How do you deal with the stigma?

[BigJ]

Hey guys. I have a secret love (a passion maybe even) for 22lrs. I can list the reasons why, but I think in this company I'd be wasting time; I'm pretty sure we 'get it'. But for some reason, it almost feels like a dirtly little secret, ya know? Case in point:

I recently went in to a local gun store and bought a bare bones 10/22. I plan to build it up to my tastes, tune it to drive nails and generally just turn it into one fine shooting machine. But I couldn't shake the sense of scorn from other customers in the shop. I'm a middle aged man of fairly large stature who yes, was in there buying a 10/22. No its not for my son, or my niece, or my grandma... its for me. Yes, it shoots a real caliber, no its not a toy and yes it is a real gun. I left the store almost feeling sheepish.

How do you guys get over the stigma? How do you measure your "little 22" against the bigger center fire calibers even just in your own head? Is it 'just a toy' to you too, or do you think of it differently?

Nothing is going to stop me from shooting and enjoying the hell out of my 22s. But I can't shake the feeling I'm somehow viewed as inferior for doing so. What about you, and how do you deal with it?

[DannyInSoCal]

Why give a crap what other people think...?

If you like it - Shoot it.

Besides - My wife looks cute when she shoots hers...

[BigJ]

Yup. That's the plan

Just wondering if folks detect the same... misguided mockery? ...from others when they buy or bring out their 22s.

[trob]

i get it from my cousin whenever i mention that i bought "another 22".

he'll ask what my gun-count is at currently (im constantly buying/selling), then he'll say "well, how many of those are 22's"....I tell him 5, and he'll act like those dont count

happens in this exact order constantly

[rplusplus]

Basically yea... who cares...

Though when I am at the range I do like going from pop pop pop

to BLAM BLAM BLAM when I switch caliburs.

It's all about enjoying the sport. and .22 is more inexpensive which means more time on the line and accuracy cannot be blamed on that huge recoil.

[ST22]

seriously, fuggedabout it

I've got enough in various calibers. My 22 is still my favorite for practice and fun. I'm accurate and I can afford to shoot it all day long. Having more than one means I don't wear out one prematurely. Having more than three means more of the same. And when other people are making fun and then complaining of ammo prices, take your $20 and buy 500 rounds and tell them if they want to find you, you'll be on the range...

[donw]

my brother and i have a standing joke between us about some of the clientele and some of the employees seen and encountered in gun shops:

it seems like they're all ex-SEALs, ex-marines, ex-LE, ex-mercenaries, ex-rangers/paratroopers or ex-FBI/ICE/BP...and it seems like you always encounter the ones that will ask "What caliber XXXXXXX you got? oh...just a .44? i got a .45..."

there ain't nuthin' wrong with what yer doin...it's yer $$$$, yer choice...

the 10/22, along with the AR, happens to be, IMHO, a current day phenomenen that's not going away soon.

i'm probably "Older" than you...i personally don't give a tinkers d*** what others say about my choice in fireams...

[Merc1138]

If they ever add a .22lr rifle or pistol to call of duty game, there will be more demand for .22lr guns out of people previously ignoring them.

[Cowboy T]

When I first got into firearms a few years ago, I thought the same thing. "A .22? Oh, please, might as well just shoot a kiddie BB-gun!"

Then I actually tried one. My mind changed very quickly.

Shortly thereafter, a 10/22 somehow followed me home. I affectionately call it, "The Assault .22" because, of course, it's "capable of accepting a High Capacity Clip"! This rifle is just plain fun to shoot, and it's tough to beat one for harvesting small game like rabbits and such. Ammo for it is dirt-cheap, too. I cannot think of a better rifle to use for practicing marksmanship fundamentals than a .22LR of some sort.

So, how do you deal with the "stigma"? Whoever doesn't like your choice of firearm is free to purchase a so-called "real gun" in a so-called "real caliber" for you with their money if they think it's so important. Anybody who opens their mouths at you like that, I suggest you consider mentioning that option to 'em. Oh, and they can buy your "real caliber" ammo for you, too. Until they do, just keep thinking of how much fun your .22 is to shoot, and how much easier on the wallet it is than their so-called "real guns".

[SCZ]

Hrmm.. ~525 rounds 22lr for <$20 vs. 100 rounds 9mm for ~$23 at walmart.

I can spend all day at Laguna Seca on the steel course and even play with the 300yd gong if I want. Or I can spend all day on the tin can range at Los Altos rapid firing.

Can't rapid fire the 9mm at any ranges nearby, and I'd be spending 5x as much on ammo.


Also, my wife likes 22's, so we go out together, and that's a huge plus for me. Even my mother said that our 22's were cute and she'd be willing to go sometime. So they seem fairly female-friendly which could be a good thing if you're trying to introduce a girlfriend to your hobbies.

[dls]

I have to admit, I felt a little weak when I was at the very busy counter picking up my Buckmark.22 I guess it's just a guy thing.

[Cowboy T]

my brother and i have a standing joke between us about some of the clientele and some of the employees seen and encountered in gun shops:

it seems like they're all ex-SEALs, ex-marines, ex-LE, ex-mercenaries, ex-rangers/paratroopers or ex-FBI/ICE/BP...and it seems like you always encounter the ones that will ask "What caliber XXXXXXX you got? oh...just a .44? i got a .45..."

Yeah, I hear ya. And the funniest part about that for those wannabe-macho types is that typically they mean 185-gr to 230-gr .45 ACP, a low-velocity, low-pressure round. I've found most ".44" shooters are typically shooting .44 Magnum, not .44 Special, and they're shooting at least 240gr projectiles and often 300-grainers, so these wannabe-ninjas even lose on the "oooh, my round's bigger/more powerful" count, too.

[lmudave]

I happen to collect and shoot .22lr more than anything else. You'll get the look from the guys who think anything less than a .308 is childs play. When I go to the range or shoot with friends they're usually blasting away with their AR's and AK's and barely able to hit paper while I'm hitting the 1" shoot-n-c pasters with consecutive rounds from my .22's.

I enjoy giving them "the look" when we go up to change or check targets and they realize theirs looks like a bunch of birdshot all over the paper and i can cover mine with a quarter.

I learned to shoot on a .22 and those fundamentals transfer over to larger caliber guns. I'd rather be able to hit what I'm aiming at consecutively and accurately than just blast away with a larger round.

[lmudave]

By the way, if you want to really talk to the guys who understand the love of .22's checkout rimfirecentral, it's a wealth of knowledge.

[davek8s]

I let my groups do the talking. That usually shuts up the "he's only shooting a .22" crowd.

But I figure it's no ones business what I want to shoot.