# .22 air rifle vs .22lr



## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

This ammo craziness has gotten me thinking about a 22 cal air rifle for small game, plinking and varmint control.

How do the ballistics of high-quality 22-cal pellets at 1200 fps compare to 22lr-sv?

I did a search on this a couple days ago and didn't find what I was looking for. If there is already a thread on this I will happily entertain the link


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## Diver (Nov 22, 2014)

Personally, I think the ammo problem will be completely over soon as it is already over for guns. I wouldn't let that determine my choice and as preppers we know to stock up on what we use. Shortage? Not in my house!

Best bet is get one of each and stock ammo for both.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

The pellet guns are effective and quite. They have their place. I would rate them a notch below 22lr balistically but not by much.


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

A bolt action 22 short with a heavy bullet to keep it subsonic is quieter than an air rifle. Might be worth considering to remain covert in your hunting.


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## Ian (Dec 12, 2014)

Ive seen everything from tree rats to porcupines taken with a .22 airgun and I've heard of people putting down beavers with them. balistically, they are below a rimfire but not by much. While the amount of time that the ammo crisis lasts is questionable one thing to think about is reloading pellets, no primer, no powder, just lead or whatever you chose to make the bullets from.
Airgun pellet mould from cheap pliers


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## bigdogbuc (Mar 23, 2012)

At least Inor didn't volunteer me for this thread...

.22 Air Rifles, just like .22 "Powder Burners", have the energy they produce based on one simple formula; Mass x Velocity = Energy. Period. The formula is a little more complicated than that, but you get the picture.

Because even what is considered a "heavy" pellet, it is lighter than a standard .22 bullet, it is delivered at a lower velocity, and it will automatically deliver less energy. Air Rifles can only deliver a projectile so fast, due to physics, and still be accurate. However, they still deliver enough energy to be very deadly, but that distance is much shorter than a powder burner.

http://www.crosman.com/pdf/CrosmanAirgunPelletCapabilitiesChart20120713.pdf

The good news is, you can find .22 Caliber Pellets ALL DAY LONG. ALL DAY LONG. And last time I checked, there was plenty of air left on the planet to drive them.

Now you just have to figure out what you want to shoot them with. If you get a "Break Barrel", make sure it has a Gas Piston set up. Much easier to shoot than a standard "Springer" gun. Pre-Charged Pneumatics are fantastic, but PCP's can get expensive. I personally recommend a Benjamin Discovery as a starter. Reasonably priced, accurate, well built.


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## Old SF Guy (Dec 15, 2013)

I would look at it this way...as long as you can melt a tire weight and cast 22 cal air rifle projectile you can still hunt small game...but the moment you run out of 22 lr bullets for your 22 LR firing days are over. it's done. To me it's a no brainer....get both.


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## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

I've heard that some people buy two handguns, for example the 1911 and a second 1911 in a 22lr so that you can shoot steady while still saving money.

I see there there are some Co2 handguns that have a blowback action that are obviously nowhere near as close to the real thing, but I could shoot them in my yard without the neighbors calling the cops. you guys think there is any value to this idea?

Also, thanks for your comments so far. I will be definitely buying .22cal air rifle, but instead of making it replace a .22lr, I think I'll get both.

In addition to the co2 handguns with blowback, I was also considering if it was a good idea to get a multipump handgun ( C02 could be hard to find in shtf). Any advantage to packing a real rifle in the bush, and bringing along a pellet pistol for small game or maybe just for play?

I don't know if it is worth giving away your location for a rabbit. In past hunts, I've never hesitated to use my .308 to take a partridge or a rabbit( I only vaporize 1or2 out of 10)....I don't buy into the idea that it scares away the deer. However, a shtf situation is not a deer hunt. Staying quiet can have it's advantage. Ofcourse, dropping a deer would be worth the risk, a rabbit probably not.


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## Old SF Guy (Dec 15, 2013)

I have the pump style because you never run out of arm power. and if you do...you really need just one more round.


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## Stick (Sep 29, 2014)

My neighbor a couple miles away, has been all over these mountains on a mountain bike the last fifteen years. 8,000 miles last year, he claims. I dunno...now and then (twice) I see him tooling along with his dogs. He carries a 1911 for protection, and his dad's old Benjamin pump pistol for groceries. One of the nice things about pellet guns is you can get really good with them fairly cheaply. Shoot all day long for a few bucks, as opposed to a dollar a shot options. I like to set 9mm cases out at about thirty feet or more and snipe em with a Gamo Hunter. 8mm Mauser brass I use for artillery emplacements. Little green Army men and equipment are also fun targets, if you, like me, have a large part that just could not, ever, seem to grow up. Yard sale Tonka trucks are pretty durable, though I confess I usually set them out at the 135 yard line on a dirt bank and lob .22's at em with a pistol. 8 or 10k pellets don't take up much space, either. I chose .177 for all my air guns, so BB's can be used, too. Not much chance of running out. A hundred years from now my descendants will be shooting these BB's. They'll be mining this backstop for lead and BB's for another hundred years.

But I digress.

I'd get both, .22 rifle and pistol, and pellet rifle and pistol of choice (I have some CO2 guns...I will avoid them in the future).


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## sargedog (Nov 12, 2012)

I have often wondered the actual distance you could shoot a .22 pellet, I have heard that the distance for .22 LR is up to a mile. I just have a .177 pellet pistol I like to shoot from time to time, keeps some of the rust knocked off.


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## bigdogbuc (Mar 23, 2012)

tinkerhell said:


> I've heard that some people buy two handguns, for example the 1911 and a second 1911 in a 22lr so that you can shoot steady while still saving money.
> 
> I see there there are some Co2 handguns that have a blowback action that are obviously nowhere near as close to the real thing, but I could shoot them in my yard without the neighbors calling the cops. you guys think there is any value to this idea?
> 
> ...












Don't tell anybody, but I practice quite a bit with my semi-auto CO2 pistol. It's 1911'ish, one to one scale, has a little heft to it. And it makes me use my fundamentals in order to hit the target. I practice at about 20 to 30 feet, which oddly, is within the distance that a real gun fight statistically takes place. I have to concentrate on my draw, trigger pull, grip, sight alignment, you know, all the stuff you have to do with the real thing.

I use small targets (paper, cans), even have some thin steel plates (about an 1/8" thick) that are 6" x 4" that force me to really concentrate. And I do it along side my house and it doesn't bother the neighbors. 60 "Rounds" of BB's and a CO2 cartridge cost me about 54 cents. Less than a penny per pull of the trigger.

I ran it over the chrony and it shoots just over 400 fps on a fresh cartridge. It will plow through both sides of a hollow core door from about 12 feet without any trouble at all. So why not?


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Old SF Guy said:


> To me it's a no brainer....get both.


'Nuff said.


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## LONE WOLF (Dec 12, 2014)

I have one of the Benjamin air .177 and it is a blast to shoot. One cool trick that you can do is put a drop of oil in the cup of the pellet. This creates a diesel air rifle that actually goes bang!


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

tinkerhell said:


> This ammo craziness has gotten me thinking about a 22 cal air rifle for small game, plinking and varmint control.
> 
> How do the ballistics of high-quality 22-cal pellets at 1200 fps compare to 22lr-sv?
> 
> I did a search on this a couple days ago and didn't find what I was looking for. If there is already a thread on this I will happily entertain the link


If hunting might want to consider a .25 cal that will take bigger game. Pellets are harder to come by though


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

LONE WOLF said:


> I have one of the Benjamin air .177 and it is a blast to shoot. One cool trick that you can do is put a drop of oil in the cup of the pellet. This creates a diesel air rifle that actually goes bang!


Go on...
More details are demanded.


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## LONE WOLF (Dec 12, 2014)

I really don't have any more details. The compression from the air will ignite the oil (diesel) which turns an air pellet into a engine so to speak.


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## Doc Holliday (Dec 22, 2012)

I dont know anything about these new air rifles but have looked at them every time im in WallyWorld... Cant get any of the employees to tell me anything either.
Some I guess have a spring and others use something else? I would really like to get something I can hit squirrels or rabbits with without wasting all my 22lr's


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

To each his own but .22 longs are cheap enough that buying a few extra bricks (a brick is 500 rounds) won't break the bank. The fact that a .22 can toss 10+ bullets towards a threat or your potential dinner in about 5 seconds makes a .22 long (or .22 shorts to keep things quiet) an easy choice. 

If you have close neighbors then I can see where an air rifle may be useful for target practice or getting your neighbor's cat out of a tree. Since we have a coyote problem where I live getting the neighbor's cat out of a tree rarely is a problem (coyotes think kitty cats are quite tasty) and the coyotes make for fine target practice with a .22. Don't think I'd like to shoot a coyote with an air rifle.

Don't get me wrong, I used to practice my pistol target shooting indoors during the cold winters with a pump air pistol so I realize how useful an air pistol/rifle can be, especially if you're turning a 12 yr old out to run around in the woods chasing squirrels but with the limited amount of items one can carry I suspect a .22 may be a better choice in a S.H.T.F situation. A brick (500 shots) is a very compact 3 lb package easy to transport and capable of dropping dinner or an attacker at 100 yards. Several of the "old timers" up in the NC hills claim to have killed deer with a .22 long rifle while squirrel hunting.

And the kicker,,, there are several .22 rifles out there that break down into two short lightweight pieces for super easy transport in a small day pack.


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## Diver (Nov 22, 2014)

FoolAmI said:


> To each his own but .22 longs are cheap enough that buying a few extra bricks (a brick is 500 rounds) won't break the bank. The fact that a .22 can toss 10+ bullets towards a threat or your potential dinner in about 5 seconds makes a .22 long (or .22 shorts to keep things quiet) an easy choice.
> 
> If you have close neighbors then I can see where an air rifle may be useful for target practice or getting your neighbor's cat out of a tree. Since we have a coyote problem where I live getting the neighbor's cat out of a tree rarely is a problem (coyotes think kitty cats are quite tasty) and the coyotes make for fine target practice with a .22. Don't think I'd like to shoot a coyote with an air rifle.
> 
> ...


Personally I think the Ruger 10/22 TD has really brought the idea of a prepper or survival rifle mainstream.


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

Additional slightly off topic thought,,,

For those of you who live in a major city and may need to hike out 20+ miles with your BOB's straps cutting into your shoulders with 2 rifles (air rifle and AR type rifle) weighing roughly 25 lbs? with 500 rounds for each (1000 shots total) I'd instead consider either a .22 or M-1 carbine (around 16 lbs with 1200 rounds). Maybe not the hardest hitting rifles but saving 10 lbs from your pack would make your back feel a lot better after 20 miles and still be capable of fending off trouble and remember, you can only shoot one rifle at a time.

Nobody is going to charge you with a swarm of .22's buzzing by their ears.

legal disclaimer :ambivalence: ,,, No I didn't use a scale to figure these weights but you get the idea and let's be honest,,, most of us aren't in perfect physical condition. 10 lbs will make a huge difference after 20 miles.


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

Diver said:


> Personally I think the Ruger 10/22 TD has really brought the idea of a prepper or survival rifle mainstream.


Had a 10/22 TD but the dog ate it.


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## bigdogbuc (Mar 23, 2012)

This was cool...when powder and pellets collide...


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## Doc Holliday (Dec 22, 2012)

That was pretty cool.... Now Lowes will have a run on them so they wont be available either!
22Lr's cost $85.00 a brick around here, good thing I stocked up early.


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

Doc Holliday said:


> That was pretty cool.... Now Lowes will have a run on them so they wont be available either!
> 22Lr's cost $85.00 a brick around here, good thing I stocked up early.


$85??? I picked up several bricks from midwayusa.com for around $35 last year which I thought was robbery Just checked and they're now asking for $50.99 for the same brick. Either price seems like robbery. I thought the "ammo crisis" was over; guess it's not.


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## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

Interesting youtube video. Thank you for bringing that forward.

Considering that most .22 zip guns use small tubes and pipes, which tells me that an air rifle could hold the pressure of the .22......in a shtf scenario, couldn't a pellet handgun be converted into a single shot survival weapon that shoot this sort of round?


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## Doc Holliday (Dec 22, 2012)

I can find any other ammo from 17hsm to 458 Win Mag around here but no 22lr with the exception of the guys who know when wallmart and other places get them, go early so they can get all the ammo and put it on consignment at a local gun store for 85.00 to 95.00 per brick... I will never pay that much, even if I didnt already have what I need.. People need to stop buying 22lr from any where so these idiots can keep stocking up and trying to sell at ridiculous prices and eventually they have so much money tied up in 22lr that they cant afford to eat... Maybe then the prices will come down.


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## Stick (Sep 29, 2014)

Mad Trapper said:


> If hunting might want to consider a .25 cal that will take bigger game. Pellets are harder to come by though


I'd bet .25 pellets would be easier to cast.


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## Stick (Sep 29, 2014)

As to the nail gun video I didn't watch it, but last year Winchester came out with a new rimfire round, geez, I forget the name or the specs but it was a hot rod. Hotter than a .17 HMR or .22 Magnum, I believe, based on the necked down nail gun cartridge, stronger to withstand higher pressures. Can't even remember if it was .17 or .22. Haven't heard much about it since that first blast of publicity. Seems to me at the time there were only a couple of rifles chambered for it, both CZ's, which may be why we haven't heard much about it. You'd think Winchester would chamber a rifle in its own proprietary cartridge.


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