The Benefits of the .22 LR Cartridge
The .22 LR handgun is often looked down upon. Many people claim that the .22 LR cartridge, a least in a handgun, is 'pointless', 'ineffective', or 'a waste'. Still more believe that a .22 LR pistol has only a very limited use for training purposes, so limited that it is worthless.
In reality, .22 LR handguns have much more versatility and use. For starters, a .22 LR handgun is close to perfection for training both brand new shooters and people who have been shooting for years. Due to the low recoil and noise, a new handgun shooter will not develop a flinch, or other bad behaviors, if they start off with a .22 LR handgun. These bad habits are extremely difficult to get rid of, and it is much better to prevent them from developing in the first place.
For more experienced handgun shooters, training with a .22 LR handgun can be a very effective tool to help further improve their shooting ability. Even experienced shooters may have a slight flinch or other errors or bad habits that are hidden by the recoil of a large-caliber handgun. These errors and habits can often easily be seen when training with a .22 LR handgun. By training with .22 LR, an experienced shooter can work to correct these problems, gaining valuable skills that transfer directly to shooting larger caliber handguns. Basically, frequent training with a .22 LR handgun can help shooters of any skill level improve their shooting ability with any handgun.
But that is only the beginning of the benefits of a .22 LR handgun. Another of the most compelling reasons why a .22 LR handgun is a great training aid is the extremely low cost of ammunition. For the price of 50 rounds of larger caliber ammunition (9mm, .45 ACP, .40 S&W, etc.), you can buy 200-250 rounds of high-quality .22 LR ammunition. These extreme savings on ammunition can easily pay for the cost of an accurate and reliable .22 LR handgun in just a few thousand rounds. And you will have had four to five times the amount of live-fire practice, which will help you to immensely improve your shooting skills regardless of your current abilities
The huge cost savings for .22 LR ammunition is even more important due to the rapid overall rise in cost for all ammunition we have seen recently. Too many people are not heading to the shooting range as often as they would like because it simply costs far too much to run more than a couple dozen rounds through their larger-caliber handguns. I have a hunch that the sales and popularity of .22 LR handguns will skyrocket in the near future. Being able to shoot hundreds of rounds for just a few bucks is a very strong driving force.
So we've established that a .22 LR handgun is a wonderful training aid for shooters of all skill levels, and that .22 LR ammunition is dirt cheap. What else is a .22 good for? Loads of fun! Shooting a .22 LR handgun, be it for informal plinking or more serious target practice at the range, is simply a great time.
If you are coming to realize the benefits that owning a good, accurate, and reliable .22 LR handgun offers, you may be wondering which models are the best choices in your price range. For more information, be sure to browse our database of .22 LR pistols and .22 LR revolvers.