Everyone loves the little .22LR. How could you not? It’s cheap to shoot, has very low recoil, is super common, and finds its way into just about every platform possible. The little .22LR is a popular option for a variety of tasks, but today’s focus is on the use of the .22LR for training. Can the little round be an efficient and effective trainer? Many say yes, and others say no, so let’s dig into it a bit and see where the truth lies.
Where the .22LR Most Certainly Works
Anytime you can get trigger time, you’ll likely be improving something in the realm of shooting. The low price of .22LR makes it easy to get some trigger time on the cheap.
If you’re a new shooter, or training new shooters, the .22LR is perfect. It’s fairly quiet for a gun that has very little recoil and no muzzle blast. It’s fun to shoot and very easy to use as a training cartridge. The fact it costs only a few cents per round also makes it attractive. You can use the .22LR to teach shooters firearm safety, sight alignment, trigger control, and how to use a firearm’s manual of arms.
Things like sight tracking, target or sight focus, grip, and more can be taught and built with a .22LR. Even tactical skills like reloading, the use of cover, malfunction clearances, and more can be learned with a .22LR. Those skills are basically the same as long as your firearm is the same. If you have a gun that’s identical or nearly identical to the centerfire platform, then you’ll be able to get some decent training. If you are using a Ruger 10/22, you’ll be fairly limited with how you’ll be able to train for using an AR-15. If you drop a CMMG conversion into your AR-15, then you’ll be able to squeeze a little weapon-handling training out of it as well.
The .22LR Trainers
Guns like the P322 act as generic options for those shooting striker-fired pistols. They allow for the use of optics and have similar capacities to most modern mainstream firearms. A P322 can be used to train with a P320, a Glock, or any other basic modern pistol. The same could be said for the Glock 44 or the FN 502 series. The LCP 2 in 22LR is great for practicing with the little guns.
The CMMG conversions are great, but admittedly, they lack a bolt hold open. Dedicated trainers like the M&P 15 are a great way to hone AR skills. Conversions are typically the cheaper option and do exist for a variety of handguns and the AR platform. The problem typically comes down to the reliability of the conversion. For every CMMG conversion, there is one that chokes every other round.
You’ll cut your training potential the further your training weapon gets away from your main weapon. If possible, match the .22LR trainer to your main weapon as much as possible. For many, this might mean buying a new gun. In that case, you might get more training value in using that gun money to buy a case or two of ammo and train with centerfire.
When It Doesn’t Work
There is no miracle round, and the .22LR isn’t great when it comes to training recoil control. It’s so underpowered that the round simply doesn’t provide the same oomph. Your sights won’t move as much. You won’t need to exercise the same level of control. Learning to control recoil is an invaluable lesson.
Outside of recoil, you’ll have ballistic issues if you try and shoot at extended ranges. A 5.56 can go 500 yards easily. Trying to do the same with a .22LR just isn’t going to happen. Lighter winds will have more of an effect on accuracy, and you won’t get the same ballistic experience with a .22LR trainer.
You also won’t have the noise and concussion you are accustomed to with centerfire rounds. This isn’t the biggest deal, but it’s worth preparing yourself for. When you shoot tons of 5.56 through a 10.3-inch barrel, you’ll eventually get used to the noise and fireball. That noise and fireball can be quite surprising if the majority of your shooting is done with a .22LR.
My Big Experiment
To get an idea of how capable a .22LR trainer could be, I grabbed my P322 and Echelon and set out to conduct an experiment. My experiment would consist of shooting two different drills that challenge various skills. I shot with known accuracy standards and against a timer. I started on training day one by shooting all of the drills with the Echelon and then spent the next 10 days shooting them with the P322. I had a few day’s break due to a major hurricane but finished the 10 days strong.
My drills of choice were the 10-10-10 drill and the classic El Presidente.
With the Echelon, I shot an all-black 10-10-10 drill in about 7.25 seconds. With a time like that, I certainly needed the practice. The drill has you firing 10 rounds in 10 seconds at 10 yards at a B8 target. All black is pretty good, but 7.25 is a little slow.
I did a little better with the El Pres because I’ve been shooting that one quite a bit for fun. I scored all A-zone shots in eight seconds. It’s still slow compared to the pros, but I felt good about it. The El Presidente drill has you start by facing away from three targets placed one yard apart. You turn and shoot the three targets two times, reload, and shoot each target two more times.
To the .22LR
I shot all those same drills with the P322 for 10 days and recorded my times and accuracy. All my times improved with the P322. The lower recoil makes it much easier to get things done and to get back on target. Both guns wear a red dot, and they are basically the same size and shape. After 10 days of shooting each drill repeatedly, I went back to the range to see if my times improved with the Echelon.
The real winner was the El Presidente drill. I trimmed a whole 1.5 seconds off my time with all A-zone hits. While the recoil impulse was different, the turn, the draw, the target transitions, and the reload were nearly identical. Working these skills over and over helped me trim time while getting all A-Zone hits.
The 10-10-10 drill didn’t see a big difference. I improved accuracy slightly with more shots in the 9-ring and X than in the 8-ring. However, my time didn’t change much. My best run trimmed a half second or so off. The 10-10-10 benefits mostly from control, which isn’t tested much by a .22LR.
The results do show some improvement when using the .22LR trainer. However, it can’t teach control, which can be a very important part of defensive and competitive shooting. It’s certainly more valuable for new shooters, but that value also extends to anyone looking to improve on the cheap.
