[i303]

Funny thing, first it was the ammo and all that "raw material cost v. war in Iraq" issue.  Then gas started to creep up, followed by domestic goods, then the housing bubble burst, now gas shooting up, and followed by food again.

550 rounds of bulk is just over $12 at Wallyworld.  That's about $4 more than it was 18 months ago.

However having 5 kids to feed, 4 who are old enough to shoot, me having enough guns and ammo to equip them with real guns, I've come out of the closet and have gone full blown 22.

I will admit to having 4 .22 rifles, 5 now after having bought another 10/22 a few days ago for $199 new.  I don't buy 22 pistols b/c I get .40 cal for free so why bother for now.

I have 2 CZ's 452.  One is a Lux and the other a Scout/youth.  We also have a Savage Cub that I smoothed out the trigger.  And a Chipmunk for the 3 y/o.

We go out around sundown time when it drops to around 100 degrees.  Unfortunately so do the flies.  We shoot targets out to about 200 meters (yes the euro measurement shit) and targets as small as milk jug caps.  Those are shot at around 50 meters.  Only the Lux is scoped (Leopold VariX 3x9).  My kids are now 13, 12, 10, and 3.  My 13 and 12 y/o are good shooters.  My 10 y/o is getting there.  My 3 y/o just likes to pull the trigger but she will aim in.  Not sure if she is really aiming but she has the idea.  For now she only shoots Aguila Colibri rounds which are about as potent as an average BB gun.

More and more I find myself just doing the 22 thang.

Out of all the 22's I love the CZ Scout the best, seconded by the Lux version.  I bought those when they where around $170 or so each.  The CZ's are hands down the best 22's for the money. 

The Savage is nice, specially with the peep sight.  The trigger is crap when you consider that a 6 to 10 y/o will be shooting it.  But it's nothing that about 45 minutes with a fine file and emory cloth can't fix. 

The 10/22's is POS's as it comes from the factory.  22 aren't known to be reliable in semi or full auto.  Some breaking in or tweaking is always required and 10/22's are the best when it comes to tweaking with just about everything under the sun available to them.  I think Ruger just cranks them out of the factory not caring about the quality knowing this unless you shell out for that top of the line target 10/22. I like mine simple.  I usually replace the hammer for improved trigger and the extractor so I can shoot the bulk crap ammo. With this one I'm getting the AR style Tech-Sights.  That and about 10 Butler Creek steel lip mags and a loader. 

My older kids prefer the 10/22 but I see them picking up the CZ's from time to time.  The only issue with kids and 10/22's is that since 10/22's are known for FTE's and if you don't watch the lazy farts, they might leave one in the chamber because "They forgot" to check the chamber and brought it back behind the firing line.  This usualy occurrs after a FTE and for some reason unexplainable to me, well fuck..you get the idead.  It's only happened once so far.  Bolt guns don't exactly have those problems.

I've taken my childun a-shooting many of times and even though my 13 y/o is an 'expert' and he is still a 13 y/o, also known as a dumbass teenager.  I am ruthless upon their stupidity.  Let's see if he forgets again.  Even though I let them loose with guns I am always looking and checking.  I always love to bring up the diference to him between playing a sniper in Joint Ops on-line in the comfort of a leather chair in an airconditioned room at 75 degrees with a drink nearby and shooting in the real world.  The world where it's 118 degrees and the hotter yet on the sandy and rocky ground where he lays to shoot prone (that is why I am an expert shooting off handed/standing-because it's f'ing hot in Yuma) with flies buzzing around with the setting sun in your eyes.  But they do admiringly well.  To include my 12 y/o daughter.  She can hit that 200 M steel consistently.

And we shoot open range desert.  I've seen greater stupidity at ranges, over bearing range nazi's who will only let kids shoot sitting on a bench. etc., etc.  Open range allows me to really teach my kids to shoot.  That and I can smack the shit out of them upon them doing something unsafe and stupid (hasn't happened in years-but I have yelled at them from time to time).  Many may not like my style but I don't care and it works super fast.  I've started to teach them shoot and scoot, IPSC/3 gun, and 'other' cool stuff that I can't do at a formal range.

Anyways, how many on XCR Forum are becoming 22 fairies like me.  At around $300 to $500 a case of 5.56, I can get one to three .22 rifles, a lot of ammo, and have gas money to drive all over the place for those prices.  Search on youtube and you'll see 22 rifles being used in 3-gun matches.  We easily go through a bulk pack in less than 2 hours. 

BTW I'll be getting 2 more 10/22's in the near future.  Preferably older ones that do not have plastic trigger housings.  But I'll stick with my CZ's.  The kids can shoot the Rugers'.

I predict a huge trend going towards .22's in the days to come.  I'm not impressed with the GSC's since they look airsoft quality at a stupid price with propetiary mags but I'd like to see more EBR type's coming out, preferably ones that take 10/22 mags. Same goes with .22 convesions. I don't like them either.

Tell us about your past and current experiences opinions with 22's and if you will be goin' 22 (as in .22 caliber and not stupid 22 inch rims).

 

[roughneck2zero]

I've always liked .22 cals. My first gun was/is (I still have it) a very old single shot bolt-action .22LR that I got from my grandfather. It was his first rifle. He passed away when I was about 12 and I got to keep it as long as I never kept any ammo for it.

When I was in college I had a job at a gun store/with indoor & outdoor ranges. Man, those were fun times. It was a Class-3 dealer and he had "rental" guns including several HK MP5's, M16's, UZI's, MAC's, a Sten, Thompson, and an M60. Plus some more that I don't remember what they were. When times were slow we would load up mags and shoot whatever we wanted as much as we wanted. Then I would volunteer to clean them just so I could figure out how they worked.

Anyway, we had an Anschutz in .22LR. THAT was an accurate rifle with about a 1# trigger. I think it was used in European decathalons or biathelons or something. Even back in the early 90's it cost about $2K if I remember correctly.

Now my .22LR's. I have that same old bolt-action rifle, 2 Ruger 10/22's, both are tricked out. I bought a GSG-5 about two months ago and still haven't received it. Hopefully it will come in one day. And I'm about to buy a .22 handgun. I'm deciding between a Walther P22 or a Sig Mosquito Tactical. I think I like the Sig better. I used my Stimulus check to buy a GemTech .22 silencer. Now I need to buy some threaded barrels. ;D

cheers

 

[i303]

Yeah, that's what we USED to be able to do. I started off with a single pump Daisy at 6 then at 8 I got my uncle's old 22 he got back in the late 30's. I remember getting about 1 hour of instruction with the BB gun and that was it for adult supervision. Even after I took a 22 short in the arm at age 11, right after that it was back out shooting. Now a days, unless you are in some rural area and know everyone to include the cops, ppl will call the cops when they see a kid alone with a rifle, even a bb gun. Sad times.

even up to the mid 80's no one would bat an eye seeing guns on a back window of a pick up truck gun rack parked at a high school parking lot. Shoot, do that now and see what will happen.

It must have been a blast to work at a gun shop with an indoor range and a boss that would let you do that. I had to join the Army for over 7 years to get to play with all sorts of guns and become a cop and do all that academy and FTO, THEN get to work at a range. The downside was having to put up wth training and qualing agents 8 hrs a day. i can only assume you have some stories to tell about working at a gun shop. Yep, I have heard what peopla say and ask at shop, but at least they are there, hopefully learning.

When I retire I may try to work at a fancy gunstore with a range (maybe Scottsdale Gun Club) as an instructor and to be paid only in ammo. Or maybe not.

 

[roughneck2zero]

Oh hell yes. The owner was a vet from 'Nam. He somehow knew a lot of people and there were times when he would close the store and several black SUV's or limo's would pull in. Some guys would come in to shoot and have fun. We would stay into the wee hours loading mags and helping them with the weapons. We werent allowed to talk to these guys and never knew who they were. But we all got $100 bill for helping out.

Then there were the times that groups like Aerosmith or Motley Crue came in...they had more machine guns than we did.
Then there was the time I almost had to shoot a little vietnamese guy because he was about to hose the place down with one of our machine guns. I was able to tackle him from behind and we beat the crap out of him before the cops arrived.
Then there was the time...uh never mind. I'm getting waaay off your post here.

cheers

 

[Sloan441]

I've never cared for .22s. Haven't owned any in more than a few years and don't plan on getting any--unless maybe a cheap .22 Diamondback shows up...which it won't.

What I do like are air rifles. I've been seriously considering a precharged and am debating on how much I really want to spend. I've been sorta thinking about getting another HK45, but now I might put that money towards a good precharged. Just have to figure out what I want. I have several scuba tanks and fill fittings from my paintball days, so some of the infrastructure to keep these sorts of guns running I already own.

 

[magikbullet]

I need a good 22 badly... I can't afford to get the amount of practice I want with my rifles so I want to build a good 10/22 and maybe a gsg5 to plink with.

My dad's old nylon 66 with the fubar'd scope and loose front sight is not cutting it. I shot the shit out of that thing when I was younger though...

 

[aziator]

I have a few .22's and love them. My supressed ones get the most use but they all get shot every now and then. My kids are bot quite old enough to shoot but they enjoy pulling the trigger while I help them hold the gun. i find that they are a great practice aid and pretty accurate for what I do with them. Prices haven't driven me there all the way, Reloading keeps me shooting pretty good.

 

[Carl AMG]

Yeah, that's what we USED to be able to do. I started off with a single pump Daisy at 6 then at 8 I got my uncle's old 22 he got back in the late 30's. I remember getting about 1 hour of instruction with the BB gun and that was it for adult supervision. Even after I took a 22 short in the arm at age 11, right after that it was back out shooting. Now a days, unless you are in some rural area and know everyone to include the cops, ppl will call the cops when they see a kid alone with a rifle, even a bb gun. Sad times.

even up to the mid 80's no one would bat an eye seeing guns on a back window of a pick up truck gun rack parked at a high school parking lot. Shoot, do that now and see what will happen.

So true. As a kid growing up in the late 60's/early 70's in suburban Washington, DC , your identity was almost defined by the BB gun you carried into the woods with your friends. Crossman 760 with real wood stocks, Daisy Model 94, etc. We would frog hunt in the creeks, target shoot, and just have a good old time unsupervised. It was such a different world than today.

My first .22 my late father bought me in 1972 or so at age 12 was a Winchester Model 320 bolt action, 5 shot clip scoped rifle. I still own it today and now my son shoots lights out with the trusty old Winchester. I shot on the rifle team in high school with a nice Anschutz, .22 single shot target rifle that I no longer own. It's the only firearm I have ever owned that I still don't have today. I still have the old Daisy but BB's will only roll out of the barrel today. ;D

My brother owns a mountain house in central Virginia and we picked a great spot down "in the hollow" to set up spinner targets for a .22 range. We shoot the Winchester, my brothers 10/22, Walther G22 and various .22 pistols cheaply as long as we feel like it. It's nice to walk in the woods with your rifle again without some tree hugger freaking out and calling the cops.

 

[1redgmc]

My dad's old nylon 66 with the fubar'd scope and loose front sight is not cutting it. I shot the shit out of that thing when I was younger though...

HA!

I still have my old Nylon 66 (purchased new in 1975) and it is STILL a tack driver (well at any distance less than 50 yards) - even after countless rounds through it - and a front sight that fell off LONG ago.

It has SIG (To hell and back) reliability and even with the scars on the stock and various specks of rust - I wouldn't trade/sell it for anything.

I also have a nice Winchester .22 bolt action (from grand-dad's once vast but now long gone collection) that accepts Shorts, Longs and LR. It too is accurate and a joy to shoot...

I also have a SIG Mosquito (with an AAC Pilot suppressor) and a pair of Walther P22's

FUN? HELL YES... and I'm waiting (patiently) for Aussie to nab me a GSG so I can SBR / Suppress it for more fun...

On a whim (not to hijack this one or start another thread) I recently picked up a GAMO Whisper .177 pellet rifle, and have re-discovered the fun of air rifles. NO - it is not the BEST air rifle, but for $200 with marginally acceptable optics - it is a LOT OF FUN. At 1200FPS with PBA ammo, it really emits a supersonic crack (even with the factory suppressor), so I opted for the standard lead pellets at 1000FPS and am having a blast trying to hit spinners at 40 yards off the back deck.

Back to the .22's - I've purchased a couple bricks (4000 rounds) of sub-sonic for shooting with the suppressor - and am stocking up on .22LR as being the potential "cure" to get me through the hard times when other ammo might be scarce.

Regardless - I truly enjoy my .22's and have many great memories (of time spent with my children) as a result.

 

[1redgmc]

Yeah, that's what we USED to be able to do. I started off with a single pump Daisy at 6 then at 8 I got my uncle's old 22 he got back in the late 30's. I remember getting about 1 hour of instruction with the BB gun and that was it for adult supervision. Even after I took a 22 short in the arm at age 11, right after that it was back out shooting. Now a days, unless you are in some rural area and know everyone to include the cops, ppl will call the cops when they see a kid alone with a rifle, even a bb gun. Sad times.

even up to the mid 80's no one would bat an eye seeing guns on a back window of a pick up truck gun rack parked at a high school parking lot. Shoot, do that now and see what will happen.

I took a .22LR HP in the left arm myself, and no one freaked (except my mom). Even the cops at the hospital shrugged it off and went about their busniess.

When I was 13, my mother enrolled me in a summer "sports camp". We had a riflery class, and a few of us boys asked - got permission - and brought our own .22 rifles. Hell, when the van came by the house to pick me up, the standard protocol was to show the camp counselor your empty chamber - THEN get in the van with your RIFLE. At least four other boys had the same deal.

There was no BULLSHIT nor horseplay (with guns) - we never even considered it. Everyone was cool about it. When you got to camp, you stowed your rifle in the rack, and that is where it stayed until it was time to head to the range.

Even in high school, we had riflery as an after school activity... as well as ARCHERY...

Oh yes, how times have changed...

And this was back in the late 70's in what is now COMMUNIST OCCUPIED MARYLAND...

What in the hell has happened to people?? ???

 

[1redgmc]

And I'm about to buy a .22 handgun. I'm deciding between a Walther P22 or a Sig Mosquito Tactical. I think I like the Sig better. I used my Stimulus check to buy a GemTech .22 silencer. Now I need to buy some threaded barrels. ;D

Roughneck... I REALLY SHOULD READ THE ENTIRE THREAD BEFORE I START TO SUBMIT REPLIES, HUH??

I have both the Walther P22 and SIG Mosquito - and although BOTH are fun as hell - the SIG Mosquito (with factory threaded barrel) is the most reliable. It eats/feeds everything and I got a sweet deal from Aussie on it. Do the SMART THING and buy all the spare mags you can afford when you buy the pistol. They are CHEAPER when you buy them with the pistol for some reason. Don't ask me why - ask SIG...

My :2cents:

 

[Carl AMG]

Here is a pretty cool website that shows the Winchester 320 I have and a guy's description of his purchase brand new for $53. It is chambered for S, L or LR as someone mentioned above.

http://home.comcast.net/~parslowb/2007/03/winchester-model-320.html

 

[tacweapon]

I am getting in on the .22's also, I just got rid of my POS 10/22 and got a T/C Classic and it is a joy to shoot, hopefully soon I will be getting a .22 pistol

 

[captain92]

I have always been into 22s, but now with prices being what they are, am even more so! Also, my range isn't that nice as far as distance (have 100yds max) but I have an awesome set up at 25m to shoot any handguns etc etc. Can back out a bit an get 50 as well. We have some platforms set up to shoot the 25m AQT as well. If anyone isn't familiar, go check out Tech Sights website and pick up a set of peeps for the 10/22. As a matter of fact, when I sent the guy praise about his sights, he posted my testimonial on there. It is Erik in NC. Anyways, 22 rifles and pistols make for a fun time at the range! I have even picked up a couple of older discontinued Smiths-422 and 622 to go with all of my Rugers and Smith 22A.

 

[roughneck2zero]

I just boughta Sig Mosquito "tactical". It has a threaded bbl, but it's a european metric thread. I heard there are adaptors for 1/2x28. Anyone know where I can get a good one?
thanks

 

[1redgmc]

I just boughta Sig Mosquito "tactical". It has a threaded bbl, but it's a european metric thread. I heard there are adaptors for 1/2x28. Anyone know where I can get a good one?
thanks

You will LOVE that SIG for sure. Give us a range report when you have time.

Send Roy over at Aussie Arms a PM and he'll hook you up for the necessary adapter(s).

You can also send him an e-mail: [email protected]

I nabbed a few adapters for my Mosquito and P22's off of him. Good prices.

 

[roughneck2zero]

Thanks, I already love it and I haven't even fired it yet, I'll take it to work and run a few rounds through it tomorrow. It's a factory Sig desert-digital camo, at least that's what it says on the box. Supposedly somesort of limited production, although the european digital is a little different from ours.

My camera isn't cooperating just now, but I'll get pics asap.

I'll contact him tomorrow, thanks

cheers

 

[1redgmc]

Is this it?

 

[1redgmc]

Here is my Mosquito with my AAC Pilot...

Just got done shooting it off the back deck too...

I was plinking some aluminum pie plates hanging around the garden... hoping I'd see that fox that ate a couple of our chickens.

I saw that son of a bitch the other night too. I woke up around 3AM, went outside to piss (hey, it was convenient) and the SOB came trotting across the yard - oblivious to me - and I was UNARMED. I bet that fox was no less than 15 yards from me too. That was a one in a million opportuniy that was missed... but it won't happen again.

 

[roughneck2zero]

Yup, it's just like that camo'd one. I understand the need for nocturnal relief except I had to stop because my neighbors get upset (kidding). I've seen a coyote or two here in the suburbs of ATL. Now that I have a neat little .22 and a silencer that may change. The wife just doesn't understand why I feel the need to go outside to "take a leak" in the middle of the night (with NVG's and a silenced handgun). Women ???

cheers