.22 LR shooting becoming more frequent?

C

ciwsguy

New member
Went to the nearest KY WMA shooting range today to sight in newly mounted scopes on bolt action rifles. It was completely vacant for the 2 hrs I was there which is unusual as others are usually shooting too, though it was a cool 37 degrees so that may have been a factor. There was a bunch of spent .22LR brass spread across the firing line and nothing else. Usually at this range there will be spent centerfire brass on the firing line, but this is the first time I haven’t seen any of that on the ground. This range is rifles only shooting thru pipes. Don’t care for the pipes but it is what it is to restrict where the bullets go.

So do you think centerfire shooters are conserving their ammo and shooting only .22LR or are actually shooting but collecting their expended brass for reloading?

I think shooting 22LR is going to mostly replace centerfire for many assuming they laid in the ammo for it, but that is just my two bits...

What do you folks think and what have you seen at your range lately? More frequent .22LR and less frequent CF?

Ciwsguy
 
I still see a fair amount of centerfire. Mostly handgun rounds. I shot at a indoor 25 yd range. It is getting less crowded as time goes bye. I'll shoot a mag or two out of a CCW and switch over to rimfire. It is just a sign of the times.
I have some ammo put away and I buy it when I find it.
 
I'll offer another perspective. Without factory ammo available, people may be scrounging all the brass they can find for reloading.
 
I normally train with 22lr all year round with each range session which is twice a week. I shoot 90 to 95% rimfire with the last 20 to 30 minutes being center fire ammo. It cuts on cost and maintains my proficiency.
 
.22 practice

A lot of my Bullseye practice is done with a. Nelson .22 conversion on my Colt 1911. This combo gives me the same grip, the same trigger, the same sight, the same loading sequence, etc., as I have with the .45 ACP. Even though I load my own .45s, .22s are still less expensive for practice. The single big difference is recovery from recoil in the sustained fire stages.
 
I have been shooting only 22RF for the last 5 years or so. I didn't learn to shoot a handgun until I practiced Bullseye with a 22, I have fired my Browning HP more with the Ciener unit than I ever did center fire. IMHO shooting is shooting.
 
kenny53 said:
I still see a fair amount of centerfire. Mostly handgun rounds. I shot at a indoor 25 yd range. It is getting less crowded as time goes bye. I'll shoot a mag or two out of a CCW and switch over to rimfire. It is just a sign of the times.
I have some ammo put away and I buy it when I find it.
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Same here. Fewer people at the range on any given weekend. I'm sure they are reluctant to shoot ammo they can't replace.

Bayou
 
At my local range the brass buckets are picked clean whenever I go to shoot. everyone that I talk to is scrounging brass, even going as far as to sweep the grass outside the main shooting house for anything they can find.

I, like other posters above, shoot much more .22 lately than centerfire. Its probably a five to one ratio for me. I can still get in practice and have a good day at the range without feeling the dread that comes with worrying about finding components for centerfire during this ammo purchasing panic we are in.
 
No difference at my local range. I think we're the only ones shooting 22, if I go in the afternoon, the lanes are littered with "regular" calibre cases.

We're shooting 22 because we started competing in a monthly match in August, never owned a RF before that. Folks competing with big guns are pretty fastidious about cleaning up the brass they spray all over their neighbors..
 
It's hit or miss on the number of people at the range I frequent. Sometimes there is CF brass on the ground or in the brass buckets, sometimes not. I have noticed more RF cases on the ground/bucket in the past few trips, probably due to the lack of ammo availability and/or reloading components. RF ammo is scare now, I'm ok on it but I don't shoot much RF as the lube seems to gel up due to the cooler temps, making a mess IMO in the gun, and on my hands.
 
At the past few Steel Challenge Matches I've gone to the competitors using centerfires have all complained about getting primers and powder. Some stating they only had a month of two of components left and where they may be able to scrounge some. A few have switched to their .22s to conserve their ammo for bigger matches.

I lucked out (in a way) a few months ago. I had to sell all my guns because I was moving into assisted living quarters and they don't allow guns on the property. Low and behold I didn't get to move so I'm back in my house after selling all my guns. So, I started picking up .22s and lots of ammo.

I don't want to have the same problems of trying to find components for a centerfire.

I now shoot about as much as in the past but it's all .22s. What I didn't get on-line I've found at Walmart. I'm now stocked up with just over 40K rounds.
 
I've just been slightly lucky enough to buy or receive 22 lr rimfire ammo from a few generous shooters at our outdoor range --- Otherwise...I'd be in dire straits to possess any stocks of 22's.
 
I went to the range Saturday. the 9th of January 2021. My experience was 100% opposite of my description in post 2 of this thread. I have never seen the place as busy as it was. The shop was packed, guns were being sold as fast as the paper work and background check were completed. Background checks take about 5-10 minutes. Every lane on the range was filled with mainly CF rounds being fired. Many rifles were sighted in Saturday. It did my heart good to so many people exercising their 2A rights.
 
noticed

I do a great deal of deer hunting within earshot of a WMA range here in AL. Most times, I can hear a relatively fair amount of gunfire, somebody will be over there shooting a bit on most days.

Not this year. Distinct lack of shooting. I hear some, buy not like I used to.
Ammo crunch of all kinds has hit my area in AL.....hard.
 
Range/store here is doing a good business on sales and shooting, but I heard one of the proprietors worrying about getting ammunition for future lane rentals and guy buyers.
 
sparkyv said:
What does this mean? :confused:
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Shooting thru pipes? Some outdoor ranges have large diameter steel pipes with narrow slots for the bullets to exit and go down range. There’s a narrow field of view thru the pipe and slot to the target area up to 100 yards down range. I’m sure you don’t have those in Texas, but in KY they are at some of the state wildlife management area shooting ranges. The pipe is about 18” diameter, 20 ft long with about a six inch opening at the end of the pipe. You can only see the target in your lane thru the pipe slot. If your bullet doesn’t exit the slot, it hits a deflector and goes into the ground. It’s a safety thing mostly to prevent careless shooters from sending bullets where they aren’t supposed to go. It also tends to amplify the muzzle blast sound.
 
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