Some thoughts on things,

and not political world screwed up type thinking, but inspired by, maybe,,,

Mentioned in my last post quite a bit about 22 caliber stuff. Its not my MBR by any means (MBR main battle rifle), but it IS my goto peashooter for pretty much everything around the homestead. Everything from deer down to plinking for fun n games. Not bears. I try to use much louder bangy types when brother bear wanders close. He doesn’t usually present a problem, except when the corn starts to get ripe, and then, he is a damned glutton on steroids: that’s when the loud bangy things get pulled. I’ve had bear meat before, and while it may be an option when things get REALLY tight, not my first choice and there is so much more of it that you have to process that it really needs to be a larger group thing. Opinions abound on MBR’s and I ain’t gonna get into the whole Chevy/Ford More taste/less filling brouhaha. Use what works, what you know, and if you don’t know, find out, IN DETAIL, ’cause not knowing will get you killed. And if you are on the fence about being able to use one in your own defense, prolly best to stay on said fence, OR get your ass to someone that can teach you RIGHT, so you don’t freeze up when the time comes to make a snap decision.

Back to the little ubiquitous twenytwo. My favorite is this one.

Mine has a Tang sight, not the scope, but does have the heavier octagon barrel. I am an iron sight man, have been since Parris Island days, and only grudgingly use a scope, unless I am really knocking some distances down. Not going to do much more than 100 yards with the diminutive .22LR, though it is capable: just has a hella drop and you would spend an afternoon trying to dial in a scope for it. I keep my rear tang set for 100 yards and adjust my aim on distance by front site placement on target. Slightly low for 50yds, dead on for 25 or less, and dead on for that 100. Windage is on the fly as needed. (Hey, I live in Kentuck, and they call it Kentucky windage for a reason. And people around here DO know how to shoot,,,)

That little rifle holds 17 LR rounds and 22 Shorts. I’ve never ran anything else in it.(do they even make anything else anymore? Don’t think so.) Even with Iron, I shoot a clover leaf the size of a dime at 50 yards.

Ok Dio, what’s your point?

My point being, for someone that is looking for a good hammer, spend a little money on it. You want a top-notch framing hammer; buy Estwing. You want a top notch food getter that won’t break the bank everytime you pull the bang switch; buy something like the above. Even in a pinch, it can be a fine defensive weapon, (though don’t go basing your tactics around it. I said ‘in a pinch’!) as was demonstrated at Ruby Ridge. Even with ammo through the roof in prices right now, you can still buy a box of 500 rounds for less than a box of 20 in the AR calibers. (if you can catch it in stock, people snag it up FAST because it is such a useful round.). Its a great tool to teach with too. Not too danged loud, barely perceptible recoil, and inexpensive so you can shoot MORE, and really get your sight picture down pat, as well as the other parts of good shooting, like breathing and hold of the gun. It makes ‘breaking in newbies’ not such a chore: especially those that have never shot anything other than a nerf-gun or a water pistol, and think EVERY gun is going to knock them full of bruises, or on their asses, with the recoil.(thanks Hollyweird!!!) I used to teach handgun courses and for the really ‘shy’ newbs, I would use a Phoenix semi-auto with the target barrel: it had enough heft that it ‘felt right’ compared to the popular Glocks and M+P’s and what not (my preferred pistola is Ol’ Ugly herself, 1911 in original caliber, thankeeverymuch.) and didn’t ‘goose them’ with loads of recoil or noise, yet was still plenty loud enough that they learned how to ignore it and not flinch. It made the transition to their preferred firearm much easier and they learned faster on both: How to shoot properly on the little peashooter, then how to handle the big-boys with what they had learned.

Funny story about the Phoenix. I was carrying it one day on job site, when I was doing framing for a spell. Had a couple hood-rats as my assistants, and one of them spotted the grip of the phoenix over my wasteband. Freaked the f$%k OUT. Said he would rather be shot with a 9 over a .22 any day, said that a .22 would kill you slow and you may never know you had been shot.

And I seem to remember there was an older Gent that defended his house during a break-in with a similar type pistol. Killed two and wounded badly a third THROUGH A CLOSED DOOR. Don’t write the .22 off as a ‘toy’, they are quite capable. And apparently the hood-rats are very aware of the fact.

I still prefer a large barrel for the defensive side of things, but I know that if ‘I gotta’, the 22 will too.