Don't laugh at a .22 like many do
- Thread starter Joewisc
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As mentioned it would not be my first choice as a defense round but you could make it work if you had to. I was introduced to shooting with a 22 50 yrs ago and loved it. After all these years of collecting revolvers and rifles of many calibers I still love the 22 and for some strange reason seem to be embracing the little caliber more than ever.
sps282
Member
The .22lr is a great gun. More people probably own a .22 than any other caliber. A well placed shot with a .22 is still better than a miss with a .44 magnum. It's cheap to shoot, accurate and not intimidating to recoil sensitive shooters. I like them a lot!
*A 22? Ha ha ha*
*Well, yeah - But I hurt my hand, arm, and shoulder shooting my 460 last week, so I gotta stick with this for a few weeks. But I agree - ANYONE that isn't shooting a 460 or 500 is a girlie boy and probably shouldn't even be out here with the REAL men. --- So - Which are you shooting today?*
*Well, yeah - But I hurt my hand, arm, and shoulder shooting my 460 last week, so I gotta stick with this for a few weeks. But I agree - ANYONE that isn't shooting a 460 or 500 is a girlie boy and probably shouldn't even be out here with the REAL men. --- So - Which are you shooting today?*
venomballistics
Member
yup .. thats what Ill tell you ... 22 sucks for SD.
first ... just try placing your shots within a quarter inch on a moving target while afraid for your life ... not gonna happen son .. lose the delusion.
second .. when you find yourself with a live one .. how soon do you want that dude to change his mind .. sometime next week ... 5 minutes later? .. how about right now? 22 wont give you "right now" with any measure of reliability.
where does the 22 fit in .... why .. thats a backup to a backup when you just can't fit much gun on ya.
first ... just try placing your shots within a quarter inch on a moving target while afraid for your life ... not gonna happen son .. lose the delusion.
second .. when you find yourself with a live one .. how soon do you want that dude to change his mind .. sometime next week ... 5 minutes later? .. how about right now? 22 wont give you "right now" with any measure of reliability.
where does the 22 fit in .... why .. thats a backup to a backup when you just can't fit much gun on ya.
OP
Joewisc
US Veteran
Makes a pretty good argument that a .22 can be better than bigger bore guns for SD:
Ask Foghorn: Is .22lr The Best for Self Defense? | The Truth About Guns
Ask Foghorn: Is .22lr The Best for Self Defense? | The Truth About Guns
sqhead
US Veteran
i like all guns in 22 cal. semi's,levers,pumps,and revolvers.they can't be beat for looks,fun and cost to shoot.Now i'm getting crazy and looking for and collecting the bigggggg .32 cal................. small steps.
if a .22 stings,i figure the .32 will really hurt.
if a .22 stings,i figure the .32 will really hurt.
Anybody who wants to belittle the .22 should bear in mind the fact that John Hinckley fired 6 shots in less than 2 seconds from a cheap revolver and knocked 3 people FLAT, right on the spot. The 4th victim, Pres. Regan, stayed upright for just a few minutes before he collapsed with a hit in the lung. Believe me, I have a great deal of respect for ANY cartridge that can perform like that!
NFrameFred
Member
I think it was homicide detective Evan Marshall that said he had been to the morgue to see plenty of bodies with 22 or 25 caliber holes in them, but never to see one with a 44 caliber hole in the big toe . . . .
DeathGrip
US Veteran
Everyone has time to watch a meth head bleed out. At the least he might drive himself to the hospital and 2+2 equals he gets questioned and maybe charged. What good does that do us? Too little too late.
Give me a magnum or a shotgun. If I'm gonna see carnage it's not gonna be me or my own if I can help it.
Give me a magnum or a shotgun. If I'm gonna see carnage it's not gonna be me or my own if I can help it.
feralmerril
Absent Comrade
Go to a slaughter house and ask them what they put down cows with. Years ago most farmers that wanted to butcher a beef put em down with a .22 rifle with no fan fare.
I had a close friend that I worked with that was retired off the indianpolis PD as leut of homicide from about 1940 to 65. He told me he thought getting shot with a 22 was about the worst as usualy in a torso wound it would rickoshay from rib to rib tearing up the victim. Conversly, if it didnt hit a bone it would go straight through you. He said he had a partner that got shot right through the body but hit no bone. End result, emergency put a bandaid on the front and back exit wound and released him!
I had a close friend that I worked with that was retired off the indianpolis PD as leut of homicide from about 1940 to 65. He told me he thought getting shot with a 22 was about the worst as usualy in a torso wound it would rickoshay from rib to rib tearing up the victim. Conversly, if it didnt hit a bone it would go straight through you. He said he had a partner that got shot right through the body but hit no bone. End result, emergency put a bandaid on the front and back exit wound and released him!
truckemup97
Member
.22LR - Because hundreds of Mafia hit men can't be wrong.
carpriver
US Veteran
Where I live the 22 is the go to gun to pouch deer with. It is cheap to buy so if you drop it and run when the DNR show you have not lost a whole bunch. A 22 a spot light a head shot and it is meat on the table.
I have killed a lot of hogs with an Astra Cub in .22 short. We used .22 LR in a rifle for cows and they will drop a 1500 lb. cow like a rock. Larry
BLACKHAWKNJ
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A 22 for self defense is not my 1st, 2nd, 3rd or even 4th choice but it sure beats fists, feet and foul language.
I did not become a truly good pistol shooter until I practiced Bullseye with a 22, and my last few range sessions with centerfire rifles-all that practice with 22s paid off. Likewise starting new shooters with a 22 is THE Way to go.
I did not become a truly good pistol shooter until I practiced Bullseye with a 22, and my last few range sessions with centerfire rifles-all that practice with 22s paid off. Likewise starting new shooters with a 22 is THE Way to go.
DAB
Member
Just got a 22a. Have more in 22LR than any other caliber.
cowboyfanVA
Member
I have the m&p 15-22 if the first round don't slow the BG down by the time i get to the 25th rd he probably wishing he would have went somewhere else!!! Especially when I pop that second mag in!! 
I sure like the 22, and I shoot it an awful lot. It's fun practicing with my Model 41 and Hi Standard Supermatic, although it's discouraging now that I can't put the shots as close together as I once could. I stocked up on CCI target 22 shorts when I got a Hammerli-Walther Olympia a few months ago; now that's a gun that gives me a grin all over when I shoot it. Wish I could try it on 25 meter, silhouette turning targets, but there aren't any in the vicinity.
When I go out in the desert shooting other stuff, a S&W 317 often goes along with me in an Alessi cross draw holster. I have a couple of rounds of shot just under the hammer for snakes, and six solid points for other varmints including the two legged kind. It sure makes me feel a lot more secure even if I've been shooting a 357 or 30-06. And it's fun to bounce cans with.
When I go out in the desert shooting other stuff, a S&W 317 often goes along with me in an Alessi cross draw holster. I have a couple of rounds of shot just under the hammer for snakes, and six solid points for other varmints including the two legged kind. It sure makes me feel a lot more secure even if I've been shooting a 357 or 30-06. And it's fun to bounce cans with.
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I grew up in a home where the only handgun was a K22. Many of my Dad's friends did have bigger handguns, mostly .38 Specials, but I remember at least one .38-.44 Outdoorsman, and later, some .357 Magnums. Once when they were shooting, I asked my Dad why he didn't have a bigger gun too. His response was typical of his brief and simple replies: "No need for one around here." I suppose he thought I was a real loon when I bought my Model 29.
It wouldn't be my first choice for protection, but I guess if Dad's K22 was all I had I wouldn't lose a lot of sleep worrying about it. That said, if I were you, I would get a bigger gun for the purpose - maybe a shotgun. But if you don't, I won't be one who criticizes.
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i have seen two police associates shot multible times in the head with the .22...first was hit twice in the head with a 22lr rifle....second was hit three times in the head with a cheap handgun (.22) both survived.....to me,.22's are very cool,fun to shoot,cheap to shoot,and excellent learning tools...they are nowhere near the top of my list for self defense...most of us here have larger calibers for that purpose that simply out perform the .22 in that respect....i'm of the belief..carry the largest caliber that YOU can handle well....as to the argument of "winging someone,wounding him" get past that...in a hurry....pray you never have to use a gun in self defense but...if you do...forget the "wounding"fallacy
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