.22 pistol in your defensive battery of guns...

I didn't read the entire thread.

I have a few "defense-oriented" .22 caliber handguns. It has been a long time since I've carried one as either a single (only), or as a second gun. I have sometimes carried one as a third (NAA Mini .22 in jeans watch pocket while two Kel-Tec products ride in other places.) I just have too many other guns ahead of them in the cache of concealed-carry weapons. Even if I want small, the Taurus TCP, Kel-Tec P32, and Seecamp LWS32 take it down to the size of my Beretta 21A Bobcat (as does my Beretta 950b Jetfire in .25ACP.)

If I got to where all I could handle was a gun in .22LR or .25CP, I have them, and they're decent options. I just haven't gotten there yet.

My wife will only shoot a handgun in .22, so the Taurus PT22 she has shot is what gets left out for her (sometimes, it's an identical pistol in .25ACP instead.)

I've got a few .22 hand guns, revolvers, semis, single shots, and while it's not my go to defensive round, I sure wouldn't feel unarmed if that's all I had with me.
Like someone said earlier in this thread, a .22 is better than a harsh word or a rape whistle.
Many a man has been killed by a .22 over the years, and many a critter.

Quote from the link.

Oh I know....I know. Your brother's cousin's nephew once put a .22 through his frontal lobe while squirrel hunting and, sneezed it out a few days later.

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This brought back some memories. My wife and I didn't met until we were 25, but had many, many mutual friends growing up. I don't know how we didn't cross paths sooner. One guy that we both knew for years was a Marine during Gulf war #1. When he came home lots of his friends met for a welcome home party. He repeated the following story at the party.

When in high school a 22 rifle discharged some how crossing a fence while squirrel hunting. The bullet just happened to hit the thick 1970's era leather belt near the buckle where it had to pass through 3 layers of leather and his thick jeans before striking his abdomen. The bullet was just under the skin, and outside the muscle. He said he squeezed it out like a pimple. It left a bad bruise and he was sore for a few days. His mom and dad heard the story for the 1st time that night.

That said a 22 wouldn't be my 1st pick, I but would use one. My wife doesn't enjoy shooting. She will practice with her 9mm just to stay somewhat proficient, but it isn't something she will do for fun. I put this together with her in mind a while back to use around the house if I'm not at home. She won't touch an AR or shotgun, but will shoot this.

Sadly, yes! A.22lr revolver is part of my SD "Battery of guns". But I have honestly never carried it. If I need something that small I will grab the .22 mag revolver that is only a little bigger.

I wasn't impressed with the referenced blogsters writing to read his thoughts any closer that a really quick skimming of his text. What I caught didn't touch me as a very logical arguement.

I knew a hospital worker that was walking to work at 5:00 am carrying his usual .40 cal glock in his waste band when he was jumped, physically knocked off his feet, by a couple of junkies. There was no way he was going to get to the Glock in his waste band under his heavy winter coat but he had a .22 backup in his coat pocket and got one of the 2 junkies in the hamstring which changed the junkies minds really quick. That made a lot of sence to me to have a .22 in a coat pocket for easier access in such situations.

The only other situation I can see a really tiny .22 lr a tactical advantage is I could probably conceal it in my butt in some weird hostage situation.

MikeInOr said:

The only other situation I can see a really tiny .22 lr a tactical advantage is I could probably conceal it in my butt in some weird hostage situation.

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Chris Walken? Is that you?

22lr semiauto can and will jam much more than centerfire. (I have shot a lot of different 22’s) If I had to carry a 22 it would be a revolver. You could maybe talk me into carrying this if it was found to be reliable. Full auto .22 pistol.

I have shot a lot of .22lr over the years and although i have had some failures, i can not say has been a real problem for plinking.

All of my .22 pistols work flawless with mini mags ( some do state in the manual not to use mini mags , but in thes cases : they all had failures with other types of ammo )

The worst experiences with ammo i have ever came across was with american eagle

sub sonic ammo can also be a problem in some.

But i would trust many of my .22 pistols

Just need to make sure it is not too dirty and i have mini mags

A few of my recoil sensitive family members rely on .22LR for defense. It's hell out of a rifle and still nothing to laugh at out of a pistol. The guns most commonly used for this in my little world are the M&P15-22, M&P22C and LCP2 in .22. Although they are very reliable I make sure all know how to clear a malfunction quickly.

What I am trying to decide as well if hps or solids make more sense in a short pistol barrel. Hps usually don't expand, yet solids tumble sooner and more often making an impressive wound for it's size.

FL-NC said:

I guess a 22 is better than no gun at all. Based on the fact that on several occasions I have had to shoot possums up to 6-7 times with my M&P 22 pistol to put them down (with the last one going in the head at near contact range) and the fact that when I shoot squirrels with my 10-22 they are often still trying to get away unless I score a head shot, I consider it a poor choice against humans. Humans are considerably more robust than squirrels.

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+1 on the possums. I've had a few that required multiple .22's to the head from near point blank range. Sure they would have died eventually but I don't think that's a great strategy for defense against another human. I used to think a .380 was minimum for self defense, until I head shot a possum from about 15' with mine. Right through the forehead, travelled nearly the length of it's body before exiting. Decided to bury it since it was in my backyard. Guess it was playing possum, because it latched on to my shovel and would not let go. So, no. I would not ever trust my life to a .22 in a defensive encounter. Plinking, practicing, playing? Sure. I'll never carry one as a primary though. Won't carry the .380 as a primary either now.

I couldn't make it past the second paragraph of that stupid, stupid article.

A .22 caliber handgun is not something that I would carry unless I had no other option.

12Bravo20 said:

I agree. It would be nice if people would answer the OP questions with out sidetracking the thread.

A 22lr gun will never be my first choice but I have absolutely no problem using one if that is what is close at hand. Any hand gun of any caliber is just a tool to use until you can reach for a rifle. At least that is how we trained when I was in the Army.

I had a bit of a scary moment at the local conservation range not too long ago. I had two meth heads try walking up on me with bad intentions. I had my Kel-Tec PMR loaded and in a holster on my side. I pulled it out but kept it pointed at the ground the whole time. The dope fiends had no idea what I had from 75-100 yards away. I'm pretty sure that 30 rounds of 22 magnum would have done the job if needed, then I would have grabbed my micro 9mm that is always in a IWB holster before going for my rifle that was sitting on the bench.

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If they were a hundred yards away why didn't you just pick up the rifle?

Nobody has shown images of their suppressed .22 Pistol and I won't be the first !

Trunk Monkey said:

If they were a hundred yards away why didn't you just pick up the rifle?

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Because I was actually walking to my car to get something and would have had to turn my back on them to get the rifle.

I tried to read that stupid article and I just couldn't get through it. The author's basic premise seems to be "If you don't have another option, a .22 is better than nothing."

He's not wrong but there is no way I would choose a .22 caliber as a defensive handgun.

I understand that a .22 can kill you but that's not my goal. My goal is to incapacitate you before you can harm me and I would never trust a .22 to do that.

Odd timing Guns Magazine October 2020 Massad Ayoob article Ruger Lite Rack LCP II ?????

I know apples to oranges talking about handguns and rifles. I do know of at least 1 country that uses suppressed 22 rifles for urban sniper rifles and have done so successfully for quite some time.

Like myself and others have said, 22lr would not be the first choice. A 22lr handgun will give you protection while working your way to a centerfire handgun, rifle, or shotgun.

I have shot my Glock G44, Kel-Tec PMR30 and CP33 enough to feel confident in the guns and the ammo I use in each to use in a pinch if ever it is needed.

12Bravo20 said:

I know apples to oranges talking about handguns and rifles. I do know of at least 1 country that uses suppressed 22 rifles for urban sniper rifles and have done so successfully for quite some time.

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The purpose of the sniper rifle is to kill people.

12Bravo20 said:

A 22lr handgun will give you protection while working your way to a centerfire handgun, rifle, or shotgun.

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Which begs the question "Why didn't you have a center fire handgun on your person in the first place?"

12Bravo20 said:

I have shot my Glock G44, Kel-Tec PMR30 and CP33 enough to feel confident in the guns and the ammo I use in each to use in a pinch if ever it is needed.

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As the author says "If you have no other option, it's better than nothing" so is a baseball bat.

It's your life. You make the decisions. You live with the consequences

I have a Ruger MK2, but think of it mostly as a range practice firearm. I'd be comfortable with 10 rounds from it in a defense situation ( a couple extra magazines and quickly have a 30 or 40 round capability), but that's not why I have it and I don't carry it. For a while I was just taking along an old CZ-70 in .32 ACP and one extra mag for 16 rounds total, but lately have changed to a full size Beretta 92 with 3 15 round magazines. The article if with the times might be better if it was about, why you should upgrade your carry gun to a larger caliber or capacity. It is what I've done recently, and since it is just playing the odds - lately the odds look like there is higher risk, so - why not up your end of those odds and add a little power and capacity to the equation? Maybe practice and test your equipment a little more often as well ... good idea IMHO.

Yes, a .22 is better than nothing. But YOU choose what you will carry -- so why not choose something more potent?

Wrong thread

I personally do not any more but Wife has a few. I wish she would carry something "better" but, the old line the gun you have beats the better one at home. Wife is VERY recoil sensitive. We went through a LOT of guns for her. Larger calibers that she would shoot were often heavy enough she did not want to carry all the time. Her latest is a Ruger LCPII in .22. She loves it. Can forget its there so she will carry it. Super easy to shoot so she will practice with it.

[QUOTEYes the rimfire is not as reliable as centerfire but good ammo helps alleviate that. Plus the 22lr has a little more power than most .25 auto ammunition.][/QUOTE]
Not necessarily so, .22 LR for pistol velocity is normally fired from a 6" barrel, shoot the .25 ACP from the same length barrel and there is little difference. You can find .22 LR in many different loadings that out power the .25 ACP BUT if you reload you can easily reach and exceed their power. The .22 LR's case is very thin, while the .25 ACP's case is almost twice as thick.
In shooting factory .25 ACP I have been seeing 750 FPS (2" barrel) more commonly than what JMB expected, which was 850. I've gotten those tiny 35 gr. HP's up well past 1000 FPS without showing any signs of battering , though a long diet of them might shorten the life of my Astra cubs.
Another handgun I'd consider as a backup is the Ranger II in .22 mag, with the little speed loaders. For the record I carry a .380 plastic auto because it hard to even feel it on my person, even though it's also inadequate.

If I'm going to have a .22 for defense I've long said it must have either a double action trigger or an external hammer. Only one .22 pistol of mine has neither, but for good reason: it's the Kel Tec CP33.

People say, "If a .22 is all you have . . . " WHY is a .22 all you have? What you have when the chips are down is what you DECIDED to have under those circumstances. I decide to have an M1911, and if I have a second gun it will be a Colt Detective Special.

Why would I swap either one of those for a .22?