Loooking at some 22s for target and plinking

[NavyVet1959]

There's a great article in the current Dillon Blue Press about the economies of handloading 9mm vs. buying .22. Of course, the whole debate revolves around how available and how expensive ammo is. Handloading 9mm, without being extremely conscious of maximizing the benefits, costs ten cents to twelve cents per round.
While there may be a store, somewhere in the United States that has bricks of rimfire for $20, there's no place within 50 miles of where I live that anyone can walk into, and buy a brick for less than $50, and probably nor for less than $70.
CCI Stingers, which used to be my go-to, when they cost $6 per 100, are now $17 per hundred (that's the buy it now, today, price, not the pitch-a-tent-outside-Cabela's-the-night-before-ammo-is-restocked price), or about 50% more than handloaded 9mm!
Someone who wants to buy a rimfire gun for "cheap plinking" would be better served by spending that money on a handloading rig.

Another thing to consider is that if you are shooting a larger caliber, then you are less likely to shoot as many rounds than if you are shooting a .22LR firearm. So, even if you are willing to camp out at Wal-Mart and snag one of the mythically available bricks for $21.72, the 9mm is not necessarily going to be more expensive during a shooting session since you are less likely to fire as many rounds. Then again, if you are spending your time casting the bullets and loading your own rounds, you might be a bit less inclined to spray a lot of rounds down range like you see many of the .22 shooters do.

The cheapest 9mm load that I can achieve with the molds that I current have is probably $2.62 per 50-round box. That is with 4.1gr of Red Dot and a 115gr cast lead bullet. You can only reduce the powder expenses so much before the brass will no longer eject. If you want to go lower, you probably should go with a .38 / .357 revolver or a single shot gun. You can cut your powder costs in half with one of those since you can really get down into the "cat sneeze" area. In my opinion, these lightly loaded .38 / .357 loads are even quieter than the standard velocity .22LR loads. In my opinion though, the biggest advantage of the revolvers or single shot guns is that you are not having to chase your brass around.

 

[salvadore]

My 22a was a cheap pos that I actually broke while trying to reassemble. That said it was possibly the most accurate .22 pistol I've owned. When I did my part sub 1" 25 yard 5 shot groups were pretty common, and not a few 1/2".

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

While there may be a store, somewhere in the United States that has bricks of rimfire for $20, there's no place within 50 miles of where I live that anyone can walk into, and buy a brick for less than $50, and probably nor for less than $70.
CCI Stingers, which used to be my go-to, when they cost $6 per 100, are now $17 per hundred (that's the buy it now, today, price, not the pitch-a-tent-outside-Cabela's-the-night-before-ammo-is-restocked price), or about 50% more than handloaded 9mm!
Someone who wants to buy a rimfire gun for "cheap plinking" would be better served by spending that money on a handloading rig.

This is an invalid comparison. Why would you compare high-end hunting ammo with the cheapest 9mm you can load? Who goes plinking with Stingers? Nobody I know. (Of course, it will be argued that someone does. Someone ALWAYS does.)

Even so, none of this changes the indisputable fact that the current shortage is temporary and .22LR will eventually (soon, it's already back in some places) be readily available for 3-4 cents a round. Which is, again, about what a PRIMER costs.

Another thing to consider is that if you are shooting a larger caliber, then you are less likely to shoot as many rounds than if you are shooting a .22LR firearm.

An awful lot of folks would consider that to be a NEGATIVE argument. Folks LIKE to shoot. They don't WANT to shoot less.

It's funny that I even get involved in this. I love reloading and I hate shooting .22LR but that doesn't change the fact that reloading is much more expensive that shooting a .22.

 

[RickB]

Even so, none of this changes the indisputable fact that the current shortage is temporary and .22LR will eventually (soon, it's already back in some places) be readily available for 3-4 cents a round. Which is, again, about what a PRIMER costs.

.22 prices will come down, but primer, powder, and bullet prices won't?
The last time I bought primers, they were two cents each, and the last time I bought .22, it was six cents each (both about three years ago).
I will agree that the shortage is absolutely temporary, as I am absolutely certain that Americans are not shooting 2-3 million rounds of .22 rimfire every day, so those who are jumping through hoops to hoard ammo at 2x or 3x normal prices will eventually either fill their garages to the rafters, or come to their senses, and that will leave ammo for the shooters.

 

[salvadore]

And my Sportsmans wh sells vaious bricks for less than $25 I bought some 50rd boxes of stingers for $6 and something. Wally world sell .22s for retail. I've picked about 3,000rds so far this year, sold 1000 to bro in law.

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

Yes, the prices of primers and other components will come back down too... at those places where they went up.

It won't matter on the final cost calculation though. In fact, when prices go back to normal, it'll be WORSE from a cost comparison.

Right now, you probably CAN load 9mm for as cheap, maybe cheaper, than you can buy .22 in a lot of places. That's because .22 is still rare and expensive for a lot of folks.

When everything settles down, .22LR will be readily available at 3, 4, 5 cents a round. Even if primers are 2 cents each, you've still got a 3-5 cents for powder, 5-12 cents for bullets and (typically) AT LEAST 1 cent per shot for brass. 9mm will never be less than 7 cents and that's if you cast your own (equipment for which is more $$). For most folks, 9mm will never be less than 9.5-12 cents per shot, absolute minimum.

That thread I linked to a few posts back was from February 2012, well before the latest shortage, and no one reported loading 9mm for less than 7.5 cents per round, that being someone (as I recall) who casts their own and got free lead. No one else claimed under 9.5 cents, IIRC.

 

[grumbles]

first 22 pistol

I recommend the Buckmark and the Ruger, even tho a friend had (note) a ruger mkIII that had a problem with several types of ammo. my advice is (tada)... get the one that feels best in your had. Either one of the aforementioned firearms are good value, reliable and accurate.

 

[NavyVet1959]

That thread I linked to a few posts back was from February 2012, well before the latest shortage, and no one reported loading 9mm for less than 7.5 cents per round, that being someone (as I recall) who casts their own and got free lead. No one else claimed under 9.5 cents, IIRC.

As long as I can save my brass, 9mm costs me $0.0546 per round currently. 9mm is a common enough caliber that I always end up with more 9mm brass after a day at the range than I started with anyway.