Saving $$$ .22s for practice

With ammo prices going so suddenly and steeply upward, .22 caliber "understudy" practice guns make more sense than ever. Jan Stevenson, my predecessor as handgun editor for this magazine, once wrote a great article on .22 caliber "understudy guns," or handguns that duplicated their larger caliber versions, but shot low-priced .22 Long Rifle ammo. I've touched on the same topic in this space in the distant past. Given the severe recent increases in ammunition prices, and even component prices for handloaders, it seems timely to revisit the subject.

I just canvassed my community for the best prices for practice handgun ammunition and .45 ACP was $29.88 for a 100 rounds of 230-grain full metal jacket "hardball," while .38 Special was almost the same at $29.46 for a 100 130-grain FMJ cartridges. The 9mm Luger was cheaper at $18.42 per 100 rounds of 115-grain FMJ ball. By contrast, a 550-round "value pack" of loose .22 Long Rifle hollowpoint went for $11.97.

All those prices were before sales tax. That kills 19 cents per 9mm round, 30[cents] to fire a single shot of .38 Special or .45 ACE By contrast, the .22 LR comes out to about 2 cents per round.

Let's put it another way. I'm mathematically challenged, so if you'll bear with me, it's easier to count by 10s. If I stuff a 10-round Wilson Bureaucrat magazine (love the name!) into one of my single stack 1911 .45 autos, the cheapest store-bought amino will cost me three bucks by the time I've run it to slide-lock. Nine-plus-one rounds is the standard complement for a single-stack 1911 in 9mm Parabellum, and running that pistol dry costs me just under two bucks, a slightly better than 1/3 cost saving.

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Now, a 1/3 cost saving is nothing to sneeze at. However, 10 rounds is the typical full load of a sporting .22 caliber semiautomatic pistol, and emptying that gun on the range will cost me all of ... 20 cents.

If you'll forgive a cliche, "do the math." The .22 "understudy gun" for practice makes more economic sense today than at any time in recent history.

Revolvers

With a revolver, you need to go with a true, separate "understudy gun." The trick is finding one of the same size with the same action and "feel." Ruger's .22 Single-Six will duplicate the hammer throw of its sister, the .32 Magnum Vaquerito if you go light in your cowboy shooting, but both cock with less movement than a larger caliber Vaquero or a Colt Single Action Army or clone.

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In double actions, S&W still makes the K-22 as the Model 617. Put on the same grips, and you've got the same action as the countless K-frame .38s and .357s still protecting our people and our homes. You carry a snubby? Smith & Wesson's J-frame Model 317.22 is a nice understudy for your .38 or .357 "pocket rocket." Being old and all, I use an old Model 34 Kit Gun 2" snub to practice for draw-to-the-shot with my little S&W .38 pocket guns. Taurus and Charter both offer good quality .22 snubbies that duplicate the grasp and action of their larger caliber concealment revolvers.

Autos

With a semiautomatic pistol, you can go with a .22 conversion kit, which includes a new barrel/slide assembly, recoil spring assembly, and magazine for your existing centerfire auto--if there is one available.

Colt's .22 conversion units for their Government Model 1911s go back to the 1930s. Some worked well, but many owners had issues with reliability and accuracy. Many makers offer them today, including Jonathan Arthur Ciener and Bill Wilson, but the most accurate I've ever seen is the one that's now my personal favorite, the Marvel conversion for the 1911. There are people kicking butt at bull's-eye .22 matches with these things. They cost more, but they're worth it if you want match-grade accuracy.

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If plinking accuracy is OK--and it usually is--the Ciener units start at $199. Right now I've got a Marvel for full size and a Ciener unit on one of my lightweight Colt Commander frames. If you just want to buy a 1911 .22 pistol and be done with it, I'd say the Kimber would be the best bet right now.

You want Beretta practice? The best conversion unit I've seen is Beretta's own, available through Beretta USA, but you've about got to go to their Web site to find it. They should advertise it more. The Glock is the most popular pistol in the country today and there are multiple conversion units available for it. The Advantage Arms is the best Glock .22 unit I've seen thus far. Browning Hi-Power? I'm happy with my Ciener .22 conversion unit. CZ 75 owners can buy a Kadet conversion unit from CZ.

Bottom Line

A .22's recoil won't duplicate .38, 9mm, or .45 "kick." But right up to the strike of the first shot, you're there. Only on follow-up shots does recoil matter. And, frankly, trigger control matters more, as does getting the sights on target quick to deliver the first and usually most important shot. In all of that, if "feel of gun in hand" and "feel of trigger" are duplicated, the 3 cents round delivers everything the 30 cents shot does.