.22 caliber revolver for self defense

[mg357]

Dear Smith and Wesson Fourm i have a hypothetical question would a Smith and Wesson .22 caliber revolver be a good weapon for self defense? any and all help would be greatly appreciated sincerely and respectfully mg357 a proud member of the Smith and Wesson Forum

 

[cp1969]

It is better than nothing but that is about all. I suspect that few, if any, on this forum would choose it deliberately when .38 Special on up is available.

 

[bitstream]

It's better than tossing a rock at somebody. The up side is you can fire a volley of shots in a hurry and keep them on target due to the lack of recoil. The guy that shot his family in a land dispute the other day used a .22 target pistol to kill 2 and wound 4 before the cops shot him, so it can do the job. If that's all you can carry due to size/weight limits with your attire, then it's fine, but if you can carry something a little bigger, then I'd recommend it.

 

[Frailer]

A .22 is definitely sub-optimal, but one could argue that about any handgun caliber. I often carry a NAA Black Widow in .22 Magnum in my pocket, but I sincerely hope that if I ever run into someone who intends to do me grievous harm I have something more potent at hand.

Rimfire ammo isn't as reliable as centerfire, so I'd definitely go with a revolver, and I'd want as many shots as possible. Given that, I'd vote for a 10-shot Model 617. If I wanted to carry concealed, I'd grab one of the 8-shot 3" Model 63s when they finally appear.

Would either be *good*? No. But, as others have said, either would be better than nothing at all.

EDIT: I just realized you said .22 *caliber*; if you include magnums in the equation I'd change my vote to the 351PD. A .22 WMR fired from a short barrel is *loud*; it might be enough to make the bad guy change his mind even if the bullet headed his way doesn't.

 

[40cal]

Offensive .22

A .22 is better than nothing. It can make a great offensive weapon, BUT... if a bad guy has his "X" caliber in your face. I would want to shut him down! For self defense (the BG has brought deadly force upon U) I want a caliber that starts in FOUR.

 

[writerinmo]

Nobody likes to get shot with any caliber.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Nobody likes to get shot with any caliber.

+1. Getting shot is one of those things that I found to stop being fun the very first time! I don't recommend the experience to others.

I have seen a number of very ugly wounds produced by .22 LR handguns. The little slugs don't have the ability to inflict the type of tissue damage that results in rapid incapacitation but they are not toys by any means.

 

[ArmyCop]

I know 3 people who carry a .22 revolver for their Pocket CCW.
One of them has rat shot cartridges for the first two - mostly for snakes but said if had to use to defend self / family against deadly threat; "How many people would still be a threat after being shot in the face with snake shot - followed by 3 to Center Body Mass?"
Sounded good to me - but I'll stick with my .45 or .38.

I believe this link shows the revolvers they carry:
North American Arms

 

[gamedic]

amunition is everything with a .22. We had two shootings in a week, one with a .22 and the other a .22 magnum. Both at pointblank range. Neither penatrated the skull. Both were with lead softpoint ammo. Iv'e seen several shootings with .22 hollowpoints that were fatal, but none of them quickly.

 

[Out West]

You could do worse than a 22 - you could be without a gun. To your question about a S&W 22, I don't know the answer. I own a couple but neither is small enough to work as a carry piece. If it had to be a 22 I guess I'd go with the Walther P22 (made in part by S&W). I've really enjoyed mine for casual plinking and target practice. I can dump 10 rounds out of it in the blink of an eye and the muzzle never moves. Assuming all of those went into a live target I imagine it would be all over. About like being hit with a load of #3 buck from a 20 gauge.

Still, there are many better choices available.

Out
West

 

[MaximumLawman]

The Smith model 17 with a 6" bbl. is the best .22 Smith makes for self-defense because after you run out of rounds, you can do a lot of damage to someone by striking them with the empty gun repeatedly about the face and head. Due to its mass it will due much more damage than the Smith model 63 kit gun which holds the same number of rounds.

 

[stantheman86]

I looked at some energy figures for some of the ultra-velocity .22 LR ammo available like the Aguila Interceptor , and was shocked that this ammo delivers more ft. lbs. than a .32 Auto. The Interceptor is the hottest .22 LR currently available.

Stuff like CCI Stinger and Remington Ultra-Velocity is no joke either, you won't see me raising my hand to volunteer to take one. .22 LR is available in much more powerful loadings these days, in other words "these ain't your grandpa's .22's"

All the people who write .22's off as "pop guns" or "toys" would change their mind if they were shot with one.

I also have some of the 60 gr. Aguila "SSS" ammo, basically a .22 short case with a very long lead .22 slug in it. These hit pretty hard. I wouldn't want to soak one up.

 

[kennyb]

not a good round for self defense...go with a 38 sp.or heavier

 

[Kanewpadle]

not a good round for self defense...go with a 38 sp.or heavier

+1 Here.

Yes it's better than a stick. But not much better.

There are no guarantees with any handguns.

A 22 with definately kill someone. But it may not change their channel quick enough.

The odds are greatly in your favor if you step up to a 38 or bigger.

 

[Skeptic 9c]

All of the above being agreed with, Bill Jordan thought the .22 Magnum adequate for defense in a S&W snubbie. The Model 651 was briefly made, 3" barrel fixed sight, stainless steel on the J frame. Last time I saw one used was at an estate sale via a major local gun shop. Bidding allegedly went OVER $800!
Geoff
Who will stick with his .38 Special Bodyguard Model 49.

 

[revolvergeek]

I looked at some energy figures for some of the ultra-velocity .22 LR ammo available like the Aguila Interceptor , and was shocked that this ammo delivers more ft. lbs. than a .32 Auto. The Interceptor is the hottest .22 LR currently available.

I also have some of the 60 gr. Aguila "SSS" ammo, basically a .22 short case with a very long lead .22 slug in it. These hit pretty hard. I wouldn't want to soak one up.

Were the numbers on the Interceptor from a rifle or a pistol? I have shot some out of a couple pistols and it seemed rather underpowered to me. I suspect that the power they are using really needs a longish barrel to really get up to speed.

The SSS is a very interesting round. I did some limited wetpack testing with it and it penetrates pretty deeply for a 22 and tumbles at bit. When it is going sideways through the target it makes a much bigger hole.

 

[4inch357]

All the people who write .22's off as "pop guns" or "toys" would change their mind if they were shot with one.

And it has nothing to do with the question. I would love to ban the phrase "do you want to get shot with one" I don't want to be shot with a BB gun - so what - that's an absolutely meaningless statement. The idea is to stop the threat as quickly as possible - not something any 22 handgun loaded with anything is very good at. This isn't the movies people; when you shoot someone with your 45ACP Hammer of Thor you best be prepared for the possiblity of having fire returned and perhaps taking a hit. Be resolute & keep shooting until the situation is resolved. (Handguns aren't really the best choice in the first place, however it's kind of hard to conceal a battle rifle.)

 

[bitstream]

What about the FN FiveSeven? It's basically a longer, hot .22 (more or less). It's got a 20 round magazine and the round claims a barrel velocity of something like 1750 ft/sec? It has very reduced recoil with the high velocity approaching that of a rifle. I'd imagine should be able to stop or otherwise convince an attacker to stop.

 

[Kanewpadle]

What about the FN FiveSeven? It's basically a longer, hot .22 (more or less). It's got a 20 round magazine and the round claims a barrel velocity of something like 1750 ft/sec? It has very reduced recoil with the high velocity approaching that of a rifle. I'd imagine should be able to stop or otherwise convince an attacker to stop.

The 5.7 is a another discussion itself.

Many don't like or see the need for it. Some claim that with the standard 5.7 ammo it's no different than a 22 magnum. I have been told that the 5.7 was used in a recent hostage situation in Europe with very good results. However, I don't know how many rounds it took or if the FN pistol or rifle was used.

I came real close to buying one but didn't see a need for it.

 

[Rule 303]

I've investigated more homocides with a .22lr pistol than any other caliber of weapon. Some the folks were DRT, some they died at the scene after telling me who shot them and some lingered for a day or two. I worked one where the Perpress said that John Eddie dropped to the floor and did not quiver after she shot him with a Ruger Mk II, the round entering just under his nose, dead center of his upper lip. I was impressed.

Rule 303