Is training with .22LR REALLY cheaper?

[Bunchies95]

So I, like many other people here, have thought that doing some training with a .22 will be cheaper than than practicing with your main caliber. Yes the cost per round of .22LR is much cheaper than any caliber used in USPSA, but when you factor in more than just the cost of ammo, a different picture can be painted.

I came up with an equation to figure out about how many round of .22LR I would have to shoot instead of my 9mm to break even.

9mm is the cost of the components to reload/purchase your rounds. (I'm at ~0.13 $/rd)

Reload Rate is the number of rounds you can load in an hour

Sorting rate is the rate at which you sort brass (by caliber, inspection, etc)

Hourly rate is the OPPORTUNITY COST of reloading. Basiclly assign a dollar amount per hour that justifies your time spent reloading versus doing something else.

.22LR is the cost per round of the .22LR ammo.

Now there are other factors at play as well but I think I got the big ones. I couldn't figure out how to put a dollar amount to the value of practicing with your competition loads versus the .22.

I had to buy the .22 gun to use for training. I chose the Beretta 87T, so that increased the costs significantly. By not putting an opportunity cost to reloading, I would have to shoot ~11k rounds of .22LR instead of 11k rounds of 9mm to break even. Adding in an hourly rate of $25/hr (what I value my time at), that number drops to ~5k rounds.

If you buy a cheaper gun, shoot more expensive ammo, etc the break even point changes. If you already have the gun or conversion kit, then this is a mute point.

This was a great tool for me to figure out if it was worth it to practice with a .22LR. As I plan on shooting a lot this year, it was an easy choice. I just had to justify buying such an expensive 22.

Edited April 11, 2012 by Bunchies95

[gose]

So I, like many other people here, have thought that doing some training with a .22 will be cheaper than than practicing with your main caliber. Yes the cost per round of .22LR is much cheaper than any caliber used in USPSA, but when you factor in more than just the cost of ammo, a different picture can be painted.

I came up with an equation to figure out about how many round of .22LR I would have to shoot instead of my 9mm to break even.

9mm is the cost of the components to reload/purchase your rounds. (I'm at ~0.13 $/rd)

Reload Rate is the number of rounds you can load in an hour

Sorting rate is the rate at which you sort brass (by caliber, inspection, etc)

Hourly rate is the OPPORTUNITY COST of reloading. Basiclly assign a dollar amount per hour that justifies your time spent reloading versus doing something else.

.22LR is the cost per round of the .22LR ammo.

Now there are other factors at play as well but I think I got the big ones. I couldn't figure out how to put a dollar amount to the value of practicing with your competition loads versus the .22.

I had to buy the .22 gun to use for training. I chose the Beretta 87T, so that increased the costs significantly. By not putting an opportunity cost to reloading, I would have to shoot ~11k rounds of .22LR instead of 11k rounds of 9mm to break even. Adding in an hourly rate of $25/hr (what I value my time at), that number drops to ~5k rounds.

If you buy a cheaper gun, shoot more expensive ammo, etc the break even point changes. If you already have the gun or conversion kit, then this is a mute point.

This was a great tool for me to figure out if it was worth it to practice with a .22LR. As I plan on shooting a lot this year, it was an easy choice. I just had to justify buying such an expensive 22.

You should also factor in time it takes you to get to the range, range fees, gas etc etc, so you can see if the price difference is really significant compared to other factors. Sure, shooting .22 might turn out to be half the price of shooting 9mm, but if the ammo cost is a small part of your total it might still not be worth it.

[Bunchies95]

You should also factor in time it takes you to get to the range, range fees, gas etc etc, so you can see if the price difference is really significant compared to other factors. Sure, shooting .22 might turn out to be half the price of shooting 9mm, but if the ammo cost is a small part of your total it might still not be worth it.

I didn't really consider that because I am going to go to the range regardless. Right now I practice 2X a week, live 10 minutes from the range and have no range fees.

[38supPat]

Lol....you really know how to suck the fun out of shooting!

[juan]

I wont factor in the hourly rate for reloading because I dont take time off of work to do it.

It is time at home with my thumb in my a## that Im trading it for and I dont charge for that.

[Ming the Merciless]

The wear and tear on your centerfire guns would be another factor especially if you're shooting in Open division, plus as you get older the additional wear and tear on your wrists, especially if your're shooting in Open division.

[Hi-Power Jack]

I tried it - got a Browning Buckmark with a cheap

optical sight - it never FELT the same.

The grip was totally different, the trigger was curved

and much lighter, the sight wasn't the same, no noise,

no recoil or blast ...

Don't think I learned a darned thing, except that

I could shoot a .22 a lot faster than a 9mm major

Didn't seem to be saving too much money either.

So, I got rid of the Buckmark, and practice up

a storm with my TruBor - just my personal preference

[Jolly Green]

Just picked up a conversion kit for my SIG. At this point, it's about learning to see the sights lift and then learning to call shots.

Im Not sure why I have more ego on the line when I'm shooting center figure, but it is a factor. At any rate, I'm more relaxed shooting .22 and therefore, according to my novice hypothesis, more likely to see front sight lift. I blew through over a thousand rounds of 9mm and never saw the sight lift once. By the end of my first day under the .22, I was seeing it lift consistently. I closed out the session with 9, and was still seeing it lift.

I don't know how it helps with grip, stance or manipulations. I don't really care. Even if all it does is help me develop the ability to call shots, I'll consider it an opportunity cost bargain.

Cheers,

D

[Hi-Power Jack]

Just picked up a conversion kit for my SIG. At this point, it's about learning to see the sights lift and then learning to call shots.

Makes a lot more sense to use a "conversion kit" than

a whole different gun - same grip, same trigger, etc.

Maybe I'll give that a try sometime.

[steviesterno]

I think it is a substantial savings no matter how you factor it. I picked up a 22LR conversion kit for my 3 gun AR for $100. Assuming $30 for 1000 rounds of 22, and about $0.30 a round for factory practice stuff (I don't load 223), It paid for itself after the first 430 or so rounds of 22lr. That was probably in the first afternoon

All this to practice the same trigger control, same grip, stance, roll over prone, and transitions. Sure it's not as loud, but wear less ear protection and it's the same thing

[Jolly Green]

Just picked up a conversion kit for my SIG. At this point, it's about learning to see the sights lift and then learning to call shots.

Makes a lot more sense to use a "conversion kit" than

a whole different gun - same grip, same trigger, etc.

Maybe I'll give that a try sometime.

Calling shots is calling shots. It's just this novice's hypothesis that the awareness required for shot calling might be learned quicker and cheaper with a .22. any .22. I can then spend the saved time and money to reinforce those skills before transferring it to the 'real' gun. YMMV.

Cheers.

David.

[sbcman]

To me it is worth it, and really not because of any monetary factor. I cast my own bullets and load 9mm at around $3.50/50 and 45acp for about the same. To just grab 500 rounds of 22 and go to town with some practice vs shooting 500 rounds of reloads, casting for new reloads then reloading them- yeah, the 22 is worth it to me. (But I don't reload or cast for "pleasure"). I like being able to do a lot of practice with 22, a little practice with 45 and 9 and have plenty of rounds ready for game day.

I currently have a 617 and plan to grab an M&P22 soon.

[Pensfan]

I bought a .22 adapter for my CZ 75B as well for this same reason. Same weight, trigger, etc. I now just need to get the same sights on my kadet kit to mirror my comp pistol.

So far it is helping a ton with watching the sights lift and calling the shots. Combine the .22 practice with my nightly dry fire routines, and I am hoping to continue improving at a strong pace.

[Joe L]

I have conversion kits for both IDPA guns and I shoot them a lot. Perhaps factor in the experience of the shooter as well when estimating the benefits of a 22. For someone like me who had to learn fundamentals of trigger control, sight picture, breathing, weak hand, weak hand only, etc., the 22 is a good use of money and range time. Someone who is very experienced and needs to concentrate on timing and transitions would benefit less from a 22. I am still at the level where I learn something from every group I shoot with a 22, so I shoot it a bunch. But I shoot at a 2.5"x 2.5" card at 25 yards instead of a 7" plate, too. Now. Not 6 months ago, however. I don't think twice about the cost of 2-3k rounds/month with a 22 but no way I'm going to shoot that much 9mm. I need trigger time, not recoil time.

Joe

[Nimitz]

Completely agree. I too am learning to shoot at the same time learning USPSA competiton shooting. My instructor suggested getting a 22 conversion for my Glock 34 so i could work on the firing cycle fundamentals without recoil masking what I needed to see. I shot at our club's organizaed monthly practice last weekend where we had 2 texas stars set up. I never cleared one completely with 9mm production div loaded mags. That Monday instead of doing the next training session on my schedule (I'm following Mike Seeklander's 3 phase training program) I decided to just work on trigger control so I made up a Dot Torture Drill target & just fired 200 rounds (two 10 rd mags at each 3" circle) to attempt to shoot as small a group as possible with no time limit, no draw, no movement. Just basic point the gun & shoot as precisly as possible to "retrain" myself about proper trigger control. It was also designed as a confidence builder because I felt like I had forgotten everything Mike had taught me about trigger control & I needed to correct that issue quickly. One thing I have realized about this sport is that if you don't perfect proper trigger control, being good at the rest of the things (transitions, manipulations, stage movement, etc) mean nothing because your accuracy is so poor you can never make up for it ... particularily in production Div where I live ... I don't think I would have done that type of practice session if I only had 9mm (even though I should of).

[Steve Anderson]

Make the targets harder with the .22. That helps compensate for the lack of recoil.

And yes, the Beretta 87T is one sweet-ass double deuce. I own two, and I have years of unused alibis at the monthly steel match.

[Norther]

The difference between 9mm and .22 is a lot smaller than that between .22 and .45, which is what I shoot. Plus, I "needed" the .22 anyway to compete in the local rimfire steel match...

[TriggerJockey]

If you shoot anything major (my load for 40 is $150 per 1k vs about $40 per 1k 22LR) it's a lot cheaper to use 22 LR, +1 for making the targets smaller. My only issue is setting my poppers light enough to activate my swinger! That and I gotta put like 2 or 3 rounds on each plate to knock them off the star! (once again probably good practice on tracking)

[canadianbacon]

I don't reload, so it is definitely cheaper.

[Seeker]

The majority of my shooting is .45, so the cost factor is significant. $150 per 1000 lead rounds vs under $40 for .22 I can do transition drills with impunity. The shooting aspects I must continuously drill are target transition and stage breakdown. To insure that I get practice with full power splits, at the end of a practice session I will shoot 50 rounds of .45. I also use a conversion for my 1911 so it's the same trigger and grips. I equate draw drills with a .22 as "dry fire with immediate feedback" I train with several Master level open shooters that have a complete rim fire version of their open match guns. actually, that's where I got the idea. As with every thing YMMV. Another benefit is that @ 20 yards, the plates don't fall so there is no need to reset the rack.

[kevin c]

My version:

My 9mm reloads cost $0.135 each. The AA conversion for my Glock and five magazines were, at the time, $350, including tax, shipping etc., and it allows me to use the same gear, and the same lower/trigger, if I wish. A cheap .22 round that works in the gun is about $0.035 each.

A typical weekly practice for me is 300 rounds or more of .22 doing drills and 100 to 150 9mm rounds afterwards running recoil control pertinent drills, or shooting the club's practice stage.

So I save about 30 bucks a practice in ammo cost. Spending a bit more for minimags (and sometimes I do), I'd still save about 20 dollars a practice. The conversion paid for itself in five months in the outside, and I've been shooting it for years.

So long as the centerfire trigger time is done at the end of each practice, I get what I need to out of the practice for less.

[UW Mitch]

I take both to practice

~Mitch

[msg73]

The cost factor isn't as much of an issue when you consider you can always sell it and get most of the costs back. For practice, getting a conversion or a 22 that's similar to your match pistol would be preferable. I have an M&P22 and it looks/feels the same as my M&P40 except the 40 is heavier.

[NicVerAZ]

I tried it - got a Browning Buckmark with a cheap

optical sight - it never FELT the same.

My Buckmark has the same geometry as a 1911 and uses a 1911 grip thanks to a guy named Rusty, who you can find on Rimfirecentral.com as well as on his own web site: http://rusty22.com/index.htm

I bought the Challenger plates and could use a Pashmayr ergonomic grip.

As far as cost, even buying bulk, the cost of my 9mm is still about twice as much as the cheaper .22 (Blazer or Winchester Bally deal), and two thirds as much as Minimags 36gr HP, what the BE shooters use.

I am not so sure about your math. And even if you are fast, 200 rounds of 9mm is what you can reload in one hour, including picking up primers, checking powder and OAL, case dropping, putting away, etc...

I use this hour listening to the radio, something smart and educational, so that it's not completely wasted intellectually

Edited June 4, 2012 by NicVerAZ

[old506]

I was a fan of a .22 conversion awhile back and since feel that it is a waste of time and money if you have the resources to shoot a reasonable amount of ammunition. I don't really see what you can do with a .22 that you can't do with dry fire. With .22 practice I still felt like I had to confirm practice with live fire using power factor ammo to make sure I was staying "honest". I felt like the .22 practice was a hindrance rather than helpful, similar to too much dry fire and no to little live fire practice. I can see the benefit for someone who is new trying to learn to watch their sight lift but beyond that I think it can be a detriment.