Tell me again why I need a .22?

[gunblade]

The .22 was also the first bored through the cylinder handgun cartridge, thanks to those two fellas...what was their name, oh yeah, Smith & Wesson, and any handgun nut should own one just because of that.

 

[Biginge]

I kinda hate to admit this, but I have a Ruger M77 with a Ziess 3-9 chambered in .17. We haven't seen a squirrel around here in years.

Yours for more days afield with whatever caliber we enjoy!!!!

regards

Bill

 

[Smith357]

It's not a matter of need, never has been. You don't need one, you may want one and the reasons for wanting one are as varied as the choices available. If you don't like your .22 then trade it for something you want.

 

[bigtubby]

Sounds like you just made statements to get reactive answers so you could act like they p****d you off and then got ammunition to p**s back at them.

Thanks for the diagnosis Doc, how much for the therapy session.

I did actually ask a couple of pertinent questions after I relayed my experience.

 

[617X10]

Give me a break. .357 Magnum. Why don't you get you a surplus Mosin Nagant or Mauser and break your collarbone with that metal buttplate. Then you'll be telling me something. You'll be telling me who likes whips and chains around here.

 

[reppans]

Cleaning... (or lack thereof )

On the left, my 9mm Carbine after 100 rounds, on the right, my .22 bolt rifle after 150 rounds.

It's about the same difference between these two as well.

I could care less about recoil.... I don't mind it, but I don't need it. Being able to see the small holes is a pain though.... Shooting white paper with only a small cross or box helps alot.... good for me to 50ft or so.

Course, being able to shoot 10x the number rounds for the same price is nice.

 

[Plstu]

Did anyone read the part where he states that he lives in Las Vegas and there are no "dumps" to shoot at and the ranges really frown on you bringing "reactive targets". He simply stated that shooting a .22 pistol at targets is not much fun.... who doesn't agree with that?? IT SUCKS! Now a .22 rifle long range shooting at targets may be a little more fun but not much. When I was in Maine, 22s were great, Las Vegas.... not so much!

Now for all you people that MISSED his point and questions and just want to talk to insult.... What makes a pee shooter such a great "trainer". You get people to shoot them and then they are not ready to shoot something with some power and a little recoil. Learn with a 38 special or something.... if that bucks too much for you, stay home and bake a cake!

Remember.... Vegas urban shooting is different than rural shooting. Out here shooting a 22 pistol at targets is about as much fun as watching our rocks grow! About the only thing that pistol is good for is driving tacks in that hold the targets for some higher caliber revolvers that actually leave a hole you can see without binoculars. I hope I am never so poor that I have to shoot a 22 revolver. Hey Tubby, sounds like you have a bunch of interest in this gun...... I am sure they will be willing to give you the REDICULOUS price that these are going for. Just give it to me and I will melt it down and make a necklace!

 

[Fishslayer]

How much for that M17?

 

[Plstu]

617, I have all three of those guns you mentioned. Love them. Thanks for mentioning such historical guns to spruce this post up a bit!

 

[smithman 10]

.22

I took a Model 17 4" to the range today but didn't shoot it. Got to talking to another fellow while shooting rifles and ran out of time.

But if I had shot it I would have gotten another session of practicing my basic revolver skills - grip, stance, sight alignment, trigger control and it would have cost me next to nothing.

Which is why I own it. I'd rather shoot my Model 15 or Model 65 most of the time but those boys cost me $ by way of the ammo. So I got me the .22 for cheap shooting.

Also the best way to introduce a newcomer to shooting a handgun. That's good enough reason for me to keep at least one handgun and rifle in .22.

Besides, the 17 is a mighty pretty revolver. It would be one of the last Smith's I would part with.

 

[HDS]

I like to shoot cans and plates at 50 yards and further with my handguns, .22s are real nice for this purpose, shooting at close range I've found gets boring fast.

But if you don't like it sell the gun to someone who'll appreciate it and get something stouter, loading and casting .38spl for a K38 would be a cheap and fun plinker with more oomph.

 

[LH2]

I agree shooting .22's can get boring, especially using a revolver and paper targets. Semiautos and reactive targets are more fun, and cheap ammo is a plus, but I enjoy shooting centerfire cartridges more at paper for sure...

 

[Kinfolk]

I am new to this forum, so in your mind that does not hol much water BT, but having matching revolvers SW in 22 and .357, even for "boring range work" the 22 is a awesome serrogate for the larger gun. By not getting beat up at the range, the 22 is a great tool and will pay for it self is less than a year in current ammo prices. Of course your opinion is your own, if you find the range boring with the 22 it is for you. I go with my son and we literally have a blast and have our own games we make up with squirel targets. If that makes me less manly than so be it.

 

[Les K.]

I currently shoot the .44 mag with handloads at just .5 grains below the max, and while I enjoy the big flash and bang, even reloading gets expensive. Yeah, I've tried the cheaper plated and lead bullets, but you really have to download those so what's the point in that? I like to use full power premium jacketed bullets for maximum power, speed, and the big bang !

One day at the range, I rented a Ruger mark III and had a blast! I shot a lot of rounds of .22, then switched to a cylinder of .44 mag. It really cut down on the number of magnum rounds that went downrange while still giving me the big bang when I wanted it.

I'm currently actively looking for the right .22 automatic for me (Ruger/Browning/Smith/Barretta), and also for a shorter barrel .44 (Ruger Alaskan/Smith 629 3"-4"). The .22 costs a lot less to shoot, and is just a challenging to try and put bullets in the X ring. You can practice your trigger control for not much money and shoot all day for cheap.

Yeah, it doesn't have the big flash and bang but they're cheap, fun and accurate, and you can take rimfire shooting all the way up to the Olympic level if you're good enough. The Ruger automatic was fun to shoot, but the .22 revolver probably would not be as fun. Besides, that 617 is near twice as much as I would pay for a .22 pistol.

 

[Shooting Padre]

My very first experience with a firearm was with a .22 rifle, as I suppose was the case for many here. This gave me an infinity for this small round. I sympathize with your limited shooting options, I'm lucky enough to live in a rural area and have a back yard range. I agree with the folks who say shoot what you like, no one is forcing you to use a .22. It's your life, enjoy it. But I really love the .22s. I have a Ruger 22/45 (apologies to the S&W forum), a 15-22 and a Model 18-0. The 18 is a perfect match for my Model 15 and lets me practice cheaply. I enjoy the accuracy of the .22 and it is my goal to be as accurate as I can. That is why .22 caliber is desirable, lots of practice for fewer dollars. As was mentioned earlier, even reloading 9mm, .357. and .38 costs me more than somewhat. In the end, each caliber has its place, so enjoy you .44. I have just as much fun with my bang as you have with your bang. Good shooting.

 

[johnsonl]

I spent summers in West Virginia as a kid, shooting at rats at the city dump with a .22 High Standard. That'll learn ya to be quick and accurate!

 

[47D]

You probably don't need a .22 if you have an unlimited budget for shooting centerfire calibers. You probably don't need a .22 if you consistently produce nice, tight, and flinch-free groups at moderate to long distances. You probably don't need a .22 if you never plan to introduce others to shooting. You probably don't need a .22 revolver if you have the double action trigger pull down to a science and never need any remediation. You definitely do not need a .22 if shooting is some sort of expression of how manly or macho you are and that is measured by the violence of the recoil or the volume of the report. You definitely don't need a .22 if shooting to you is about seeing who has the bigger . . . barrel.

In my experience, the guy at the range shooting only ".357+P" is typically the guy with the swiss cheese silhouette target at 7 yards. However, I'm sure there are many exceptions - especially on this forum.

 

[dcxplant]

...ain't for everybody

I love my M29, my 40's, 357's, 9's, and snubbies (talk about lively)

I also love being able to quadruple my round count every month for the same shooting dollars I spend, and it keeps my bad habits (we all got 'em) at bay.

As far as not seeing the holes, that is big plus for me, because I am a competitive s-o-b even by myself and one of my bad habits is tipping the barrel down after every shot to see where it landed. Not very good if you are facing a zombie After a few shots of not being able to see the hits, I give up and just concentrate on grip, sight picture, stance, breathing, y'know all that boring stuff

It's like homework, but more funner!

Have a good one

 

[617X10]

Did anyone read the part where he states that he lives in Las Vegas and there are no "dumps" to shoot at and the ranges really frown on you bringing "reactive targets". He simply stated that shooting a .22 pistol at targets is not much fun.... who doesn't agree with that?? IT SUCKS! Now a .22 rifle long range shooting at targets may be a little more fun but not much. When I was in Maine, 22s were great, Las Vegas.... not so much!

Now for all you people that MISSED his point and questions and just want to talk to insult.... What makes a pee shooter such a great "trainer". You get people to shoot them and then they are not ready to shoot something with some power and a little recoil. Learn with a 38 special or something.... if that bucks too much for you, stay home and bake a cake!

Remember.... Vegas urban shooting is different than rural shooting. Out here shooting a 22 pistol at targets is about as much fun as watching our rocks grow! About the only thing that pistol is good for is driving tacks in that hold the targets for some higher caliber revolvers that actually leave a hole you can see without binoculars. I hope I am never so poor that I have to shoot a 22 revolver. Hey Tubby, sounds like you have a bunch of interest in this gun...... I am sure they will be willing to give you the REDICULOUS price that these are going for. Just give it to me and I will melt it down and make a necklace!

Geez...if you can't group well enough with a 22 pistol at 7 yards to see one ragged hole, forget about shooting handguns period. All you are doing is making a fool of yourself in front of other folks who actually know how to shoot. And give me a break about living in Vegas. Isn't there a big desert right next to that place? What's the matter, the bus doesn't run out that way? Too many episodes of CSI making you wary of finding decomposing bodies outside of your apartment complex? If you have money or a mechanical aptitude you can get a set of steel plates to go plinking with. You can even use that big ol' hairy Magnum on them to make a clang instead of a plink.

 

[bigtubby]

Geez...if you can't group well enough with a 22 pistol at 7 yards to see one ragged hole, forget about shooting handguns period. All you are doing is making a fool of yourself in front of other folks who actually know how to shoot. And give me a break about living in Vegas. Isn't there a big desert right next to that place? What's the matter, the bus doesn't run out that way? Too many episodes of CSI making you wary of finding decomposing bodies outside of your apartment complex? If you have money or a mechanical aptitude you can get a set of steel plates to go plinking with. You can even use that big ol' hairy Magnum on them to make a clang instead of a plink.

Golly gee you some funny folk living down dere in NC dats a goodun bout da desert and dem dere bussses going unto da desert fer finding decompossing folk and shoooting stufs like vermints in the dump or som call it der baack yard I sure wish i waas livving in a duump. riddin my tractor to the five amd dime mus be a reel blast and a hillbillly calling som one else a hillbily is real fun too.