.22lr Saving Money
- Thread starter microman
- Start date
I shoot everything but by far I shoot .22's more than anything else. Really cheap to shoot and still lots of fun. 25rds in the 597VTR and look out cans!!!
500 rounds on the .22 and no big deal (heck, a 1000 is no big deal), 500 rds on the 9mm and ouch! 500 rds of .45 and I have to try to explain to my wife how that was $200 worth of fun (tough when I can't even explain it to myself). Most range outings involve a couple of boxes of 9mm and a whole lot of .22.
500 rounds on the .22 and no big deal (heck, a 1000 is no big deal), 500 rds on the 9mm and ouch! 500 rds of .45 and I have to try to explain to my wife how that was $200 worth of fun (tough when I can't even explain it to myself). Most range outings involve a couple of boxes of 9mm and a whole lot of .22.
aarondhgraham
New member
I'm with you glenncal1,,,
I own 19 handguns,,,
10 of them shoot the double-deuce cartridge.
I tend to gravitate towards any centerfire handgun,,,
That has an exact matching companion in .22 LR.
Currently I own 4 pairs of centerfire/.22 pairs,,,
Hopefully by the end of this week it will be 5 pairs,,,
Yesterday I ordered a Bersa Thunder 380 to go with my Thunder 22.
Someday I'll get a Beretta Model 85 in .380,,,
To pair up with my Model 87 in .22 LR.
Some folk don't agree with my philosophy,,,
That practice with a .22 is a viable training method,,,
But I feel that it is and my opinion is all that counts for my purposes.
I am currently helping a lady friend learn to shoot her revolver,,,
It is a nickel plated Smith & Wesson Model 15 in .38 Special.
When she first started she hit a 10" paper plate 3 rounds out of 50 with her .38 at 25 yards,,,
Then I started letting her use my Model 18 for our practice sessions,,,
50 rounds of .22 than 10 rounds of .38 was our regimen,,,
200 rounds of .22 and 50 rounds of .38,,,
5 boxes of cartridges per session,,,
That's approximately $22.00.
If we were shooting all .38 special,,,
That same session would cost approximately $80.00,,,
I calculated the costs at 3 cents a round for bricks of rimfire ammo,,,
And $16.00 a box for .38 special at Wally World.
It took a lot of rounds downrange but now she rarely misses the center 5" of the plate,,,
I'm fairly certain that she's finishing her 6th brick of .22 LR,,,
That's 15 range trips if she always shoots 4x50 of .22.
If we shot the same amount of .38 special rounds,,,
The cost would be right around $1,200.
The way we did it using our ratio of .22 to .38 special,,,
The cost calculates out to about $330.00,,,
That's a ton of savings my friends.
Jane is proof positive that my method will work,,,
I doubt she would have been able to shoot 250 round of .38 special a day.
So yeah,,,
.22 handguns save money,,,
And they can provide the necessary practice to master a centerfire handgun.
This is my experience,,,
Your mileage will surely vary.
Aarond
I own 19 handguns,,,
10 of them shoot the double-deuce cartridge.
I tend to gravitate towards any centerfire handgun,,,
That has an exact matching companion in .22 LR.
Currently I own 4 pairs of centerfire/.22 pairs,,,
Hopefully by the end of this week it will be 5 pairs,,,
Yesterday I ordered a Bersa Thunder 380 to go with my Thunder 22.
Someday I'll get a Beretta Model 85 in .380,,,
To pair up with my Model 87 in .22 LR.
Some folk don't agree with my philosophy,,,
That practice with a .22 is a viable training method,,,
But I feel that it is and my opinion is all that counts for my purposes.
I am currently helping a lady friend learn to shoot her revolver,,,
It is a nickel plated Smith & Wesson Model 15 in .38 Special.
When she first started she hit a 10" paper plate 3 rounds out of 50 with her .38 at 25 yards,,,
Then I started letting her use my Model 18 for our practice sessions,,,
50 rounds of .22 than 10 rounds of .38 was our regimen,,,
200 rounds of .22 and 50 rounds of .38,,,
5 boxes of cartridges per session,,,
That's approximately $22.00.
If we were shooting all .38 special,,,
That same session would cost approximately $80.00,,,
I calculated the costs at 3 cents a round for bricks of rimfire ammo,,,
And $16.00 a box for .38 special at Wally World.
It took a lot of rounds downrange but now she rarely misses the center 5" of the plate,,,
I'm fairly certain that she's finishing her 6th brick of .22 LR,,,
That's 15 range trips if she always shoots 4x50 of .22.
If we shot the same amount of .38 special rounds,,,
The cost would be right around $1,200.
The way we did it using our ratio of .22 to .38 special,,,
The cost calculates out to about $330.00,,,
That's a ton of savings my friends.
Jane is proof positive that my method will work,,,
I doubt she would have been able to shoot 250 round of .38 special a day.
So yeah,,,
.22 handguns save money,,,
And they can provide the necessary practice to master a centerfire handgun.
This is my experience,,,
Your mileage will surely vary.
Aarond
Only 22 lr? No
I do shoot a lot more 22 lr than anything else, though. The 22's nearly always come to the range with me, especially if I am bringing anyone else along. Even handloading, large caliber ammo isn't cheap. The 357 isn't all that bad but the full house 454 loads add up in a hurry. The rifles, especially the 45/70, are even worse. With a 22 lr I can shoot for hours and not spend what the big bores burn up in a few minutes.
I do shoot a lot more 22 lr than anything else, though. The 22's nearly always come to the range with me, especially if I am bringing anyone else along. Even handloading, large caliber ammo isn't cheap. The 357 isn't all that bad but the full house 454 loads add up in a hurry. The rifles, especially the 45/70, are even worse. With a 22 lr I can shoot for hours and not spend what the big bores burn up in a few minutes.
As someone who was away from guns and the range for over a decade and has only recently returned I'm a little in the dark about the "high cost of ammo". I recall that during the height of my shooting days in about 1993-1995 I could buy low end Federal and Winchester 9mm for about $7/box (50rds). Now it's about $11- $12. I remember cheapo bricks of .22lr for just over 10 bucks (now 18-20). Yes ammo is more expensive, but about what I expected when I started shooting again last fall. Price nearly doubling in 15 years doesn't seem unusual to me.
What I have noticed is a vast reduction in the amount of ultra cheap imported ammunition. Every gun store in town except the hoity-toity places that catered exclusively to custom rifles and shotguns used to have cases of 7.62X39, 9mm and other common military calibers. Now you don't see that.
What I have noticed is a vast reduction in the amount of ultra cheap imported ammunition. Every gun store in town except the hoity-toity places that catered exclusively to custom rifles and shotguns used to have cases of 7.62X39, 9mm and other common military calibers. Now you don't see that.
Started out that way, now I just love shootin the .22lr! A long time ago someone told me to bring a .22 to the range whenever I'm shooting a big gun, (large caliber rifle or pistol.) It works. Shooting a 30'06 or a 44mag and then switching to a .22 really helps with grouping and not developing a flinch.
allenomics
New member
My ratio has changed as well due to cost; about 75% 22lr and 25% other, mostly 9mm. But it's still fun and all the practice keeps me mostly on target.
shootniron
New member
I love the .22lr and I have shot thousands upon thousands of rounds of it as has my son since he came along. However, about the cheapest that I can find .22lr now is at Wally World and it runs about $38.00 per 1100 rounds. I can shoot .38,.45acp, .44mag and .45lc for an average of about $50.00 per thousand.....so, I actually shoot the centerfires as much as I ever have, with the difference being less than it ever has been.