.22 Magnum

Welcome to The High Road!

Smallest available are the North American Arms (NAA) Mini-Revolvers. Take a look at wwwnaaminis.com.

The Cadillac would be the Smith and Wesson Model 351PD. Use the search function at smith-wesson.com.

The .22 Mags offer decent penetration, but are VERY loud.

Are you set on 22 magnum or are other calibers acceptable? There is a whole range of pocket pistols out there if you're not locked into 22 magnum.

A good place to look is Bobo's Pocket Chart:
http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=171820

aw nuts... 1st time poster, too
CCW 22WMR, light, sidearm
"I hope I have found a knowledgeable pool of folks to help me.
I would like to find a concealed carry, lightweight sidearm, auto or revolver that uses this round. What do y'all prefer or have info on?"

no, you found an internet gun forum, it was google, not gawd

there is no shortage of very real world class expertise here, but..
it's not gun god turf, it's internet, and it's going to get ugly..

there are 22WMR autoloaders, but very few, and even if you find one that is supposed to be reliable, it probably will not be, because of the few names who do/did that have been traded around too often, and it really is a very difficult round to design a reliable pistol for
(I happen to own one, but that is not relevant)
go revolver, far safer bet

if not too ashamed and flamed to even think about it when "we" get done with you
Google up Smith and Wesson, and seek 22WMR
not the only thing out there
real pricey
but lots of others that look like a "good" deal are mostly not
no shortage of decent revolvers that can do well w/ 22WMR, for limited usage,
amongst the most popular being the Ruger single six (very good quality handgun), but relatively few would choose a SA for what you describe

(stay away from the Taurus 941, unless you read a LOT about 'em, on a LOT of gun forums; methinks you better off with the Ruger SA, because the trigger is so bad on the Taurus, it is near worthless for DA, and if not an experienced DA revolver shooter, you just might not ever be willing to try another)

PS
ain't none of my business, but if you have not shot a lot of handguns, there are others that the rambos equally despise (revolver and pistol), about same weight and size in centerfire, that throw more weight with no more (or less) noise nor substantially more felt recoil than a 22WMR in a small package
most of which ain't near as great as gun forum folk are going to tell you that they are, but many are (especially in revolvers), more versatile

see there, this is THR, and 1st two replies were helpful, not flame full
(could be I have gotten too cynical ??)

There of course will be a lot of talk about your choice of caliber for self defense, but I'll stick with the gun part.

First I agree that a revolver in that caliber is an almost certain better choice. The rimmed cartridge is not ideal for magazine feed, and most auto's ever made for the round are not all that small for carry either.

Top choice is the S&W gun in my opinion as well. Remember that rim fire guns need more hammer spring than center fire guns for reliable ignition. This means a heavier trigger pull.

Charter Arms, Taurus, and NAA are others to give consideration to.

I've owned and worked with enough Taurus wheel guns to be assured you can get a good one, and shooting or tuning it makes it better. Their design is fine, and their metalergy is good, they sometimes have other quality control issues. Not that S&W or others can't also - they just seem to have fewer of those issues.

That's all folks !

Top choice is the S&W gun in my opinion as well.

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That S&W gun would be this one.

Please note that S&W's description is as follows:

Purpose: Personal Protection, Law Enforcement

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It has the same look (and presumably feel) as the M&P 340.

Never underestimate the simple stick.

I would like to find a concealed carry, lightweight sidearm, auto or revolver that uses this round.

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A revolver is more realistic. There are very few .22 Magnum autos out there, and they would be just as large or larger than any number of autos in more effective calibers. But, other than the mini-revolvers (which do have a niche as hideout/backup guns), a small-frame revolver in .22 Mag will be the same size as one in .38 Special, unquestionably a more effective caliber. I can see no need to downgrade power unless you are very sensitive to recoil for a medical reason.

I personally carry an NAA BlackWidow in 22mag. Both S&W and Taurus make more "conventional" revolvers in 22 mag. Of those three, the NAA is by far the smallest and easiest to conceal.

I carry a 22 mag Naa Pug occasionally and find it very adequite for defense.

.22WMR won't give you much more performance from a short barrel than a .22lr would. If you really want a .22WMR handgun you'll be best served by finding something with at least a 3" bbl.

Like oldfool said, you'll probably be best served with a revolver.

I am curious about the new Keltec pistol in .22WMR. If it proves to be reliable, it could fill a niche as a small game/survival weapon. But It's probably a little large for casual concealment.

A few here have suggested the S&W 351.

My personal experience with it was less than satisfactory. Even after a trip back to the factory, it wasn't 100% reliable. It was not accurate enough to be a trail gun. It was expensive. If you must have a Smith, look for a 51, 651 or 650.

The NAA's go bang every time, but you must put in the trigger time to make it work.

I haven't tried the Taurus.

I have an older Charter Arms and I've been hearing good things about the new ones.

I'd be inclined to start with one of those, rather than with the more expensive Smith.

.455 - "The .22 Mags offer decent penetration, but are VERY loud."

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True ....... but in a down and dirty self defense situation, you'll never notice how loud it is.

I've talked with two women who used .22 Magnums (both S&Ws), and they both said they barely recalled the revolvers going off they were so pumped on adrenalin.

L.W.

Find yourself a Charter Arms Pathfinder. 2-1/4 barrel, lightweight, reliable, made very well, some-what kinda rare. I have seen them sell on the auction sites for 200-250$, but I would not sell mine for that. Have been carrying mine on/off for about 25 years.

Kel-Tec has a new semi-auto 13 ounce, 30 round 22wmr. It looks a little big for ccw, but it is very light and has 30 round cap.

Here is a link;http://www.kel-tec-cnc.com/pmr30.htm

My choice would likely be the Smith 351. I was looking at a used High Standard derringer in 22 mag today. I have always had a thing for them, but never owned one. It would be more easily concealed than the 351.

Sorry, but I can't help to suggest a Ruger LCP, which is .380. I have one and I'm happy with it. It is very light and small and there is even a laser that fits it perfectly.

I do have a NAA .22 magnum. A laser is now available for it!

22-rimfire said:

My choice would likely be the Smith 351. I was looking at a used High Standard derringer in 22 mag today. I have always had a thing for them, but never owned one. It would be more easily concealed than the 351.

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I own the hi-std 22LR version
always wanted the 22WMR version... until I looked a lot of used ones
be aware they are alloy frames, and any I ever saw (used) looked pretty rough, put me off on the idea

strongly agree with any of the S&W 22MR choices
specifically including the older hard-to-find J-frame kit guns
would love to own 651 companion piece for my old model (but mint) 63, but don't much love the price if/when found
Rossi (way long pre-Taurus ownership) made a 22WMR clone version, model 511 (?) I think, occasionally seen used, some thought well of, though most seemed to feel they fell short of the S&W imitated (651)

mixed feelings re: Charter Arms, checkered history, ups and downs
people say they are making a comeback though, re: quality

owsi26 said:

Sorry, but I can't help to suggest a Ruger LCP, which is .380. I have one and I'm happy with it. It is very light and small and there is even a laser that fits it perfectly.

I do have a NAA .22 magnum. A laser is now available for it!

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I have the LCP as well, and if topic were LCP vs. NAA black widow, would definetly go with the 380
but neither is a easy gun to shoot well, no "derringer" really is
(the Crimson Trace on mine merely confirmed what I already know, how badly I pull down on that long DAO trigger pull, which was pretty awful... but ok for width of a poker table, last and only hope/... friend of mine shoots his really well, but spent thousands of rounds getting there... it's not a gun for inexperienced shooters, and the 380 LCP has a pretty stout bite,, too little handle

for pocket pistol auto vs a 22 WMR, I would suggest a berretta or similar in 32 acp
(knowing that most would deride the power in either 22WMR or 32acp)
but mostly, unless shooter is experienced, a revolver in SA/DA (or SA capable auto) strikes me as a better tool than any DAO.. likewise running against the grain of conventional wisdom

IMO, the 22 Mag cartridge is not meant for CC but like the 22LR it beats the hell out of bare hands. To get the velocity/energy, the barrel should be at least 6" - again not too good as a CCW. Aside from the louder report, there is also the issue of additional flash to consider, especially at night.

Left Coaster
.22 Magnum
I hope I have found a knowledgeable pool of folks to help me.
I would like to find a concealed carry, lightweight sidearm, auto or revolver that uses this round. What do y'all prefer or have info on?
Thank you in advance for your help.

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I do not disagree w/ Onward

my WMRs include (Irwindale) Automag II pistol 6", fun gun range day
High Standard Double Nine revolver 5" (mighty similar to a Ruger single six)
S&W model 48, 6" k-frame (my favorite)

I do believe any of those would be a serious deterent to bad people wanting to bad things
but would not CCW any of them
and much prefer model 66 S&W 6" k-frame '357' and/or Ruger 3" SP101 for home security

but OP did ask for 22WMR, and we are drifting away

despite desire to stay on topic
if you do consider other pocket pistols vs. 22WMR
please do not get serious about 25acp
(alas, there is such a thing as just not enough)

I would like to find a concealed carry, lightweight sidearm, auto or revolver that uses the (.22 magnum)

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The first question is........why?

Why, specifically, do you want a .22 magnum handgun for self defense duty?

Many people who say they do have looked at the .22 magnum ballistic tables and conclude it'll be a great CCW gun. The problem is, the common ballistic tables show the energy created from a 20" rifle barrel. It's not nearly the same beast out of a handgun barrel, especially one 2" or shorter.

So the question remains: why a .22 magnum for defense?

Nearly any gun you find, this side of the single-action-only North American Arms revolvers (slow and unwieldly in a defense situation) or the 2-shot High Standard design DAO derringer will be just as large as a .38 special.

I'd take a 5-shot S&W 642 .38 over the S&W 8-shot .22 magnum every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

(hey, somebody had to say it)

This one carries around the neck.