I keep reading comments about the cost of centerfire ammo being prohibiitive. And I agree - I have definately changed my shooting habits because of the high prices.

One thing that I've done though is to start shooting more .22LR guns. I have also purchased a new Ruger pistol and a CMMG .22LR AR-15 conversion unit for use in my black rifles.

I'm finding that the .22's are really kind of relaxing to shoot and I've started taking them to every range session. I'll start with the centerfire and shoot a half box or so - depending on what I'm shooting and then I'll switch to the .22 and shoot 10 or 15 mags of that - 150 rounds.

This last weekend, it was the flat top 44 Special to test some loads and the new .22 pistol.

Here's a pic of the Ruger that I bought - its a 45/22 target model with 5 1/2" barrel. I shot it last weekend - about 15 mags worth and not only was it accurate, but it functioned 100% with the Winchester HV ammo that I was using. A real joy to shoot. There were others with .22's on the line too and this gave me another item to BS over as well



I am just curious as to how many others have started shooting more .22LR

+1 I like the Ruger Governement Model

For once, I get to pat myself on the back for seeing this one coming. I was stocked up on 22lr a long time ago, and now I reap the benefits.

No, I won't sell any of my ammo. It's mine to shoot - so there.

Right now, the 22s and the 1911 (which I loaded oodles of ammo and still have components for) are all I shoot. Gonna break out the Ruger Old Army soon though and start in on the cap&ball too.

Over a year ago, when centerfire ammo prices started climbing, I snagged an old .22, a 1955-ish S&W K-22 pre-model 18, before those prices started climbing too much. I also bought a lot of bricks in the $9-$10 range. If I had been similarly brilliant regarding my 401K, I'd be a lot happier today, but at least I can go shoot some .22s to ease the pain!

I fairly recently purchased a .22 conversion upper for my G20. Same grip/sight picture/trigger with rimfire economy. I think I did good.

I hear ya. Since the whole ammo supply has dropped I grab a brick every time I see one price sainly and picked up a 22/45 last month to get more pistol time in and not have to shoot up all my 9mm ammo. Like you I have found the ruger more accruate then me and I haven't had any issues with any of the ammo I have fed it.

Ah the same exact model as I chose - great minds think alike! :lol:

To me that was just the best one that was in the case in terms of balance and sighting and such - they had about 8 of em to choose from...

I�ve been singing the praises of my 10 shot S&W 617 for at least 5 years now. If I�m going shooting, you can bet it�s in my bag.

Oh, and congrats on the new additions...good call.

I've sometimes read about handgun shooters who simply aren't interested in .22lr handguns. They don't own one. Don't want one and don't see the need. I'd be willing to bet their targets with centerfire handguns show it. A man can't have too many .22s

Dan

I have two, a H&R nine shot I just bought (upper left) and the Ruger Government I've had for years (upper right). Lately they are getting most of the action.

This spring I bought a .22 cal S&W 317 eight shot revolver at a Sportsman's Warehouse going out of business sale. I love the thing, it's an AirLite, made out of aluminum with a steel lined barrel/cylinder, you don't even feel it on your hip. I have a Ruger MkII with a 10" bull barrel, great for targets...not so great for riding on the hip. I wanted a 22 I could carry all day whether on a hike or loaded with shot for rattlers while in the dog towns. Not the most accurate but I don't plan on shooting it at anything more than 20' away anyway. With it being almost impossible to find 380 and 45 ACP ammo, let alone being able to afford to shoot it, a 22 handgun really makes sense for now.

ruffcutt,
I've got that same S&W in 3". Mine came from the Salem Or. Sportsman's Warehouse. It's my all-time favorite handgun! Have a 3" S&W Sc360 to go with it. Also have several other 22 LR handguns that get shot lots more than the centerfires nowdays.
Welcome to the "fire"
Virgil B.

A lot of people fail to give the .22LR its due and only consider the little cartridge "a plinking gun for the kids." IMHO they couldn't be more wrong. Every really GOOD shot I know shoots a lot of rimfire ammo. I love my rimfires and agree with the statement above that you can't have too many .22LR's!

Thanks for the welcome Virgil. I've been a regular reader of the campfire for several years and have really enjoyed it, I just felt like I didn't really have anything to add that wasn't said already so I never became a member until recently. I guess I'll still read alot and post a little now and then.

ruffcutt

Same here. Ruger MK III and Glock Advantage Arms conversion kit. The .22 is fun to shoot and helps to develop good shooting skills. My kids enjoy punching holes and hitting plates as often as we can (so do I).

Great for practicing off hand shooting and just having fun on the range.

The .22 ammo situation is making it more difficult, but it is more economical than pistol ammo now.....

The guys at the Sheriff's Dept. bought me a Ruger MKII when I retired with the 5 1/2 bull barrel. Love and won't let her go.

Qtip
Soli Deo Gloria!

I have to confess that while I had a couple of .22 handguns, I didn�t use them much until I had heart bypass surgery three years ago. Then for a period of a couple of months, I couldn�t lift more than 10 lbs. and couldn�t fire anything more than a .22. I fell in love again with the .22 cal. handgun. Since that time, I have bought a number of additional .22s and .22 conversions for centerfire guns, but my passion is double action revolver shooting, with a S&W 617 as the primary practice gun. This has fit in nicely with the present scarcity of centerfire ammo and components.

There's a Smith Airlight .22 revolver (short barrel) at the shop right now (unless somebody bought it). I've been looking at it. They are really incredibly light weight. The trigger is very good too.

I would think that this would be an ideal gun for anyone that needed a defensive firearm that couldn't handle for whatever reason, 'more' gun. Put some Velocitor ammo in it and you've got 8 rounds of a fast .22LR to inflict on your assailant. That's a lot better than having nothing or a can of pepper spray IMHO. Plus, the owner of this pistol could practice for very little money with the same power level of ammo that they would have to fire in anger.

I have no regrets buying my AirLite, expensive, I know, But I got a really good deal. I bought some Velocitors for the same reasons you mentioned, haven't fired them yet though. Actually I was concerned that Velocitors may stress the cyclinder too much, not much meat between the chambers. I did have some Aquilia 60 grain subsonics that I tried, at 50' they were all over the target keyholing. I don't know the twist, but I guess 3 1/2" bbl wasn't enough to stabilize them. Mostly I've been shooting CCI CB shorts, quiet enough that I don't have to worry about hearing protection.

I'm not really surprised to hear that about the subsonics - 60 grains is awfully heavy for 1:16" twist which is what I think they have. Probably more that than the length of the barrel.

The Velocitors aren't any higher pressure than standard high velocity types are they? I thought it was just and advance in powder and of course a lighter bullet?

The nice thing about the revolvers is that you don't have to worry about the rounds cycling the action - they can take anything that you feed them really. May not shoot very well like those 60 grainers but they will go bang

Not particularly more, no.

I've got a modest supply of .22 long rifle ammo but there's no replacement ammo here locally. I haven't seen .22 LR shells since about the same time the primers dried up. I've got enough for whackin' squirrels and an occasional tin can but I'm not just plinking for the hell of making noise.

I can still get .17 HMR, new stock comes in fairly frequently, and we can still get shotgun shells pretty easily. Otherwise "thar ain't no ammo." Though last week I saw 4-5 boxes of .30-30 on the shelf. I think things are slowly improving.

Tom

I'm down to my last brick of .22LR and haven't been shooting in a few weeks. Before that it was quite some time.

I love my .22s. Got a MkIII 22/45 like yours, a Ruger Single Six, and a Marlin 70HC carbine sporting a nice 4x Nikon. My gal really likes shooting the .22s and frankly so does my pocket book.

That's the same Ruger I chose and I haven't had a failure yet. It's nice to be able to plink as much as I want and not worry about denting the wallet.

George

I just traded a used Kahr K9 for a Taurus 9 shot snubbie and S&W 22A both of which are new in the box. Plan on using them in my handgun safety and shooting classes.

Oh, and I still have several thousand rounds of assorted brands of 22lr in the locker.

I have a 7.5" H&R 629 convertible that I used to hunt grouse with, but it's slow loading gate keeps it from being an efficient plinker. So, two yrs. ago I decided to pick up a 5.5" Ruger Mark II slabside before the Mark IIIs came out. That gun has pretty much replaced the H&R. The Ruger is more accurate and carries a little easier then the H&R. With half a dozen magazines and a speed loader I can go through a couple hundred rounds in a hurry. The 22 Mag. H&R still has its place, for example when I have to dispatch that 30 lb. porcupine stealing my raspberries.

It will be a while before I run out of 22 ammo. I stocked up on various 'deals' over the years and am well supplied with a variety of 22 shells. Unfortunately the Ruger doesn't like most hollow points, which I have a great number of because both my Cooey M60 and my Remington M12 like the Rem. target hollow points. Fortunately it likes Fed. GMs that I have an ample supply of from a sale several years ago. There is also a large ammo box full of Wal Mart packs that I used to pick up every time I went in that store. At my present rate of consumption I'll guess that ammo will last 7-8 yrs.

I am not getting any new ones, but I always have my Ruger Single Six with 9.5 inch barrel with me at the range.

ruffcutt,
My 317 Airweight likes CCI Velocitors realy well. At 8 yards off hand, it will put 8 into 1"
Seems to do best with these over standard high velocity.
Virgil B.

About fifteen years ago I bought 12,000 rounds of Russian 22LR.
It's crappy ammo and tends to foul semis due to some sort of coating but it works in revolvers and bolt actions. I still have something over 5K plus a couple of thousand good stuff and almost a thousand shorts I bought recently
I see signs that the ammo crunch is easing up. I think I can hold out with what I have but would not pass up reasonable chances to add my stock.

Well did a little horse trading yesterday and got these:



For this even up.