Changing my edc gun to 22 LR (new info at the end of thread)

[nachogrande]

2 GUNS ARE BETTER THAN 1

IF you are able to carry/draw/fire the larger caliber "reasonably well" Keep that for S/D since it's pretty unlikely you will ever need to use it for such, and if you did you would be glad you had it. Get a second gun as similar in every way to the first in 22 lr for practice. NOT CC guns, but I do it with my 681 & 617, & it works out nice, especially if they fit in the same holster.

 

[62fuelie]

The CCI Stinger uses a slightly longer case than standard .22 lr and can run afoul of the lands in the chamber throat of some pistols, no so much in rifles as they seem to use longer leades.

 

[Rastoff]

 

[PeterJ]

I”m 74 and it sounds like our old bodies are pretty similar. I carry the 43C and love it. So light that I usually forget I even have it with me, but the 8 rounds of Mini Mags still gives me a warm fuzzy feeling.

 

[AJ]

I usually carry a S&W 342. But lately with arthritis flaring up in my shooting hand, I have switched to a S&W 351. In the night stand is a Beretta M9 for now. Have been thinking if putting my PMR-30 in the drawer.

 

[VaTom]

The CCI Stinger uses a slightly longer case than standard .22 lr and can run afoul of the lands in the chamber throat of some pistols, no so much in rifles as they seem to use longer leades.

In between the Mini-Mag and Stinger (as far as velocity) is the CCI Velocitor. I live in the Blue Ridge Mtns of Va. so when in the National Forest fly fishing unlikely to run into large four legged predators like out west. I still feel comfortable carrying a pistol. When hiking in and spending all day with waders, fishing gear, water, etc. I need something not so heavy. (I am 67 and not as robust physically as younger days.) I carry a Ruger SR22 loaded with hollow point velocitors. It has 10 round magazine and is small enough to carry inside the front pocket of my waders. it has an external safety/decocker and lays flat. I have had it for a number of years and with CCI ammo I have never had a problem with reliability with this pistol. When I first got it I contacted Ruger about using velocitors in it. Said it would be fine as long as you dont make a steady diet of it. When at the range I use Mini-Mags or other high velocity ammo.

Left to right - MiniMag, Velocitor, Stinger

 

[steelslaver]

Rastoff it worked

 

[AJ]

Since everyone seems to be carrying .22LR, you might want to look at one of these. P17 - KelTec I shot one yesterday, as a friend of mine has one and brought it to the range, Fully loaded it is less than 16 ounces. At 15 yards it put all rounds in the back if we did our part.

 

[deadear dan]

A 22 shot center of chest may be lethal but almost certainly would not stop a determined assault which is what it is all about. You may want to focus on shutting down the computer rather than center of chest. Stay safe.

 

[fatcat3]

I think those charts show the point I was trying to make, i.e. there is a difference between lethality and stopping power. The bad guy you shoot with your .22 might very well end up beating you to death, but you'll have the satisfaction that he died later.

I see this argument quit a bit when it comes to .22 for ccw. What makes anyone think I'm just going to allow someone to " beat me to death" with out putting up a fight? once the .22 is empty and if i still need to defend myself, I'm switching to my cane, pocket knife, car keys,plant pot, can of Ensure, #2 pencil ...... After 5, 7,10 or so .22 cal. holes in my attacker, I may not have the advantage, but I'm betting I have evened the odds.

 

[Ziggy2525]

I see this argument quit a bit when it comes to .22 for ccw.
...

I've also seen the argument quite a bit about a .22 being lethal to the attacker, but not stopping the threat before the attacker kills you.

I'm wondering if anyone has ever seen this actually play out with civilian thugs in real life. They're looking for easy targets. They're not on suicide missions. You shoot a thug in the shoulder, sure he might continue the attack. You shoot the thug in the chest I don't think so.

For me, the biggest issue with .22 is reliability, not stopping power.

 

[tops]

That's the reason I would want a revolver for defense and preferably one that has 8-10 bullets. I had a Beretta M21A .22 and was using CCI Mini-Mags and one day the first shot snapped. If the tin can would have attacked me I would have been doomed. With a revolver another pull of the trigger would have sufficed. Larry

 

[mikerjf]

IMO the biggest argument against 22LR for SD is that autos can be finicky and revolvers have tough trigger pulls.

I found the revolver DA trigger tough to deal with. Some of our forum members report good reliability with their autos. You would have to do a lot of testing, but at least with 22LR it is cheap!

 

[moosedog]

I have always said that owning a gun is a very personal thing and a person needs to use what ever they are reliably consistent with.
Several hits with a smaller caliber are much more effective than a large boom and a miss.

 

[Protected One]

At 75 my arthritis in both hands is getting worse. My severely damaged and unrepairable right rotator cuff is diminishing my right arm strength in a troubling way. I carry a Ruger Lc9s because it is light and my rotator cuff can handle the weight without my arm becoming unstable.

I practice shooting two days a week with my Ruger. I shoot about 50 rounds each time to assure I can hit my selected target. But lately I have been having increased pain in my right hand. It has a deteriorating base thumb knuckle just like my left hand did some years ago. Today, I cannot get a reliable, steady grip on a gun with my left hand. My right thumb is headed in that direction. No way to stop it. It just is a fact,of old age.

Today my arthritis/hand specialist who carries a .40 and knows I carry and shoot regularly advised me to stop the use of my 9mm. He says the recoil is putting pressure on the base thumb joint, and all that is doing is aggravating the arthritis causing more deterioration to the joint. He suggested going to .380 at maximum or just stopping target shooting. But I decided to take a different course.

A couple months ago I bought a M&P 22 Compact. While I took it to the range every week I found a Bushnell 22 caliber bullet trap at a gun show for $30.00. I set it up in my basement with a good exhaust fan in a window. Now I shoot it in the basement. Because of its nearly non existent recoil it does not irritate my thumb. I have gotten more accurate with it than with my Lc9s. Generally I shoot a 22LR group of five rounds into a 1.5 inch cluster at 25 feet. I can do that in about four seconds. So that started me thinking.

I had done some research on the self defense lethality of the 22LR from a handgun. Turns out it is more lethal than most people think. Theo reason is the ability to lshoot a 1.5 inch group
into a vital spot of the body aa like the thorax or head, and do it in less than five seconds.

So I have decided to preserve the thumb and adopt the 22 Compact for EDC. My research also indicated that the best ammo was the CCI Mini Mag HP. At brassfetcher.com there is a good test of 22LR HP expansion. The Mini Mag was second only to a Winchester Super X HP. Problem was that there are many reported incidents of failures of the Winchester rounds and none of the CCI Mini Mag HPs. So I have a new EDC combo. The 22C and Mini Mags. It is a gun my impaired rotator cuff can accommodate and my thumb can work with. Life moves on but not always the way envisioned it. So keeping highly precise accuracy under duress is my new challenge.

My compliments on the level of research you did in an effort to address your problem. Hopefully, now three years after your initial post, you are still able to continue your training regimen and carry your .22lr. You are better equipped than most to defend yourself if needed.

 

[wetdog1911]

I just had a chance to handle a S&W 43C at a LGS.

Neat little gun. 8 shots, centennial style with no hammer. Plus it has no lock.

Also, the 351C is the same thing in 22 mag. 7 shots and also no lock.

Both looked like great carry pieces for someone who wants a 22.

I have a 43C. The trigger was horrendus, but I wasn't about to start messing with springs and reliability. Not from the jump anyway.

After 2 sets of snap caps (wore one set completely out), and countless dry fires, the trigger has smoothed out quite a bit, plus strengthing the DA muscles. I'm 73 and have the corresponding lack of strength in both the hands and arm. The 43C makes a perfect pocket pistol.

I also have 2, M34-1s snubbys, but these are just a bit too heavy for pocket use and would need a belt holster. Chunky little things, but boy do they shoot!

AFA the reliability of .22lr, you get what you pay for. You don't blueprint a 327 engine and expect 87 octane to work well in it. Don't expect bulk ammo or, whatevers on sale at Wally World to be reliable. I've been using SK standard+ (rebranded as Wolf MT), for well over 10 years and cannot honestly recall any ammo related issues with it. No experience, but I've also heard good things about Eley. Apparently QC means something on the other side of the Atlantic.

Yeah, it costs more, so what? You aren't shooting tin cans, but, perhaps, trusting your life to it.

The simple fact is, for me, I simply can shoot .22s more accurately in J framed sized revolvers than even .38 target loads and for me, accuracy trumps 'knock down power' every time.

Rob

 

[max503]

I never thought recoil would bother me but now it does. I'm 65 and carry a 38. Someday my S&W Model 34 Kit Gun could be my EDC.

 

[LCC]

Anyone a fan of the LCR .22?

 

[murphydog]

Gentlemen, although an interesting thread the OP self-exiled himself from the Forum over 2 1/2 years ago since we were "restricting his First Amendment rights".

 

[AJ]

Gentlemen, although an interesting thread the OP self-exiled himself from the Forum over 2 1/2 years ago since we were "restricting his First Amendment rights".

Sounds like a "Party Pooper".............