.22 caliber revolver for self defense

I quote an old Gun Digest penetration article that shows the 22LR (2"), 32 S&W Long, 32 ACP, and 44 C&B all at 13.4-13.8" of penetration in 20% gelatin. THIS HURTS in anybodys book. I was on a jury locally where 4 dealers were all carrying and used pocket 22s.

I'd take a 22WMR over 22LR. I've shot raccoons, squirrels, rabbits and beavers with the 22WMR (with my Single-Six, 7 1/2" barrel) and have seen the damage it can do. It often leaves a pretty nasty exit wound, and some of these beavers I've taken out have very thick bodies. I imagine on the human body it would be effective in some way, and Hornady and CCI both manufacture a high velocity, hollow point with appealing ballistics.

writerinmo said:

Nobody likes to get shot with any caliber.

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^^^+1 That's a fact, Jack! And, as the old saying goes, the 22 you've got with you is better than the 44mag home in the safe.

I'll answer your question with a question.

Why wouldn't you just get a .38 with non +P ammo?

What is the affection for .22?

I mean, if its all you got, you can make do.
But, casting aside issues of what is at your immediate disposal, a non +P .38 is just as easy to shoot as .22 LR, and is certainly a more effective SD round.

.22 for self defence?

No. Choose something bigger.

Kanewpadle said:

What are you gaining by carrying a 22?

And what are you losing?

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I think some critical things are both gained and lost. Just in the ammo category, you are gaining more rounds in the cylinder, extra rounds that could be the deciding factor. But, each of these rounds is less powerful, perhaps requiring more rounds to do the same damage or have the same effect. I do think ammo choices can help to mitigate the loss of power compared to a centerfire. Others have mentioned the Aguila Interceptor and SSS 60-gr .22lr ammo as being effective defensive choices that hit hard for their size.

Ultimately, I have chosen the .22 magnum as my carry round, because it offers power levels similar to .22lr out of a rifle, and similar to .32 Auto from a handgun. As others have noted, it's a nasty round that penetrates very well. This segment from an article called "The Sleeper" by Paco Kelly was helpful in making my choice, as was my experience with the round in the NAA Black Widow I carried for several years:

In my days in Federal Service a number of our agents carried two shot derringers in 22 magnum during undercover operations where a gun couldn’t be seen. Very small and easy to hide...but yet nasty if hit with a shot from one. I fired one in the air one dark night in New York City, to get the attention of my backup officers....they said it looked like the electric company lighting the night! During the 1980s several medical examiners told us to shoot for the guts with the 22 mag...that it would fold the biggest bad guy up...or at least slow him considerably. That advice was followed, and proved to be very true in several uncover shootings.....

The Sleeper - .22 WMR

7 rounds of .22 Magnum in an 11-oz DAO J-frame is what I chose as the best concealed carry gun for my particular situation. In the end, it probably doesn't matter what the caliber is. What matters is that I have chosen something I will carry daily and feel confident in. VinnyFL said it better than I could have:

The truth is that so much time is spent arguing about calibers and which gun when the dirty little secret is that the odds of even needing a gun are slim, having to shoot it even slimmer and having the caliber make a difference even smaller yet.

Thought I read somewhere that they put horses down with a 22?

If that is true then it must have some immediate stopping power.

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jbinbi said:

Thought I read somewhere that they put horses down with a 22?

If that is true then it must have some immediate stopping power.

Sent using Tapatalk.

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putting down a critter, assassination and murder require the ability to put a 22 cal round into a target zone about the size of a clay pidgin while it is basically still.
Defense adds motion.
you have the same target zone but its not sitting still.
If you can hit 4 out of 10 clays from a trap, then the 22 will do just fine for you.
if you lack this ability, or the resources to actually try a string of 10 airborne clays, do not even think about packing a 22 for defense.

don't disagree, was just saying that a 22 can be an effective round.

I think I read somewhere that there are more deaths from 22 shootings than any other caliber.

So I am not arguing that it should be your choice, but that it can work.

venomballistics said:

putting down a critter, assassination and murder require the ability to put a 22 cal round into a target zone about the size of a clay pidgin while it is basically still.
Defense adds motion.
you have the same target zone but its not sitting still.
If you can hit 4 out of 10 clays from a trap, then the 22 will do just fine for you.
if you lack this ability, or the resources to actually try a string of 10 airborne clays, do not even think about packing a 22 for defense.

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jbinbi said:

don't disagree, was just saying that a 22 can be an effective round.

I think I read somewhere that there are more deaths from 22 shootings than any other caliber.

So I am not arguing that it should be your choice, but that it can work.

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I'll agree to the physics that yeah .. it can work.
its the skill set required to properly apply the physics that needs to be there and very rarely is. especially amongst the folks more likely to desire the 22 in this role.

I've carried 22lr, 22WMR, 32S&W,Etc. I had faith in
all of them. Mostly because I could carry concealed, and
wouldn't end up begging for mercy w/o a chance to fight.
Nowadays, it's 38Spl, until my 45 acp arrives.
Having that firearm is what sets you apart from
the victims of this world. Make the BG take that long,
dark road; we need you here.
JMHO, TACC1.

big&slow said:

No. Choose something bigger.

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Well... I finally decided to comment in this thread as I have what may be an uncommon situation. I have had 8 surgeries in 3 years (#8 is tomorrow morning), and I am being medically limited to shooting 22 only. No 22 magnum, just Short, Long, and Long Rifle. For me, it was either accept that choice, or be restricted to nothing at all. I am taking the first option. Some of my nerve damage will be permanent, and I'm not sure when the use of a larger caliber will be possible.

Because of this, I have acquired several 22 firearms, rifle and pistol. I understand the limitations of using a 22 for self defense, and for concealed carry, yet I will honor the restrictions my doctor has given me.

Currently, I have a Kimber Rimfire Target, which has been nearly flawless, but it's full size and something I would likely not concealed carry on a regular basis.

However... a Browning 1911-22 (A1, Desert Tan, Composite frame) is in my future! This is 85% the size of a regular 1911, and operates the same. I'm thinking this would be a great carry firearm until my restriction is lifted.

Ammunition choices present a dilemma. I have a large variety of ammo to choose from, and hope to test several types for reliability and accuracy. Common recommendations seem to be CCI - MiniMags & Velocitors, with some recommending the Aguila 60g SSS. I have tested all of these with my other 22s and every one performs perfectly. Not a single malfunction with any of these.

If anyone has other ammunition recommendations, I would appreciate it.

Suggesting a larger caliber is not an option right now. My options (from the doctor) are 22 or nothing. So I am choosing a 22.

Thanks to everyone for the advice!

For self defense you use what ever caliber that you feel you can LIVE with.Make the wrong choice and you will die with it.Self defense is not a game.38 and above and keep firing until the dirt bag stops twitching.

ghosteagle said:

For self defense you use what ever caliber that you feel you can LIVE with.Make the wrong choice and you will die with it.Self defense is not a game.38 and above and keep firing until the dirt bag stops twitching.

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Oh GOD .... what did you just do?
we were all hoping this thread would just fade away ...
Nice going Lazarus

fake rant aside .. I would like to address your wording just a hair.
ya did great, right up to that twitching part.
Now ... if ever you end up in an SD shoot, what ya just said may be used against you in court.
we shoot till they stop attacking .. if it means we fix his twitch in the process, thats his bad juju resulting from a poor choice of career. However, this is not our objective, nor would I dare call it a bonus either.

I like any J frame without a lock in rimfire!

venomballistics said:

...we shoot till they stop attacking .. if it means we fix his twitch in the process, thats his bad juju resulting from a poor choice of career. However, this is not our objective, nor would I dare call it a bonus either.

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Well put. Like most of us, I hope and pray I'll never be forced to shoot anyone to save my life. So far I've never even had to draw a gun (been close a couple of times), and that suits me just fine. But should that unhappy necessity happen, I only want to stop the threat.

Venom- where is this quote from?

""we shoot till they stop attacking .. if it means we fix his twitch in the process, thats his bad juju resulting from a poor choice of career. However, this is not our objective, nor would I dare call it a bonus either.""

venomballistics said:

Oh GOD .... what did you just do?
we were all hoping this thread would just fade away ...
Nice going Lazarus

fake rant aside .. I would like to address your wording just a hair.
ya did great, right up to that twitching part.
Now ... if ever you end up in an SD shoot, what ya just said may be used against you in court.
we shoot till they stop attacking .. if it means we fix his twitch in the process, thats his bad juju resulting from a poor choice of career. However, this is not our objective, nor would I dare call it a bonus either.

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Dogmann said:

Venom- where is this quote from?

""we shoot till they stop attacking .. if it means we fix his twitch in the process, thats his bad juju resulting from a poor choice of career. However, this is not our objective, nor would I dare call it a bonus either.""

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it's an original, off the cuff, admittedly well word smithed Venom exclusive.

.... give or take some random applications of spell check

Good job. I like it

This has all been very interesting! I just cannot resist adding my .02 even though it may extend the "Longest Thread" even more. First, my personal choice is a tuned Kel-Tec .32 with European FMJs. If I were willing to CONSTANTLY carry a light double action revolver, a .22 would be just fine. My favorite and most reliable .22 auto is a Beretta Jaguar and I would not carry even it in preference to my KT due to various reliability issues associated with a rim fire and lack of double action.

No handgun is a death ray. When a deer will sometimes run 50-100 yards when shot through BOTH lungs or even the heart with a 30-06, how can we expect even a large caliber handgun to reliably have a significant effect? We are deluding ourselves and believing all the BS we see in the MSM and in various gun lust magazines.

I've noticed that police and military shootings are often given as examples showing the need for greater power. There is hatred there. If your attacker does not hate you or is not on drugs, he will almost always fall down or run away even if not hit. After all, he is already on edge because he knows that he is doing something wrong.(The above mentioned deer does not watch TV and does not know that one is supposed to fall down when shot.) If your attacker hates you or is on drugs no handgun is likely to work instantly unless it is a CNS hit. This leads to the basic ballistic problem with the rim fire, and that is that it may not have enough energy left to do anything after it penetrates to the spine. So aim high!

Stopping power is not reliably measured with a ruler and the gun that you have with you is the best one of all, no matter what the caliber. You should carry what you will constantly carry, as nobody can predict the future. If you are expecting trouble, stay home! And as my friend John Farnam has said, if it looks like you are going to get in a gun fight, "Get away from there!"