22LR Epiphany: Cheaper and More Available Than Primers
I really enjoyed shooting 22LR because it so much fun, and when you are doing it you know you are not spending much money, don't need to reload the ammo, (in most places) don't need to pick up the brass, and back in the day you could add $18 to your grocery bill and snag another 500 rounds anytime you wanted to. Then the script got flipped and 22LR became a hoarded apocalyptic currency that was now unavailable and coveted, immediately squashing all of the fun right out of it. Eventually I scored a case of 5k and have needed to budget, rather than joyously converting it into noise. I have some nice guns (617, two Ruger pistols, one 10/22) that really do not get out of the safe much, we do some plinking after dinner on Thanksgiving and I have been volunteering for this annual event, but other than that, they stay parked because I am still nursing that case of ammo.
And when 22LR prices shot up (more pun royalty payments to @blues ...) primer prices really didn't until later, so I could reload 9mm inexpensively and really kinda forgot about shooting much 22LR. Then the other day I reminisced about how fun they are and I went out to look to see how difficult it was to get ammo now, and it looks like on any given day there is some out there to buy. And this is in contrast to primers, that you must constantly stalk, and now the primer reorder point is what used to be a 6mo supply. And even at current prices I just paid eight cents for primers (and was actually sorta happy to get them for that!) and Mini Mags seem available for seven.
So it looks like the script flipped again, and this has caused my interest in 22LRs to re-emerge. I think I am going to upgrade a pistol, probably with the same SRO I just installed on my primary M&P. I am also going to build out a 10/22 on the Midwest Industries chassis. Remind me again that I am saving money. :cool:
Just shoot the .22(G44)...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Glenn E. Meyer
Shooting 22s is fun. However, now someone will start the USPSA should have 22s in it debate. That causes purists to have total hissy fit breakdowns. Some local matches in IDPA or USPSA will let you go outlaw. I would like to shoot a G44 in a match but can't! However, you can on practice days where it doesn't count for the Gods! Folks still have fits over PCC!
I won't start the USPSA debate, but note that Steel Challenge has several rimfire divisions. @AzShooter has a thing going for him, and it works.
Posted elsewhere on introducing a young lady friend of daughters to steel silhouettes and plates with the rimfire. She was negative about her .38 snub-scared her a bit. Shot the rimfire and moved on to a G19-thumbs up for that.
Just plinking is fun, but occasionally I shoot some drills w/a G44-every little bit helps!
If you decide to shoot the .22 in the frozen hellscape you're in, GEM, suggest you warm the ammo and gun up-less malfunctioning.
Edit to add: my G44 likes the heavier bullets-37 to 40 grains-and higher velocities.