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I can't believe you paid that much for a .22!

12K views 73 replies 56 participants last post by  robs9 
#1 ·
Have any of you had that said to you? I have bought a MKIV Target and Hunter since February. Many that have looked at them would ask the price. It makes me wonder if they have shopped for pistols lately! Many pistols are in the 5-600 range. I don't understand why they think the size of the hole in the barrel would change the price of production. I look at the machine work in a mkiv vs my glock19 and by that you would think the mkiv would be 2 times the price of one of these striker fired pistols.
 
#2 ·
I have heard that comment a bunch. It is regularly seen in this forum. Many people believe that 22LR means inexpensive to produce. Some do understand that there are more expensive 22s made but cannot fathom why anyone would purchase one. I used to attend a group squirrel hunt and was always amazed that guys would show up not having a clue where their rifle was shooting. One guy even showed up with a borrowed gun that he had never shot. Invariably these were the same guys that thought anything over $200 for a 22 was ridiculous money. After that hunt we would have a target competition for money. Interestingly, the only guys who would put money on the line were the ones that knew their rifles and had a bit of money in them. I am not trying to say one needs to spend a bunch to have a decently accurate rifle. The mossberg plinkster thread on here is very interesting! I do agree 100% that some people just don't put rimfire in the same group as centerfire as to what they think a firearm should cost.
 
#50 ·
I have heard that comment a bunch. It is regularly seen in this forum. Many people believe that 22LR means inexpensive to produce.
and
I do agree 100% that some people just don't put rimfire in the same group as center-fire as to what they think a firearm should cost.
Any why not?
Much lower power levels and not nearly requiring what it takes to build a 30-06 chambered gun

Some do understand that there are more expensive 22s made but cannot fathom why anyone would purchase one.
Being as cheap as I am, I can't go into depth on that no matter the caliber.

Invariably these were the same guys that thought anything over $200 for a 22 was ridiculous money. After that hunt we would have a target competition for money.
When I see a nothing special AR-15 going for $2000 that I can build for less than half the price it get to the point of seeming like you are paying for nothing more than the name printed on the side of the gun.

The mossberg plinkster thread on here is very interesting!
Being a Ruger 10-22 fan (my first step up gun from black powder) I have seen them for $99 so have to have a look there.
 
#3 ·
I see more the glass is 3/4 full on rim fire central. There is a lot of enthusiasm and talent on RFC. It depends on the forum to a degree. Check out the Anschutz forum - those guys are very serious. You have to remember the younger members are generally on a tighter budget.

Among the old codgers I associate with there is a willingness to pay up for better. I did stand out when I was young with a new motorcycle and weatherby XXII, yet driving a beater old rambler and wearing old jeans. Life was different back then. I could work an hour anyplace and get the equal of an ounce of silver for my trouble. Or twice that at sears. That is the equall of $16 to $32 bucks an hour today. Our standard has dropped, I am hoping to see a little turn around in the next 4 years. Doubtful.

I ran into this on other websites and its much worse. I mention trigger pull, and thumb rest complaints and its like I am from a totally different culture. The concern is how much low quality ammo can be fired and how fast. Accuracy is not a consideration. Look at you tube. Try and find a serious gun test. Just try. Its all plinking offhand or on a make shift bench. No controls at all.

Even here, why do some own 8 or 10 CZ rifles or as many Ruger 22 pistols and not own a single Anschutz or HiStandard or Model 41?
 
#71 ·
Perceptive.

I see more the glass is 3/4 full on rim fire central. There is a lot of enthusiasm and talent on RFC. It depends on the forum to a degree. Check out the Anschutz forum - those guys are very serious. You have to remember the younger members are generally on a tighter budget.

Among the old codgers I associate with there is a willingness to pay up for better. I did stand out when I was young with a new motorcycle and weatherby XXII, yet driving a beater old rambler and wearing old jeans. Life was different back then. I could work an hour anyplace and get the equal of an ounce of silver for my trouble. Or twice that at sears. That is the equall of $16 to $32 bucks an hour today. Our standard has dropped, I am hoping to see a little turn around in the next 4 years. Doubtful.

I ran into this on other websites and its much worse. I mention trigger pull, and thumb rest complaints and its like I am from a totally different culture. The concern is how much low quality ammo can be fired and how fast. Accuracy is not a consideration. Look at you tube. Try and find a serious gun test. Just try. Its all plinking offhand or on a make shift bench. No controls at all.

Even here, why do some own 8 or 10 CZ rifles or as many Ruger 22 pistols and not own a single Anschutz or HiStandard or Model 41?
I agree! I just bought my second CZ, and it's a far cry less than any of my Anschutz rifles. From workmanship, to design, to fit and function Quality is so evident when one does a side by side comparison. Many people just can't imagine the pleasure it gives to use a rifle of incomparable excellence. You just can't teach good taste!
 
#4 ·
I see the same mentality with ammo. A couple of years ago, the only 22 LR we could get at the store where I work, was the really high end target stuff. And the constant complaint was that "last year I could buy a brick of ammo at Walmart for $12, why are you charging $95 now". Most of them would stand there with a blank stare as we tried to explain that RWS Rifle and Pistol Match always cost that much, and we weren't trying to price gouge them.
 
#5 ·
The cost of good equipment always baffles those who aren't seriously involved in that particular activity.

I'm a dedicated bicycle rider and one of my bikes cost over $4000 10 years ago. When I've been asked what it cost by casual riders, they look shocked and tell me; "I got my bike at Target (or Walmart or what ever big box store) for $100 and it's great". Well, yeah, but come back after you've ridden it 40,000 miles of hills like I have and we'll see how it's going.

Golf clubs are the same, a dedicated golfer will pay thousands of dollars for a set of clubs that can be "duplicated" at Dicks for $200. Non-golfers and casual golfers can't see why they would.
 
#60 ·
The cost of good equipment always baffles those who aren't seriously involved in that particular activity.

I'm a dedicated bicycle rider and one of my bikes cost over $4000 10 years ago. When I've been asked what it cost by casual riders, they look shocked and tell me; "I got my bike at Target (or Walmart or what ever big box store) for $100 and it's great". Well, yeah, but come back after you've ridden it 40,000 miles of hills like I have and we'll see how it's going.

Golf clubs are the same, a dedicated golfer will pay thousands of dollars for a set of clubs that can be "duplicated" at Dicks for $200. Non-golfers and casual golfers can't see why they would.
Yeap, same here, I raced road and mountain bicycles for years and when people would see my bikes hanging from my garage wall, they would ask how much is that one. I would tell them, the mountiain bike is $5k and the road bike is $6k. Then they would react, :eek: , "that's a car!", they would say.

I get the same reaction when people ask about my Nikon DSLR and lenses.

And...I just bought my first Anschutz 1710 D HB...So will probably hear a comment or two about that.
 
#6 ·
I agree on quality and cost associated with quality but I cannot see the MK IV worth 100.00 across the board more than a MK III. I know they have an easy take down system but is that worth 100.00 more than the MK II/III's . I am happy with my MK II/III's and do not feel compelled to trade one in on a MKIV. If it were a Padrini or high end Walther I see the high price but the MK IV's in my area of the world, south Texas, are running almost 700.00 for the MK IV hunter .
I guess I'm getting old and conservative and OK with Mark I, MKII & MK III's.:)
 
#7 ·
Two comments - "why do you have so many 22s" and "why would you spend so much on a 22?"

I smile and say that while they are blasting tin cans at 25 yards with their ARs, I enjoy shooting golf balls at 100 yards.

A fine firearm is a pleasure no matter what the caliber. :t
 
#30 · (Edited)
Two comments - "why do you have so many 22s" and "why would you spend so much on a 22?"

A fine firearm is a pleasure no matter what the caliber.
A fine firearm is TRULY a pleasure and it takes experience to understand the difference other than a price tag.

Many of us that have been dealing and shooting 22's for most of our lives have dealt with the "why do they cost so much? It's ONLY a 22." There is a lot of history involved as well as growing and maturing and it is most difficult to explain the difference where "they" would actually care about the difference when all they want is a 10/22 to blast a few soda cans a couple times a year. As I have gotten older, I even prefer the better 22 for blasting up some soda cans from time to time. A good 22 rifle or handgun is a joy to handle and shoot.

I started out with a Mossberg semi-auto 22 rifle years ago and the rifle cost me about $50-$60 new. Dad paid half and I paid the other half from money I could put together. I couldn't afford many of the firearms I lusted for, but believe me I was thrilled to death at age 14 to have my own 22 rifle to shoot when I felt like it or could afford to feed it. After I got out of college, my first 22 rifle was a Weathery Mark XXII (semi). It was a joy to shoot and still is.

I always called the Kimber type 22 rifles "yuppie guns". I could afford them at that point in my life and wanted one. But at that time I wasn't shooting more than a couple times a year that nudged me to reality that I didn't need the Kimber and that money was better spent on furniture or something for the house.

Roll the clock forward and I still love a good 22 rifle or handgun. I have a lot of them. Nobody really needs 40 or 50 22's do they?
 
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#49 ·
I do just the opposite. Every genuine question deserves an answer. Remember that shooting tiny groups with a .22 is not always common among other shooters so why not educate them. I use those questions as the start of teaching moments. I tell those people to come along with me sometime and bring their .22 rifle. After a few shots it is pretty evident that the rifle which costs more will shoot better. But not always. At any rate the person has learned something and I may have gotten a new shooting companion. For me that is a win-win situation.

Dennis
 
#9 ·
"I can't believe you paid that much for a .22" - Truth be told, No, no one has ever asked me that. I have however asked myself that question on occasion. A few times. When I bought my then new Weatherby XXII bolt, the new S&W 617, and again when I bought a Buck Mark rifle. Never regretted the XXII or the 617, but the BM rifle, while great fun to shoot, does sporadically dredge up buyer's remorse. I have also asked myself that question on the other end of the spectrum, when I picked up a used but well maintained Marlin 795 with scope, sling, & 3 extra mags for $100. So, it can work both ways.

No doubt any hobby or sport can get expensive quickly and those that aren't more than just casually involved are dumbfounded at the prices others will pay for equipment and/or travel and professional expenses.
 
#12 ·
I sometimes get that comment with the youngsters with AR15 rifles and red dot on top who can't hit a plate sized target at 25 yards...

I met a loudmouthed guy 2 months ago with an AR 15 and an "expensive" red dot on top.. he was trying to hit a gong at 25 yards and I counted 5 hits with a 30 round mag.. then I said may I try it with my 22LR, maybe I could hit it once, and he agreed... he was quiet after I hit the gong 10 times :D:D:D .
 
#25 ·
They are bring about 4 times their original price...but my 1958 Standard was a whopping $45 out the door.

My old Standard would/will just reassemble itself it was so easy, but I broke many a thumb nail getting the lever to come out and was only thing I didn't like about the pistol.
 
#14 ·
I shoot budget 22 cal rifles such as Marlin xt 22tr, Marlin M60,Ruger 1022, Henry, GSG 522SD. To me it's about the fun I have shooting them, nothing else. It lowers my stress. Maybe later I might want a higher end 22 rifle, but for now these are doing what I expect from them. Plinking and sometimes varmint control.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
#16 ·
I shoot budget 22 cal rifles such as Marlin xt 22tr, Marlin M60,Ruger 1022, Henry, GSG 522SD. To me it's about the fun I have shooting them, nothing else. It lowers my stress. Maybe later I might want a higher end 22 rifle, but for now these are doing what I expect from them. Plinking and sometimes varmint control.
I understand this. I'm perfectly happy with something I can take to the range, plinking in the fields or slogging through the swamps. And I understand spending big $$$$, because I am that way when it comes to buying new golf clubs.

Gordon

Shhhh, I'm not here.
 
#18 ·
Is a MKIV worth a $100 more than a MKIII? In my opinion, any and every day. More than a MKII, probably not. I can't count the number of times I've been recruited to reassemble a basket case MKIII that gets brought into the store where I work. My MKII I can reassemble blindfolded. If Ruger could have stayed away from the magazine disconnect it would be a much more desirable gun.
 
#22 ·
If you ask my wife all my guns cost about $350.00.
New gun shows up and the normal question from wife. "Thats a nice gun what did it cost?" My answer "about $350.00 maybe a little more" She usually comes back with how do you like my new diamond earrings? What a coincidence they were also about $350.00 or maybe a little more. Now we have two people in a happy balanced marriage.
 
#24 ·
The Three Prices:
For anything that is not an absolute necessity, and for some things that are, there seems to be three prices that are involved.

1) The price that you tell your wife...
2) The price that you tell your friends...
3) The price that you actually paid.
 
#23 ·
Having worked at gun stores and gun shows for over 40+ years, I have heard the
"WHY SO MUCH ?" question thousands of times. What I usually did was, let them dry fire a less expensive gun, then a top quality one. Many times THAT answered their question. ..... BUT.... Some could not tell the difference. Some just thought I was trying to RIP THEM OFF, but if they were really serious about the difference, I would help them understand the differences. I have owned most all of the quality 22 pistols and my favorite is Volquartsen, but my budget does not allow them any more.
My RIO Ruger MK III is my current best pistol, But I love my SS target MK IV. As soon as I sell one of my Glock pistols, I am sending my MK IV to Volquartsen to have the action work and a new barrel added. ~~~ Now some may ask WHY spend another 500 on a pistol that already cost me 600. Because I love the MK IV and I can tell the difference. just my 2 cents
 
#26 ·
This thread made me smile
I just had a friend with me when I traded an M1A (actually an M14 semi of course) for a Marlin 97
As we drove away he looked at me and said " I can't believe you just traded an M14 for a friggin .22" the comment gave me pause till I basked in a feeling warmth realizing I felt I actually got the better end of the trade
 
#27 ·
No one has even touched on the subject of bolt action benchrest rifles, where a single shot .22lr rifle you don't even hold can cost anywhere from $1500 to over $3000. I used to be involved in that sport and one of my fellow shooters paid $600 just to have someone put a custom paint job on the stock. So paying $350 for a .22 rifle just doesn't seem that bad.
 
#31 ·
I had "kinda" wanted a Ruger Mark pistol from the time I became aware of them, and that was a long long long time ago. I just never got one, mainly because I stayed away from semi-auto stuff in both rifles and handguns. (except for my Colt Combat Commander Series 70) Mostly all bolt action and single action. I wasn't concerned about the disassembly/assembly. At one point in time I was seriously considering becoming a gunsmith and have always done all the work on my firearms myself.
Finally about a year ago I broke down and bought a Mark III. As soon as I had totally gone through the gun and modified all the things I didn't like and had it set up exactly like I wanted it, "BINGO", here comes the Mark IV. I do wish I had waited one more year but with all the work that has gone into my Mark III I would never get rid of it in favor of a Mark IV. At present the only thing I don't like about my Mark III is the stupid 'loaded chamber indicator'. What a pitiful idea that was.
As far as cost is concerned, if you want something truly accurate and dependable sometimes a little expense is involved, both in purchase price and also the time and effort put into getting the most out of it. It all depends on what a person wants. When going to the range working on loads for my varmint rifle (heavy barreled Remington 700 in .22-250) I would always end the day by shooting the four staples out of the corners of the target and having it fall to the ground. Still do that today with the .22s, but at 50 yards rather than 100 like with the center fire. I also like to put a few spots of honey on the target and hope for a fly or two to land on the target. Hunting flies is not all that much fun with a gun that won't shoot. If you haven't done any of that stuff, try it, you'll like it. To not have guns capable of doing that would bother me.
Just an old guy rambling and I hope I didn't bore anyone too badly. I was probably a life member of the NRA before most of you were born so what I'm saying goes back a long way. No doubt there are some here older than I am but that herd is thinning out rapidly.
 
#32 ·
Although I could be wrong, it is my thought that .22LRs do not have the same strength of materials that something like a .357/.44/454 or 500 Mag revolver, thus lower material costs.

Having said that, I don't think the price for some of the new, easy takedown Ruger Mks is out of line. They're bargain basement guns when you consider how many people shell out $2500-5000 for a 1911. For the really high end 1911s I think you're paying a great deal for the name and many won't shoot a lot better than than gunshop grade 1911s running more like $1000. Don
 
#35 ·
I have .22s that I have paid anywhere from around a couple hundred new to nearly $1000 used. Have several used .22s that I paid in the $100-$200 range. Got an old Remington Model 12 nearly 100 years old that cost me nothing as it was my Grandfather's and to me is priceless. Got one .22 magnum used for $10 from a guy that needed to sell it to settle an estate and didn't know how to unload it. You hear the same question for that one, " you paid how much for it?"

Had a friend that bought an upscale wood 10/22 for his son's first rifle. My friend had been out of werk for a few years and has some financial challenges catching back up. He wanted something nicer looking than a cheap stocked basic .22 as a kind of father to son heirloom first gun gift to his son. He couldn't afford a nice CZ or something similar as he wanted to scope it also. He asked me what I thought about several cheap scopes he was looking at. I suggested something better than what he has been looking at and suggested maybe a nicer Weaver or Leupold. Showed him one of my rifles with a Weaver RV-9 on it and kind of got that same question "you paid how much for a scope for a .22? He ended up spending the money for the Weaver and some Burris signature Zee rings. Reflecting back, he is glad he did. Because of his finances, money spent was a big concern as it may be for many of us at different times in our lives.

Personally I have no desire spending thousands on a bench rest .22 as that is not my thing. Sometimes I question spending $600 or $700 or more for a nice Mountie or other classic .22. I'm kind of old school in a number of ways. I prefer blued steel and walnut over tupperware. I prefer field type sporters generally or battle rifles that are carried afield rather than shot from a perch. Plinking over one hole paper punching. I do like my firearms to be accurate and reliable. How much accuracy and for what purpose is open to interpretation depending on the user and the purpose. Battle rifle accuracy, deer rifle at 60 yard woods distances, head shots on squirrels, bench rest, bullseye, or plates. Generally you get what you pay for in accuarcy, reliability, fit and finish. Sometimes that is $200 and sometimes that may be $2000 or more. So yes, I paid that much for a .22.
 
#36 ·
my favorite .22s are............

the ones I wanted as a teen in the early 1960s, and just could not afford! my part time service station job paid 50 cents an hour so that went mainly for gas, drive in admission and burgers!! I have been able to find some of these treasures now that I am in my 70s, a jc Higgins mdl 30, a 572 Remington, a 29B savage pump, colt challenger , etc. the list does go on. it is such a feeling when you find and buy one of these treasures, finally. I bet I am not alone either.;)
 
#37 ·
People making comments about $500-$600 .22's would have a heart attack if they saw what people pay for precision target air rifles.

I coach junior rifle shooting, it's very easy to spend $3,000-$4,000 on a .177 caliber pellet rifle.

"Yeah I just spent $3,500 on a BB gun for my kid" is a pretty common phrase around me.
 
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