one gun not three?

Does anyone ever ONLY compete, get classified, and reclassified with their .22 rim fire pistol. They don't shoot centerfire, they don't shoot 45. They only have interest in competing with the .22 rim fire pistol. They'll only be shooting 900 matches obviously. Just curious. I'm working on and practicing with the 45 but with a lot going on right now for me it may be easier (and less costly) to just compete .22 rim fire only. I shoot another sport, got a kid on the way... Just wondering if I'm taking too much on to my plate at the buffet table.

Tim, They have a whole division and classification for that. You can shoot the whole 2700 with .22 in the .22 only Division. You can even shoot Nationals in .22 only. You can never get a 2600 award or any of the awards for 3 gun but there is a whole bunch of things you can shoot. Lately about half our line is made of .22 only shooters.

Len


Read section 22 (really) it starts on the bottom of page 54
http://rulebooks.nra.org/documents/pdf/compete/RuleBooks/Pistol/pistol-book.pdf

You absolutely can shoot just the 22. But if your goals include the 45, you might not want to. I've been coached that mastering the 45 will further improve your 22 shooting. But it's not easy to go from shooting 860 with the 22 to the 700s with the 45. But that's just the way it is and a lot of people have been through it.

When I started to shoot the 45 one of my mentors told me about the first time he shot his in a match. He had been shooting on the base team at Pensacola in the early 60s and he was doing very well with the 22. The coach told him that he was going to shoot the entire 2700. Like most of the military shooters at the time when it came time to shoot the 45 he was shooting hardball. He won the 22 match that day. 
When it came to the center fire and 45 matches, he tells me that he might have hit the target sometime during sustained fire, but that he knows he hit the ground in front of it. 

The 45 is not easy and it takes time to master. You need to do it at your pace. You will make mistakes. But like Lanny Bashaam says, "if you aren't experiencing a lot of obstacles, your goals might be too low." Good luck. By the way that same mentor held state records and won mid Atlantic  titles with percussion and flintlock pistols.

Only you can answer that last question Tim; and when you do based on searching your soul yourself, you will be very settled with your decision.
I can say this personally; I left highpower at the point in the learning curve when I was making the most progress, because I looked inward (not outward for advice) and asked how I would feel about spending so much time loading, practicing, competing, driving...right at the same chapter in my life that my son was starting to become a real person and not just a diaper soiling machine.  Thinking about all that I would miss, the decision to lay it all aside was not just easy; it was peaceful.  Now my job is mostly done (kids through college) and I am well past the age where I have any business setting lofty BE goals, but I have zero regrets engaging this great hobby as only a casual participant.  Regards, Ed

Absolutely, there are shooters / competitors that only shoot .22 in Precision (Conventional) and Olympic competitions.  You might find the .22 is all you need.  You are not leaving anything on the table with respect to shooting or competing.  

Overall, I recommend that bullseye shooter shoot the .22 only for such time as they can accurately call their shots.  (And I mean really call each shot to the ring and location and REALLY see the sights / dot moving to the center, at the moment of igniting and lifting out of position during recoil).  Most people blink too much to see anything when they begin shooting and even more with the centerfire guns.  You should be able to see the front sight or dot and the surrounding muzzle flash on a consistent basis to improve in the shooting sports.  (Check out Brian Eno's forum for some thoughts from a real zen shooting master)
http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php

Should you ever decide to pursue centerfire calibers, there will be some transition time (the .22 tends to let shooters get away with some grip and wrist / recoil issues), but you will be WAY ahead of the game by really learning how to hold the gun "square", seeing the sights and learning how your wobble process looks like for the best shot. 

Shoot the .22 with no regrets and have fun!

CR

“Choose to have fun….
Fun creates enjoyment….
Enjoyment invites participation…
Participation focuses attention….
Attention promotes insight….
Insight generates knowledge….
Knowledge facilitates action….
Action yields results….”
Let’s have some fun….  Davis Love

I did it, but I wouldn't recommend it. I couldn't afford the gun or ammo at the time and my free time was pretty limited. The .45 is harder to master than the .22. That being said, if it is a choice of not shooting matches or only shooting the .22, then by all means shoot the .22.