This may put some nickers in a twist

[andyo5]

If ever I am unfortunate enough to get into an actual gunfight, I surely hope that I will not be standing there holding a 22 handgun. Even if you hit the other guy he will probably still kill you.
Get a 45 and learn to shoot it well.

 

[JeepinSoldier]

I really prefer 9mm and .38 Special for a EDC gun and can carry one easily. Id prefer not to be carrying anything smaller than a .380 but admit to carrying a Beretta 21 on occasion in a shorts pocket while taking out the trash near the neighbors mean dog.

However, the first rule of a gunfight is 'Have a gun.' I have trained several people who FLAT OUT REFUSE to go any larger than .22, because of size or recoil. I believe a .22 is much better than nothing, and encourage those people to learn to shoot the gun well and carry it.

I have been able to get many of those people to move to larger calibers eventually. Case in point is my wife, who really did not care for guns at first and refused to shoot anything larger than our .22's. Now, without pushing her into doing what she did not want to do, she has moved up to 9mm and .38 Special on her own.

I purchased one of the Aussie 3" Model 10's for my 3" K frame collection, and when it arrived she said "That's mine!" Now its her house gun, and I get to shoot it occasionally.

When our 940 showed up, she almost claimed that one, but I told her it had more recoil than the Model 10 and was harder to shoot. She said "OK, I guess you can keep that one."

 

[aphelion]

Hitting an assailant with a .22LR bullet out of a pistol in a self defense situation virtually guarantees that individual will need some kind of medical services, even if it is only a bandaid. Of course you may need the services of a mortician because your peashooter stopped nothing. Of course most by far will never need to use their pistol in a self defense situation, so a cork gun might serve just as well as a .22.

 

[BAM-BAM]

While I have 2 4inch 34s in the safe........ if I'm looking for something smaller than my 3" 66 K frame for a walk in the woods....... it's always my 3" 60-10 w/ .38s and 1-2 speedloaders....... and maybe a single speedloader of .357s.

I thought I'd use a 34 a lot; but seems not so much.........they seem to only come out to accompany a centerfire rifle.

 

[brucev]

But, I have to ask, how many of you carry a 22 revolver for edc.

Once upon a time while I was a student in seminary I worked in a shipyard as unarmed security. One night I got shot at when I blundered up on some folks who were apparently doing a deal of some sort, dope, whatever. Later that week I bought a Ruger Mk. II which I proceeded to carry in my pocket at night. It was what I could afford. I got to where I could shoot seagulls out of the air when they flew near me at night. I'd hold the flashlight with one hand and shoot with the other hand. It worked. I figured if or when the need arose to engage a criminal, hits would come easier than on seagulls.

Nowadays my circumstances are much improved over those student days. I have several very nice revolvers and a couple of 1911's from which to choose for SD/CC. I've been considering if I need to buy a gun for cc. With that in mind, I've been looking at what's available. I've been thinking... it'll probably be a .380 or maybe a 9mm. That having been said, I've been thinking... S&W has some nice little .22 LR revolvers. I shoot revolvers fairly well. I could afford to practice with a .22 revolver. And, it's something my wife and daughters would actually shoot. There's something to be said for a gun that folks will actually shoot. JMHO. Sincerely. brucev.

 

[Old Unk]

EDC no, however a SR22 loaded with 40 gr CCI Velocitors could ruin an otherwise good day for a varmint - better than a pointy stick.

Best.

 

[ILTim]

Boy I'd hate to come a time when looking down the sights at something I didn't want to be there, hear a bang, and know its a .22lr that was dispatched. Yes, more effective than many non-gun options, yes, when sent in triplicate or more they can surely demotivate! But still, it's severely lacking in the fast acting. I'm fine with .32h&r or .380acp but get a little squirrelly feeling about the little twenty two. Y'all think the BG is just gonna run and leave a blood trail for someone to track? Sorry, I get the rational I think, but can't get comfy with the idea.

 

[xcpd69]

Don't usually, but have occasionally.

6-8 CCI Stingers in the face should give most goblins something else to do, rather than threaten me.

 

[oberon]

NAA .22mag.
Every day. Never not.
Often in conjunction with something else.
For those rare social occaisions.

 

[at_liberty]

Certain amount of mall ninja stuff here. I sense some generation gap issues too. Does a .22 equate to minimal clothing?

 

[jaymoore]

I reckon if a .44 doesn't always put down a deer immediately, then why expect the same with any other handgun round on a similar sized living target? (Have had heart shot deer run 300 yards!) Any functioning handgun is better than none, and only good hits count. .22 or otherwise. If the first doesn't do the job, then keep at it! Easier to do expeditiously with less recoil. .22s are the usual choice in these parts for putting down hogs for butchering. Works fine with the right shot placement.

If you are really expecting trouble: 12 guage-any shot size if distances are short

 

[cal50]

LOTS of people and critters killed by the little .22. Excellent penetration for its diameter which causes damage / bleeding. Its not a "stopper" but it usually penetrates enough to do serious damage. Rimfire priming is iffy for ignition Vs center fire priming.

A vendor at out workplace accidentally popped himself in the guy with a .22 shot shell ( dropped the gun / old single action). It perforated his intestines and got him a ride on life flight.

Its far better than nothing but just do not rely on it for stopping power.

 

[Joe Kent]

As far as caliber, all guns can kill . There are documented one shot stops with a 22 and failure to stop with multiple hits with 12ga slugs. Since it is your butt on the line ,carry what you want and hope that you never need to use it.

 

[David R]

I carried a sterling semi auto 22 for a while. It was not dependable so I traded it for a Beretta 21a. I carried that one for a while but there is no extractor. In the event of a misfire, I would be screwed. Now the smallest gun I carry is an LCP. Most of the time its my 637 in an ankle holster.

So yes I have and may occasionally. But now its center fire 380 or bigger.

David

 

[WhiskeyTangoRomeo]

I carry a Taurus 94 around the Yard when doing work for creepy slittery critters and as a Nightstand Gun for the wife who can't handle recoil or weight of a bigger caliber. CCI Stingers make a helacious racket and fireball!

For EDC, smallest I go is .380 in Walther PPK/S.

 

[at_liberty]

As far as caliber, all guns can kill . There are documented one shot stops with a 22 and failure to stop with multiple hits with 12ga slugs. Since it is your butt on the line ,carry what you want and hope that you never need to use it.

Do cops carry .22s? Let's not be silly about what an effective carry gun might be.

 

[indiandave]

I'd rather carry a .22x2. that would be a .44.

 

[153]

A while back I posted this quote on another forum, and got little response. Since we seem to have a few members here that really appreciate a practical little .22, here I go again...

A quote from famous author/shooter Ernest Hemingway on the effectiveness of the .22 round. Ernest's favorite platform was the Colt Woodsman:

"The rifle and the pistol are still the equalizer when one man is more of a man than another, and if…he is really smart…he will get a permit to carry one and then drop around to Abercrombie and Fitch and buy himself a .22 caliber Colt automatic pistol, Woodsman model, with a five-inch barrel and a box of shells. I advise him to get lubricated hollow points to avoid jams and to ensure a nice expansion on the bullet. He might even get several boxes and practice a little…

Now standing in one corner of a boxing ring with a .22 caliber Colt automatic pistol, shooting a bullet weighing only 40 grains and with a striking energy of 51 foot pounds at 25 feet from the muzzle, I will guarantee to kill either Gene Tunney or Joe Louis before they get to me from the opposite corner. This is the smallest caliber pistol cartridge made; but it is also one of the most accurate and easy to hit with, since the pistol has no recoil. I have killed many horses with it, cripples and bear baits, with a single shot, and what will kill a horse will kill a man.

I have hit six dueling silhouettes in the head with it at regulation distance in five seconds. It was this type of pistol that Millen boys' colleague, Abe Faber, did all his killings with. Yet this same pistol bullet fired at point blank range will not dent a grizzly's skull, and to shoot a grizzly with a .22 caliber pistol would simply be one way of committing suicide."

When Skeeter Skelton tested the Walther PPK/S in the 1970's he found that when compared to a K-22 , shooting the same round, it's velocity was only 50 fps less.

Seems to me there may be a place for a good .22 in the pantheon of EDC pistols.

Just for fun ... Ernest's choice:

 

[deriter]

As far as caliber, all guns can kill . There are documented one shot stops with a 22 and failure to stop with multiple hits with 12ga slugs. Since it is your butt on the line ,carry what you want and hope that you never need to use it.

I guess I like this statement. However, I am not sure I can fully trust a semiauto in 22 cal. Maybe I have shot too much of the bulk cheap stuff, but rimfire seem to have ftf more than I like. In a revolver, just keep pulling the trigger. I like that! But just as Joe said "carry what you want and hope that you never need to use it". I have carried a 22 and felt safer with it than without.

 

[noah228]

When I'm out walking for exercise, wanting easy light weight pocket carry, I pack my S&W 351PD 22 magnum loaded with 7 Hornady 45 grain self defense loads. Penetration up to 12-15 inches with decent expansion based on tests I've seen. For woods walking or trail hiking deeper in the boonies, I carry my S&W 60-15 loaded with 357 Golden Sabers. So the situation determines the carry for me.