My first post...(gonna get yelled at!)

[Bob B]

First of all, I am NOT old...just "chronologically gifted". A VietNam vet, who has over the years collected everything but money! Lots of J-frames...especially the stainless stuff from the eighties and early nineties. Here is my conundrum...I have carried an early 640 (no dash, no-lock, no clear-coat) as my CCW for several years. Been pretty proficient with Federal Match Wadcutters, but wouldn't win prizes. I recently took in a Model 317 (LNIB) as part of a trade and have been amazed at how well I shoot this little ten ounce .22...especially with CCI Stingers. How crazy is it for me to give up a .38 and switch to an 8-shot .22 for a CCW? To me, the .22 Stinger has similar ballistics to the 5.7FN sometimes used for personal protection. (Remember the terrorist Army Major psychologist that killed so many with his 5.7 ??) I know, most will tell me to stick with the 640, but I am soooo accurate with the Stingers. Regards.

Bob B

 

[Stu454]

Go with what you're comfortable.

If you're happy and feel good about it, fine by me!

 

[Eagle157]

Well Bob, I'm a total noob here, so before you start getting qualified replies I thought I'd throw in something lighthearted. Here's a fact that I can say about your question: 100% of all bad guys don't like being shot with a Model 317! Seriously though, I'll be following the replies to see what others have to say, but from what I've read and seen on true crime documentaries/forensics shows, the velocity of a .22 (especially something like a CCI Stinger), can have substantial if not fatal effects. If the first one didn't do a good job of persuasion, I'm sure by shots 2-4 the confrontation would certainly be over. Just my 1c worth.

 

[OKFC05]

If you run the stingers out of your stubby over a chrono, you'll find the achieved speed is far less than the 5.7FN out of their pistol.

After you see what the actual speed is, you may rethink it.

I haven't been comfortable with carrying just a .22 pistol even for a trip to the barn since I found it ineffective at stopping a (possibly rabid) stray dog without shooting over a dozen shots (from a high perch). The dog eventually died.

 

[fat tom]

After all,it IS the caliber of choice of professional assassins.
f.t.

 

[Snapping Twig]

A hit with something small is 100% more effective than a miss with something big.

Shoot what you shoot best.

 

[NFrameFred]

After all,it IS the caliber of choice of professional assassins.
f.t.

I think it was Steve Martin as a mob guy in "My Blue Heaven" that opined that when you get shot with a .22 "it bounces around inside your head until you die".


Just have to put 'em in the right spot . . . .

 

[k22fan]

I think it was Steve Martin as a mob guy in "My Blue Heaven" that opined that when you get shot with a .22 "it bounces around inside your head until you die". [...]

That would be logical for a Hollywood script writer without much to slow down the bouncing.

 

[xopher88x]

Nobody's going to yell at you for that. Well, at least not me. Any number of hits with a .22 beats misses with a .357. It's also been said over and over that you should carry what YOU are proficient with. Oh and a .22 beats a sharp stick (AKA nothing at all) all day every day. Insert next cliché here. Confidence is almost everything (practice is the rest) so go with what you're good at / comfortable with.

 

[.357magger]

The problem with your choice is that it assumes your target will be standing idly by while you sedately fire multiple .22's into it.

What if your target is 6'5" tall, weighs 260 lbs, and is moving across a room at a run, with an axe, to stove in your head?

Still wanna stay with that .22?

To each their own but there are much, much better loads, calibers, revolvers, pistols, etc. than the round/gun you are choosing if defense if your intended use. Sorry Brother, I've seen that elephant unfortunately and if I could have gotten my hands on a Stinger (the shoulder fired kind) I'd have taken that.

Just my .02.

 

[k22fan]

Just a thought.

Since you collect J frames from a time period in which they were manrfactured in .32, tradeing one of your .38s for a .32 would round out your collection. Then practice with the .32 until your proficiency with .32 recoil is as good as with .22 recoil, then step back up to .38 recoil.

The powder in Stingers was selected for best performance for their primay use in rifles.

 

[Bob B]

Thanks for all the quick responses. Although I haven't been really yelled at, I am not surprised at what I am hearing. I do still shoot competitively (Glock 34) so I'm just not sure it is a recoil issue. I can easily do 6 inch rapid fire groups at twenty yards with the 640, but I do even better with the 317. I appreciate being reminded that the velocity specs. on .22 Stinger are probably from a 20" rifle barrel versus the 2" barrel on my 317. I think the superlight weight of the 317 has made me want to carry it in a pocket holster. I do also carry the 640 in a Kramer pocket and on the belt in a Galco. Regards.

Bob B.

 

[snubbiefan]

Bob....I am not only going to NOT YELL at you....I am going to side with you. I recently came across a low-mileage no-lock 317 for a fair price and pounced on it. It was intended for the wife, but I plan to get another one for me. Why.....you can stick the thing in your shirt-pocket on a hot summer day and never know it's there, the wife loves it and I have found it to be extremely accurate for it's size and sights. With all the other weapons I had tried to get her to shoot....she would occasionally hit "near the target" with an occasional round that would actually hit the target. This gun is loaded-up with Wolff springs, trigger pull is not an issue and after only two 8-round cylinders full, she put 14 out of the 16 in the target with 3 bullseyes......simply amazing. I was also very surprised at how the CCI shot-shell pattered through this gun. Had this paper-target been a BG, he would be blind.

Yes....I have all the big caliber weapons and if I am pretty sure I am going up against somebody wearing body armor and such, I would have one of my magnums and will always have one handy in the vehicle, but I think after three shots of CCI shot-shells in the face....I could take my time and decide just where I wanted to place the remaining 5-shots of LR into the BG while he stumbles around with his eyes shot-out.....maybe number 8 would be in the ear and end it all to prevent any lawsuits.

I think the 317 is a fine little piece and I am looking for another one for ME right now.

 

[murphydog]

If you are proficient with the Glock platform, how about a mini-Glock? It's light (but not quite 317 light) and has a lot more power. I think relying on a .22 when you can handle and compete with a 9 mm would be unwise; you never know what threat is around the corner. Good luck in your decision.

 

[photoman]

My guess is no matter what handgun you have when the shooting starts, you're going to feel undergunned. Go with the biggest caliber, highest capacity gun you can shoot well (and will actually carry) and call it a good day.

 

[thibaultfelix40]

317 for carry

Elght rounds of stingers seems to me to be the equivalent to a load of buckshot. I've shot a lot of dogs and a few hogs with 22's. Only one dropped dead. All of them ran. However I did have a few ricochet of skulls. I reccomend that you point the gun at the critters guts and keep pulling the trigger untill you feel it has been properly shot. If all you can see is the head, a few stingers in the face will probably be as effective as spray.

 

[Dennis The B]

Neither will I...

...yell at you.

However, a .22 rimfire handgun (magnum or LR), just doesn't have enough punch, no matter the barrel length.

Even a 9mm from a short barrel is marginal. Your assailant would already have the edge, being the aggressor. And any confrontation inside seven yards gives the assailant the edge unless your gun is already drawn and ready. Someone on drugs may well not even feel a .22 and his/her knife, if so armed, is much deadlier than a Model 317.

Therefore, you must give yourself every advantage possible. I wouldn't stake my life on a .22 unless (and maybe not then) the only other thing available is a club.

There's a maxim out there that says "any caliber for defense as long as it starts with the number 'four'.". You have to take the will out of the aggressor to continue the fight.

Since you are proficient (your word) with the 9mm, don't regress to a .22. A defensive encounter only last two, maybe three rounds, and you wouldn't even notice the recoil.

 

[Bob B]

Thanks MurphyDog, I do have carry platforms for my Glock 19's. I bought four of the "all Austrian" G19's in early 2009. I have one of them loaded with Gold Dot's in a car-safe that is readily accessible and another in a bedroom nightstand. I find that my real/truly/often carry gun is never the G19...even though I have IWB and *** Galco holsters for that pistol. It has just been more comfortable for me to carry the J-frame S&W. I loooove the light weight of this new 317, but do recognize the limitations of the caliber.

 

[442js]

First of all, I am NOT old...just "chronologically gifted". A VietNam vet, who has over the years collected everything but money! Lots of J-frames...especially the stainless stuff from the eighties and early nineties. Here is my conundrum...I have carried an early 640 (no dash, no-lock, no clear-coat) as my CCW for several years. Been pretty proficient with Federal Match Wadcutters, but wouldn't win prizes. I recently took in a Model 317 (LNIB) as part of a trade and have been amazed at how well I shoot this little ten ounce .22...especially with CCI Stingers. How crazy is it for me to give up a .38 and switch to an 8-shot .22 for a CCW? To me, the .22 Stinger has similar ballistics to the 5.7FN sometimes used for personal protection. (Remember the terrorist Army Major psychologist that killed so many with his 5.7 ??) I know, most will tell me to stick with the 640, but I am soooo accurate with the Stingers. Regards.

Bob B

If you want to carry a .22, go ahead. You should have something you are comfortable with or you won't be happy. However, 5.7 x 28 is a completely different round from the .22, and not a good comparison. The 5.7 is faster, and more accurate at longer distances. Use the .22, but don't think it is like the 5.7 because it isn't.

 

[jessegpresley]

I think you're crazy to carry a .22, but that's just me.

Saw some little guy on one of those worlds scariest police video shows get shot point blank with a cops .45 in the stomach and he just kept goin'. Fighting an assailant high on meth or crack, and with todays people much bigger and fatter than ever before, a little .22 seems a poor choice.