15-22 as a home defense weapon?

[Kai Winters]

While many of you make a variety of good points I think the most important point being made is the willingness to protect and defend one's home and family.
As long as you are familiar with and practice with any gun is going to be much better than a gun seldom used and unfamiliar. That gives a false sense of security and leads to problems.

I've never shot a human and would be happy to end my life without ever having the need to shoot a human but there are many people that have in a self defense situation that have had little practice and probably hoped to never have the need. I suspect it is a very focused moment in time and little thought besides surviving and/or protecting is going on in the persons mind.

 

[nwhunter]

35 years ago I lived in a townhouse and thought my High Standerd target pistol was a good Home defense choice. I was wrong then and you would be wrong now.
Even a 22lr can penetrate a wall.
So my choice would be your 40S&W pistol.
If no children are in the home I like a revolver, I know my wife can use it.
Currently I have my 25-13 45 colt with 4" barrel and crimson trace laser grips next to my bed.
When I had kids at home I kept a 1911, various ones at times, in this same location.
I also keep a 12 gauge winchester 1300 slug gun close.
And shoot center of mass, you are not trying to wound the thug in your home.

 

[Matt C.]

Using a .22 rimfire for home defense is an incredibly bad idea.

5.56 (that you already own) with frangible ammo as was previously suggested, would be optimum.

 

[Dikinalaska]

In many states, mine included, a "warning shot" will get you charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm.

So could you just say you were in fact in fear of your life and simply "missed"?

 

[Dikinalaska]

(One thing I've learned over the years - NEVER tell a man from a town you can't pronounce what he CAN or CANNOT do.)

This is my new motto. I live in a town called Soldotna on the Kenai Peninsula. I would think they are self-explanatory but I hear people mispronounce both on a regular basis

 

[kbm6893]

We have all heard stories about homeowners shooting an armed intruder and not putting him down but leaving him simply hit. He survives then sues you and wins. Don't ask me how that's possible but there are plenty of liberal judges.

I have self loaded .45 acp's with 185 grain HP's. I won't miss. Saying we are so inept at self defense we should hide under a bed ... "oh, lordy, there is an intruder, kids just hide, that all you can do" is hog wash! Break into my house and see. I would never use a .22lr round on an intruder, even with 25 shots. I'm using knock down power and no getting up shot placement. My family is too important to me.

Unless you have been in a REAL life or death situation and fired a weapon (and even if you have), you have NO idea what your hit ratio will be. Say you fire 3 and hit 2. Where'd that other one go?

Your choice of a HD round is yours to make, but don't sit here and say "I won't miss". Odds are VERY HIGH that you WILL MISS.

 

[all357mag]

Nothing on the planet is better than a shotgun! Anything you have is better than nothing.

 

[Plumbago]

Rather than wasting time debating the merits of the .22, on this thread, most of us would be much better served contacting our Congress persons, encouraging them to protect our 2nd Amend Rights to keep what firearms we have, period........best regards Plum

 

[rraisley]

Rather than wasting time debating the merits of the .22, on this thread, most of us would be much better served contacting our Congress persons, encouraging them to protect our 2nd Amend Rights to keep what firearms we have, period........best regards Plum

Very true. Otherwise, like in England, a single-shot .22 may be our only choice of home defense weapon.

 

[VMaxSplat]

Interested to hear your thoughts.

Go with the 40 pistol for home defense. The 15/22 ain't exactly a ballistic wonder and its reliability (mine, at least) isn't up to defensive firearm standards.

 

[Jswiney9]

Ive seen so many of these threads over the years its ridiculous.

 

[rraisley]

Ive seen so many of these threads over the years its ridiculous.

I've seen a bunch of these threads, and I've only been here since May! But apparently others have not, because the question keeps coming up.

 

[Kayback]

By "frangible" I was talking about " Reduced Ricochet, Limited Penetration" ammunition.

KBK

 

[Majorlk]

Anybody actually SEE a wound from birdshot? It is gruesome. At indoor distance, a blast of 12 gauge birdshot will do the job. It will do MUCH more than "make him mad". On internet forums, where everybody is Jack Bauer, people think they're going to cooly dispatch the intruder. reality is different. Odds are very high you miss the target at least once. where'd that bullet go again? Into my son's room? Hope it missed him! You OWN every round you fire.

Personally, I would not use a .22 for home defense, but a 12 gauge with birdshot? I would (and do).

Yup, more than once. If the person is wearing heavy clothing, it's even money that the perp will keep coming if you shoot him more than 25 feet away. 00 Buck is a different matter.

 

[Kayback]

I've seen bird shot used on birds, 4 legged creatures and 2 legged creatures. There is a reason it is called BIRD shot. That's about the size of animal it should be used on.

I have also seen it kill, I will admit that. I also would not like to be shot with it at any closer ranges than I have been.

It would not be my first choice for defense. Nothing smaller than #1.

KBK

 

[mrgreg5000]

A Glock 30 .45 Auto with a TLR1-s mounted and an 18.5" Mossy tactical persuader with 00 buck is what resides by my bed. And a doberman

my thoughts as well glock 30sf with 11 rounds of big boyz....but next to it is an M&P 15-22.......so its all good...lol

 

[roadkill45]

i'm glad this didn't turn into a 9mm vs all the other calibers! with all the new Hornady Critical Duty rounds being used there is some vast information on it's clothing penetration prior to expansion in tissue to validate it as my primary defensive round in all my CCW and HD guns.

Getting to your weapon is another thing. if you are in your recliner, and i know a lot of folks have their SD gun on until bed, but if you don't where and how fast can you get to your gun when you leave your front door open with just the screen door to get some air in the house? i always have at least one handgun in every room in the house, plus on that stays with me while in the house. most home invasions are between 1400 and 1900 because people come home from work and don't lock the door behind them.

as for actually seeing the effects of one of my shots (21 years Army retired) i have seen my breacher shoot an enemy with a breaching round and just about took his entire head off at about 5 yards. Bird shot will make a devastating wound. #4 buck, 3" has 41 pellets that pattern like a softball out of my coyote SG patterned at 30 yards.

as for AR rounds, we had to switch rounds while in Somalia and Rwanda due to the green tip penetrator round that was issued would go right through a skinny and keep on going and they would keep on coming. the 55 gr frang was much better at first or second round stops.

IMHO i'm with the one handed weapon crowd since some of my family live on the other side of the house with the door in the middle of the house. i would not want penetration into those back bedrooms where grandkids stay over.
so i use a SUPPRESSED 9mm with an AR pretty close by. Shooting a gun in the house will ring your bell big time, although an 'incident' will be over long before i can get to the AR, this isn't "Mr and Mrs Smith" home invasion type gunfights are over in seconds, usually.

But...if the door broke open middle of night and all i had was one of my 15-22's for HD, giving that no one was home but me, getting down on the backside of the bed with the 15-22 Eotech equipped rifle aimed at the door, i could effectively put the majority of a mag into the guys head neck upper torso no problem. 10 rounds to the head=dead.

Just my .03 cents

 

[SpicyTunaRoll]

you have to understand the difference between "incapacitation" & "lethality". a pocket knife wound could prove lethal- but what is the rate of "incapacitation" with that stab wound, at the scene itself? very little if you ask me.

while our rifle itself might be great quality, and offer the same ergonomics and features found on military style rifles, the .22lr round itself has very little incapacitation. i think the image of our rifle proves to be greater incapacitation than the .22lr round itself.

mind you a lead pea, flying at 800+mph, is not something id want to be exposed too - but then again i am not out robbing houses. its not uncommon for criminals to use bullet resistant vests/phone books wrapped around their torso, etc.

(take this with a grain of salt) dont forget, the weapon you use during a shooting, will be taken by the police for the investigation. it will be photographed and possibly presented to a jury in a trial. you know how society feels about AR15's, those "evil black assault rifles".
do you really want to be painted in a way that makes the jury feel you are "hell bent on causing as much carnage as possible" to a poor little 17yr old(sarcasm) who was drunk and mistakened your house for his friends house; when he walked through the front door?

if you want my opinion: get yourself a comfortable semi-auto handgun, that accepts a quality flashlight, that can carry 10+rounds, (glock19's have 15rounds!) and get good training- LOTS OF IT! practice in your home from every room towards a potential threat, from any possible means of entry. BUT have every & any AR15 style rifle available if things really go far south.

 

[KEN L]

I haven't read the above responses to the OP, but let me just say, ANY gun is better than no gun. In this case the M&P 15 .22 is an excellent choice. As with any gun used for such purposes the optimum word is PRACTICE. And more specifically practice head shots. Multiple hits int the head from a .22 generally will end the threat. Just remember no caliber is 100%.

 

[RedNeck Jim]

the .22lr round itself has very little incapacitation. i think the image of our rifle proves to be greater incapacitation than the .22lr round itself.

You happen to remember what Hinckley did when he shot at Reagan? You remember the images of the folks incapacitated on the ground & near death? You remember no one got shot more than once?

This was with a low velocity 22lr revolver. Of course bigger is better, but still a few of those folks might disagree with you.