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.22lr assault rifle thoughts

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BOCN Supporter
Hello all.

I have decided to go back to shooting, but not full bore this time, 22LR. I have a work mate who is the chairman of a local club and has got me inerested again.

Now, I will be applying for a sec 1 license, more so that I can buy my own ammo in bulk for cheaper, but I also have a liking for assault rifle type guns.

Looking online, I see that you can pick up very nice looking M4s, Armalites and MP5's of different types (UK) for under600 pounds, all semi auto, which I thought was quite reasonable. Has anyone had any experience with these kinds of rifles and are they any good? Not lloking at firing past 50 metres really.

Reason for the 22 is that the range is quite close to me and I like the price of the ammunition. Only interested in target shooting now, I leave the rabbiting to the air rifles.

Many thanks
 
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I had a M16 22lr semi auto assault rifle made from an original rifle with a proper 22lr barrel and an Israel 22lr conversion kit, fantastic little rifle had great fun with it.
 
Careful. It's not an assault rifle. It's just that the "gungrabbers" love that term. A friend of mine has the S&W MP 22. It is fun and cheap to shoot. I say go for it.
SHAKY
 
Decisions, decisions. Having owned or currently possess the gamut of .22 "assault" rifles, I've been happy with all of them. Just find the right load/brand of ammunition that affords reliable function. My newest is the S&W MP 15-22. Very accurate rendition of the AR series. Hasn't missed a lick with factory or aftermarket mags. Any of the GSG brand are excellent copies. A copy of the M1 Carbine by Chiappa has some parts that are interchangable with the real thing. The GSG MP44 is the coolest because of the crate it comes in. Haven't fired it yet, so can't expand on that. The MP5s worked flawlessly.
None of them approach "target rifle" accuracy, but who cares.
 
I don't know the legality of it over there, but an M&P 15-22 with a slide-fire stock is a lot of fun. I've also owned a GSG-5P and sbr'ed it, added a Navy lower, lighted forearm, claw mount with red dot and a suppressor. But in the end, it was just an inaccurate (albeit, fun) .22 rifle. These days, for .22's at least, I stick with the Ruger 10/22 takedown and my son's Crickett (which I'm getting ready to thread for a suppressor right now).

I compete in NRA Highpower (across-the-course) with a service rifle and once thought of buying a high-end dedicated upper to train with at reduced ranges. Some of the nicer ones like Compass Lake ( http://www.compasslake.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=85 ) are over $1K USD just for the upper. But the reviews that I received was that even with match quality .22LR, the accuracy wasn't enough to provide reliable feedback for effective practice.

Just out of curiosity, is .22LR easier to come by over there? In the states, 99.5 percent of all ammo can be found relatively easy...except for .22. It's out there, but I haven't been able to stroll into a certain discount superstore and pick up .22 at my leisure in a LONG time.

-WRM
 
Got a Ruger 10/22 which I've never had any problems with and can take some abuse although if i were you i'd go down the .17HMR route. Way better at knocking over bunnies but I don't know what black rifles are available in .17HMR?
 
Which club are you joining as you are very close to us (Weybridge) I have a V22 and Bremmer (both AR15's in .22, shame we can't post photos on here) and we have a load of M&P 15-22's in the club plus everything else you can think of......
Don't forget to look at the CMMG's as they are full metal, I'm not a big fan of the polymer rifles.
 
Thanks all. Guess that makes my mind up then. I want one for a bit of fun really but intend to get a target rifle too at some point.

The club I'm looking at is Ham & Petersham RPC. Seems to have a bit of everything.

22LR are pretty popular over here and the price is what gets me. Could get a good day out for a few quid.
 
.22LR Semi-autos may be the next thing to get hit by a ban. I remember a newspaper scare story on "deadly automatic rifles for sale in the UK" that was quite recent. I showed some rifles like the Riger 10-22 and some others. It only takes the media to push a few stories like that and it could cause serious problems. Unfortunately I can't find the article now.
 
Yeah I know what you mean. Same thing as the lethal e cigs! Problem is, the majority of people believe what they see on TV without question. Half the reason I bought my air rifles was because there was a spate of bad media publicity on air guns a few years back and I didn't want to jump through hoops to buy one.
 
I would think you would also be even more limited as to where you could shoot any of the assault rifle type .22LR guns. I have often come across an attitude with British shooters where anything without a fancy polished wood stock is looked down on. Also, certain types of shooting are seen as "un-sporting" or "improper". I could see some ranges turning the .22LR assault rifles away as not to give the range a "bad reputation".

One example of how I came across this was when a work colleague invited me to a .22 Range they were a member of. I mentioned that I would like to go to the USA and try shooting pistols and semi-auto rifles. Someone responded with the sarcastic comment "oh, so there's nothing weird about you then". Needless to say I never went back, I don't have any time for snobs like that.

Someone else I know was reported to the police by a do-gooder for shooting foxes with a licensed rifle on land they had permission to be on. I would think that the reaction would be even worse if those sort of people report someone with a "machine gun".

I myself see where you are coming from with the appeal of a cheap day's shooting. I would like to try these sort of guns too, but I find all the rules and restrictions you have to put up with excessive. I have never found shooting on ranges in the UK very enjoyable due to the sheer amount of rules.
 
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I agree with you there. Another reason i have stayed away from shooting for so long. Bisley has got to be one of the best examples of snobery I have come across. Though maybe each club are different. You never know, there must be a hell of a lot of shooters who don't like the snobery who must shoot somewhere?

I'll have to go round to a few clubs and see what the general attitude is like I suppose.

I tell you wnat's worse over where I live though, it's the bloody archery! I would love to have a go but jesus christ, the people that tend to get 'involved' in these clubs, I can't stand to be around.
 
There are clubs that have ranges that allow the use of any .22lr which in the UK is the only self loading calibre allowed. There are even what is refered to as Light Weight Sport rifle competitions run by the NSRA and others for those who wish to compete at traditional targets. UK range rules are basicaly safetey related as there is always a risk assesment done and no one wants to be responsible for a claim against the club. I would agree that there are (sadly) some who would see shooting in the UK get banned because they only want prone single shot target rifles to be used, they will be the last to go but go they will as they will number so few.
 
I think what your looking for is a practical rifle club. I used to shoot practical shotgun at www.htrpc.co.uk and they are a great bunch and very welcoming. Do a google search for your local club.
 
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