Anyone else collecting and shooting more .22 LR

[Jake3501]

I'm a long time shooter, over 50 years now and like most, my first four handguns and first two long guns were chambered for the .22 Long Rifle cartridges. I was 23 before I bought my first center-fire handgun (the much missed Model 10 S & W, I always lament about) and every handgun and rifle I bought after that age were all center-fire until about age 59.

Over the past 10 years, I have accumulated more firearms than any other times except for my late 20's and early 30's.

After B.O. got in office, ammo just about doubled in price and I began to hold onto money a little tighter and the past three years I have allowed myself only one additional firearm per year. Last year it was a cherry 1978 vintage Browning Challenger .22 with a 6 1/2" barrel, this year a Rexio 9 shot revolver with a 6" barrel (shoots great even if fairly cheap).
It filled the void of a .22 revolver I wanted since I didn't want to spend $300 plus for a Taurus or $500 plus for a Smith.

In fact, three of my last four firearms purchases have been .22's.

At the range, if I am by myself, I typically shoot a box of center-fire ammo and then move to my .22s and shoot a couple of hundred rounds (at most).

I just find it odd, I started out with .22s and now I am reverting back to them, partially because I have a good larder of center-fire ammo, and want to maintain those for posterity, and partially because the 22s are just plain fun.

I was wondering if any other old farts were finding the fun of their youth?

[VTB_Gunner]

I am leaning toward .22LR for my next purchase. The only rimfire option I have presently is a Ceiner conversion for my AR's. Two reasons...cost of ammo, and storage/carry. If we ever did have a situation where what you have on hand is all you've got, it would be comforting to have 5,000 of those little suckers in one small bag.

[Wolf1477]

Heh well, I'm not an old fart yet, but, I love shooting .22s. I've almost always got a couple/few thousand rounds laying around for the impromptu let's shoot some targets...a lot!
No problem burning through 1000 rounds on a good Saturday with my brother just blasting clay pigeons to smaller and smaller pieces.

[glenwolde]

Yes, I've gotten more interested in .22's. I have a little S&W Model 63 ("stainless kit gun") that I started shooting because I was having a hard time finding reloading time and was conserving my ammo, then I pulled out an old High Standard HD Military I bought 15 years ago and never shot. After shooting it for a while it started to malfunction, so I sent it in for repairs. I was missing it terribly while it was away and just happened to run into another High Standard (A Houston made 10-X) at a price I couldn't pass up. Not a pretty gun but holly cow can it shoot. When the HD came back it was pretty close to the 10-X.

I do the opposite of you, I warm up with a hundred rounds of .22, then go to centerfire. If I want to keep going after 200 rounds of centerfire I go back to the .22.

I rotate the two .22's and my two .357's every trip to the range. One pair one week, another pair the next week. Then occasionally I have "Taurus Day" when the two autos go. I have a couple of other guns that get shot occasionally, usually when somebody wants me to take them shooting, or when somethings in the shop and I substitute them into the rotation.

But I do find myself looking at .22's a lot more. There's this 4" SP101 in .22 on Texas Gun Trader I'm desperately trying to resist. I hope somebody else buys it soon.

Revolvers : Ruger SP101 .22LR 8 shot

[chicharrones]

I like .22s. I picked up a .22 revolver, .22 pistol, and a carbine kit for a .22 just in 2011 alone.

[MOONDAWG]

Having seen 5.56mm go from $.18 a round to $1.05 a round over the last 4 years, I predict a huge serge in .22 LR popularity.

Been stocking up on .22 LR ammo too...stored properly it never "goes bad".

My .22 LR Taurus M-94 revolver and Rossi 62 Pump having been getting a lot more attention lately, which...is a good thing.

[gwk1951]

Old fart here.
Started back on .22 after I retrieved my Stephens rifle from my Father last year.
Single shot was too slow, so I got the Savage semi on my 60th Birthday.
More fun to shoot more bullets faster.
About 1000 rounds through it now, still trying to figure out why it's not very accurate at 50 yards.
Nice day today, guess I'll go shoot a couple hundred more.

[TexasAviator]

Not an old fart (though my wife says I act like it sometimes if that counts! : ) but I never stopped enjoying shooting .22's In the past couple weeks alone I have shot many rounds of .22 LR, .22 L and .22 shorts. They are fun and cheap. Even when I can afford more boxes of .45 acp I still like to send a few hundred .22's down range as well.

[ccviper]

Not an old fart but I never go to the range without a .22 and ammo. I like my high power rifles and big bore handguns but there is just something about a .22. Really, I like rimfires in general

[whichfinger]

Hah! Looks like "Old Fart" is a somewhat exclusive club. Eatcher hearts out, whippersnappers.

Started on rimfires. Had a Winchester semi and a Single Six, the latter bought in the early sixties. Got married, kids came along, wife said guns gotta go. Fast forward, kids are finally on their own (mostly :\ ), wife says maybe we should take up .22 handgun shooting together. An invisible choir sings Handel's Messiah, and the floodgates open. In the last ten years I've accumulated four SAs (one a nine-shooter) all with dual cylinders, a 94, a P22, a Chiappa 1911-22, a Chiappa M4-22, Marlin 60, a Henry H001T lever gun, a 10/22 converted to an M1 Carbine stock, all in .22 LR; a Henry H001M and a Savage 93GL, both in .22 WMR. And I ain't done yet, but I gotta sell more pencils. I love .22s.

Centerfires are Taurus 65SS, Ruger P95, Ruger Elsie Pea, Bersa Thunder 380, Marlin 1984C, and Mossberg 500 20-ga. I think I have social situations covered.

Guns I've sold: KelTec SU-16A, Marlin 1894 .44 Mag, Ruger GP100, Taurus .32 H&R Mag, P22 (not the one listed above), S&W 22A, S&W 637, HiPoint 9mm, and a Rossi 941. (Not including the Win and Ruger I had 45 years ago.)

Yeehah!