I'm debating with myself on whether it's worth the extra money to get one in .22 mag. I have snub nose revolvers(S&W of course) in 38+P and 357 and I'm not sure if I would save any weight or add another round or two but was told it might be more manageable for my wife who is a new shooter. She has a bobcat in .22LR for now. Opinions welcome.

I agree with those who say you should carry the largest caliber gun you can shoot well. After 40 years of carrying handguns daily, and with 4 different agencies, I would add that it must be small enough that your wife will carry it everywhere. I chronographed a bunch of 22 and 22 mag rounds last week from 1 7/8 and 2 inch barrels. The 22 mag is loud so make sure your wife is not bothered by the noise. The fastest rounds we found were the Winchester load designed for the short barrels. They averaged 1,230 and the regular 22s were 1,074. That gives them about 140 foot pounds of energy. My 380s and 38 special from short guns move a 90-125 grain bullet at about 900 fps for energy of about 200. My wife loves her little TCP38 Taurus, but I make her keep a model 637 handy simply because it uses a much bigger bullet. My last advice is really a short story. When I was a park ranger I went on a call where a park employee had been attacked by a pack of 5 pit bull dogs....I had a 9mm and all went well, but when thinking of what gun to carry against some pyscho human, think about what it will take to stop a couple of pit bulls. I would not want a 22 mag if anything bigger would work. Dont get me wrong, I love the 22mag but just dont carry it unless I have a second larger gun. Good luck.

I have old-model High Standard derringers in .22 Mag. On occasion, I drop one in an outside pocket in colder weather or when I feel the need for a second gun: in a casino, carrying a bankroll, for example. As a primary weapon, not if I have something else bigger and I always do. As a 'surprise,' yeah, OK, but I don't consider it a 'back-up.' On more occasions, I drop a .45 derringer in that pocket...

Withe the small NAA revolvers, there has been more of an interest in this round as a short barrel defensive round than is warranted, IMO. There was an article on this topic in an issue of the American Rifleman in 2012 or 2013. Stay safe, Fire.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

Have owned several short barreled revolvers, in .22 Mag.

They will make you hearing impaired, VERY quickly, without hearing protection. The blast seems to be MORE than a .357 Mag.

I sold them all, because of this. The slight increase in muzzle velocity, wasn't worth the horrendous BOOM !

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NRA Instructor

Working behind the counter at GS's, I see a certain fascination with snubby .22 mags.
People who have little to no understanding of ballistics seem sold on the word 'magnum', and if they've ever fired one, the noise is the other apparent signature of perceived 'power' of the round.

The .22 WMR loses ALOT in a short barrel.
At best, it provides energy approximately equal to a .22 LR fired from a rifle. Better than a sharp stick, but not the magical defense hardware I see some seem to ascribe to it.

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Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

You will gain almost nothing over a high speed 22LR other than hearing loss and expensive ammo... I would stick to a center fire for same weight, better stopping power and less expensive as well as accuracy.

Maybe it's just me but is the noise level you guys mention being a bit exaggerated? 22 mag at 357 mag noise level?

I don't own any short barreled 22 mag guns. But I do own a Ruger SA Single Six with 7.5" barrel and a Savage bolt action in 22 Mag. From my experience firing these they weren't even as loud as what my 38 Spl revolvers sounded like. If there is a 22 mag out there that can get as loud as a 357, that would cause guys at the range to turn around and start watching. But when I fire mine, if someone is shooting 9mm or 38, it drowns out my little 22 mag.

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Ephesians 6 (Armor of God)

Go shopping for 22MAG ammo first. It simply cannot be found around here for a humane price.....or hardly at all and is as scarce as 22LR.

Get a 38-special snub and load your lady up with 38 Short Colt. 38SC is not all that common, but it can be ordered from the supply houses. If you hand-load (or know somebody who does), the easiest thing you can do is put a reasonably light charge under a 110 to 125-grain slug and be a lot better off than a 22MAG.

Having said that....I can't prize my roommate away from her 317, but she does shoot any of the 38-Specials with reduced slug-weights and powder charges and she'll have twice the slug-tonnage headed in harms way.

Law-Dog : Do you have a SKU # for any of the Winchester short barreled ammo? Thank You, Be Safe,

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I BACK OUR BLUE

I occasionally use my High Standard 9 shot. It's nickel with a 3 inch barrel and stocks that remind you of a detective special. Great little gun. wish they still made them.

I would compare my 650 and 651 to the noise level of a 38. Back before the ammo shortage, I would catch myself buying several boxes of 22 mag from Walmart whenever I was looking for ammo. After each purchase I would think to myself why do I need more 22mag ammo. Well, glad I bought it and have enough to last a while.

I have the lightweight 7-shot snub in .22 Magnum, the model 351c. The heavy trigger might not be suitable for a lady. I think it's a pretty good carry gun. I like the light weight and the extras shots.

Cabelas had 22 mag CCI online today. I think it was $13.99 and a one box limit, plus shipping of course. Not great but better than none....

The ammo I chronographed in 22 mag was the Winchester PDX1 Defender. SKU #20892 10305. It is a 40 grain hollow point and averaged 1,250 with only about 25 fps deviation, really good. The other ammo was CCI 22mag, at 1,074. Both were fired from a 2 inch Taurus Model 941. I also fired them from the 1 and 7/8 inch NAA. Speed was slightly less. Viper med, I sent this by PM also.....I love 22 mag, just dont carry it when a model 637 only weight 15 oz and a KelTec PF9 with 8 rounds of 9mm weighs the same. Actually, I do carry a 22 mag, with the bigger gun as a backup for hiking and goofing around in the woods....

+1 for the Law-Dog- info. As someone stated before- having a 22 mag derringer, NAA, in a pocket is a good thing, I would still prefer to have a SW 68-38 spl +p, Speer Goldot as my minimum, but newer 22 mag ammo makes the caliber a major step over "fingernails! " Be Safe,

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I BACK OUR BLUE

Get a 22 LR j-frame for practice and plinking.





Get your wife a 32 H&R mag j-frame.

__________________
A real sucker for the J-frames

.22 as self defense is not a good idea...at all...look at a .38 cal.for her

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SWCA#2208
KK4EMO

I have a NAA 1 1/8" barrel 22mag revolver. Tiny and fun. No way is it as loud as my 357, but yeah it cracks. While it's fun to shoot, keep in mind it's hard to hit anything accurately past a few yards. As a back up "get off me" gun i think it's fine. Wouldn't carry it as a primary though. In a j frame the 22mag dosent make much sense to me

If she really has a problem with recoil and blast to the extent she can or WILL not handle a centerfire, then a 22lr revolver can provide some level of protection. I would not want to face someone who is a confident and accurate shooter with a 22lr snub, and who knows to keep shooting until the threat is gone. Avoid a 22lr semi-auto, as they do not offer the reliability of a revolver for self defense use.

Back in the early 1980's, I carried the Freedom Arms mini 22 mag revolver pictured below in my uniform shirt pocket as an emergency last ditch gun. Always figured the muzzle blast would set em on fire if the bullet didn't work. And yes, a short barreled 22 mag is loud out of proportion to its size - Not the deep boom of a centirefire mag revolver round, but a really sharp and loud "crack".

Larry

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I like the idea of the 22 mag and it's extreme light weight. After looking for months went to a model 637 light weight J frame in 38. Could not be happier and saved several hundred dollars.

check out a 32 H&R mag. I think this is your answer.

Not throwing water (or gasoline) on the fire, but I've been down the 32 road myself with the wife. The 32 Longs are okay-ish, but she preferred the 32 shorts....which cost much more. The 32 H&R was out of the question and was actually worse in recoil and blast than a 38-special, or certainly comparable.

I think OP is stuck on a 22MAG and that's just fine. My only point is that the 32 route is not going to net much, unless she shoots the shorts or longs.....if she can even stand those.

I'd sooner pay the $2-$3 more/box for 38 Short Colt fired from the 38-Special and achieve better results in terms of blast and recoil.
Of course....this is just MY situation and opinion. The only thing I could ever get to work for my lady was a mild-loaded 38-Special or 38SC.

I started CC with an OWB carried 296 then pocket carried it. I opted for a smaller/lighter 642 - with +P 158gr LHPSWCs - or 148gr LWC paper hole punchers for my wife. The size was fine - the weight was still a bit much, so I finally relented and bought what TN lawman Mas Ayoob suggests as a backup - a 351PD 7-shot .22 WMR snubby AirWeight. I had found a bucket list member several years ago, a 4" 651, so I had over 2k rounds of CCI MaxiMags and hundreds of Hornady FTX 45gr Critical Defense, designed for the short barrel of the 351PD. It's a lot less brisk in bark than my 'real' .327 Federal Magnums in my similar snubby 632 Pro, much less something like .357 Magnums from a 340/360. Recoil is teeny - the DA rimfire pull is stout - but you could still put 7 shots on target in short order.



Stainz

No flames intended but you may want to check your facts. Mas is a Captain in the Grantham, New Hampshire police department. I suspect you have him confused with someone else.

Also, I do not recall him suggesting the 22 mag as backup nor can I find any reference to that.
He did say, "...While poachers have been known to kill jacklighted deer with .22s, and the occasional desperate Inuit has been known to slay the largest of bears with a .22 bullet placed with perfect precision, no person who was both sane and gun-savvy would recommend the .22 for anything much bigger than a fox. The .22 is at its best on rabbits and squirrels, and of course, on the shooting range..."

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A real sucker for the J-frames

For the recoil sensitive I can wholeheartedly recommend a 351 PD or C as a viable defensive revolver.
All of us are guilty of getting hung up on caliber/stopping power and forget that shot placement is the key.

I routinely carry my 351C as a deep concealment primary when the wardrobe requires. That being said I also carry my NAA Pug as a backup to 351C - the fastest reload in the world isn't as fast as another gun in a life or death situation.

Just my $.02 - YMMV

Sometimes I think we sell the ladies a little short. My lovely 120 lb. wife shoots .38 special +P and 9mm without a problem, and she is no weightlifter. She is fierce, though. It just took a couple trips to the range for her to get over the fear factor. Those range trips should be mandatory if you're going to shoot and carry a gun in any case. She hasn't tried .357's yet, but I see no reason why she could not. In one respect, size and weight are smaller issues for her. She carries her Airweight in her purse instead of having to pocket it or carry it on her person like I do.

The hornady critical defense round in 22mag is compared to the 38 critical defense. All the numbers are very close. It's been a while since I read it so I don't remember the exact numbers but if the 38 round was flying 1100fps, the 22mag flew 1150fps. Penetration for the 38 was like 3 3/8", then 22mag was 3 1/8". The test gun was the s&w snub nose revolver, and I think the name of the gun was bodyguard. I can't remember the differences between shield and bodyguard, I just remember one is double action and the other is striker fire, and one is a revolver in 38 or an automatic in 380, and the other one is 9mm.

My point, a 22mag snub nose revolver with critical defense ammo is a serious gun with good personal defense potential, not a toy plinker.

the original point and click interface, by Smith and Wesson

I guess the question or answer that I have not seen from the OP is:
1. Has his wife tried the 38 snub? If so did see fire 1 rd? 2 rd?
2. Is his wife physically fit and able to function any firearm?
3. Physical size may limit carry options due to attire ( Fl ) but does not limit the caliber. My wife is 5' 2" , 53 yr old- she carries a custom Colt Officers, with 230 gr +p ranger ammo and hits what she shoots at. June she was in AK fishing and had the 500 SW 4" on her belt, 325 gr XTP, I may have the target? So size should not be the limiting factor.
4. Most important do we or he know what his wife wants??
5. No I will not take a photo of my wife in her " little black dress" with the 500 on, family forum. Be Safe,

__________________
I BACK OUR BLUE

Mas has moved.

I said I'd never own another one of these, but this one fell in my lap last year...

Holy Thread Resurrection, Batman, but I'm wondering what specific model that is...?
Thx

I think the .38 short colt is a good idea for recoil sensitive. I've never tried them yet though. And I've never seen it for as cheap as you are saying. Where do you find them at that price?

38 Short Colt- MidwayUSA

Not mine but that's an older Model 63, great little gun.

Re: .22 mag, it looks like a great caliber in a longer barrel. I would not feel undergunned with a Model 48 with a 6" barrel, or even better, a Henry Goldenboy with a 20" barrel. In a snubby a lot of the powder doesn't have time to burn so you get lots of noise and muzzle blast without that much velocity. It's still faster than a .22 LR but it wouldn't be my first choice for a low recoiling handgun.

My favorite carry is a lovely customized S&W 38Sp model 10-65.
This gun pull is very easy and smooth. Unfortunately, my back is starting to complain about the weight, so I have moved to a Ruger 22mg. The revolver is a bit of a icky beast at this point; new springs and all mean the pull is heavy to put it mildly, but the weight is such that I can easily carry it all day long.

Now if the 617 came with a 2" barrel for a low price, I would switch! But the Ruger is nicely sized. I don't shoot it for fun, only for practice.

A s&w m48, 4" barrel in 22wmr is on my want list. I like it. I think the Henry plain Jane lever carbine in 22wmr is around $299.

The Henry's are a great value in my opinion. I wonder why S&W does not build a Model 48 with higher capacity, you could probably fit 9 rounds in a K-frame cylinder. That could potentially be a good home defense gun for a person who doesn't like recoil and wants the simplicity of a revolver.

I bought the new grandson a carbine Henry in 22s/l/lr. He has late 1800 22 pump rifles too. Besides older 22 revolvers. He has a head start.

As my sons were born I bought them shotguns, deer/bear rifles. That's 40 years ago.

The .22 WMR is loud, no doubt about that. And would probably be even louder from a short barrel revolver.

That said, I doubt any sensible person is going to put in hours of practice with one without using ear protection. The word "sensible" is the operative word in that sentence.

I'd probably carry one if I had it. I'd probably buy a quality one, if I had the disposable income to buy it.

One or two rounds fired in self defense might degrade your hearing a little bit for a while. That applies to any handgun...revolver or semi-auto, no matter what the caliber.

If I had to use any of my guns in self defense, I guarantee you the last thing on my mind would be worrying about hearing loss.

Better to be slightly deaf, because there is no slightly dead.

Yup I'm slightly deaf in one ear. I have one good ear left. No muffs running 100cc chainsaws.

You don't have to jump from 22 mag up to 38 special to get a more powerful revolver cartridge.

A 32 revolver is a better option than 22 magnum. For energy, for bullet weight and diameter, and for noise.

Perhaps M30 or M31 in 32 S&W long would be a good choice for someone who can't (or won't) handle a 38 special.

Another hard-to-find option is a 431PD or 432PD in 32 H&R magnum.

My M431PD will shoot H&R magnum and 32 S&W long and weighs only 13.5 oz.

M431PD:

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I'm going to make this short, and simple. Get her what she wants.

NOW if she is wanting guidence then I would suggest a 327 LCR loaded with .32 S&W Long. Should be very mild recoil, and lower report than a 22 magnum.

Energy may still be slightly less, but the power factor will be higher. The 22 mag should have a power factor of around 50, and around 70 for the S&W long. Probably cost of ammo is close to the same.