Rimfire Train Pistol

[Tangram]

What is a .22 pistol's role in learning to shoot well for IDPA or IPSC competition.

Obvious .22 chacteristics: The .22 offers the use of cheap ammo for more rounds going down range and small bang and kick.

By shooting a .22 do I just get good at shooting a .22? It seems to me that I would be good for developing a sight picture. However even my 9mm has lots more recoil and noise - neither of which bother me.

Is buying a .22 a compliment to my Kimber 9mm or am I better off just buying more White Box.

Guess I am asking for your insights so I can make up my mind as to what might be best for me.

[DougCarden]

You can practice grip,stance, sight alignment, trigger control, calling your shots with little to no recoil, noise, and it is cheap! Buy one, but remember, imperfect practice is still imperfect practice, no matter what caliber. Good luck, DougC

[Dan Burwell]

I have a S&W 22A with a red dot, and I have found it very helpful in calling shots, target transitions, and trigger control. I usually start every live fire practice with my 22 on plate racks. It has also taught me how fast I can see what I need to be seeing.

Dan

[spook]

Hi Tangram. I think it doesn't matter if you buy 9mm ammo or a .22. You will learn things either way. If you want to get better with the Kimber, I'd buy more whitebox. You'll learn to get better with a particular gun by spending time with it (at home dryfiring it, and at the range). A different gun will index different, will have another trigger to get used to etc.

If you want to become a really good shooter with the Kimber, I'd even lean towards not buying white box or a .22 and investing the money in a nice reloading press.

[Tangram]

I'd even lean towards not buying white box or a .22 and investing the money in a nice reloading press.

At the risk of drifting my own topic... I've wondered about reloading 9mm when I am paying 10.8 cents a round. The reloading numbers I've done included .05 for the bullet, .02 primer, .02 brass and a .01 powder. Then depending on my bent that day I figued $1,000 + for reloading equipment - Dillon 550b, scales, dies, and so on. My numbers are just estimates but I think they are reasonably accurate.

Without a doubt I would reload any other caliber. What do you think?

[spook]

Well, it's true you don't save as much on reloading 9x19 as you would by reloading other calibers. Your numbers for the ammo costs are accurate I think, but a reloading setup (Dillon Square Deal would cost way less than $1000. Especially if you can get your hands on a good used press. But, you're right. What good would a reloading press do financially if you can buy new ammo for just about the same price?

[kevin c]

Financially, not much perhaps, but there is the advantage of tuning the load (if it matters to the shooter, of course).

[Kingman]

Well I am building an STI framed Marvel to practice with this winter.

where I live in MD we get alot of snow. The town is called Frostburg.

I am going to build it exactly like my open gun so I can practice indoors. The range in my house will stop .22s but not major pf loads.

[Chriss Grube]

Why build a whole gun just take off the slide on the open slide on the marvel and go. They are great kits and accurate as can be. They are great for anything requireing a .22.

[shred]

I've done that.. 500 rounds of .22 on a Marvel-kitted open gun is a fun way to spend an hour or two. Just bring some poor sap to load magazines. Ouch. (lucky for me my converted Ceiner mags work great in my Marvel and don't require tools to load)