Rimfire Trigger Time

[Rob D]

I've read in a lot of places that precision shooting skills are a perishable skill that you need to constantly practice. My dilemna is that I'm shooting on a very limited budget and want to spend as much of my ammo budget as possible on matches. I'm thinking that if I get a .22 pistol I can afford much more consistent practice sessions and still shoot the same number of matches. Does anybody have any experience with this? I know that practicing with a .22 isn't ideal because it's a different gun with a different trigger and the recoil is pretty much non-existant, but I'm wondering if I can save some money by pushing a lot of my practice to the .22 then using the vast majority of my ammo budget to shoot matches. Does anybody do this or know anybody that does?

Also, I searched but did not find. If there is another post that talks about this please point me in that direction.

[kevin c]

In a typical practice I'll shoot 400 rounds of 22, then 100 to 200 rounds of centerfire ammo in the caliber I shoot in competition.

The 22 is, from just about everything I've heard, an intrinsically accurate round, and the conversion I use on my match frame is at least as accurate (with Wally World bulk pack Remingtons) as my match load.

I'm just a middling B pushing at A, but the routine works for me, and my accuracy is where it should be.

kc

[uscbigdawg]

My STI/TS .22 pistol is finally running well. It appears it's just down to a couple of little tweaks, but nothing major. I use it to work on position shooting and the fundamentals. At the end of practice, fire about 150-200 rounds of my primary to bring me back to that gun before a match.

Rich

[MichiganShootist]

My vote is for AirSoft rather than .22 practice.

You can get an AirSoft that is VERY close to whatever you shoot in competition.. and at 5 - 8 shots per cent.. it's a "No Brainer".

[taco101]

I'm not sure about it....a GM that I like to pump for information is of the opinion that a .22 is not that valuable as a training tool. But, I have found that I am improving by lots of dryfire and about 400-550 rounds of .22 a week. Then I shoot 150-250 of .40sw with my match gun. I feel that shooting some every day or every other day is making me improve and the cost of .22 is making that possible. 550 rounds of Fed bulk from wally world is $12.00.....I can swing that.

[pjb45]

I know a few GMs that use a .22. Some GMs forget what it takes to get to be GM. So folks need more trigger time and practice to perfect their skills. A .22 is a great learning tool.

I have had a Marvel and a Tactical Solutions conversion kits. I sold the Marvel to a friend who likes it very much. I stayed with the TS. It works on both my SV and single stack. The accuracy is great.

I generally practice with the .22 for a few practice sessions. Just before a match I will use the my .40s. I do not like to change from .22 to .40 in a practice. The differences in recoil bug me too much.

The .22 is fantastic to work on movement and for precision shooting. You can practice the drill until you dial it in. This is a big help for me.

I would recommend a conversion unit if you are shooting a wide body or single stack. I am not sure if they are available for other makes. If you need a single unit, the ruger is quite good. The 22/45 comes close to the 1911 style. I have some friends that modified their .22 grips to emulate their Limited guns by using tape to build up the grips.

Some say it takes 100,000 rounds to make Master. If so, you can get their cheaper by using a .22 to work on acquiring the skills you need. And then perfecting them with your competition gun.

[Rob D]

My vote is for AirSoft rather than .22 practice.

You can get an AirSoft that is VERY close to whatever you shoot in competition.. and at 5 - 8 shots per cent.. it's a "No Brainer".

That was my initial thought. I know I can get a glock replica airsoft way cheaper than I can get a .22 conversion for my g34. I also like the idea of being able to practice in my house. Have you found airsoft to be pretty helpful with trigger control? I posted on my local shooters forum asking about airsoft for training and immediately got half a dozen replies to the tune of "<----- The Airsoft forum is THAT way!!"

[Viggen]

.22 for shooting practice(with a little centerfire thrown in) and use what money you have for match ammo.

Your bigger issue is going to be learning how to move - that is the bigger part of the game.

[TM262]

I agree, moving is much more of a challenge than shooting.