The debate over .22 for self defense? has gone on just about as long as every other caliber war and with similar results. Now Federal has taken it seriously with a new line of Punch Self Defense .22LR ammo. It features a 29 gr, nickle plated FN bullet that comes out of a 2" barrel at around 1070 fps. Out of rifle length barrels is said to reach 1600+ fps. The idea being penetration over expansion. 

I got this article from Guns America Digest in my e-mail today. Federal Punch .22 ammo

I also found this informative video from 22 Plinkster: While the debate may never be truly settled, I like the idea of an ammo company taking the .22LR for self defense seriously and developing ammo for this purpose.  For some people its the only viable choice. 

And yes, I'm well aware that all ammo is hard to get these days. But Federal is offering some of this new ammo for sale in their website. It's just sold out at the moment. 

See this very helpful recent thread from a well-known internet Forum site :

New type of P.Def. .22LR

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

I got some 22 Punch on back order.
As I posted in the other thread, saw some 9mm I didn’t recognize at Big 5.
Bought all 3 boxes,
And they are Federal Punch!
So I can Punch with 9mm until my Punch 22 Arrives!

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

I wonder if that 22 punch is nickle wash like copper wash on some cci. 22 plinkster talking about arthritis something to think about for some. I know a 22 is dangerous even deadly.

From what I've seen, .22LR FMJs out of a pistol are most certainly deadly, the issue is that rimfire cartridges are inherently less reliable than centerfire, (even if modern premium .22LR is extremely reliable) semiautomatic .22LR pistols are often finicky with ammo, and the margin for error using .22LR is substantially higher.

I myself used to carry a Walther PPK/S-22 loaded with 40gr CCI Mini Mag, but that was before I was knowledgeable about handguns, and within a year I had upgraded to .380 ACP. Nowadays, I carry .40 S&W.

That being said, this makes a lot of sense from a marketing standpoint, as there are a lot of folks with arthritis and such who cannot shoot handguns chambered in more conventional self-defense cartridges, as well as folks who are just plain afraid of guns and the .22LR looks less threatening to them, which makes the difference between them going unarmed and armed with something.
Besides, nobody wants to get shot, save for maybe the Crackerjack Boys, but they're often either on a suger high or otherwise in withdrawal and thus their chemical addiction to sweet caramel corn and peanuts overrides their self-preservation instinct, ergo most folks will retreat the moment a gun is drawn, much less been shot with one. Plus, if this Federal Punch .22LR truly is capable of 1070fps out of a 2" barrel, then it's essentially .22WMR in a shorter case, and .22WMR is comparable to .380 ACP out of a short barrel, so this may actually be a viable option for self-defense.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

I just use tried and true CCI Stingers. Plenty hot, even out of a short barrel 22 pistol.

CCI 22LR segmented hollow points are what I use...they are 1640 ft/sec and they break into 3 parts when they strike tissue leaving 3 wound channels...in my Walther P22 with a 10 round magazine that is 30 wound channels...I think that should be enough to stop a perp in my house...if backup is needed we have my wife's Model 36 Ladysmith in 38 special...

Well, it is nice that they are trying to improve .22 SD ammo.........

but in this small cal., I still like the idea of a 40 gr bullet but the new 29 gr
might be the new thing ?

I still have some boxes of CCI SGB flat nose .22. I also have an H & R revolver with a 2 inch barrel. Big fat hammer falling on the rim, not a spring driven striker. Holds 9 but it does not look like the hammer nose is just completely flush with the opening, from the side, so I would not carry it with a round under the hammer, like with a SAA ! Maybe a little stoning some time will take care of that.

There's two questions here:

1. Is this ammunition reliable, sufficiently accurate, and does it maximize what terminal you can get out of a .22 in a handgun?

2. If the answer to #1 is yes, is it sufficiently better than commonly available established players like CCI Mini-Mags (which I've seen recently in 300-round boxes at reasonable prices in Bi-Mart stores in my area)?

If it's like a lot of new ammunition, it may turn out to be a "yes" to #1 and a "maybe" to #2.

It's an interesting development, nevertheless. What .22LR needs for serious purposes more than anything is improved reliability. I was happy to find the Mini-Mags because of their good reputation in that regard.