By R.K. “Bob” Campbell | Contributing Editor
The understudy handgun is sometimes not treated with the respect it should be.
I’d rather shoot a .38 Special, but this is what I can afford and so on is the attitude. The .22 should never be in a second fiddle place to the centerfire. A handgun chambered for the .22 Long Rifle cartridge is a great training handgun, well suited for target shooting, and is a solid choice for all around skill maintenance. It doubles as a small game hunting handgun and for and ridding the property of pests such as the two creepy Rs: reptiles and rodents.
Let’s look at the best utilization of these handguns and why everyone should own a .22 or if you are lucky more than one.
Training
There is nothing like a .22 for training. Ammunition is affordable. You may purchase a 500-round brick of .22 LR for about the price of 100 rounds of 9mm. That’s economy. The .22-caliber pistol offers low cost training without the recoil, muzzle flash and expense of a centerfire cartridge. In addition, .22 LR uses a heel based bullet and this may limit reliability as the heel may slip in the case during the feed cycle.
Rimfire priming isn’t nearly as reliable as centerfire priming. But then, modern .22 LR ammunition is better than ever. It isn’t unusual to go through a 500 round brick without a single failure to feed chamber fire and eject. If you use a revolver you may never experience an unqualified failure to fire. But then, the .22 isn’t for personal defense use. It would be better than nothing, but the .22 doesn’t have the wound ballistics for that role.
The .22 is often praised as the ideal cartridge for training young shooters. True but on the other hand the .22 is ideal for an accomplished shooter to keep up his training and keep the edge. During the panic fueled shortages of a few years ago the .22 kept my training going and it will do the same for those on a tight budget today.
Handguns
Don’t go cheap on the handgun. A quality rimfire may cost nearly as much as a centerfire but it is well worth the money.
The primary expense in training is ammunition, and that isn’t very costly. You should always be able to afford to send a hundred rounds of .22 LR downrange which may not be true of the 9mm. Choose a reliable .22 with a proven track record.
For example, the Ruger Mark IV .22 and Browning Buckmark are among the best examples of good quality firearms for informal practice. In revolvers, the Ruger Single Six will last a few lifetimes and is accurate enough for small game hunting.
For those deploying a modern polymer frame 9mm the FN 502 or SIG P322 are great choices for meaningful practice. These are polymer frame handguns but hammer fired rather than striker fired, adding to reliable function with rimfire loads. A neat and attractive little .22 is the lightweight Kel Tec P17. Mine has proven accurate enough for practice, reliable, and light enough for carry while climbing the steepest trails.
How To Train
Marksmanship training with the .22 should be carried out with a serious outlook. Sure plinking is fun and so is informal target practice but the experience is more satisfying once you have the basics of sight picture sight alignment and trigger press mastered.
Do your training the right way with the .22 and your skill will grow. An important step is to practice the proper grip and follow through. Grasp the handgun’s grip tightly. Don’t relax just because it is a .22! If you do it will follow to your 9mm practice and you may find centerfire recoil startling. Keep that firm grip and make every shot count. Train like you are building self defense skills and those skills will transfer to the centerfire handgun.
Learning the Carry Optic
Today’s defensive shooters are embracing the Carry Optic. Red dot sights improve speed and accuracy a great deal. The learning curve may be steep but the results are stellar.
Among the finest handguns to learn red dot sight alignment with is the SIG P322. This little pistol is more accurate than its weight class would indicate. I mounted the Hi-Lux TD3E enclosed emitter red dot to this pistol. With a steel cage to guard the optic, this is a durable sight. Don’t go cheap on optics for the .22! The sight mounted directed to the P322’s RMSc optics-ready slide.
I modified the Browning Buckmark to take the Hi-Lux TD3C by using an Outerimpact.com mount. Everything I needed including mounting screws was included. This is much superior to the Weaver mount which limits red dot sight application. Set up in this manner each pistol offers excellent utility in practicing with the red dot sight.
Ammunition Selection
Purchasing the cheapest ammunition seems fine to some of us but it doesn’t work out with modern self-loading .22 Long Rifle pistols.
Keep the SIG P322 lubricated properly and load the magazines using the supplied loader and reliability will follow. But some .22 ammunition uses powder intended for use in rifles, not handguns, and doesn’t burn well in a pistol barrel. Powder ash builds up and the pistol must be cleaned more often.
The Federal Auto Comp is among the most reliable loads I have used in either the .22 pistol or a .22 AR type. It is as clean burning as possible for a rimfire and accurate enough for meaningful practice. Choose your training handgun well, don’t go cheap on optics and ammunition, and enjoy the shooting experience. You may even become a better shot.
