If there is one gun that every firearms owners should have, it is a good .22 rifle. How can you not love em. My guess is that most of us here learned to shoot on dad's .22. For me it was an old Winchester Model 52. Way too big for a new shooter, but somehow I managed. Over the years I have bought and sold my share of rimfires and even shot small bore in college. So what are my favorites over the years?
1) Dad's Winchester
2) The Ruger 77/22 my wife let me get as a wedding present
3) Browning Buckmark Pistols - All Hail John Moses Browning
4) Smith & Wesson Model 41 - Shows the Europeans that America can build a target gun too.
Heck I'll even give a nod to the 10/22 and Marlin Mod 60. I have had my share of these as well over the years. My five year old son already has a 10/22 CRR waiting for him. Won't be long!
I get a real kick out of 22s and think they make great practice guns but they are deadly too. I have an acquaintance that killed his wife and himself with a 22. Had to shoot himself twice in the head to make it work. Nothing I would recommend.
Here is one of my favorites, a Russian Margolin olympic pistol.
It should be law that every young lad learns to shoot a .22 before moving on, of course the chain of command would be a wrist rocket, then a red rider, then a .22;
and of course I am not suggesting new gun laws, but that one I could live with. After all it is assumed fact (not sure what that really means) that .22's have killed more game in the U.S. than any other cal.
It should be law that every young lad learns to shoot a .22 before moving on, of course the chain of command would be a wrist rocket, then a pump air rifle, then a .22;
Fixed that. Pump air rifle - make 'em work for that shot!
I want another one of these like I had as a kid. Not an ultra powerful air rifle but enough to sting those dang raccoons that keep crapping on my deck since my dog was euthanized a couple of months ago. If I touch off anything with powder, FPDshooter or one of his coworkers will come visit me.
I used to not think much of 22s until I shot a friend's that had a scope. Thought that was neat as hell (since I actually hit the target where I was aiming for a change!!!) and now I could eat 'em up like butter cookies.
My dad and I still have a Marlin model 60 that he bought new at K-mart in the late 1960's for $39.95. We also have 2 Ruger 10-22's in stainless that we bought for $140.00 ea many years ago. I have a stainless Ruger MK II handgun and he has a brand new in the box unfired Colt Woodsman and 1 other that has had about 1 box fired through it, still in the box as well. We always liked the .22LR but lately are showing a big interest in the .17HMR instead. The .17HMR is nasty and really does a number on critters and is also very accurate. Is the .17HMR the replacement for the .22LR? No, absolutely not, but it is very nice to accompany it!
ruger, you sure you had a couple beers and not a couple energy drinks? I do love .22's as well. My favorite is my 10/22 I got several years ago. I have added to it with a custom trigger job and a dragunov style stock but it is by far my favorite gun. I have a couple .22 handguns as well but I'm not as much of a fan of them as I am of my 10/22