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

Yes- .22 is part of my defensive battery.

I am a believer.

BOARHUNTER

Never used it as part of my defensive battery but I really wouldn't feel that unarmed if all I had was my Beretta Model 70S. Incredibly reliable, durable, and accurate too, this would be my Number One choice in a .22 pistol.

I've always thought that a .22 is better than nothing,,,
Other people (many of them) think differently.

One buddy of mine says he would rather have a sharp pencil than a .22,,,
Personally, I think he's deluded.

Recently I've been teaching a young lady to shoot,,,
I started her off with a Bersa Thunder .22 and she does well with it,,,
When I pull out the Bersa Thunder 380 she doesn't do nearly as well as with the .22.

Boil it down to the gist and she just doesn't like the recoil,,,
And simply won't practice enough with any center-fire to get used to it.

When we go to the range she will happily burn through 2-3 hundred rounds of .22,,,
And is getting very small groups at 7 to 10 yards.

Her mom's boyfriend is a cop,,,
He told her that she should practice 6 rounds rapid fire then 4 rounds with deliberate aim.

The new Kel Tec P17 has 16 round magazines,,,
I told her that if she is going to buy a .22 pistol that might be a better choice.

But I'm rambling here.

Suffice it to say that in my not-so-humble opinion,,,
A 10-round Ruger LCPII loaded with 40 grain mini-mags,,,
Beats harsh language and a rape whistle any day of the month.

Aarond

.

I'm ok with it if nothing else works for you. My wife won't shoot anything else. She's tried 9mm and 38 and won't go back . So I got her a Walther P22 in baby blue and she's happy.

I carry one sometimes.

Depending on how things go... It would be wise to add one. Guns are useless without ammo.

If you travel a lot, and need to pick up ammo on the go in any state, there used to be the Walmart litmus test. Carry a major caliber and you could likely find something to feed it at Walmart in most states.

Well, they have chosen their side (news flash, it ain't ours). No handgun ammo anymore.

You can still get cci mini mags though.

Cool deliberately placed 22s are about as good as anything, though im aware many disagree.

The article is well timed for me. I have arthritis of the hands that I have fought trough therapy for a decade, but arthritis is a progressive disease and it only gets worse. The variable is how long it takes. My new EDC is an LCP II which replaces a 9mm PPS M2. Two reasons for that: 1) my left land is much worse than my right. It’s grasp strength has deteriorated to the point that racking the 9mm is hard, and 2) I am slight of frame and we get smaller as we get older so concealing a compact is harder than concealing a subcompact.

I have to plan for the future when things get really worse. I know that the answer will be a 22 LR pistol. It will likely be a LCP II Lite Rack. I am perfectly comfortable with that because I have researched the SD capability of the round. If you can shoot it accurately. It is deadly. Greg Ellifritz research makes that certain. The 22 kills more,people,than any other caliber. That is not because of power or accuracy, but it is because of the popularity of the caliber. It is the most owned caliber worldwide. I had one in the form of a M&P 22 Compact for plinking. I sold it when I became disinterested in plinking. But I could shoot it fast and with excellent accuracy. In fact it was the caliber that I could achieve the greatest accuracy and speed with. I I’d not adopt it because of reliability for SD. Now as things are changing Imhave to weigh unreliable hand function against unreliable hand function. My hand will get worse, but good 22 ammo is likely to get better or at least remain constant. Simple choice for me.

Finally, I have first hand knowledge that the 22 in a pistol is lethal in the right hands. Some here know I was a USMC Combat Photographer in Nam for two years. I worked on a story with a writer about Force Recon. The team’s arsenal included a Ruger Standard. When I asked why the answer was that it was th most quiet and reliable way to take a sentry out without making face to face contact. Believe me those Marines knew what they were talking about.

I,will be checking out the LCP II Lite Tack soon.

Yes, an M&P 22 Compact. not so much for me but for the wife. She is not a firearm enthusiast but this works OK for her and has proven to be a very reliable pistol as far as 22LR auto loading pistols go and very fun to shoot..

Just my personal opinion but I'll take a good 22lr pistol over a .25 caliber pistol any day. Yes 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. My arthritis and fibromyalgia has not gotten so bad that I can not use a bigger caliber yet so I'll stick with my 9mm or 45ACP guns for now. I won't hesitate to grab my 22lr pistols to use if that is what is close and handy.

10 well placed shots from a 22 is always better than missed shots with a 45.

If all I had was my .22 revolver I would make do with it. It would not be a first choice though.

I do understand why one might want a .22, especially when physical limitations keep one from operating something more powerful.

As for the logic used in that Mike Hammer wannabe article? I have a hard time reading between the lines with “nudge, nudge, wink, wink” tough guys. My thing is either spill it or keep it to yourself. The article is unnecessary in regards to the subject of the OP. If you want to carry a .22, go ahead.

I'd take a .22 over not carrying at all. I've considered getting a small .22 for when I'm in athletic clothes. I don't like to carry even my shield without a belt.

The more I shoot it, the more I like it. I carry 9mm so that's what I'm comfortable with. Can a 22 make the cut? Sure. It's super easy and fun to shoot. I have a Taurus tx22 that holds 16 rounds so if for some reason it was the only gun I could grab I wouldn't worry to much. I can easily put all 16 rounds in a perps head in under 10 seconds let alone a torso. I don't think anyone wants 16 holes in them no matter where they are.

I have 22LR pistols, revolvers and rifles. And even though I have no doubt a 22LR handgun could serve as a SD piece if need be, I carry 38 snub.

22LR would not be my first choice but my Ruger SR22 has been every bit as reliable as any of my self-defense handguns. Loaded with quality ammo I would be comfortable using it as a carry gun.

Pat Riot said:

If all I had was my .22 revolver I would make do with it. It would not be a first choice though.

I do understand why one might want a .22, especially when physical limitations keep one from operating something more powerful.

As for the logic used in that Mike Hammer wannabe article? I have a hard time reading between the lines with “nudge, nudge, wink, wink” tough guys. My thing is either spill it or keep it to yourself. The article is unnecessary in regards to the subject of the OP. If you want to carry a .22, go ahead.

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Yeah, the idea of shooting out pursuing vehicle's headlights like the old sealed beam glass jobs from 40+ years ago just ain't gonna work the same with the little individual lamps of modern headlights. With a Beretta Bobcat, I assume? Hi-larious writing.

Too bad things in the article like that take away the point of carrying a .22LR handgun.

If you decide to carry a .22 rimfire for SD, make it a revolver. I fire a lot of 22 RF and every so often I have one that does not go off. Often when there is a failure the same 50 rd bx will have one or two more misfires. On revolvers one merely fires the next round in the cylinder.

Yep ... Rutgers SR 22 s honey of a little gun. Works best with 40 grain round nose. AND a Walther P-22 another honey. Has more of a picky taste but prefers high velocity rounds. Both are fast and accurate PLUS the arthritis in my wrists and hands makes them more manageable. Seldom carry a 9mm or 40 s&w anymore.

My daughter ( near 50) has carried a Sig. 22 for years. ",Better than nothing" She can make you understand what a foolish statement that is.

If I were to use 22.cal for Self defense, it would be the LCR22. It has proven to me to be more reliable than any 22. I have personally shot. Maybe other revolvers are the same, but I have a lot of experience and range time with this gun. And shoot it often and you will be surprised how accurate it can be and a fast to target gun.

If I had to I’d carry my TX22 and feel protected but luckily I don’t have to

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.

"Better than nothing" <---- Not a criteria I use to select a pistol that I want to stop an attacker(s) ASAP.
Bet my life on a 22 pistol? No - I don't have to and won't.
Bet my life on a 380/38 snub? No - I don't have to and won't.
Glock 19 minimum, but I have a Glock 23/32 so thats actually my minimum.

bannockburn said:

Never used it as part of my defensive battery but I really wouldn't feel that unarmed if all I had was my Beretta Model 70S. Incredibly reliable, durable, and accurate too, this would be my Number One choice in a .22 pistol.
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I bought my Beretta 70S when I saw they were being discontinued AND they had been used by the Mossad to solve a few "issues".

I have carried it as a BUG,and would bet my life on it for sure.

Mine has at least 2 thousand rounds through her,no issues and I was blessed to find spare magazines too !.

I am in LOVE with that nickel finish,mine is blued and bought her about 1980.

CDW4ME said:

"Better than nothing" <---- Not a criteria I use to select a pistol that I want to stop an attacker(s) ASAP.
Bet my life on a 22 pistol? No - I don't have to and won't.
Bet my life on a 380/38 snub? No - I don't have to and won't.
Glock 19 minimum, but I have a Glock 23/32 so thats actually my minimum.

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I would not bet my life on any pistol or revolver. I do carry a snub and a number of 380's as well as micro 9mm's. Do I have to, no, but I will and I do. Will I carry a full size duty gun? NO, not for EDC. But that is the thing, carry what you want and do not give a crap what others carry.
This thread was about 22.cal. Should have been simple without the center fire bore wars that always start by the same individuals.