Pick Your Poison

I just had a customer get cold feet on a 22 build we had been spec'ing. This is not a new thing, custom builds are costly folks can have doubts about spending big money on a custom! But I realized that it seems to happen more with the rimfires (Handgun and rifle both) and I wondered why?

It started at a get together last fall when a long time customer who has built several centerfires without even a twinge of doubt saw this gun:

"I gotta make something like that." Was the response when we were plinking together and the plotting began. Now with all the parts for his version of an everyday 22 gathered at last I got the old, "MAN, that's a lot of money - I mean its JUST a friggin 22 . . "

This is fine. People back out and it is not my job to spend someone elses hard earned's. But it got me to thinking - Is this the way most folks look at the rimefires? Is there always an eye of contempt? Do most shooters view them as "Just a friggin 22?"

Personally I have always thought the 22's were the BEST place ti spend high end dollars from a common sense standpoint. I mean, I have dozens of customers over the years who save long and hard to build that dream rifle - That 06, x57, .49 Eargasplittingloudenboomer Express, etc that will then be taken out once a year at deer season which is only a couple weeks long and which they will participate in for perhaps only a few days or iin some cases a few hours. Then it is back in the safe with Ole' Betsy and the whole rest of the year to wait. But the lowly 22 - now that can spend days out chasing small edible crittes during much longer season. They can put down predators in the chicken coop,, nip the old NECO wafers, put a proper end to golf balls at the local gravel pit, train the grand kids, and a million other year round uses. They do it with fairly cheap ammo that you don't have to work all night to load. They don't break you ears or wrists. They are not spectacular at any particular thing but they have been filling pots, bellys and empty hours for a LONG time. And I don't have to wait till next Novemeber to really put them to use!

Now I LOVE a great old cheap 22 rifle or pistol I have several. and they fill a nitche. And being biased and financially invested in such things I am ALL in favor of guys building big ole sixguns for warding off man eating grizzlies and such. BUT, as much as I like my thundersticks, I am not ACTUALLY over runs with slavering maurauding griz! I have been a bit over runs with burrowing ground squirrels and egg stealing racoons! Both if which have been succumbing to the above 22.

This is not just about custom dollars either. I see guys order REALLY expensive centerfres and outrageously expensive scopes and a car load of accsessories till they break the credit card. For a once a year deer rifle. And I have seen the same guys scoff and sneer at a 1200.00 22 sitting in the same gun rack - "Who the hell would EVER spend that on a 22!!!!" Again, I might because I can use it all year. I could have used an old H&R single shot and a department store scope just as easily to shoot my once a year whitetail on opening morning fifty yards form my blind!

Now I do not discount WANT over NEED - Heck WANT pays my bills. I just wondered what everyone thought? Do most guys look at the old rimfire as "Just and old friggen 22?"