Don't laugh at a .22 like many do

[Joewisc]

Just about every time I'm in a gathering at the range or a gun shop and mention that I own a .22LR Smith revolver and a Ruger 10-22 I inevitably get snickers. "Yeah, fun to shoot, but won't stop anything." Stuff like that.

Well, I disagree. A .22LR can cut through a half-inch pine board anywhere from 9 feet to 400 yards as a YouTube vid demonstrates, using just about any ammo.

So tell me that, properly placed on a vital spot, a .22 can't be used for personal defense.

If I had only one gun to own -- and it may come down to that some day -- it would be a .22LR long gun with plenty of high-cap magazines. Maybe not the best defense weapon but certainly capable of inflicting some damage.

On the practical side, what's cheaper or more fun to shoot all day long without hurting your hand or shoulder?

Comments, agreeing or disagreeing, welcomed. Thanks.

 

[Art Doc]

More people are killed with 22s than any other caliber. Mainly because more people are shot with 22s than any other caliber but that's not the point. No, it's not the best choice beyond squirrels, but it will do in a pinch.

 

[Smith357]

I sometimes get questions when spending all day at the range with my .22s, but they generally revolve around how can it be so darn accurate. I enjoy my .22s and if the ignorant want to laugh, let them.

As for a defensive round, while not my first, or even second choice, a .22lr is better than nothing.

 

[long colt frazier]

I love my 22s and it sure would be better than a rock

 

[jframe]

Beats screaming for help by a LONG shot.....

 

[Arik]

I agree AND disagree.

Yes more people are killed with a 22 then other calibers but the vast majority of these shootings/killings happen with a 22. Just like if majority of the guns used were 1911s then more people would be killed with a 45.

Yes it can stop an attacker but how fast? Enough time for him to get to you? Probably.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

 

[GLV]

Yes, the .22 can be deadly,

but sometimes it is not until several hours or days after the person is shot with the .22. Therein lies my problem with the .22 as a self defense firearm.

If I have to defend me an/or mine, I want to stop the action as quick as I can. No handgun is going to give immediate stops, but IMO any .38 up is more likely to than a .22.

Just the opinion of an old guy.

 

[Smithboomer]

I've heard for years that more people are killed with .22s than any other caliber. Anyone got statistics to back this up?

 

[Joewisc]

but sometimes it is not until several hours or days after the person is shot with the .22. Therein lies my problem with the .22 as a self defense firearm.

If I have to defend me an/or mine, I want to stop the action as quick as I can. No handgun is going to give immediate stops, but IMO any .38 up is more likely to than a .22.

Just the opinion of an old guy.

No argument that a .38 will put a bigger hole in someone than a .22. However, lethal force is not always necessary to deter a threat. A leg or arm shot might be sufficient. And consider the legal consequences. Killing someone in self-defense may be justified in some circumstances but it's not hard to make a case that just wounding the attacker would have been the wiser and less risky course of action.

 

[Joewisc]

I've heard for years that more people are killed with .22s than any other caliber. Anyone got statistics to back this up?

What are the statistics of shooting deaths to caliber bullet? - Yahoo! Answers
The FBI link doesn't work, however.

 

[jaykellogg]

A hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .45. With any pistol cartridge you need to get a fairly good hit. Those stories of hitting someone in the pinky with a .45 and spinning him around are bull. I don't carry a .22. Most of the .22s I have seen that are defense guns are obviously BUGs. I do not really know of a .22 that is designed to be a primary defense weapon. Perhaps a Walther PPK. I don't carry a .22 and I don't plan to start. If someone pointed a .22 at me, I would get verrrrry agreeable.

BTW, I have had enough experience with the rimfire priming systerm that I don't really trust it for defense. I get many more FTFs with .22 than everything else combined.

 

[gregintenn]

Anyone who laughs at you for owning a 22 isn't someone worth talking to any further in my opinion. I have two boys, and we have a great time shooting 22s. We also enjoy BB guns, sling shots, bow and arrows, etc. My oldest son has a Benjamin 20 cal air rifle, and I sure wouldn't want to be on the business end of that thing!

Shoot! We even bring out the rubberband guns and Nerf guns occasionally.

 

[Mike McLellan]

Not only do I spend most of my range time with my .22s, my favorite round is becoming the lowly .22 short. I went through 300 of them last week. While the guys on either side of me were Ka-Booming away on their home-brewed, high-octane bazooka rounds, my K-22 was going putt...putt...putt, and putting tight little groups in at 50 feet. Lots of fun and very, very quiet. Shhhh. Putt...putt...

 

[Lee Barner]

hopefully, MEDXAM will chime in here with some first hand knowledge. i have attended autopsies involving .22LR rounds. they can bounce around some if they hit bone and they do very sufficient tissue damage. i argue the point quite often that i can take my marlin tube fed(18 rds) rifle and defend myself and my property. i've also got a 10 shot mod 17 and a 10 shot beretta 76 that i would be very comfortable with if it was all i could lay my hands on. lee

 

[sigp220.45]

I investigate violent crimes on an Indian reservation, and the firearm of choice is a .22 rifle, usually the ubiquitous Marlin Model 60. I've only had a couple of shootings that were non-fatal. In all the rest, the victim went down and stayed down until the medical investigator and I zipped them up for the ride to ABQ.

I can't think of one where the shot guy continued whatever behavior caused him to get shot.

No head shots, either. Mostly to the torso, though one guy killed his wife by shooting her in the thigh (Marlin Model 60 that time, too).

I had another where a guy used an old Winchester pump .22 with an exposed hammer to put down a dude who had stolen the affections of his woman. He started shooting as he came in the door and pumped that little gun all the way through the house. The victim dropped after the first few, and got the rest as he curled up in a ball.

The most recent one was a 300 pounder who took a contact shot next to the belly button from a Ruger Single Six. It had the magnum cylinder in, so maybe it doesn't count for the purpose of this discussion. That guy just sat down and died.

I also went to the funerals of two cops killed by single rounds of .25 ACP, but that is for the "you can't stop anybody with a .25" thread.

 

[1911a2bphil]

While a .22 is not the best for self-defense, its better than nothing. I have carried a Taurus PT-22 when nothing else would be appropiate. I would like a .22 mag revolver or a Kel-Tec .22 mag with 30 rounds. These are just my opinions and yours probably are different.

 

[alman]

My safe is full of .22s . Bolt action , lever , semi auto , tube fed , high cap you name it . Why ? Because they're FUN ! Affordable to shoot & as accurate as you want them to be .
That's nothing to laugh at . As far as personal defense , I would not want to be shot with a .22 because I would not want to be shot with any caliber . Its still going to ruin your day .
Al

 

[Joewisc]

In NYC, there is a serial killer on the loose dubbed "the .22 caliber killer." Shot to death 3 middle eastern shopkeepers so far. In September in a separate incident a 92-year-old WWII vet killed an intruder with a .22 rifle with one shot to the chest.

 

[Mike McLellan]

I've given my reasons on an earlier thread, but my choice of home-defense gun is a Smith & Wesson Model 48, .22 Magnum.

 

[Grayfox]

.22LR : excellent accuracy + low recoil = head shots.