Millions of new shooters have joined the shooting sports since 2020, and the demand for guns and ammo has surged.
So let’s say you have someone interested in learning to shoot or hunt, and you’re an experienced shooter. Where should you get them started?
The .22LR cartridge is the best place to start. Whether you have your own or you’re considering helping them buy their first gun, here are the reasons this is the best option.
What Makes .22LR The Best Beginner Cartridge?
There are countless reasons that the .22LR cartridge is the single best choice for a beginner shooter.
Often disparaged as a “kids’ caliber” the .22LR is not just a capable cartridge but one that is perfect for those learning to shoot – which does consequently make it a good choice for young shooters.
The truth is, it’s good for all beginners as well. Here are the reasons why.
- Low recoil: The .22LR cartridge produces among the lowest recoil of all common cartridges, hardly more than a light push when shooting a handgun. With a rifle, you almost can’t feel it. This is a really good thing because for one, many beginners are recoil shy, but more importantly, it helps bridge the gap between dry fire and live fire shooting. When shooting with a low recoil cartridge like this you can drill with live ammunition to help break bad habits like flinching.
- Low intimidation factor: For better or worse, how scary a gun or the cartridge it shoots appears to a new shooter can be a turn off. Fortunately, .22 is very low on intimidation factor.
- Low cost: No one wants to learn to shoot on a gun that costs a dollar per proverbial pop, if not more. This is still one of the most affordable cartridges out there, which makes it great for the high volume shooting that some beginners will engage in.
- Accuracy at close ranges: The .22LR is not a long-range champ, but with a good rifle at close ranges, it can be a real tack driver, which lends the following advantage.
- Plenty of practical uses: The final reason for teaching a beginner to shoot with .22LR might also be the best. Even after you “break in” a new shooter with .22, that same gun will still have plenty of uses. Many people around the country use .22LR to great effect for small game hunting, as a trapline gun, for plinking, and even for competition, making it a prime choice.
There is one other really big reason that .22LR makes the best cartridge for beginners, covered below.
Why Not Some Other Rimfire?
Now, you might be thinking, there are other rimfire cartridges out there that produce low recoil and which are potentially more capable than .22LR. Some even produce less recoil. So why learn on .22LR?
Well, there’s a big reason: availability. Not that .17 HMR or .22 shorts are hard to come by, but they are certainly nowhere near as ubiquitous as .22LR ammo.
You can get .22LR ammo at any gun shop in the country and at many places, like hardware stores, convenience stores, and some big box retailers that don’t even sell guns.
Which means you can get it pretty much wherever you are.
Where to Get .22LR Bulk Ammo Online?
Following the same thread, you can even get .22 online – in fact, you can get .22LR bulk ammo online too, provided you know where to look.
First, check out Bucking Horse Outpost. They carry a wide range of the most popular cartridges from top manufacturers and have plenty of .22LR bulk ammo deals.
Visit their bulk ammo deals and bookmark their page as they often run sales.
