of the gun into the hole Mr. Squirrel came out screaming. He came straight for my face. I reared back and he lunged landing with splayed legs and little claws on my chest and me and Mr Squirrel fell about 15’ with me landing flat on my back on the mushy leaf covered soil. It knocked the wind out of me but that didn’t keep me from jumping up to get that 3 pounds of angry varmint off my chest. Mr Squirrel took off. He went one way. I went the other. :lol: Quite exciting for a squirrel hunt. I switched to a .410 after that for squirrels. :D

 

Self Defense:

I have never had to utilize or fire a gun in self defense, thank God, but if I ever did I would hope I had something more substantial handy than a .22. But, my motto has always been “be able to use every gun you own as if it’s the only gun you own”. If I had to use either of my .22 handguns as a defensive weapon I know that I could put the shots where they count I would just use more of them to be sure. 

I have arthritis in my hands and wrists. I can see a day where a .22 might just be my only easy option. If that day ever comes it would be a revolver I carry. I have never found a .22 semiauto that I would fully trust as a defensive handgun. 
 

Ending on a lighter note:

Whenever I want to enjoy a casual shooting session I reach for my .22s. Currently, I only have 2 revolvers, S&W models 63 and 17, and 2 long guns, Ruger 10/22 and a Savage model 30 “Stevens Favorite” chambered in .22 LR. That Stevens is the most accurate.22 I have ever fired with iron sights. Great little plinker. I plan to purchase a .22 pistol (not sure which one) and a Marlin 60 soon. I feel .22 poor at the moment.

I want the Marlin 60 because that was one of the first models of .22 rifle I ever fired. Lots of wonderful memories with one of those in my hands. I would like to have another so I can perhaps relive some of those memories and perhaps help my grandson gain some fond memories that he look back on someday. 
 


 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've owned and shot so many .22 rifles and pistols in my life time, that I'm surprised some one doesn't manufacture a 

'Widder .22' brand..... :lol:

 

Howdy FJT.

Just the history of the .22 should take up your whole show.   And in modern times, the .22 pistols/revolvers/rifles have never

given the shooter more options to acquire their 'dream' .22, although some of our dreams still center around owning one of the

classics from Marlin, Winchester, Remington, Mossberg, etc.....

 

Take care of yeself.

 

..........Widder

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've always has .22's, currently I have a Heritage Arms .22/22mag SA, a Ruger MarkIV and Marlin Model 60 and a little NAA .22mag. As the current  ammo/primer shortage is at hand I'm sure glad I stocked up on .22's and .22 mags. At least I can shoot some and save my primers for cowboy shooting!

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

 

I used to sit in the patio and pick off ground squirrels in the garden. 

 


Envy.

Here in Sacramento County, if I did this, they would have the SWAT team in my back yard, have me in cuffs, ransacking my house, and the Sacramento Bee proclaiming how we are all "safe" again, after the cops dismantled my "huge cache of weapons and ammunition."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, bgavin said:


Envy.

Here in Sacramento County, if I did this, they would have the SWAT team in my back yard, have me in cuffs, ransacking my house, and the Sacramento Bee proclaiming how we are all "safe" again, after the cops dismantled my "huge cache of weapons and ammunition."

 

 

Bolt action and CB caps, or, if you can find them BB caps.  No one will hear a thing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is a large variation in quality with .22 ammo.  The very cheapest promo ammo has about a 5% FTF rate in my firearms.  In semi-autos the powder burns so dirty they quit cycling after a few hundred rounds.  I get large groups when shooting a rifle.  Quality, target grade .22s always fire, burn clean and make tight groups.  For hunting or competition bring quality .22s.  Save the promo .22s for children who want to plink for hours.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

56 minutes ago, bgavin said:


Envy.

Here in Sacramento County, if I did this, they would have the SWAT team in my back yard, have me in cuffs, ransacking my house, and the Sacramento Bee proclaiming how we are all "safe" again, after the cops dismantled my "huge cache of weapons and ammunition."

 

42 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

 

Bolt action and CB caps, or, if you can find them BB caps.  No one will hear a thing.


Aguila Colibri ammo. From a rifle the noise of the firing pin is louder than the round going off. From a revolver it sounds like a pellet gun firing. Will not cycle a semi auto.  It will kill rats and squirrels. 
 

https://www.aguilaammo.com/ammunition/1b222339/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pros-

Probably the single best cartridge for beginning shooters for the following reasons:

Affordable ammunition

Affordable firearms

Low noise

Low recoil 

Not intimidating to shoot- because of this the shooter can focus more on their shooting form than how loud the report is or how much the gun will kick.

Light weight and not bulky ( the ammo- a box of 50 is actually so small it’s very conceivable to misplace or even to lose! )

Good for practice

Good for small game

Can be had in all variations of handguns and rifles

 

Cons-

Marginal for self defense

Less than adequate for medium to large game

Budget ammo can be dirty and/or inconsistent.

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey bgavin,

move to TN, close to me.    I just got back from the field out behind my house where I spent the early noon hours

blasting away with a couple 9mm pistols and a couple 460 Rowland 1911's.   And yes, I have neighbors but nobody

complains.    And if shooting practice starts to bore you, we can spice it up by trying to get a coyote, groundhog or 

crow.

 

Life is good in East Tennessee!

 

..........Widder

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fun to shoot, Good teaching aid, less expensive ammunition, usually less expensive firearms, what not to like. 

 

I have been watching the Marlin transfer to Ruger. Looks like that little 39A is a custom item, with big buck for an MSRP. 

Could spell the death knell for that little beauty. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dunno about moving there, but I would be humbled to spend some serious time with you learning Marlins and Henry 22s... and how to shoot Gunfighter style.
Those are a couple more items in my wish bucket, before I get too old.

Life is gonna change for us (for the better) when our daughter, her hubby and toddler move into their first house on 12/28.
It's been 5 long years living with us.  Too long.
After 40 years of marriage, we will finally have each other without kids in the way.
So far, we've only had 16 months together as a couple...

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I started around 7 years old with a Savage Model 6 .22LR.

Like others, I have owned and shot many other cartridges, but the simple .22 in LR  or WMR could suffice for most duties, except when competition rules require larger rounds.

I imagine that when I am much older and less tolerant of recoil, I will own only .22s.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seriously?

 

.....there are people in the world who have not shot 22s or hunted with them since they were kids?

 

.... what caliber did you start out with to learn basics of marksmanship, hunting and safe gun handling?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Keeping in mind .22lr correlates with more deaths in the United States than all other calibers combined, I would not discount it for self defense. Yes it is the most popular round, the point is that it is in no way not a deadly round.

 

This statistic kind of kills the entire 9mm vs .45ACP debate. .22lr already has the dubious distinction of winning all caliber debates.

 

I have been thinking about getting a mentor to take me through the process of hunting, cleaning, and cooking Chicken of the Tree. I know I'm supposed to aim for the head so I don't shoot the best part (which is a bit of a psychological problem since this indicates the butt is the best part...) :unsure:... Anyway, Chicken of the Tree taken with .22lr seems like an excellent introduction to hunting without wasting the protein.

 

Whether aimed at a squirrel or for self-defense, shot placement beats caliber.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, John Kloehr said:

Keeping in mind .22lr correlates with more deaths in the United States than all other calibers combined, I would not discount it for self defense. Yes it is the most popular round, the point is that it is in no way not a deadly round.

 

This statistic kind of kills the entire 9mm vs .45ACP debate. .22lr already has the dubious distinction of winning all caliber debates.

 

I have been thinking about getting a mentor to take me through the process of hunting, cleaning, and cooking Chicken of the Tree. I know I'm supposed to aim for the head so I don't shoot the best part (which is a bit of a psychological problem since this indicates the butt is the best part...) :unsure:... Anyway, Chicken of the Tree taken with .22lr seems like an excellent introduction to hunting without wasting the protein.

 

Whether aimed at a squirrel or for self-defense, shot placement beats caliber.

Please, post a link that supports your statement. 

OLG 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, bgavin said:

Dunno about moving there, but I would be humbled to spend some serious time with you learning Marlins and Henry 22s... and how to shoot Gunfighter style.
Those are a couple more items in my wish bucket, before I get too old.
 

 

And before I get to old also..... ;)

I turn 70 in the spring.   Always glad to help someone learn the Marlin 1894 and Henry .22

 

..........Widder

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

 

And before I get to old also..... ;)

I turn 70 in the spring.   Always glad to help someone learn the Marlin 1894 and Henry .22

 

..........Widder

 

I'll be 70 in March.

Then my age and my IQ will be the same :lol:

OLG 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

 

And before I get to old also..... ;)

I turn 70 in the spring.   Always glad to help someone learn the Marlin 1894 and Henry .22

 

..........Widder

 


70.  
 

Wet behind the ears kid.

 

:ph34r:

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, John Kloehr said:

Keeping in mind .22lr correlates with more deaths in the United States than all other calibers combined, I would not discount it for self defense. Yes it is the most popular round, the point is that it is in no way not a deadly round.

 

This statistic kind of kills the entire 9mm vs .45ACP debate. .22lr already has the dubious distinction of winning all caliber debates.

 

Not in California.   http://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/publications/Firearms_Report_09.pdf

 

Not anywhere close.

 

Now, while looking for that i did find some information that in Australia  and New Zealand ,  in multiple victim murders, the .22 LR is the most common caliber used.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, The Original Lumpy Gritz said:

Please, post a link that supports your statement. 

OLG 

Can't find the paper online for free, but the reference comes from:

 

Patrick UW. Handgun wounding factors and effectiveness. Quantico: FBI Training Publication; 1989.

 

Stating again, .22lr is the most popular round which does impact the outcome. This study looked not just at criminal use of firearms. It included all incidents from crime, suicide, and accidents.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

Not in California.   http://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/publications/Firearms_Report_09.pdf

 

Not anywhere close.

 

Now, while looking for that i did find some information that in Australia  and New Zealand ,  in multiple victim murders, the .22 LR is the most common caliber used.

Plus that CA study is over 11yrs old.

Just 'cause a certain caliber is used more.

Doesn't mean it does a better job in stopping power.

OLG 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The joy of the .22 LR is its accuracy.  I played with my Ruger 10/22 this afternoon at an indoor range, targets at the maximum of 51 feet, and shot 3 groups over a rest with different ammunition.  (Rifle has had nothing done to it, all factory original.).  The cheap Winchester stuff was OK, but it really liked the German SK.  I guess not everyone enjoys shooting small groups, but dang that was a great way to spend an afternoon! :lol:

 

IMG-1425.thumb.jpg.275d1a9c8854cbf9b995b4f7d9f65049.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.