22 short vs air rifle

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Richard93

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In your opinion, does the 22 short still make sense to exist? If we consider rifles, I don't think so because there are more powerful air rifles. If we consider competition pistols, it makes no sense to exist because they are all 22lr now.
Maybe it can make sense in very small defense pistols but very small = not very precise so maybe it doesn't make sense here either.
What do you think?
 
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alwslate said:
The .22 Short is one of my favorite ctgs. I have five old Winchesters chambered for .22 Short only and four small handguns in .22 Short. The .22 Short isn't going anywhere soon. An air rifle is not a replacement for any gun that fires real ammunition.
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What animals can you hunt? At what distance do you usually use it? It is certainly silent and a handful of shots takes up less space than a compressed air tank. However, I have seen new air rifles with gas pistons instead of springs that are very powerful ... We are talking about 1500 fps (460 m/s). I have never tried them but they say they are very effective
 
Richard93 said:
What animals can you hunt? At what distance do you usually use it? It is certainly silent and a handful of shots takes up less space than a compressed air tank. However, I have seen new air rifles with gas pistons instead of springs that are very powerful ... We are talking about 1500 fps (460 m/s). I have never tried them but they say they are very effective
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You are throwing a 29 grain slug in the short as opposed to a .22 pellet half that weight.
I don't know how fast you would have to push an air gun pellet to equal a short, but it would be in excess of 1500fps.
 
Not for me, I have several PCP’s in 22 cal that are absolutely tack drivers. with an Air gun suppressor they are super quiet with no smoke or powder residue. If I have to dispatch varmints, the air gun is coming out. and I can dial down the press from 980fps down to 550fps.
The modern pre charge pneumatic air guns are amazing. You can make a ragged little .22 cal hole at 30 yds with a 14.3 grain pellet that you can by 500 of for $7.
 
I don't really see any use for it, but various manufacturers are still producing the .22 short so there must a demand for it.
 
Richard93 said:
What animals can you hunt? At what distance do you usually use it? It is certainly silent and a handful of shots takes up less space than a compressed air tank. However, I have seen new air rifles with gas pistons instead of springs that are very powerful ... We are talking about 1500 fps (460 m/s). I have never tried them but they say they are very effective
Click to expand...

The .22 Short is surprising effective, will shoot completely through the largest coon you will ever see. Old Winchester rifles at shooting galleries have fired hundreds of thousands of rounds and are still going. A .22 Short mini gun disappears in your pocket and will save your life. Let's see your air rifle do that. If you gave me an air rifle I would sell it and buy a real gun. Don't have one, don't want one.
 
Not going to pretend to be rational here, but personally, I don't own or care to own any air rifles because....they're not firearms. I've sold them, shot plenty of them, seen how powerful and accurate they can be, and I don't care. They're not firearms, and I can't get excited about them. That's just me.
 
Firing a standard velocity .22 Short in a rifle makes little more noise than a pellet rifle. I also have a Hi-Standard Olympic rapid fire pistol that uses only the SV .22 Short. In my growing up years, all I used was .22 Short in a rifle, killed lots of birds, rats, rabbits, and squirrels that way. At that time, .22 Shorts were about 25 cents per box while .22 LR was about 40 cents. That made a lot of difference if you had little money to spend on ammunition. I still have a sizeable inventory of .22 Short ammunition.
 
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4U1oMaw.jpg

This is my Concept XR from a Brit Air gun maker named Brocock ( I know ...right)

Its a .22 cal PSP with a 10 rd magazine. the rifle has a lever to cock and load each rd. With that suppressor (air rifle suppressors are legal and not an NFA item) This thing is deathly quiet.

So quiet that if I shoot and miss a squirrel, I don't spook them like I would with a .22LR.
The technology is insane, so don't compare them to an old Daisy or Crossman, that likes comparing a Model T to a Dodge Viper.

And the best part...in the winter, I have a 10-meter range set up in my basement, and I can shoot all winter. Try that with a powder burner. You spend all winter shooting unsupported standing and you will become a better shooter, for pennies on the dollar.

I purchased a compressor that fills a SCBA tank up to 4500psi and then use that tank to fill the air gun. But you can get the tank filled at a local dive shop for $10. and can refill the gun 20-30 times. and each fill on the gun can get you 60 consistent shots.

There are big bore air guns that people sue to hunt wild pigs, deer, coyotes, etc. The sport is growing everyday.
 
I prefer airguns to 22 shorts. Pellets are far cheaper and not all 22LR rifles will shoot shorts as accurately. I've read optimum twist rate for the short is 1:24. I had a Winchester Winder that was originally 22 short but the chamber had been altered to handle LR as well. It shot fine with shorts, but terribly with LR.
 
I formerly used a Hi Standard 22 short Olympic conversion on a Flite King frame and it shot beautifully. I taught my son to shoot with it in my basement with an Outers Bullet Trap which I still have. After I stumbled on a S&W 41-1 22 short conversion, I mounted it on my S&W 46 and started using that in my basement. I enjoyed both but finally allowed a friend to talk me out of the Hi-Standard w/ all the barrels and magazines I had for it. Back then which is a lot of years ago, I stocked up on 22 Short, CB Caps, and 22 Long Rifle. I have enough to shoot the rest of my life and probably most of my grand children will have enough to learn on. I can shoot in my basement all winter also and have for years. Since I already own the gun and ammo, I see no reason at all to change.
 
Doesn’t the free market bear this out?
Obviously, there’s a demand for .22 Short or it wouldn’t be on the market, steadily flowing through the supply chain from manufacturer, to retailer, to customers.

Suppose .22 Short was discontinued. That would be one more orphaned rimfire, like the 5mm Remington Rimfire Magnum, the .22 Winchester Rimfire (22 WRF), 25 Stevens, etc. Would that make anybody here happy?
Most customers that buy and own a firearm tend to get a little miffed when ammo manufacturers pull the rug out from under them.
How many of you are familiar with the 4mm Zimmerstutzen cartridges? (See attached image)
These were once hugely popular for gallery target shooting. Some of rhe most beautiful target rifles were once made for 4mm Zimmerstutzen.(See rifle in attached image) Companies like Walther and Lienhardt used to make conversion units for many popular cartridge firearms, including S&W revolvers, that shot 4mm M20 cartridges. RWS makes an occasional production run, but it’s frightfully expensive.

I wish ALL those cartridges were still available!

We should all be happy that, in at least the case of 22 Short, manufacturers are listening to their customers!

I wish the entire firearms industry was more responsive to customer demand, rather than trying to force useless new stuff on us that nobody wants (cough, 21 Sharp, cough).
Now, maybe they can get more primers and powder on the shelves!
 

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In some instances, depending on the air rifle you have, the 22 short is quieter than the air gun. Also, while it is not as accurate as a long rifle cartridge, it is often more accurate than a pellet rifle at more than 20-30 feet. Much better for dangerous game like squirrels and other pests - lol.
 
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