22LR replacement caliber

[Mohillbilly]

I have often thought that I could reduce the volume of a 223 case by partially filling it with lead and drilling the flash hole thru . A water check to confirm that the few cases were the same CC s and a work up of powder , of what ever was available , and a bator or ?? what ever slug could work when supply runs low . home made black , and match head reworked primers/ cap gun caps would keep shooting for as many years as needed .

[FredBuddy]

All of these posts made me remember: Years ago I bought 2 chamber inserts. One was for the 30-30 and used a 32 ACP cartridge. The other was for 30-06 and used 30 Carbine cartridges. I'm going to go back to the 30-30, as Jaysouth mentioned, since I have a Topper that liked that insert combo. As well, I've started casting my own, thanks to all of you, and have an old Lyman mold for 32-20. The wheels are starting to turn.................

[s1120]

I've been using .22 blanks and air gun pellets in my single sixes . I also shoot my .22 jet with reduced loads and cast .I think a neat Idea would be to invent a 38 special 22 , by a jet die shortened and chambered in your flavor gun , a 22 TC comes to mind ......

Interesting idea. I have never thought of my jet as a affordable round....but I have not looked into cast yet. What do you shoot it through?

[tonyjones]

If brass for the .22 CCM were available it would be a dandy .22 LR replacement. It can be loaded down to less than 1,000 fps and full power loads fall between the .22 WRM and the .22 Hornet. I wish I had a single shot walk about rifle in this cartridge.

Regards,

Tony

[jimwill48]

30/30 as I have 3...Marlin 336, H&R 158 SS and a Savage 340 Bolt..reloads are very cheap and have lots of brass...
My second choice is..38/357 in my H&R 158 SS...from mouse loads to Deer loads...
And my underdog....35 Remington in my 336 and NEF SS..really the one of the most interesting, can use any .38 cal bullet loaded from super mild .38 spl levels to full bore .35 Remington levels....

[BAGTIC]

In the .22 LR you are getting the powder, the primer and the bullet in one package. It is unlikely that there is a cheaper alternative.

[Treetop]

It is unlikely that there is a cheaper alternative.

I haven't done the math, so you are probably correct about the price. The ongoing problem with .22 rimfire ammo is availability. This problem could very well last indefinitely with the current administration, so alternatives are fun to talk about. For some reason, I'm seeing some powders and primers becoming more available now. But not so much with .22 rimfire ammo.

I'm thinking a small lightweight Savage in .223 Rem. Barrel changes are easy and .22 barrels are available in any practical twist you need.

I'm possibly the only firearm owner in the U.S. that doesn't currently own anything in .223. I've disliked the round and the AR platform since the 60s, but a bolt gun in this now ubiquitous cartridge makes sense to me, for several reasons. My grand daughters are wanting to "shoot a deer" but they are real lightweights, so I could use this rifle with a 1:7 twist barrel with a 77 gr. j-word as their deer rifle and, as an alternative to the .22 rimfire with a 1:14 or 1:16 twist using cast boolits...

Yet another cast boolit project looms, I can't tell you how much money this forum has cost me, over the years! Tt.

[grampa243]

In the .22 LR you are getting the powder, the primer and the bullet in one package. It is unlikely that there is a cheaper alternative.

ok lets do the math.

primer = .04 (rounded up)
powder =.051 ( $24.00 / 7000 x 15grains)
boolit = .02 rounded up for casting cost (lead free range scrap + gas check)($15/1000=.015)
lube = less then .01

total = $0.121 each 500= $60.50
( I can't find 22LR for less then $89/500 before taxand shipping)

these are hot enough to work an AR15 at 22mag speeds and range.(with a bolt gun/single shot you could bring it down even more using less powder.)

[1Shirt]

Hornet or Bee!
1Shirt!

[Dale in Louisiana]

Don't run off and buy something new, shoot what you got!

You already have everything, right? Moulds, sizer, press, brass, etc. Just dial back on the powder and let things get leisurely. Instead of pushing things to the max, get used to the squib and gallery loads. Believe me, a 150-grain thirty caliber boolit at 800 FPS at thirty yards is going to do everything you want on small game and varmints and charging hordes of beer cans.

dale in Louisiana

[floydboy]

I was wanting to do something similar last winter. Following the suggestions from this site I built a 222 dedicated cast rifle from an old savage 223 I bought at a pawn shop. I couldn't be happier with the 222. Cheap brass made out of 223 brass. I shoot full power loads because I like to be able to hit something out to 200 yards. I figure my cost at 13 cents a round. lite loads could be about 8-9 cents if you didn't figure cost of brass and lead. I got both of them for free so I only count my powder and primer. I never shoot my 22LR any more. My new toy has a nice scope and the ability to seriously outshoot a 22LR so why bother. You've got a lot of good advice here. I considered many of these options. Probably no real right answer. I'd say your pocket book will determine how many options you have.
Good luck...

Floyd

[35remington]

Given that killing power is not too good when .22 rimfire speeds are duplicated with most .22 cast bullets, my vote goes to the 25-20. It's unlikely you'll have a rifle made in that caliber, I suppose, but there you have it. At .22 speeds or even subsonic at 1050 fps killing power is noticeably better than a long rifle or a cast bullet .22 at the same speed.

Bullets at 65 to 85 grains are small and light enough to still have economy in lead use, and top end is good enough that you've about 6X the killing power of the long rifle making it more suitable for tougher to kill critters like coyote. You also don't feel like you're performing microsurgery handling the bullets or gaschecks when reloading.

[FThera]

I just bought a bunch of Federal Match 22 at Walmart for 6.25 cents per round ($20.33 w tax per box of 325 rounds) I don't want to reload for that price.

[rbuck351]

I have 25/20 in the Savage 23 and the Win 92 and they are hands down far superior to a 22lr for about the same cost. A little under 4 cents for primer, some backstop lead, approx 1 cent for powder and a home made GC and I'm shooting very cheap. No, I don't count labor as I don't get paid when not at work so it makes no difference whether I'm loading ammo or watching TV and loading is fun anyway. Are there folks on this site that don't like to cast and load?

[dondiego]

I just bought a bunch of Federal Match 22 at Walmart for 6.25 cents per round ($20.33 w tax per box of 325 rounds) I don't want to reload for that price.

This is a handloading forum! I love to load ammo. I would load .22 LR if I could get the priming compound.

[Baryngyl]

The last time I bought any 22RF ammo was around 2006-2007.

I paid $8.90 per brick of 500 at the SunBirds store in Chehalis Washington when they would put them on sale every 3 or 4 months.
Since I was not shooting much at the time I would buy 1 sometimes 2 bricks if I could afford them so I eventually after 3 or 4 years got built up a bit so I am up to something like 8 bricks now and only shoot a bit of them the last few years.



Michael Grace

[paborn]

At the current cost of 22 long rifle ammo, I can handload ANY common centerfire rifle or pistol cartridge to approximate the ballistics of a 22 long rifle at the same or less cost. Generally it is at around 1400-1600 fps, using slow pistol powder. All my loads use Alliant 2400, but I've used Unique and Blue Dot as well. The idea is not to have to buy a new rifle, but use one currently in service. I shoot a 30-06 that I have a hunting load using a Lyman 311284 (210 grain) sighted 2 inches high at 100 yards that will shoot a 155 grain Lee Harris to a 50 yard zero at the same sight setting. I had to up the 2400 charge to 20 grains for 1830 fps with the 155 Lee in the 30-06, but that was just to get it to shoot where I wanted at my hunting sight setting. This load, and my hunting load, cost $0.126 per round. They are only that expensive because they both use a gas check. The cast round for me is free as I've an excellent source for free wheelweights, and as I'm retired, more time than money.

I'm currently working on a 35 Whelen that I have sighted in with a hunting load using a 358009 (280 grain) at 1800 fps for hunting. I'm using a 358156 (160 grain) pistol bullet that I currently can't get close to 50 yard zero at hunting sight settings, but 20 grains of Alliant 2400, or 15.5 grains of Unigue will both shoot slightly under an inch at 50 yards. Don't know the velocity as a haven't run them over the crono yet. I'm generally trying for 1400-1600 to get a one inch point blank range of about 85 yards.

If I was someone looking for a 22 replacement I would:
1. Take a centerfire rifle I already have.
2. Find a mold or bullet of light weight for the caliber, plain base if you want to do it on the cheap and willing to do the work to work up a load to at least 1400 fps (to get 22 equivalent trajectory).
3. Use a slow pistol powder to work up the load. Lyman cast manuals are an excellent resource.
4. Have fun

I have no doubt that 22 ammo will eventually come down to a reasonable level, but the scalpers around here charge more than $0.15 per round. Don't know about WalMart prices. Talked to the Manager and he says when they do get anything in, it's gone the next morning.

In about 45 minutes I'll be at my brother's place with a TC Hawken caplock in 45. Not exactly a squirrel gun, but shoots to zero at 50 yards with a patched ball. Oh yah, it's doe only blackpowder season, and small game is in.

Paborn

[grampa243]

If I was someone looking for a 22 replacement I would:
1. Take a centerfire rifle I already have.
2. Find a mold or bullet of light weight for the caliber, plain base if you want to do it on the cheap and willing to do the work to work up a load to at least 1400 fps (to get 22 equivalent trajectory).
3. Use a slow pistol powder to work up the load. Lyman cast manuals are an excellent resource.
4. Have fun

Paborn

+1 I like the way you think.

[Bullshop Junior]

I personally like the 222. Easy to make brass for. Shoots cast good. Gets good velocity with j*ckated. Seems pretty good to me. Ive actually been looking for one for awhile b

[Garyshome]

Just get a decent pellet rifle for the small stuff. Use what ya got for the bigger stuff!