Being laughed at shooting a .22 at the range?????

My wife and I always take a 686 and a 617. Same feel and weight but the .22 is much cheaper to shoot. We also take a Sig P226. I bought that one as a .22 and then bought the 9MM conversion for it. We start with whatever way it was configured when I cleaned it, then change the top and mag and start shooting again. The only difference is the larger number of rounds we shoot when it's a .22. Let 'em laugh, we have a real good time and it's all about enjoying it.
 
I've shot at indoor ranges a total of 5 times in my life.

On one of those occasions, I was shooting my Ruger MKII. In the stall next to mine, a couple of the upper middle-class types who considered themselves to be, "experts" because they both shot 9mm Sigs (you know the type) looked at me and my pistol and actually SNEERED to each other. I mean like the same way those old pit viper-type ladies in church sneer and whisper to each other, "Girl, can you believe she's wearin' THAT hat with those shoes?"

I happened to notice that they were seriously revelling in their "HE-MAN" self-images as they remarked to each other how, "not just anybody could withstand the muzzle blast from the 9mm in an indoor range."

Ahhh, jeez...

So while these 2 guys were diligently occupied celebrating the imaginary 3 inches of extra growth to their male members courtesy of their ignorance and the cost of their pistols, I discreetly slipped my 629 Classic DX out of its rug and chambered a single round of a 240 gr. XTP over 23 gr. of H110. After touching it off, I put the Smith back in its rug and resumed with my MKII while these stud-boys dealt with the results of having spelled, "HELP" in their Dockers (figuratively, of course.)

If you need a gun to feel like a man...

:D:D:D
I had an experience like that, but they were in their early 20's and shooting Glocks. I sat down my High Standard .22, picked up the Ruger Super Blackhawk .44, and after a full round they had a much different expression:rolleyes:.

It's because of that .22 that I can make an identical target at 25 yards, just with a much bigger hole :D.
 
:D:D:D
I had an experience like that, but they were in their early 20's and shooting Glocks. I sat down my High Standard .22, picked up the Ruger Super Blackhawk .44, and after a full round they had a much different expression:rolleyes:.

It's because of that .22 that I can make an identical target at 25 yards, just with a much bigger hole :D.

wow i guess this has happened to everyone then. i was at the range a month or so ago and had my winchester mod 190 out. i was just having some fun with it when a... well good word is boob showed up with his beretta px4 carbine. he fired a few rounds quickly at his target and with that im so bad look on he turned to me. i was loading my 22 rifle when i heard him laughing. i finshed loading it and put it to the side. after a cold range and some new targets i put up a full size silhouette. at 25yds i gave that blank target a nice happy face. about the time he noticed i picked up my 5906 and put all 16rds into the head. after which i turned to him and said have a nice day. its never almost never the gun but how much the shooter holding it practices.
 
Spoke with a man in uniform today trying to buy ammo for his .45. Said he shot his nine mil because it was so hard to find ammo anymore. I asked him if he ever just practiced with a .22? He said they would laugh him off the range. Said he shot all the time.

I honestly cannot recall being laughed at when shooting a Model 17 of any type or variance at the range.....for obvious reasons. Anyone have that trouble? Maybe I am missing something or just have not been shooting enough lately.

i had that happen once then the laughter stopped after the saw my target that was set a three times the distance of theirs with a 50 round shot group the size of a dime size doesnt matter if youre accurate......lol:D:D:D:D
 
Spoke with a man in uniform today trying to buy ammo for his .45. Said he shot his nine mil because it was so hard to find ammo anymore. I asked him if he ever just practiced with a .22? He said they would laugh him off the range. Said he shot all the time.

I honestly cannot recall being laughed at when shooting a Model 17 of any type or variance at the range.....for obvious reasons. Anyone have that trouble? Maybe I am missing something or just have not been shooting enough lately.
Our club is heavily populated by shooters in the county .22 bullseye league. Were you to hassle people for shooting .22s, you wouldn't be very welcome there.
 
I do enjoy the stories about the .44 Mags et al shutting up bigmouths, but I have occasionally had the opposite problem. While I'm not such a good shot anymore, I do mostly manage to stay in the black, using two hands. At my local indoor range, we seem to have had a rash of beginners lately, safe, and not rowdy, but usually shooting humongous humanoid targets at the closer distances with their wondernines or other autoloaders. They are lucky to cover their results with a serving platter, much less a dinner plate. Meanwhile, I am quietly plinking away with a .22 at a target at the end of the range. I felt embarrassed for them when I reeled my target in, and I think they did, too, but at least they could tell themselves I was shooting a target pistol (my H&R USRA pistol). They'd have really **** if they had seen me do the same thing with my (accurized) Government Model.
 
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Years back, my old boss and I would occasionally take an afternoon to do some serious .22 shooting at the local strip-pit dump (I miss the old illegal pit dumps-all have been reclaimed and closed). We were both very good shots and had a blast challenging each other to hit tiny bits of junk. I always had my .357 Magnum with me loaded with a HOT load of W296 under a 125 GR JSP, but I rarely shot it.

Every once in a while guys would show up and start blasting away with their wondernines. They couldn't hit the side of a barn. They would, however make snide remarks about to big grown men with their little kid .22's. We could shut most of them up by shooting a tight group around one of the 9MM holes in an old fridge. When that didn't work, I would quietly switch from my 617 to my Ruger GP100. Waiting until the scoffers were aiming their crunchentinkers (Jeff Cooper-woot!) to fire six quick, accurate shots with the ear splitting W296 loads from my Magnum. One guy dropped his Nine he was so startled:D

I recent years, I've not had anyone question my manhood for shooting .22's. People realize the value and fun to be had form the little rimfire.:cool:
 
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I've seen the other range denizens shoot... their comments don't bother me... usually. I had to combine my hobbies on my last trip... I decided to bring my 617 and crossdress. One big meanie noticed my range bag didn't match my shoes - and told me I didn't know how to accessorize. I just hiked up my skirt and left!

Seriously, who cares what you plink with? I always offer a detractor - or just a new range mate - the opportunity to shoot my 4" 617. Their minimal response after shooting it is "Wow!". I've had several questions as to what I'd sell it for. Share the knowledge as to why you enjoy shooting it - including the ammo availability and cost.

At Tuesday's range trip, I had actually gone 'minimalist'... I shot the 4" 617 and 4" 64. My 4" 651, a .22WMR, came home clean. No 625, 627, 629, or even that 632 would be found in my bag - just a .22 and a .38. I had fun... lots of fun. I may go back this week - with the same revolvers. Oh... I don't crossdress... don't have the legs.

Stainz
 
I like .22 caliber guns and when good weather comes around i will shooting my .22 revolver at the range.
 
I have ran on to a few people at the range that have been curious as to why someone would shoot smallbore instead of a bigger caliber. I shoot both but it doesn't cost near as much to shoot 22 and its a blast.
Usually the ones that like to impress everyone and belittle the small bore shooters have an ego problem.
Sometimes they want to shoot your 22's which I have done after a little conversation and feel comfortable.
Very good practice and fun besides that.
I shoot HS Trophy and S&W M17 and Ruger Single Six. Great guns.


_____
James
 
I would imagine most of us learned to shoot using a .22lr. My grandad had me shooting big jacks at age 6 with an old marlin, still enjoy shooting 22lr today. If I find I need to feel macho I drag out my 300 H&H magnum, it brings me back to reality real quick!
 
I go to the range to shoot, not to chat. I can't imagine giving a **** about what the person next to me shoots ... or his opinion of what I'm shooting.

I have an AA conversion for my Glock 17. It's a hoot. So's my M&P 15/22.
 
I enjoy plinking with my .22's. I got really good shooting my old Remington Model 33 single shot and my Colt Woodsman. I used to buy bricks at a time and go through them pretty quickly.
 
I got snickered at by a couple of "tacti-cool" bolt-gun shooters at the range last fall. They had heavy-barrelled, scoped, very expensive rifles, and were shooting tiny groups at 100 yards. I whipped out my old Mossberg 340KC .22 bolt-action w/ iron sights and took aim at some clay pigeons that had been left on the 100 yard berm by a previous shooter. After a magazine's worth of ammo I figured out my hold, and then began busting the pigeons with the old gun. They stopped shooting and started watching, even spotting for me a couple of times when I had reduced the clay pigeons to pieces and started shooting them.

It was a fun time and they were impressed at how well the old rifle shot, even with less than great iron sights. I took a look at their one hole groups they'd been firing all afternoon and grinned. They took their shooting MUCH more seriously than I did, but we all had fun in the end.
 
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At my club I am always getting people coming to look at what ever .22 I am shooting that day. One guy was commenting on how nice my model 18 looked. I offered to let him shoot it and he turned it down because he said if he shot it he would have to buy one. It is nice to be in a club where people are adults and respect each others preferences. One of the weekend competitions we have is a black powder cartridge silhouette, seeing those guys shoot open sighted at 500 yards is fun to watch.
 
Several comments:

Those Mossberg 340 and 640 models were great.

I live in a pretty rural area with large animals scattered around (moose, grizzly, etc). Everybody from 6 months on up seems to have a 44 mag and too much testosterone. What seems to shut them up was my 458 (before I traded it) or my Sharps with black powder. Interestingly, the "ping" of a Garand clip draws people like a magnet.

The little woman carried a j-frame in various shapes and styles for about 5 years. She never could get the hang of it. For various reasons, her shooting sucked. Oh, she got her SA shooting down somewhat but it was still more of a pattern than a group. I mean most would be in the chest area at 10 yards. Lack of hand strength, grips, etc. I've been shooting over 50 years and we tried everything I could think of.

She did not like semi-autos. I knew this was most likely just not being familiar. So, I insisted she shoot a .22 auto (my Woodsman). She got down to a 3-4" group with a couple of flyers per mag. Based on the premise that it's better to hit with a mouse gun than miss with a cannon, I had her start working her way up in calibers. From the .22 to a .25, then a .32, .380, 9mm & 38 Super.

We found her limit (at this time) was my Walther PP in .32 acp. She's shot enough to realize the limits of the cartridge. She did not like the .380 Colt and she definitely likes a DA pistol. Unfortunately, she fell in love with the PP (a collector's specimen).

Anyway, for Christmas I bought her a Bersa in .22. Same general size and shape as the PP and LOT less expensive to practice with. Importantly, fire controls are the same. She immediately got her groupings limited to the chest (as opposed to mostly in the body). Now, she's head-shooting zombies at 10 yards and starting to try for the eyes.
 
I have a simple solution to someone laughing at a .22 on the range. I just pull out the Henry Golden Boy and when they quit ooohing and ahhing I load it with .22 LR and say here, give it a try. (Don't want to waste my .22 shorts on strangers.) Usually results in another sale for Henry. I love .22s and in fact, I just bought a Mossberg 702 Plinkster yesterday so I may have to plan a range trip tomorrow. Interesting that Mossberg sells a 25 round mag for that little .22. Also interesting is the fact the 702 receiver looks almost exactly like the receiver on my Marlin 60.

CW
 

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