FERNANDINA BEACH, FL. – -(Ammoland.com)- Today’s airguns are more powerful, more reliable and more accurate than the lever-action toys common to many of our childhoods.
They are used in everything from precision shooting competitions and weekend plinking sessions to hunting small and even large game, with the majority of modern air rifles most similarly matching the close-range shooting performance of another target-time favorite-the .22-caliber rimfire rifle.
But have limited supplies of .22 ammunition in recent years caused more sportsmen to make the switch to shooting airguns? Pellets are readily available and markedly cheaper, air rifles and air handguns can be safely fired in a backyard, and with the improvements in technology, it would seem to be a natural switch from .22 to airgun.
Of more than 4,500 shooters surveyed on ShooterSurvey.com, 40 percent reported shooting an air rifle in the past 12 months. In that same time span, 33 percent of those same sportsmen would have purchased more ammo had it been available and 17 percent said they were not able to buy all of the .22 ammo they wanted. So did those shooters stymied by the shortage opt to shoot air rifles more as a substitute for their rimfire rifles?
Interestingly, a sizable 75 percent of them said the limitation had zero impact on how much they shot air rifles.
They would’ve shot air rifles the same amount. Eighteen percent, however, reported they would’ve shot air rifles less had they been able to buy more .22 ammo, while only 5 percent were moved to join the air rifle ranks noting they probably wouldn’t have shot air rifles at all had they been able to purchase all of the rimfire loads they wanted.
“It would appear the recent shortage of .22-caliber ammunition has some impact on increased air rifle use, but maybe not as much as some people would expect. Airguns, it seems, are popular among a portion of today’s shooters on their own merits,” says Rob Southwick, president of Southwick Associates, which designs and conducts the surveys at HunterSurvey.com, ShooterSurvey.com and AnglerSurvey.com. “
To help continually improve, protect and advance hunting, shooting and other outdoor recreation, all sportsmen and sportswomen are encouraged to participate in the bi-monthly surveys at HunterSurvey.com, ShooterSurvey.com and/or AnglerSurvey.com. Every other month, participants who complete the surveys are entered into a drawing for one of five $100 gift certificates to the sporting goods retailer of their choice.
What do you think? Did the shortage of .22 ammo, have you shooting you airguns more? Leave your answer in the comments below.
About AnglerSurvey.com, HunterSurvey.com & ShooterSurvey.com:
Launched in 2006, AnglerSurvey.com, HunterSurvey.com and ShooterSurvey.com help the outdoor equipment industry, government fisheries and wildlife officials and conservation organizations track consumer activities and expenditure trends. Survey results are scientifically analyzed to reflect the attitudes and habits of anglers and hunters across the United States.
Follow them on Facebook at https://facebook.com/huntersurvey and https://facebook.com/anglersurvey or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/AnglerSurvey and https://twitter.com/#!/HunterSurvey.
About Southwick Associates:
Southwick Associates is a market research and economics firm specializing in the hunting, shooting, sportfishing, and outdoor recreation markets. Celebrating 25 years in 2015, Southwick Associates has a distinguished reputation for delivering comprehensive insights and statistics to support strategic decision making across the entire outdoor industry. Aside from custom market and economic data, Southwick provides custom and syndicated research including customer-driven new product development, outdoor media consumption insights, and equipment purchase tracking studies. Visit www.Southwickassociates.com for more information.
In my country firearms are heavyly controlled and ammo is rationed. So I’ve built up a small collection of air rifles, which are a joy to shoot. I have a Diana 54 Air King in .177, Benjamin Marauder .25 and a Steyr Hunting 5 Automatic in .22. They take care of most of my shooting needs.
the government are way out of hand and CONTROL its time overdue to put them back in line,, they the government work for us the USA citizen’s we pay them to do what WE the AMERICAN people want they DO NOT OWN US RATHER WE AMERICANS OWN THEM… WE AMERICANS ARE FEED UP WITH OVER PAYED SELF CENTERED SELFISH NARROW MINDED B/S OF GOVERNMENT BULLIENESS ..WE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE GOD GIVEN RIGHTS AND OUR CONSTATUTIONAL RIGHTS THAT SHALL NEVER BY INTERFURED WITH . THIS GOVERNMENT HAS NEVER HAD ANY RIGHTS TO DUE AS THEY PLEASE AND TO SCREW THE AMERICAN… Read more »
What I’ve seen time and time again are the same clowns lined up at Wal-Mart and other heavy-volume ammo outlets, waiting in line to buy all the 22LR ammo they can carry, then take it and resell it at gun shows and on the internet at a drastic markup. Likely none of these are sportsmen, but scavengers looking to make a quick buck. We should realize that this 22LR shortage is causing fewer young people to get exposed to target shooting, as most of us were when we were kids. Instead, these youth will sit on their backsides playing violent… Read more »
I’m searching for a 22 lr rifle maybe a ruger10/22 or a marlin mod60 but I’ve been hearing of these 22 rimfire shortages in all the us that makes me think twice about buying them , I want to shoot all day with. 22 lr because it’s more economical than shooting my Glocks I remember the the good old days when I use to take my marlin model60s with a 550 round brick that cost me 21 dollars they were always easy to find but now it’s changed I want those good old days again in 2015 and the future… Read more »
Sad to say, I have not been able to shoot my Ruger Mark III pistol
for over two years because no .22LR ammunition is available. We
hear and read that CCI and other manufactures are working day and
night producing .22 ammunition. At first I believed it; but now I do
not accept such excuses. I have been shooting .22s since WW II
ended: I am bewildered. I would think .22 rifle, pistol, and revolver
manufacturers would do something about the matter so they can
continue selling their guns. Please someone, tell us the TRUTH!
I am a “daily” shooter, and with the rarity of availability of .22lr, I chose to purchase a Ruger “Air Magnum” .177, that fires at approximately 1400 fps. At 75′, and using the stock iron sights, and standard Crossman Ammo from Wal-Mart, I consistently put every round within a 2″ target, and many of them bordering on previous holes. The iron sights are both on the Barrel, and Scopes on “break-barrel” air-guns is useless, since they are secured atop the Stock portion, and and the barrel is forward of the pivot. This results in just enough “play” in the barrel… Read more »
I don’t shoot .22 much because of uncertainty of ability to replace what I shoot. This stuff is very scarce where I live, and dealers either get very small quantities or none at all. I buy what I can find, have long ago given up on buying by brand or even solid vs. hollow point.
I have a nice collection of air rifles in both .177 and .22, and mostly shoot those. No ammunition shortage there.
Les
The ‘politicians’ would love a populace armed with ‘air guns’. That would give the ATF the power, overtime, to claim there is no ‘sporting use’ for .22 rimfire ammunition since ‘air guns’ fill that niche. This is an example of the progressive ‘Overton Window’ phenomenon in action. The disarming effects of a ban on .22 rimfire ammunition would dwarf the effects of the recently ‘proposed’ ban on .223/5.56 ‘Green Tip’ ammunition.
i have been shooting air guns for years. don’t own a rim fire,only center fire pistols and rifles-shot guns.when i want to plink i use my nitro piston air rifle. its very cheep to shoot and very accurate.
ABSOLUTELY!!! The ammo shortage and price gouging absolutely drove me back to airguns! I am a chronic shooter……I HAVE to shoot….if I don’t, I get a little hard to be around! I grew up with a Sheridan BlueStreak and as soon as I was old enough to get a .22, it went into the closet. When ammo started getting Stupid, I picked up an RWS airgun and started learning to be a “marksman” again. Childhood disciplines returned and I have become a Much better stalker and shooter because of it, and I can shoot all day for between 1.75 and… Read more »
A .22 LR,WMR shortage ? really ? I have about 5K LR.and 2K mag. Dont even have a 22 LR,but got my trusty Marlin 783 WMR ! see it all the time at Walmart,Carters Country !
I bought an air rifle and an air pistol for winter indoor practice, when it’s too
cold and wet to shoot outside.
(Hopefully that will take some of the hoarding mentality away from the folks who are still acting like jackasses). I shoot .22 ammo not as much as I would like to because of lack of Ammo and lack of money but why would I or any one be considered a JACKASS or a HOARDER because they have the money to stockpile Ammo. for a sport that they like, if I had the money or was not on a fixed income because being forced into medical retirement is no reason for me to bad mouth the sportsman that can afford to… Read more »
I have looked into getting a decent air gun for the increased availability of ammo, however, the ones I have tried have such miserable triggers on them that my shooting suffers even more than usual. There is also the issue of cocking them. I’m getting old, and having had a motorcycle accident, I have a bum shoulder.
Should those problems be addressed, I would be much ore likely to make the investment.
Many are using air rifles because of local restrictions on firearm use. That is how I started and now have extended to Quackenbush large bore air guns. They are a real eye opener in terms of performance and another application for bullet casting.
The present and persistant shortage of .22 lr and .22 WMR had no influence in my ordering a Benjamin Trail NP-2 recently. I had been reading about and watching reviews and tests and shooting demonstrations on YouTube for many months and weighing each gun against the other in order to find the right airgun for my sporting desires. I was most interested in the increased accuracy of the modern airgun and the accuracy of these rifles and wanted something in the $200 – $500 price range. I had the foresight to see the .22 shortage coming in time to order… Read more »
There still is a .22lr shortage because the wholesalers and some retailers are hoarding and waiting for “black friday”. An AmmoLand article of a few days ago mentioned Davidson’s (wholesaler) will be getting into more of the ammo distribution at “reasonable” prices. Hopefully that will take some of the hoarding mentality away from the folks who are still acting like jackasses. Some of the retailers are also price gougheing (won’t name them here) they know who they are. Case in point – when is the last time you were able to by Winchester .22lr 40 grain powerpoints ? I have… Read more »