Switching to .22? Somebody stop me!

[Lobster Picnic]

Since you are more likely to shoot yourself than anyone else, I think .22lr is a wise choice.

 

[USAF385]

Well, my Sig P938 is pretty small and thin.....

But if I want real thin, I'll go with my Kahr CW380.

If I were to use .22 LR for defense, I'd probably opt for a revolver.

 

[Moe Mentum]

Would not be my choice, but if it makes you happy, its better than nothing.

 

[jtcarm]

The greatest advantage to carrying a 22 rim fire is your ability to carry literally hundreds of rounds in your pockets when you have to head for the hills. Try that with your 12 gage shotgun. Just as bad is heading out when the SHTF with your 45 or 40. It's all about the weight of the ammo. CCI ammo virtually never fails so load up on it. You have the flexibility with a 22 from having to kill anything from a deer down to squirrel. I have no problem with self defense using a 22 and some CCI Velocitors. A Smith & Wesson M17 is the best choice for all-purpose emergency carry. A Smith Kit Gun with a 2 or 4 inch barrel is perfect for self defense when loaded properly. When it all comes down to "the world having a really bad day" you'll be the one left with pockets full of ammo when the other "survivalists" are throwing their empty guns at the target. Carrying for self-defense is about being prepared for anything. The only gun that meets that requirement is a 22 revolver.

If you need hundreds of rounds for an EDC, you probably are better off throwing the gun at the bad guy.

This thread reminds me of the old saw about lightweight hunting rifles.
It always goes like this:
"You carry a rifle a lot more than you shoot it..."
True enough. But the whole point of carrying the gun for is to hit and kill something when you use it.

John Hinckley technically did kill James @'Brady with a .22.. His death last year was ruled a homocide. But there's a huge difference between ambushing a group of people (including inattentive SS agents who were not watching the crowd) and stopping someone who is attacking you.

 

[Faulkner]

I worked a case years ago where two brother's in law shot and killed each other after an argument. Witnesses reported that the first BIL reached into his closet and pulled out a .22 semi auto rifle and shot second BIL fifteen times. After being shot fifteen times he made his way outside to his pickup truck, retreived his .38 revolver, came back inside the house and shot the first BIL one time with the .38 Special. Both were found dead on the scene when we arrived.

 

[rwsmith]

They used to make.....

.22 ammo is the most unreliable ammo I have ever seen. It doesn't seem to matter what brand I buy, every time I go to the range with the .22 guns/rifles/AR that I am constantly fighting clearing chambers with things go click and not boom.

No way I want to be clearing a click when I needed to hear a boom.


Matt

When I was shooting .22 many years ago we never had a misfire. QC has gotten crappy like everything else.

 

[rwsmith]

You obviously....

I shot a dog with a .22 Magnum rifle and he ended up walking away. He dropped when I shot him, and then just lay there. Then he got up and walked away.
Conversely, I shot another dog with a .357 and that was that. No more living dog.
If I sound cruel, I had my reasons for each dog.

You obviously didn't hit the vital core. Where is the vital core on a dog anyway??

 

[jag312]

i have a Walther TPH pistol in .22LR. Small compact pistol. It can fit in my shirt pocket. It has always been reliable for me. I'm not allowed to carry it.

My attitude about a .22 pistol is that it is like a rattlesnake. A rattlesnake's rattles are a warning, but it is the rattlesnake's fangs that will kill you. My Walther TPH is a warning. My fangs are a .44 Special.

 

[checkdark]

My Kel Tec P32 is usually with me, except when sleeping, or showering. It has gone bang every time I have pulled the trigger. 8 rounds of 73 grain FMJ Fiocchi, and fully loaded, it weighs all of 10 ounces. The only time the 32 isn't in my right front pocket, is when my model 60, with 158 grain BB standard pressure wadcutters, is in my jacket. Sometimes I have both available. I forget the Kel Tec is even there. My 2cents.

 

[wrhk33]

If I was going to carry a .22, I wold use non-bulk ammo. CCI Mini-Mags would be the minimum and I would not use hollow points as they have in many peoples opinion poor penetration. Unless it's a head shot then any type would work. For ignition reliability I lean towards the European brands, such as RWS or Eley.

 

[Arkie45]

A .22 will kill, but the stopping power is somewhat akin to being shot with a viral infection...it usually takes a while.

 

[BB57]

I worked a case years ago where two brother's in law shot and killed each other after an argument. Witnesses reported that the first BIL reached into his closet and pulled out a .22 semi auto rifle and shot second BIL fifteen times. After being shot fifteen times he made his way outside to his pickup truck, retreived his .38 revolver, came back inside the house and shot the first BIL one time with the .38 Special. Both were found dead on the scene when we arrived.

We had a trauma surgeon from South Africa who had experience with around 1500 gun shot wounds at the time. He had some interesting opinions.

First, he felt that .45 caliber 230 gr hard ball rounds were the most lethal pistol rounds he encountered in the operating room. But...you have to understand where he saw the patient - in the OR. If someone lived long enough to make it to the OR, his odds of dying were higher with that round than with all the others - which is a list limited by the sample of patients he saw to the rounds that did not all ready kill them before they could be operated on.

Second, he stated very clearly that the more times someone is shot, the more systems are compromised and the harder it is to repair the cumulative damage, thus the more likely the person is to die.

Third, the statement above has nothing to do with rapid incapacitation. Getting shot numerous times with a .22LR is highly likely to be lethal, but the victim is very likely to remain combat effective until the end of the fight, the dying will come minutes, hours or days later.

That's the major downside of the .22LR for self defense. I can draw and make ten A zone hits at 5 yards in an impressively short period of time by riding the sear on my 1911 with a .22 LR conversion kit. Those ten hits will most likely be lethal, but those ten hits will also be unlikely to stop an assailant before he is able to wound or kill me.

In that regard I'm far better off with only 3 or 4 well placed A zone hits with .45 ACP hollow points in the same period of time.

 

[CTI1USNRET]

Many gunfights come to a halt because somebody GETS THE HECK OUT OF THERE. They don't stick around to compare calibers.

It's the guys who are willing to continue exchanging shots that you have to worry about. They need to bleed more than a 22LR wound causes.

 

[KarmannGhia]

When I was younger and in better shape, I carried a 22 or 25 many a time. I even took an NAA 22 to Iraq (should I be captured) and passed it off upon redeployment.

Two reasons I don't anymore: 1) My stamina is not what it used to be, should I have to fight or run. 2) Now that I'm LEO, my Dept mandates minimum caliber for off duty/back up is 380.

 

[mooosie]

I think a 22 is a great carry round if you add a 3 to the end[emoji2]

 

[walkin' trails]

There was an American Handgunner article a couple of years ago - I can't remember the name of the article - the author's first name was Greg. The gist of the article was about the effectiveness of handgun rounds. The author did not break his stats down by bullet manufacture or configuration, i.e. Got Dot, HST, etc. The stats were based on real world shootings. The 357 mag edged ahead of the common duty caliber loads (9mm, .40, &45). The 9s, 40s and 45s were about equal. What was surprising was that the .22 fared as high or higher than other mouse calibers. .22s did stop fights, though not as effectively as more acceptable centdrfire rounds. As a defensive handgun, a .22 should be considered an experts' weapon. The Israelis used them for counter terror and air marshal ops with great success.

 

[petemacmahon]

I've done my fair share of hunting with the cartridge. I also know the type that brags about being able to shoot squirrels int he eye at 50 yards...........

When I was in college, I had a MOSSBERG 144LSB with a 6 X Unertl. YES, I could and did hit squirrels in the eye at 50 yards and beyond! I would go out every September and sharpen my skills on chipmunks before squirrel season. I was a SERIOUS squirrel hunter back in those days. Boy, I sure do miss those days...............................miss that rifle too. Got out of college in debt and sold it and a few other guns and cars to fund my life looking for job. I wish too I had that 63 1/2 Plymouth Sport Fury that I sold to some guy in Ohio.

............. it's a tempting concept for a guy who drags a S&W 642 in his pocket every day.

Seriously, you find it hard "dragging" a 642 around?! I carry a 442 everywhere I go and never considered it an issue. COME ON MAN!

 

[rmcnelly]

Beretta 950BS .25 ACP vs 342PD.

On my not so accurate fish scale the Jetfire weighs 11oz loaded with 9 rounds of 50gr FMJ. The 342 with Taurus boot grips weighs 14oz loaded with 5 rounds of 135gr Gold Dots. I think I can get it down to 13oz with the 405 laser grips installed.

The Jetfire is a little jewel of a pistol.

 

[Iggy]

Back in the homesteadin' days, my Great Grandma got shot right at the top of the bridge of the nose while GGrampa was cleaning his .22 revolver.

It was 40 miles to town with a team and wagon in the winter time. It din't kill her outright, so they decided to wait until daylight.

Well she had a heck of a head ache in the morning, but otherwise she seemed OK.. They decided not to go to town.

Well, 20 years later, she blowed a real heavy booger out of her nose. It was so heavy, she had to take a look, and sure enough there was that .22 bullet.

Now she was a hard headed woman and nobody will deny that, but I don't think it was attitude that stopped that bullet.

 

[BigBill]

I little subnose H&R revolver.