When it comes to beginner cartridges, .22 LR ammo takes the cake. But the same things that make it suitable for beginner shooters also make it useful even after you’ve been in the shooting sports for a while.
Here are some of the reasons .22 LR ammo is so widely beloved, as well as where you can get it online.
It’s Cheap
First, even in a world of surging ammo prices, .22 LR ammo remains (relatively) reasonable. Not being able to reload rimfire cartridges is a small price to pay for the fact that you can get it so cheap. Normally you can get .22LR for less than 10 cents per round, and if you buy in bulk, you can likely engineer the per-round cost of .22 down below 5 cents.
It’s Low Recoil
This tiny cartridge produces virtually no recoil. It’s light enough in handguns but in long arms, forget it – you won’t even be able to feel it. This is a boon to new shooters as well as to the recoil-sensitive, but it also means there’s virtually no muzzle flip. Fast, accurate follow up shots can be made with .22, which is great in competition as well as in sporting applications.
It’s Not Loud
Another thing about .22 LR ammo is that it doesn’t produce a lot of muzzle pop, even with a short barrel. While you should always use hearing protection, 22LR is not outright dangerous to your hearing the way some other cartridges are.
It’s Not Intimidating
For better or worse, how “scary” a cartridge seems will have a big impact on how shooters, especially the uninitiated, act around it. Fortunately, .22 LR ammo is small, unintimidating, and easy to handle.
It’s Small and Lightweight
Since it’s a small fraction of virtually all other cartridges, you can carry hundreds if not thousands of rounds of .22 LR ammo to and from the range or field. Even several loaded mags will only weigh a few ounces – that’s a big difference when compared to larger, heavier shotshells and centerfire rifle cartridges.
It Can Do It All
Alright, so .22 LR ammo can’t really do it all. It’s terrible at long range and produces only a modicum of stopping power. But for plinking, training, close-range target shooting, and teaching new shooters, it excels. And if that wasn’t enough, this little cartridge has a hundred and one sporting uses, from trapline dispatch to small game hunting.
One Cartridge, Many Guns
Another great thing about .22 LR is that so many guns are chambered for it, from wheelguns to semi-auto handguns, lever rifles, bolt rifles, autoloaders and everything in between.
You Can Get .22 LR Ammo Anywhere
The other great thing about .22 LR ammo is that you can get it anywhere – not just gun shops. In most of the country, convenience stores, hardware stores and other retail outlets carry it, too.
You can also buy it online. Add a retailer like Able Ammo to your list if your local shop is ever out of stock so you know where you can get your next brick to keep the ammo cans stocked.
Keep Plinking
These are just some of the best reasons to love .22 LR ammo, despite the few shortcomings it does exhibit. It should come as no surprise, truly – this cartridge has been around for well over 100 years and won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
