Quote:
Originally Posted by cryptiq
Personally, I bought my 15-22 for plinking. I don't know anything about the ballistics of a .22 round as far as it being effective against a home invader. I think there are a lot of things that factor into your question tho. Some things that came to my mind are:
- Can you safely secure your 15-22 and still allow quick access? For me, it's much easier for me to access and have my handgun ready vs. my 15-22.
- Since you mentioned you lived in a townhouse, are there a lot of tight spaces that would be difficult to maneuver in while holding the rifle?
I follow a similar philosophy with my .40 H&K USP (my primary home defense). The first 1/2 of the mag has FMJ rounds, if it's bad enough I go thru 1/2 a mag, then the hollow points will start flying. My thinking on this was minimizing collateral damage. If, heaven forbid, someone other than a criminal took one of those rounds, I think FMJ would do much less damage than the HPs.
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Actually all the FMJ would do is p*** the guy off as they winged him and then went thru your neighbor's wall into their house.The military uses FMJ because of the Geneva Convention. In your case you do not want to fight fair. What you want is rounds that stay in the intruder and don't cause collateral damage, which FMJ will do for sure. Save those for the range. If you need to worry about penetration then get PD safety bullets (Glasers, Magsafes, or some kind of frangible bullet). And in a shotgun, especially a pump, only load the top of the mag at the back with one round of birdshot. That way you can pump it clear when you know the situation is deadly. Everything else should be either PD (like PDX) or buckshot rounds (I prefer 3" magnum #4B which is 41 pellets in the next 2 then some 00B after that). And practice. A shotgun will create a lot of flash and noise but you have to be prepared to shoot more than 1 round. I personally recommend firing 2 rounds with a shotgun and 3 with a pistol (CF) before you decide to see if he/they are still there. And make sure what you are shooting at also. Not the dog or your neighbor (unless they really are the bad guys). More practice.
I do not recommend a .22 rifle unless it is the only weapon you have to work with. If that is all you have prepare to shoot at least 5 and no more than 10 rounds with some accuracy. Did I mention practice? Practice is the only way to create the muscle memory you need in a stress situation. Get some lessons and practice.