Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires why keep 22lr rifle?

Just some rambling thoughts out loud. Since I've started getting into reloading, I've played with the ideal of downloading my 223 rem to duplicate the 22lr and wonder if it still worth keeping rimfire rifle around? What's your thoughts?


Leo

While I do reload my .223 Rem down with Blue Dot powder. I would never consider being without a .22LR as they are just to useful. I have even been thinking about getting another.

Squirrel hunting..... snakes/turtles on the ponds.... crows.....wabbits.... coons...... possums..... etc., and anything else I dont want to shoot with a shotgun or larger rifle.

Everyone needs a .22.

A nice .22rf..............for when new adult family members come along.
Or grandkids.

I can't imagine being without one. Or several. I have them in the house, at our camp, hanging on the wall of the garage, usually in the back of my truck, they're just useful to have around

I'll never be without a 22 or air rifle - cheap ammo and don't have to reload for them. I spend most of my time at a range though, just muckin around.

I also hate reloading these days and the time spent doing so. Hornady makes cheap bulk pack 308 ammo that is on par for accuracy and cost against my reloads, so I use this instead. I forget what they call it but it has the 155gn HPBT so not a good choice for hunting - except head shotss I guess.

^^^This^^^

A fella can do this with a .22 RF or .223, with or without mousefart loads.




Can you do this with your .223 mousefarts?






Can you carry 50 rounds of .223 in your pocket comfortably?
Can you shoot it in the neighborhood w/o pizzin' off the neighbors?

Curious minds and all that........

The .223 loads you talk about are well worth developing, as folks found out during the Obama years, and so are ones that duplicate .22 magnums and Hornets for fur-taking and turkeys. I made up some similar ones, albeit in .308 some years back and whacked some chucks and a fox. Have plans for more of the same, but for my Hornet and my current .308, a Henry SS.

Trail Boss is a good powder for cases larger than the Hornet, and 5744 does well too, according to an article JB wrote during the crunch. He used some cast bullets, as well as jacketed. I've got some 46gr Speer FPs laid in for both my Hornet and sabotted .308 loads; just got to get to it. Trail Boss costs a bit more, but fills the case, and IIRC, 4gr is a .22 LR level load in .223. 6gr gives you a .22 mag. Check the Hodgdon manual to be sure.

Still, a .22 is essential. Nothing else compares in ease or economy, unless you already have a lot of lead and primers on hand that count as "free", and time. CCI SV can be had for about $.05 each, and does well to excellent in almost everything. A couple of fellow geezers at my gun club meet several times a week for "Shoot the Dot" matches, and SV is their standard ammo. Those guys have more fun than most there, and I have a blast just listening to their trash talk.

I gave up my 10-22 after I bought my A17. I have no regrets about that. Later I realized it's nice to have an economical plinker, so I recently bought a bolt action. I figure I have thousands of rounds of ammo, but no rifle to shoot them in, so now I do. That's the best argument for having a 22lr around: CHEAP AMMO...

In the past four or five years, I've gone from two .22s to eleven .22s, and some .22Mags and an HMR. That's just the rifles, not the handguns. Rimfires can be a real PITA, finding the ammo that works and shoots well in them is a headache and half, but it sure is nice to get out there and shoot without having to reload the stuff.

Another thing, trigger pulling is trigger pulling, and doing that right with rimfires makes shooting centerfires a LOT easier. Good practices when shooting rimfire doesn't hurt your centerfire shooting even a little bit. Follow-thru with rimfires is mandatory, and that really helps with centerfires, too. I try to keep a brick or so of each favored .22WMR and .17HMR ammo on hand, and I have cases of .22LR. I can still shoot a lot, even with my loading gear still in storage.

nuthin will ever replace the 22 LR

cheap dependable ammo.......endless selection in handguns/rifles

Nothing more basic than a good .22.

DF

Pappy348;
Good morning to you sir, I hope that all is well in your part of the world and this finds you and yours well.

While I seldom find anything whatsoever to differ with you in your posts, I would at this time respectfully submit that everyone should have at least "a few" .22LR firearms.

Even up here in the restrictive firearm climate I exist in, our safe contains more than one .22 pistol and for a few reasons I won't begin to discuss the number of .22 long arms that may or may not exist within the safe....

In fact, this morning I ordered a Tikka 16" barrel to see what they are like - sorta "ugly/cute" like a moose calf is how I'd describe the photo. Anyway like a good mountain horse, we always said "pretty is as pretty does"!

Seriously though, if there's a better way of teaching good shooting form than with a good .22 rifle I've not yet found it. For the last 30 years that I've been teaching the provincial Hunter Safety course, I've been both instructing new students with a .22 rifle to start with, as well as advising new shooters to pick up a .22 which is similar to their primary hunting arm to practice with.

Then too, as my cyber friend from Florida, the esteemed Barbarian Dan notes, there's all sorts of things one can do with a .22 if one is pressed.

The local Conservation Officers used to use .22's to "deal with" problem bears in urban settings as it disturbed the gentle townsfolk less than either the 12 gauge or .30-06 they're issued. The grand old mountain horse who faithfully carried me for 17 years is buried in our yard and when his time came, we ushered him into a better place with a .22.

Since it's unlawful in BC to shoot deer with a rimfire of any sort, I won't admit to shooting any of them which were either sick or injured from a motor vehicle incident. Therefore I cannot comment on how quickly a well placed 40grain piece of lead may or may not work on mulies and/or whitetail.

Anyway sir, as always that's just one short, bald and increasingly aging Canuck's views on the matter and nothing more.

All the best to you this fall and good luck on your remaining hunts.

Dwayne

PS;
Forgot to mention that .22 firearms are still fantastic "trading stock" in all sorts of deals made up here on this side of the medicine line.

Despite what the media likes to have us all believe, there's still many, many, many Canucks who are licensed to possess firearms - so we do!

If the world goes to hell and the Chinese Commie Muslim Zombie hordes invade, a .22 rifle is the weapon to have, since it and even a mere 5 or 6 boxes of ammo easily carried will sustain you through to the brighter tomorrow...

Dwayne,

It seems our "conflict" is merely a matter of degree, or actually, perceived degree. Currently, I have three .22 rifles, and two handguns. A .17 Mach2 is in the works, if my FFL will just answer the door when UPS knocks. Other .22s can happen at almost any time, since one of the virtues of the little wonder is that one doesn't have to factor in the cost of dies, brass, etc or even ammo for the most part when assessing the impact on the budget. I've got so much this and that .22 ammo laying around from previous adventures that the ritual of buying a bunch of stuff to try in a new one can usually be delayed for a while, or forever.

My handguns live off the rifles' rejects.

All the best.

I have, mostly, ALWAYS had a 22lr, never used one much, now I have 4, and am starting to pare down my rifle calibers.....

AND since you can now reload 22lr................. [ tag DD ] the 22s will stay...............

Yes I can reload the .22s. No more ammo shortages for me.

Dwayne, appreciate your thoughts and I'll put a little icing on the cake.

Somewhere in the neighborhood of my 10th birthday I was riding around with my brother and two cousins on a 2 lane blacktop between nowhere and empty. Along the road was a bridge where we had slaughtered many garfish in the past, tossed them on the road and waited for the daily Greyhound bus to roll by and make them pop. We laffed and giggled a bit over that. Anyway, we had just passed the bridge when a gaggle of large black birds were spotted a ways down the road. We slowed to a stop and turned broadside about 75 yards short of the birds. My grandfather's Remington 513S was in the back seat with me (the big boys rode up front) and the younger cousin. My brother told me to shoot one, so I rolled down the window and stuck that monster cannon out the window, rested it on the sill and made my best guess on where to aim, 'cause brother had told me I'd have to aim high at that range. So I did. Pop'n flop. Near about shot its head off. The big boys were astounded and so was I. That said, good irons properly sighted and used with 20/15 vision works now and then.

Time passed, and about 5 years later my grand dad gave me that gun and I slew many critters with it, mostly rabbits. More time passed and I returned from Vietnam, settled down a bit and decided for reasons that elude me now, to put a scope on that one. The gunsmith installed both bases off center in opposite directions. Dang it....but I made it work with some shims. 5 or 6 years later I was living on the beach and on occasion would shoot a crab or two with BB caps, never giving much thought to cleaning. It was a year or so later that I realized the chamber was pitted. Double Dang it. Funny thing was that it still shot pretty fair most days, but the damage I'd inflicted bothered me.

15 years later I shipped it off to a 'smith requesting that he fix the misaligned scope bases and install a barrel liner....and while he was at it, refinish the stock. He did all that and with a happy heart I went to the range. Lovely patterns at 50 yards, no more than 5-6" wide. Triple Dang it.

Grab a cup of coffee lads, this is going to last a bit longer.

The gun sat in the locker for another 15 years or so and I finally shipped it off to a gun shop I'd done business with in the past. Asked them to rebarrel the thing with a match chambered Douglas barrel. They didn't believe at first that it didn't shoot, but demonstrated that to their own satisfaction and did the job. When it came back three things came to my attention. The only ammo I could chamber was Wolf MT and that took a bit of force to accomplish. It shot lights out. One of the scope bases had been healed again. I fiddled with it awhile and finally sent it off to Mr. Dennis Earhardt in Helena, MT and asked him to take a look at the chamber.

Dennis called me a week or so later and said the chamber was tapered. "Say what?" He replied,"That's what I said." He fixed that, straightened out the one remaining crooked base and refinished the metal....all of it. It showed up and we went to the range and parked on the 50 yard butt. He said he had shot it at that distance and I guess he zeroed the old clunker too.



It has little dust on it these days and nobody gets to play with it except me. Did I mention that I like the El Paso Weaver K2.5 that resides on the roof? I ferget, some of my memory circuits are fuzzy these days. Except for where it counts. Gramps always had a wicked sense of humor and I'm sure he was laffin' all the way thru this adventure. Every time you have a glass of OJ, raise it in a toast to him. He was half the team that invented concentrated orange juice just before WW2. He also wore out 3 LC Smith 16 ga SxS guns hunting quail during his life. Seldom missed a shot made with lead or sharp wit.

From my cold dead hands,

BD




PS: I have a .17 rimfire that was made before any of you galoots were born. Fella named Paul Neubrand made it in Germany prior to WW1 in a little ville called Munderkingen on the Baltic coast. It is a Zimmerstutzen with a barrel insert of 8" length, roughly .177" in the grooves (12) and a 7" twist. I like to died laffin' when I slugged it the first time and thought "What was this loon thinking?" Now I know...

50', indoors and offhand by the notorious SPG his own self. Two shots/target






It has a double trigger. The forward cocks the action, the rear....think about it and it sends a round down range.

Frozen cold hands...........

Cool little rifle and great story DD ! Keep em coming!!!

Good stories, guys!

I don't hate the 22lr, just thinking about how I can make my bolt action 223 rem more versatile by downloading it to duplicate around 22mag levels with a 55gr and either some Titegroup or trailboss. I remember it being tough to find 22lr ammo during the Obama years.

As matter of fact, I trade some firearms I seldom used for a new Ruger 10/22 and Ruger SR-22, couple boxes of mini-mag ammo and some cash in my pocket. About the only negative thing to come out of this is, I got to figure out what scope to put on the rimifre rifle, lol!

I think that a quality/accurate rifle chambered in .22 that has the action style and approximate weight/balance as your primary center-fire hunting rifle is a useful tool to practice with. I like the Marlin 981, Winchester 52 Sporter, and Winchester 320 for bolt action understudies, Marlin 39s for lever action understudies, Remington 572s for pump action understudies, and Winchester 490s for semi-auto understudies.

While I like Ruger 10/22s, I currently have 18 of them, and think that they can be turned into accurate rifles, I don't think that they are the best choice for an understudy rifle.

18? Wow....

Bet you don't have this conversion.

Here's a look functioning.

No, none of mine has been converted to centerfire and if they were converted to 17HM2, they have been converted back to .22 LR.

I couldn't see what cartridge it had been converted to and if there was audio, I didn't get it.

I currently have 112 rimfires; 52 .22 rifles, 18 .22 Magnum rifles, 11 .17 HM2 rifles, 8 .17 HMR rifles, 17 .22 handguns, and 6 .22 Magnum revolvers.

But, but, you only have two hands! Gadzooks!



The one on the left is a CF, the one on the right is factory RF ammo.

Reloadable .22 LR ammo seems like a lot of work. I think that i'll just buy Eley, Lapua, RWS, or Wolf for when I want to shoot groups and whatever is cheap for when I want to plink.

You will never know until you try it.

Why bother?

You shouldn't I guess.

I imagine you have to have small hands (which I do not) and a lot of patience for that. Cool though...

Naw, small hands are not required. Mine reach almost 10..5" from thumb to little pinky when spread. A dwarf helper would be useful on occasion.

Dude! I hope that "small hands" crack wasn't a shot at your manhood, ala The Donald and little Marco. 🤔

BTW, do I recall correctly that you tried using .25acp in a Contender or something else for your evil puposes?

You opened a door wide for humorous response, but gentleman that I am, will pass.

Is a different wanker that does this with the .25 ACP. Different path to the same destination.

"Straight Lines and Setups a Specialty"

Hard to keep track of all the wankers on here. Difficult enough to remember what I've done.

And I thought I liked 22’s. I’m not even in the running. Hasbeen

Why would you need a 22lr when 17hmr is so much better?

Have lots of .22 rifles and am always on the scout for a cool one I don't have... Don't shoot mine a lot, except during gopher shooting.. Then it is hot and heavy.. If I lived in a more populated area, I would always have one in my truck... Too handy too much fun...

Conrad, one reason for a .22 in lieu of a .17 for your consideration. One of my Contender barrels is chambered for shorts. I stood flat footed one day by a small tree looking at a pack of pigs rooting around about 20 yards away. 5 CB shorts went their way before the last little porker got uneasy about his mom, uncle and 3 siblings taking naps in the middle of breakfast. The boar and sow were in the 175-225 # range and the rest around 50# or so. They heard me shoot, but couldn't figure it as a threat.

Hey Dan, have you tried the CCI Target shorts? I just ordered a few boxes (on sale) to fill out an order and qualify for free shipping. I'm hoping they prove more accurate in my M63 than Colibri, CB, and Quiet .22s. Must be the cylinder gap, because all of those have done much better in various other pistols, but stank in the 63 and a Bearcat.

ya can't hunt small game in these hear parts with a centerfire. no exceptions, please.

rimfire holds the license for that type of activity.

without a suppressor, the .22 is only choice, with quiet type ammo alternatives.

Yes, but saw no difference in performance between the Target Shorts and CB Shorts, including velocity. FWIW, my Contender has a short match chamber.

Wish I could find some Euro manufactured short match ammo....

Thanks. If I see any, I'll let you know. I look around a lot, so it could happen.

I thought I was approaching the Pro category, only to find out I'm still an amateur. Wait until I tell the wife....

3 to 4 cents a round, that's why

I only use my .22's from about March thru maybe August.. Mainly for shooting gophers.. For years I always had a .22 rifle and pistol in the truck.. Now it is centerfires, but if I lived in a more populated area, I would always have a .22 in my truck... They are just too handi to not have around...

With a couple of Hornets and Lovells that get shot with cast bullets as much as with jacketed, and larger bores that see low velocity "backyard mouse fart tin can murdering" plain base cast loads to the tune of around 10:1 versus high(er) velocity stuff, I shouldn't have much use for .22 rimfires. Why then do I own as many .22's as all the rest combined, and pound-for-pound as much .22 ammo on the shelves as there is centerfire ammo? Because, just because.

I would let my centre-fires go before I will let my 22lr go.

If you know how many .22s you have, you don't have enough.

Whew, I’m in the clear

Cheapest guns to shoot are 22lr

There’s ALWAY room to sneak a new 22 in between a few other rifles

I have six 22 rifles and was looking to purchase another today. The 22 LR is my gun of choice if I just want to go to the range and shoot steel.I also use them for grouse and coyote hunting with good success. They are light to pack and almost any one can be very accurate with the right ammunition. They are fun and inexpensive to shoot.

I just bought Federal 550 22LR Bulk Packs at Walmart for $16.97 per box. That's cheaper than primers. Keep a 22.

Gotta get me one a them little take-down break-barrel 22's.

Reducing a load in a .223 is like driving your truck with the emergency brake on. Why? Use it at it efficient capacity. I like to use a 65gr bullet in my .223 pushing about 3100fps with hardly any recoil at all. I've taken many whitetail at 25-250yds. If it where legal in my state I would use a .22lr during antlerless portion of our deer season. If a .22lr will pass through a 2x450yds, I'd say it will kill about anything at the rite distance placed correctly.

Who makes it?

Because I would still rather shoot .22's than any other gun.

On a similar but side note....
I picked up a Savage 24 in 22 mag over 20 gauge (full). I wanted a 22 lr for squirrels but I learned that Winchester makes a sub-sonic 22 mag load. I tried them and they shoot really well and don't destroy squirrels like the 22 mag. They also shoot to same impact as 22 mags out to almost 40 yards. As far as I can shoot squirrels with the peep sight on the gun. And I still have the option of the 22 mag if turkeys present themselves.

Or two, or three, or.....

What I’m thinking. They’re fun, inexpensive to shoot, and can keep meat on the table if need be.

I have some old single shots, Crickets, 10/22s and just bought on impulse a Savage mkii FV-SR. I'm excited to get it paired up with a can.

My favorite 22lr is a Winchester model 55. I found it in an old house a farmer was going to burn down. He told me to go in a take whatever I wanted, ended up finding it under a mattress with the tag still on it. $35 was the original cost.

I have killed everything from mice to 2000# steers with a 22lr. I own a few and 30,000 rounds of ammo for them. What else can you shoot 30,000 times for around $650?

I would give up electricity before my .22s.......

I like those old single shot 22s my favorite is a Winchester 02 - 22. My grandfather bought it for his 3 sons in turn they all taught their kids to shoot with it. Sadly I am the last living of the group except for my son and his, so you know where that gun is going next.

Leo, a word of caution. If you pursue this project you can expect jacketed bullets to stick in the barrel frequently at .22 LR velocity. Play it how you want but if you’re inclined to operate in that velocity realm you need to use cast bullets. It’s no fun tapping bullets out of the barrel.

22LR i kill alot of varmints out in the country works great where i live,its loaded and ready to go 24/7 hangin in the garage, wife know`s where and how to use it also. Marlin bolt-action, extra clip loaded and ready too for wifey if she needs extra.

I'm not sure if Indiana has the same firearm restrictions as Wisconsin, but there was a time here when you could only use a rimfire cartridge during the majority of the year. That rule pretty much convinced me that I should be using a .22 LR or a .22 WMR for my varmint hunting.

Down loading a .223 is probably do able, but more expensive and a pain in the butt. Even using the least expensive bullets you can find would make it cost prohibitive. It most likely wouldn't shoot to the same point of aim as your standard load. Keeping those loads separate from regular loads and on and on. A lot of work to produce something that is cheaper and less hassle.

Wow!! That's some great shooting right there....

Wish I could help you out. But I don't help people to make a decision. Nor have I asked others to help me do so. Because only you can do that. That aside,once I buy a firearm I don't sell them. .22lr and .223 I don't even bother reloading. Everyone should own a 22lr for many good reasons.I own three of them and an 8 round revolver Ruger snubby for my wife. So I'll break my code and humor you-DON'T GET RID OF IT ! lol. As for .223 it is one of the most fun-and popular-center fire cartridges one can own; for many good reasons as well. I own my AR and am getting a Sako and Anschutz in .223 in the future. My favorites are many of the .30 calibers up to .325wsm. And have quite a few. I bring them up because if they are my favorites, yet will happily own and never sell (3-.22lr & 3-.223 rifles); it is like saying to you: KEEP THEM BOTH !!! So much for me not trying to help others make decisions. lol

Some rely on luck, others on skill. I’ve found that while practice enhances skill it also promotes luck’s intervention. I’ve shot a fair number of tiny groups in my day but wouldn’t stake my life on being able to shoot such a group anytime soon.

Anyone who owns a firearm and doesnt own a 22LR is suspect IMO.

Its just not American. Its not normal.

No, not kidding.

Woa.

Is it just me or does anyone else get the impression 260Remguy has a fondness of rimfires? lol.

another thought ; i have always lived in the country i keep a snow shovel ,dirt shovel, garden hoe and many other tools plus a loaded 22 L.R. hanging up in same garage,1 in the house and another one in my pole shed, i consider them all tools same as a shovel, we grew up with loaded 22 L.R. ready to use on the farm and house of parents home and grandparents too , my 7 year old grandson is now learning why,how,safety and when to use it for fun and as a tool to get rid of varmints. > yes its the American way for us country folk. Pete53

Go ahead do it for a while then get back to us.

Let us know how making CB's worked out, or how to beat the sometimes under $.03 per round, never mind the time involved.

Your loony badge is revoked.

It’s un American to not have a 22 rimfire. Don’t be a commie.

I played around making .223 shoot about like a 22LR maybe 25 years ago,
That didn't last very long

EVERYONE needs a .22lr........or 10 :-)

-TomT