Which .22's do you own/shoot most?

Was wondering which .22's do you own/shoot most? How do you shoot your .22's and at what targets? For me, I usually just plink at steel targets with my Ruger MK3 pistol and my S&W 15-22's. The .22 dueling trees are great. I also have a little Savage bolt .22 with a threaded barrel which is great for getting rid of critters quietly.

Great topic!

My favorite 22 range toys are a couple of flavors of 10/22s and a Buck Mark Field 5.5 pistol. The Smidt MOE M&P 15-22 always comes along because it helps introduce the curious public to EBRs.

Normally, I'm limited to punching paper at my local indoor range.

My favorites are a Browning Buckmark, which has been used to train most of my family to shoot a handgun, and a pair of Marlin 795's.  One of them has a way too big 4 - 12X scope I bought years ago for a high-level air rifle, and the other has Tech-Sights aperture sights.

All of the above are used just for target shooting.  My son and I used the Marlins at an Appleseed event (both had scopes at the time).  I'm hoping to go back later this fall with the Tech-Sight rifle, and son will use the scoped rifle, hoping to get his Rifleman's patch.

I also use the rifles to train my son's friends how to shoot, but only when the parents say ok to it.

Targets are always paper. With the rifles, I usually shoot at stickers about the size of a quarter at 25 yards. With the pistol, it's usually 3-inch dots at 13 yards. However, when my daughter and other less-experienced shooters fire the pistol, we use bigger 8-inch circles until they get comfortable with it.

Heh... just remembered I have a ruger single six in the safe. I might need to shoot it sometime. Sometimes it is hard for me to get excited to shoot .22's unless there is some type of friendly competition. Otherwise, I tend to want to shoot larger calibers.

I tend to be a pistol shooter, so while I shoot a lot of .22, it is usually pistols.

My favorite is a newer version of the Ace conversion on a Colt frame. I have the older version, but it is harder to shoot as the sights are smaller.

I will also shoot .22 conversions on my Sigs. I have one for the 226 and one for the 229. Each allows me to shoot basically the same gun but without the recoil. So you get to practice the trigger press, etc and not have trigger jerking step in. I find it a great reliever from time to time to remind myself of how to press a trigger on a certerfire pistol.

I have a Colt Woodsman, and a Smith 41 and a Smith Model 17(?) - it's a target .22 revolver with 6" barrel, target hammer and trigger, and the tightest cylinder I have ever seen. The .22's need to be pushed into the cylinder; they don't just drop in. And a Kimber 1911 in .17 Mach 2, with a conversion slide for .22.

I have a couple .22 rifles but rarely shoot them. No particular reason, just don't. I probably ought to.

I talked my dad into a .22 Savage bolt action rifle (same setup as me) last year. He is on my NFA trust, so I was able to let him borrow one of my .22 suppressors. He loves that little suppressed rifle shooting CCI segmented quiet ammo.

I have heard mention of the NFA trusts. ?What are the advantages, and how do you set them up.

The advantages of setting up an NFA trust are:

1. you can skip the local law enforcement agent sign off (saves time, also certain agents may refuse to sign off just to be a jerk)
2. multiple people can legally use the items without you being with them
3. if something were to happen to you (the NFA item owner) your wife/kids/family would not be in possession of an "illegal for them to possess" item
4. you can add and remove people from the trust relatively easily

To set up my trust, I paid a lawyer around $200ish who specializes in trusts. We went to his office and after about an hour or so, walked out with a notarized, professionally created NFA trust.

I'm messing with a Chipmunk pistol in .22LR. The sights are very good, fiber optic front and rear, but my eyes have seen better days. I have a scope on order and plan to use Burris Signature Rings for a trouble-free install.



I've tried the Aguila "Super Colibri". That's Eagle "Super Hummingbird" for those who don't speak Spanish. It's supposed to give 500fps with a 20gr. bullet and is meant for pistols! It seemed accurate enough -- I'll know more when I'm using a scope -- and was very quiet. Like I didn't need hearing protection, and it didn't sound like a gunshot at all. It's like CB Longs or the newer Quiet 22 ammo in a long-barreled .22 rifle.

I also shot some Federal Auto Match .22LR through it, with good results.

This little Chipmunk may become my "portable rifle". It weighs 2.5 pounds right now, so it's lighter than any rifle. It can fit in a modest bookbag, and with concealed carry is completely legal to bring along. It's a simple action, and it has a fairly light, single stage trigger. It's a heckuva lot of fun, as well. The only downside is that it has to be manually cocked after closing the bolt, but that doesn't bother me. I want accuracy a whole lot more than speed. It may be the perfect .22 for eliminating pests or taking small game near civilization.

I hope it will account for a number of rodents in the coming years! Has anyone else tried a Crickett or Chipmunk pistol?

All my best,
Dirty Bob

I have a .22 barrel for my Contender and a SS MkII Ruger 5.5" but have to confess I hoard more .22 than I shoot

Dirty Bob wrote:I've tried the Aguila "Super Colibri". That's Eagle "Super Hummingbird" for those who don't speak Spanish. It's supposed to give 500fps with a 20gr. bullet and is meant for pistols! It seemed accurate enough...

I think those are the powderless .22 rounds right? If so, yes, they are indeed quiet, but they go so slow you can sometimes see them when you shoot them. They also ricochet like the devil, so be careful with them. They will not cycle the actions of semi-autos (which is not your intended purpose anyways looking at that single shot/bolt pistol). As far as accuracy, I have found them to be OK for very close targets, but they are too inconsistent in velocity to shoot some of the mid range to far targets (shooting out of a Crickett and a Rascal kiddie rifle).

Good caution on ricochets with the Super Colibris. I bet that cone-shaped point contributes to their ricochet ability.

No, they don't have powder, so I suspect that a rifle-length barrel may even slow them down substantially. I want them for rats and squirrels out to maybe 15 yards, tops.

I plan to do some accuracy testing once my pistol is scoped, as well as some penetration testing. Even if I can't use them for rats, they'll make great training rounds for short range with beginners.

I found that they're in stock at some Academy Sports stores! Not a big seller, and a bit expensive at $4.49/50. I call the 800 number for customer service and ask which store in my area has them in stock at the moment.

All my best,
Dirty Bob

Dirty Bob wrote:Good caution on ricochets with the Super Colibris. I bet that cone-shaped point contributes to their ricochet ability.

No, they don't have powder, so I suspect that a rifle-length barrel may even slow them down substantially. I want them for rats and squirrels out to maybe 15 yards, tops.

I plan to do some accuracy testing once my pistol is scoped, as well as some penetration testing. Even if I can't use them for rats, they'll make great training rounds for short range with beginners.

I found that they're in stock at some Academy Sports stores! Not a big seller, and a bit expensive at $4.49/50. I call the 800 number for customer service and ask which store in my area has them in stock at the moment.

All my best,
Dirty Bob

?Ever considered something like a Sheridan air rifle. Kills to at least your distance, has a small scope you can get for it, pump it up with 10 pumps, and that .20 pellet is awesome on rabbits and smaller (chipmunks is what I shoot now - rabbits pretty much have been decimated).

Devereaux wrote:
?Ever considered something like a Sheridan air rifle. Kills to at least your distance, has a small scope you can get for it, pump it up with 10 pumps, and that .20 pellet is awesome on rabbits and smaller (chipmunks is what I shoot now - rabbits pretty much have been decimated).

I have thought of it, but I hadn't considered Sheridan. Are the current rifles as good as yours? Air rifle pellets are a lot easier to find than .22 ammo!

I'd looked at some of the PCP air rifles with a reservoir that you charge, but they're pricey.

Regards,
Dirty Bob

Dirty Bob wrote:

Devereaux wrote:
?Ever considered something like a Sheridan air rifle. Kills to at least your distance, has a small scope you can get for it, pump it up with 10 pumps, and that .20 pellet is awesome on rabbits and smaller (chipmunks is what I shoot now - rabbits pretty much have been decimated).

I have thought of it, but I hadn't considered Sheridan. Are the current rifles as good as yours? Air rifle pellets are a lot easier to find than .22 ammo!

I'd looked at some of the PCP air rifles with a reservoir that you charge, but they're pricey.

Regards,
Dirty Bob

Harder to say since I bought mine back about '78. But I have a Gamo one-click cocking rifle and have found that it takes at least 500 rounds to properly break in the barrel for it to shoot as it ought (by my book). Seems generally that you need to shoot the heavier pellets to get a good break-in.

Sheridan~my dad has a "Silver Streak" given to him when he was a boy...he's 70 now and still has it...it always made my Crosman 760 seem kinda weak It felt like a real rifle compared to mine.

Well, it does shoot a .20 cal slug rather than a .177. You should see the slug - serious little bugger. The modern stuff has coolie hats and this and that - the Shderidan is SOLID. Rather like what you might shoot in a .75 H&H on a smaller scale.