.22 Long Rifle - What are they good for? 

There is nothing like a brick of .22 ammo and a free afternoon.

The 22 is the most utilitarian cartridge that has ever been created, or that ever will be.

My first gun was a Marlin 81TS tube feed, shorts long and long rifle. Really miss that gun- miss the 1 cents per shot even more...

I started both of my boys with single shot, break action .22 LR rifles that also had .410 shotgun barrels. It was a great way to teach them the basics while only having to worry about a single round! They still have those combos all these years later. I love a 22. So much fun at a reasonable cost.

I used my 10/22 this afternoon to finally get a ground hog that was hanging around my barn! One shot One kill! There will always be a use for a .22! Great video!

My Dad gave me my first .22 67 years ago. Since then, I have fired countless rounds of this great cartridge. Brings back fond memories of days gone by... thank you...

Had thousands of hours of fun with this little gem of a cartridge and plenty of game .

The most under estimated cartridge in the world. I enjoyed the presentation.

May just be me, but the question "What is a .22LR good for?" highlights just how removed so many people have become from hunting and firearm usage in general. So I greatly appreciate your taking the time to make and provide such information in a format my generation (and those younger) are more likely to consume. Perhaps it'll help offset the loss of knowledge that hasn't passed down through families... for multiple generations in some cases.

Good info thanks!!!! 22lr has always been my favorite choice wile walking around in the woods with the dogs.

Went on my first solo squirrel hunt when I was 8 in 1958. Still have the Winchester model 67. ( short, long, & long rifle).Bagged my first squirrel. Still have it at 72, my favorite .22. Light, handy, & accurate.

Love all 4 if my 22 LRs, from the precision rifle to the hi standard 9 shot revolver. Nothing but good cheap fun.

The first gun my father bought me was a Marlin .22 semi-auto, and I still have it. 22 is a great cartridge for beginners, given its almost non-existent recoil.

The first rifle I shot was a Marlin Model 60, my second was an M16A1. I was an expert marksman in the U.S.Army, I think that Marlin helped me alot to do achieve that.

Fed my family when I was a kid with a 22 lr. Made a lot of money night varmint hunting too. The days of the 35.00 coon and 60.00 coyote are long gone but still have some great memories.

Thank you for this video. I love my 22s. I actually started carrying a Sidekick Revolver in my truck and a 10-22 breakdown in the camper.

Down south we still squirrel hunt with 22’s. Also used running my trap line. Carlos Hathcock, famous military sniper, started squirrel hunting with a single-shot 22.

I've always said that when push comes to shove, a accurate and reliable.22 would be my choice every time. Pretty much no one wants to get shot by anything, and the .22 can penetrate the scull of a mature bison bull at 50 yards. I've witnessed it, and the bull dropped in his tracks. You can carry 500 rounds easily, and survive with it no problem. Ron, I read a article in American Rifleman from the 50's. It was about a trapper who walked across Canada, from West to East, in the Winter. He had a Colt Woodsman and 50 rounds of ammunition. It never let him down. Could you please find this article? I've looked for it for a long time.

A Ruger 10/22LR was my first ever rifle and is still a favorite of mine. Ron is very correct in stating that it is a fun caliber to shoot. With little to no recoil, availability and variety of rounds, cost effectiveness per shot and ease of use make the 22 an absolutely amazing round to shoot. And it comes in just about every flavor of firearm there is! Plus(!) it is one of the most useful cartridges ever made because it can be used for dang near every situation.

Let me tell you what a .22LR is good for. When I was a teenager my mom was always eager to save a few bucks, out of pure necessity, and she was always very happy when I got out of bed extra early to go shoot and gut/clean a rabbit, pheasant, hare, partridges before school. When the meat in the supermarket is too expensive a good old .22 can make sure you don’t have to go to bed with an empty stomach. So, when you’re hungry a .22 is the cheapest way of putting food on the table.

When I was growing up, a .22 long rifle was used by many folks for deer hunting ar close ranges...one shot kills if you know how to shoot.

LOL, .22 was all I knew when I grew up. My grandfather raised his family, including my mom, in south Kentucky back in the 1920's to 1940's and fed his family with rabbits and squirrels taken with .22 rounds. So, without the .22, I probably wouln't be here... Of course we need other calibers, but the venerable .22 will keep you alive if you are hungry and also, .22's are a hoot to shoot! I'll never forget the time my Mon and I took Grandpa to pick up my uncle at the Indianapolis airport. Security was fun. Grandpa tiggered the magnetometer. Sir, do you have any metal in your pockets? Out came the pocketknives, .22 rounds, shotgun shells. (Mom off to the side praying "Dad, please don't have a gun"... he didn't) "We'll keep these for you, pick them up on your way out." Never saw security laugh so much. This was before TSA. I ordered a Marlin 781 bolt action from Harry Beckley's hardware store in Rossville, IL the day I turned 17. Ouch, has it been 50 years? I'm holding that rifle right now; had such a blast with my first gun. Love .22's And my 12 gauge shotgun.

.22 LR and WMR are one of my favorites. Shot placement is king. The biggest drawback is the lower reliability of rimfire versus center fire.

I’ve shot full auto, I’ve shot multi thousand dollar precision rifles, I’ve shot well tuned ars, but the most fun I’ve had was with a single shot .22 with tracers

The first gun many American youngsters shoot, is the venerable. 22lr., I'm certainly no exception, can remember that experience, it was 50 years ago this Autumn, holy cow..

You just inspired me to bring my .22 Sportco to the range tomorrow. Cheap to feed and the old Sportco rifles that were made in Adelaide Australia a while ago, are absolute tack drivers. I bought it for the wife but use it more than her. That was an informative and fun to watch vid. Cheers Mate.

My first firearm was a Marlin .22 bolt action. Despite collecting multiple firearms over the years as I grow older, still my favorite round. I would and have bet my life on it as a self defense round. I'll always stand by the phrase "The best firearm and caliber choice, is the one the shooter is most comfortable using."

I started on a 22. I started my kids on 22. They are starting my grand kids on 22. I still carry a 22 revolver (my S&W K22) when I grouse and rabbit hunt with my 12 ga. The 22 will live on forever.

What’s it good for? Probably the most useful cartridge ever made!

During the recent ammo crunch we never stopped going to the range, thanks to .22...with single action, autos, and lever action our fun was affordable...trigger time is trigger time, and those little .22 bullets just smoked all the 9mm, .357, .223, etc., that wasn't being shot...all we can do is tell folks to own some kind of .22, and stash a couple bulk boxes...sooner/later will come the next ammo crunch, and it sure beats crying about zero range time...

How many of us learned how to shoot with a 22lr? I guess 90%. I started on a bb then 22 ….and thats how my kids learned to. Once they mastered the safety part…and accuracy. They got to go hunting and then on to bigger calibers. This video brought back old memories….I havent owned a bolt action 22 in ages. Im going to pick one up this weekend.

Remington Nylon 66 was my first. I still have that gun 40 years later.

You essentially said .22 rimfire is good out to 300 yards. With my CZ 452 and a good scope -- assuming the wind isn't kicking up -- I have routinely popped 8-inch balloons out to 400 yards. Still, an excellent coverage of the .22 rimfire!!

I shot a impala ram on the shoulder and drop it with my .22 lr. Went about 30 yards. Hart/lung shot.

My dad grew up in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Earned a good amount of money shooting squirrel for pelts back in the late '60s-early '70s. He swore by his 22 LR West German bolt action target rifle. In one eye and out the other.

One of my favourite plinking targets go .22 is a small potato on a stick, actually lots of them. Great fun for kids learning to shoot.

It can kill you. With that in mind, grampa was sent out to hunt for lunch and dinner when he was six years old. Circa 1912. Indian reservation in Northern Idaho. His mother lost in a flood two years earlier. Law enforcement back then was professional and competent, unlike today's law enforcement. They knew he was hunting. 22 Short with a single shot rifle. Mostly jackrabbits. His father was law enforcement. A deputy sheriff and the Indian agent for the reservation. Both Grampa and Great-Grampa lived into their 90's.

I have shot many many firearms, including a slamfire 20 guage ithaca (built in 1937) but i would say the i have had the most fun shooting 22. One time my buddies and i went ou to the boonies with a 22 rifle dressed up to look like an AR, ended up shooting about 700 rounds of 22 over the course of about 6 hours. Fun little cartridge for anyone who wants to shoot and jist have fun.

Sir, I’m watching from Australia and always enjoy your videos, the content is just fantastic, thank you and well done

Ruger 10/22 is still my favorite gun in the safe. I really like my Heritage Rough Riders too. I have big boy guns too but nothing is as fun and gratifying as plinking away for a few hours with a brick of .22LR 😁

I love the music and I can’t wait to get me a .22 pistol and rifle

People want to know what good a .22 lr is, it will feed you and a half dozen other families through a long cold winter with no problem.

In the old days, more white tails were hunted in the Texas hill country with a 22 lr, 22mag was used when it came around. I've dropped deer at some distance with lr.

OMG!! Marksmanship! what a novel idea! whodathunkit?? Thanks Ron!

Thank you for this segment. I’m a huge cartridge nerd but I always find my self coming back to the 22lr for many different reasons and I feel as if it’s always looked over as a hunting cartridge especially in todays times. Great video! Please do more on the ole’ 22!

Boy oh boy! For a "young man" you sure are amazing. Incredible that you can still assume all those shooting positions...

My favorite rifle is the one my grandpa had a JC Higgins bolt action tube fed most accurate 22 rifle I've ever shot. He gave it to me on my 5th birthday. It's older than I am and I'm 60.

Back in the early 1980's in my preteen years, I saved up my money to "layaway" a Rossi 62 gallery gun at our local dept. store (well, Mom did all the adult stuff for me0. Went back a couple months later and picked it up. No clue how many rounds have been through it, but it still shoots straight. I taught my daughter to shoot a rifle using it. I still use it from time to time for pests and squirrel hunting. I still have the receipt, manual, etc. that came with the purchase. Now I have more .22 lr pistols and rifles than I can ever use! Just something about these little fellows that's hard to shake!

Many moons ago, when I was in high school, I made quite a bit of pocket money with my J.C. Higgins bolt action rifle. Growing up in rural New York, the farmers had a lot of problems with woodchucks. Farmers would pay me $1.00 for each woodchuck removed. At that time, a box of 22lr hollow points was about 60 cents

Thanks Ron. They can be just plain fun. And definitely good to get those mechanics down like you said, and not feel so bad about blowing through so much ammo since its cheap.

Thanks much Ron, I own more 22 LR than any other weapon in my collection. When eggs where not so expensive would take a dozen out and shoot those. The small green army men are lots of fun also, be sure and pick up after yourself. I call a day with a 22LF a pocket full of fun.

My Dad has a c86 Savage bolt action from back when he was a kid. First gun I ever fired and it definitely made a soft spot in my heart for bolt actions. It so fun to shoot and the ammo has stayed dirt cheap. .22 LR is a wildly underrated round.

Always will love the 22lr

I love the 22lr it is a great round me and my grandpa did alot of hunting with it killed alot of squirrels rabbits coyotes and even a ferrel boar hog that was around 300 pounds

Nicely done sir! Enjoyed the video and information. Always had at least one or more 22 rimfires around since 1958. Now long since retired, I have more than I need, but with my own range in the woods, I often break out a 22. Great to use to keep sharp and do it without too great expense.

Great video! Thanks for sharing.

The first gun i ever shot was dad’s marlin model 60. My first rifle was a winchester model 250 in 22. It was broken when i found it, i fixed it, and throughout my childhood wore it slap out. Generally 2 bricks a week for 8 years. Ended up having to put some new springs and a firing pin in it in my early 20’s and proceded to wear it out again. Im just a few years ago put my second firing pin in along with a new breech locking mechanism. And am currently working on wearing it out again in my 40’s now. To say the least this is my absolute favorite gun. It was the first thing i ever successfully diagnosed and fixed. The best 80$ dad ever spent back in 1963. Love that rifle.

There’s nothing like a good old Canadian Cooey .22 rifle.

I wish I had a 22 I have a 1950s pump action 12 gage Shotg and 1960s 30-06 I got off my grandfather. I am in Canada and 22 rifle gotten expensive I seen a used 10-22 for $600 I was like your joking right. Thanks Ron keep up the great work 👍

...always a pleasure sir

My first rifle was given to me in 1980 and it was a Marlin Glenfield Model 60 .22lr semi-auto. 42 years later it is still in great shape and a lot of fun to shoot.

Of course I can go much larger on the caliber if the situation warrants (like what was happening in America a couple of years ago), but a cheap .22 rifle is my usual car gun. It's inexpensive, can take a beating, won't break the bank if it gets stolen, not likely to create panic if anyone looks inside my trunk, a good plinker in case a friend wants to drag me off to a range, it can handle any snake if I go for a walk in the woods, and it can most definitely "change the behavior" of anything larger than a snake with the kind of good shot placement it can deliver.

Ron you are so awesome, we love our .22 LR's too!

I've got a pair of old Stevens bolt action 22 LRs that are deadly and all of my cousins and I were raised up shooting one single Ruger 10/22 that never failed to entertain us clipping cans, squirrels, rabbits, and anything else we deemed necessary to shoot at. My grandfather was a slick, old codger; he knew we were all getting muscle memory and reflexes from shooting the light recoiling 22 LR. We all turned out to be pretty good marksmen because of his crafty ways. Now I am learning my own grandkids on the range with the 22 LR. Great fun and time well spent out of doors! I truly enjoyed your take on the worth of the old venerable 22 rifles.

It’s good for just about everything, it’s cheap, light weight, available, dependable, easy to use and works in a wide variety of uses.

This video sure looked like a lot of fun! Glad we can all pass the time plinking, showing our friends and family the fun along the way.

Marlin 60s was my first and only .22 that I’ve ever bought. I’ve had that little rifle for well over 20 years. I absolutely love that gun!!!

Great video, Ron! I own over ten .22s and they are so much fun, and such a great way to train the kiddos or brush up on my own techniques. People have laughed at me in the past for owning so many .22s, but I've always had just as much fun as them when we go to the range at a fraction of the cost.

Try 22 ELR. Now that is fun! Hitting a gong at 450m with a 22LR is very satisfying. You can shoot cheap, with no reloading, no barrel overheating, and limited to no barrel wear. What's not to like?! Greeting from South Africa!

I learned all about shooting with my grandfather’s Stevens 87A, my most treasured gun in my safe! I have a ‘61 40X/22lr with the old school Redfield Olympics that I love to carry to the range! Yeah, Ron, 22’s are just plain fun! Great video, thanks for posting!

Thanks Ron

Thanks Ron I enjoyed the video!!! Am one out millions who love the rimfire.

Thanks Ron for posting this video. Very informative and good video. Keep up the good work.🙏🙏🙏🙏

Just bought my GSG-16 recently and I love it. My first .22 lr rifle and it's fantastic to shoot.

Great video. Thank you.

I’m 70 yo and got my first rifle (an air rifle) when l was 13yo, then at 14yo l got a .22 single shot bolt action rifle. I’ve had many .22 calibre rifles over the years. I currently have a pump action .22 made by Rossi and the other .22 was made by an Australian company called SPORTCO. This particular rifle is extremely accurate and reliable. It is by far my most favourite.22 rifle l have ever owned. I’ve had it for nearly 30 years and l will never sell it. It was my “go to rifle” for putting down many sick and or injured farm animals and most other wild animals that ventured onto my sheep farm. I actually started my career as a professional shooter, way back in the early 1970’s with the humble .22 calibre bolt action 10shot repeater. These .22 calibre rifles are grossly underrated as a hunting rifle, most shooters/hunters have no idea just how good they really are. To say l love them, is an understatement. 😊👍👍🦘🇦🇺🦘

Great video, love that Ruger and the 62A. I carry a Ruger Six in 22 magnum in my day pack and it’s proved useful over the years. 🤠

First rifle I ever fired was a Winchester model 51 pump action and after my father passed away I enherited that lovely rifle and still 45 years later . Still love hunting with that iron sighted rifle! Along with all 10 other .22lr and .22 magnum rifles and pistols! I use rimfires more now than ever. The tiny .22short takes care of most of my pest and varmint problems! Thank you Ronn!

Many deer were harvested by farmers for meat years ago, and many fowl, too.

A marlin .22 bolt action was the first gun I ever learned to shoot, therefore it was the first gun I learned to respect. Great round for learning, target shooting, and it poses an added challenge for any hunt.

Excellent ! 👍🏻

I sure wish you’d honored Savage rifles, the most accurate out of box rifles made, but great video!

My first rifle was a Marlin Little Buckaroo, single shot, bolt action. I loved that rifle, it taught me patience, to take my time and shoot straight. I loved shooting long range at ground squirrels 100-200yrds or farther. We had an old grain silo I would shoot at from 550yrds, the ting from hitting it was the greatest sound I ever heard. I rang it like a dinner bell.

My first 22lr is a ivery Johnson single shot bolt action model 2X. Still have it and use it. Love the bottle shot, knock down, then reset up, and knocked down again

It looked like you were having fun and that's what 22s are best at.

I mostly shoot for the fun of the challenge to hit the target, though I may someday go hunting. I like the .22 because it carries the highest challenge due to breezes, heartbeat and trajectory. I've lost count of how many clay pigeons I've toasted on the 200 meter berm with my Ruger Single-10 pistol (open sights) but I've also blown through a prodigious amount of ammo to do so. In my '60s it's also a challenge just to see the target at that distance, especially considering I need glasses for near-field focus, namely the open sights on the pistol, so I wear 2 power glasses and once I have the sights in clear view and lined up, I simply aim at the center of the blur. Considering the amount of ammo I blast through at each range session, I couldn't afford my hobby if it wasn't for the humble .22lr.

I have a 22lr and a 17 mach 2, I've really been loving the mach 2. One nice thing about shooting rimfires is the nature of their report. You don't have to worry so much about disturbing animals in the house or being too obtrusive to neighbors like when lighting off full power rifles.

Loved this and would enjoy more 22 content.

Great video- great to plink with and go after small game

Thanks Ron for the video. I love shooting .22s. I just checked and realized that I have 10 rifles in .22lr and 6 pistols in .22lr. Of these some are for hunting and some are for target practice. In making a video comparing a Ruger 10/22 to a Savage bolt gun, during the editing, I realized my form was off with the bolt gun by me breaking the cheek weld after each shot thus skewing the comparison. I pointed this out in the video and it gave me something to work on in the future.

First .22 I ever shot was my Dad's Winchester model 61, back in 1956. I passed it on to my son. My first .22 rifle that I bought myself was an Ithaca model 49 single shot. I was 10 years old then, my Dad purchased it for me, but I paid for it. Have loved .22's ever since.

What a wonderful video on the virtues of the little .22! Those Winchester Model Model 62A's are sweet ...

Thank You !

My first rifle purchased in my life was my Marlin .22 Papoose. It is a take down and has gone on lots of camping trips. I must say though, the one I reach for most is still my Marlin model 60. Terrific rabbit/squirrel gun. My first Pistol was my H&R Model Target revolver with 9 shots. Took lots of squirrels and bunnies with that as well. Great for training also.

Great video Thank you

Don't forget CMMG's .22LR BCG for an AR-15. It's a 30 second swap from .223/5.56 to .22LR. Comes with AR style magazines that hold 25 rounds. (or 10 rounds for states with mag restrictions) Also love my Beretta M9A1-22 and Bobcat.

I just saw this, I realize I'm a year late, I'm almost 60 and I knew an old man, keep in mind my age, he used to hunt deer, regularly , with a 22 rifle, no scope. He'd line up his shot, and click 2- 3 rounds fast. I had a 243 and he shot everything we saw, I had a scope and he would pop of his rounds before I got good and centered. Some people are just natural. Oh and never did we have to track more than 200 yards. I don't know if he's still alive, haven't heard from him in 12 years. I wish I was that good. I'm not even close, but he was amazing, whitetail in Kentucky

Nothing better than seein a man enjoying time with his rifle havin a blas at the range.

"Dink.... i got it!" U can tell hes having fun

My first gun was my grandfather’s Marlin 25N. Its been a joy to shoot over the years and great at managing the groundhog population around the farm