Posted: 12/19/2010 6:47:11 PM EDT
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I bought a Walther P22 for some cheap trigger time - and would easily host my Gemtech supressor. After the novelty/fun of suppressed plinking wore off I was in search of a more "realistic" .22lr trainer. Next I bought a Sig Mosquito (despite the bad rep). It's size and controls were more realistic - but the trigger just plain sucks. it was fun, but i really hate the mosquito trigger.
So I finally got on-board the clue train and picked up a .22 conversion kit for my old Beretta 92. I bought 3x mags for it and reused my beretta mag holster.. I ran a bunch of pistol drills (thank you pistol-training.com). I practiced my speed loads and because it's .22, a got lots of practice doing immediate action drills. Tap-rack-bang. Finally, I found a more realistic way to train with a .22 - one that works for me at least. The gun is "full size", unlike the P22 and the trigger sucks far less than the Mosquito. Yeah, The Beretta kit was pricey, but I put 600 rounds through it one afternoon. That much 9mm would get pricey. I think the savings in ammo will quickly justify the conversion cost. Are there any bad habits I should watch falling into training with .22? |
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it should not induce any bad habits I can think of. I can't remember- does the beretta kit lock back when empty? if all your manipulations are the same, then it can only get you better with the full caliber gun. I had the chance to use a fair number of conversions when on a military shooting team and ours werwe pretty reliable- try changing ammo to improve reliability- start with any CCI product-they seem to be the most liekly to succeed- even the low cost cci blazer 22 is much better than any of the other bulk pack stuff.
do not fall in to the trap of it is a plinker 22 I am gonna feed it the cheapist garbage I can then complain when my gun is inaccurate or unreliable. Spend a little more on quality 22 ammo (not saying you have to buy eley pistol match or something)and the gun will reward you with reliable function and near bulleye competition grade accuracy. |
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Quoted:
Are there any bad habits I should watch falling into training with .22? Training with a 22 conversion (pistol and carbine) can save a lot of money and teach you the basics. But once you get to a certain level of skill, their training effectiveness plateaus. For training involving single shots per target they work pretty well. Examples would be: Slowfire bullseye shooting Single shot draw from holster Shoot 1 reload shoot 1 Single shot transitions across multiple targets. But once you move to multiple shots per target, your body/brain/eyes needs to train to handle the full recoil impulse. Examples would be: Multiple shot draw from holster. Bill drill El Presidente Double taps with transitions across targets. Mozambiquie drill If you practice with a .22 90% of the time you learn how see sights, grip the gun and time shots with 22 recoil, not centerfire recoil. Use it for what it's good for, get your basics down, but shoot enough centerfire to make sure you master and ingrain it's recoil characteristics. Gringop |
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Gringop - you make a great point.
While I was drilling with the .22 I had my Glock on the table. So I'd run a drill with the .22lr a few times and then I would run it once or twice with my Glock. I noticed (especially) with my Mozambique drill I was "rushing" the followup shot and blowing it because of recoil issues. After a single mag I realized I needed to slow down and wait to get back on target before breaking a followup. With then.22 recoil was a non-issue, making the followup shots easy. Switching back to 9mm meant a conscious effort to wait for my hands/gun to settle down and get a good sight picture. |
| I love .22s identical to my centerfire guns for most of my training, but while I feel they are great for this, they are no substitute for at least some practice with the full power gun. I like double action revos and my 617s make great training assets, allowing me to practice and smooth my double action trigger pull, but I still pull out the 625 and 627 in the same training session for full power work as well. |
I think they are fantastic, especially if you can get a .22 version/conversion of the actual pistol you use. My next purchase will be a CZ Kadet so that I can get MUCH more trigger time in, mostly to improve my times in IDPA. That has really shown me how much work I need in improving my draw, fast sight acquisition, proper trigger control when shooting under pressure, etc...and if I were to practice with 9mm only it would get $$$ very quick 
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Quoted:
Are there any bad habits I should watch falling into training with .22? Rimfire training can be very useful if you can replicate your sights and your trigger with the .22. I have, for instance, a S&W 317 which is essentially identical to my S&W 442 in everything but recoil. Practicing with it has made me better with my 442. The rimfire is good for helping you develop trigger control and sight management skills. It's not going to help you learn to manage recoil. A good suggestion for practice is to end sessions with at least a few rounds through your carry/primary defense pistol so that you keep accustomed to shooting that. |