are .22s fun/worth getting

Every time I'm out shooting, I always start with the 'big boys' 30 cal rifles and but the end of the day I'm shooting my 22. Its a lot of fun, it cheap and a heck of a lot quieter than the bigger rifles. My first 10/22 got a few after market parts, then I realized another was needed. They are a lot cheaper to customize and there is a lot of parts available (for the 10/22).
Bet cha cant just have one!
 
.22 will be easy on your budget while at the same time (especially for beginners) you practice your aim, grip, stance, etc.
Trust me, cost build up soooooo fast shooting anything 9mm and up.
I you want a lot of practice and go easy on your budget, you have 2 options:

a) Get any gun you prefer in any caliber and get .22 conversion kit (for stater more expensive option)
b) Get a low priced .22 plinker and have fun (I recommend GSG 1911 about $350)

My first gun was GSG 1911 and i had so much fun with it (I still do), however, in order to get my black badge, soon after I also got a CZ SP-01 Shadow 9mm Luger.
I shoot both guns very often, but I am seriously considering getting a conversion kit for my CZ as well. It is great for practice!

Before you do anything, go to your range and try different guns, calibers and calculate your budget.

Good luck

EDIT: Regarding your shotgun sports I am not sure if .22 in any option can help you much. (I am, unfortunately wrong guy to talk about that as my knowledge there is slim)
 
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Absolutely ,the only way to improve your skill is practice and the only real affordable way to high volume do that is 22
get a bolt action and a semi and you will soon see as most i have known will shoot a lot of calibers but most trips to the range will have a high volume at the beginning or end or middle of good old 22
Remember the basics are the same for all firearms so a 22 is the best way to get a lot of range time in
 
Yeah - what they said....;)

I'm not really a 'shooter', more of a hunter, and most of my guns are shotguns and .30 cal. type rifles. But, I shoot my two .22's WAY more than I shoot anything else if you look at number of rounds fired in a year. They're incredibly fun and the ammo is SO cheap!!

I couldn't afford life without my .22's.....:rolleyes:
 
If you feel unchallenged by a 22 LR handgun, you need more imagination IMO.
Try this out: One handed bullseye shooting, from the offhand position and no other artifical support except for the one hand and arm that shoots it.
Iron sights, a 50 meter target and accurate ammunition. Consider anything within a 4 inch circle as very good, and anything within a two inch circle is exceptional.
If you cannot do this at first, do not give up on yourself and strive to do better next time around.
 
For sure. I don't get out as much as I want but the .22 makes it affordable whether you make it out or not. Plus there are great pistol rifle versions to choose from.
 
I have a .22 in riffle and pistol.
Great fun, cheap to buy and shoot, great to introduce others to the sport including kids and woman who may have never shot a gun before.
I also have a .22 conversion for my Sig which is great for training and must cheaper than 9mm.
 
One good thing about rimfires is they don't make much noise (especially .22) So you can fire off without worrying about bothering people if homes are not far away. Also, limitless magazine size is awsome.

I don't get why people ask this question all the time, is the only fun for you the Big Bang that accompanies pulling the trigger and nothing else matters?

Oh no you want to start with a 50 Bmg 22 is way to affordable and totally not fun to shoot all day.... Lol yea buy them and sell them it's fun!

just to clarify, I am an engineer and have always felt that experiencing that much focused power, as well as being able to use skill and precision to have impact on a difficult problem(accuracy or popping clays). I also did paintball for about 5 years before moving into airsoft, and even though hitting a target that is shooting back at you is exciting, ive always had a great time if not better at the range/shooting clays. I just felt that a .22 would be more of the same thing I have experienced, no recoil, just practicing precision. I figured it would offer the same amount of joy as holding a laser pointer on a set target, but I love unique firearm actions and a nice bolt action .22 looks like it should be a cheap and fun way to practice.
 
Like everyone here said ... it's cheap. It also gives you the chance to practice your breathing and trigger pull for accuracy, without "wasting" a high end .50 bullet for example.

Also, it's nice to have a .22 and have people that have never fired a gun be able to get into it. You can have a child, or gf shoot...the sound and weight of the rifle won't intimidate them. I got my GF (she doesn't like guns due to having been on the receiving end of a hold-up) to shoot a .22 ... then got her to shoot a 30-30 5 minutes later.
 
I love my .22. Its a heavy barrel Savage MkII BVSS, with a Bushnell 50 6-24 scope. It can make loonie sized groups at 100 yrds no problem, and even ring our range's 300 yrd gong 10 times out of ten shots. The funnest thing for me is shooting not paper targets, but one of those metal resetting shooting gallery targets.

But cooler still, is silhouette shooting. I had a chance to watch a champion silhouette shooter at our local range, and he let me take some shots at his targets: little animal silhouettes made of metal. Very fun sport. Challenging too, since you have to stand to shoot with no rest, and no sling. I would love to get into that. For silhouette shooting, you need .22 LR. Neither .17 or WMR qualify. So there's another advantage to going with .22LR. CCI .22 LR Mini-mag ammo is the best, IMO.

A little YouTube video about silhouette shooting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEk3AulEHac
 
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I started with a 22/45 and then a 9mm. just bought a 22 bolt action. and am seriously considering another 22 pistol MnP22. buy a MnP22 and if you dont like it I will buy it off of you. so long price is within reason. ($400-$500).
not sure if anyone mentioned it already, why don't ask around to see who is willing to take you out to a range and trying blasting off few hunderd rounds..
 
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