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

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I find it interesting that people focus on certain parts of the article, and disregard the rest. We can all agree that shooting headlights and street lights is to much. But light ammo weight, .22 effectiveness, and .22 availability is ignored.
 
It's difficult to credit the writer with making any salient points when they are wrapped up in so much fantastical nonsense. As it were, even the writer himself acknowledges that a .22 would only be his choice if there were no other options available: "It has been a choice for me at times, and it is never my first choice." The truth is, if there is no other choice, then it's not actually a choice, is it? I would grab any of my six .22 caliber firearms, without hesitation, if they were the only thing available to me at the time. But there is literally no reasonable, reality-based scenario where I would choose them over any of my other, more appropriate handguns or rifles for personal protection. Poorly written fantasy should not be used as the basis for life and death decisions.
 
rimfire self defense for me has to be a revolver. the LCR fits the bill best because while its trigger is still heavy its far better than any rimfire J frame I've owned/tried.
 
TheWarhammer said:
But there is literally no reasonable, reality-based scenario where I would choose them over any of my other, more appropriate handguns or rifles for personal protection. Poorly written fantasy should not be used as the basis for life and death decisions.
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But that’s not reality. There ARE MANY people who can not, or should not, attempt centerfire ammo as a defensive option. I would argue that .22 prejudice may keep some from using a weapon in .22 as an option. I do hope that they don’t review these forums as a guide. Looking at these responses would suggest that using a .22 would be tantamount to having a sharp stick. 5 .22s to the forehead would stop ALL bad behavior. Did you actually watch the video posted?
 
At one time all I had was a .22 pistol and it was my HD gun.
It's greatest assets were---
1) the peace of mind it gave me.
2) it would likely frighten off 95% of intruders not expecting any armed resistance
3) I could afford to shoot the thing often enough to get pretty accurate with it if needed.
 
Great Scot said:
But that’s not reality. There ARE MANY people who can not, or should not, attempt centerfire ammo as a defensive option. I would argue that .22 prejudice may keep some from using a weapon in .22 as an option. I do hope that they don’t review these forums as a guide. Looking at these responses would suggest that using a .22 would be tantamount to having a sharp stick. 5 .22s to the forehead would stop ALL bad behavior. Did you actually watch the video posted?
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If you reread the full post that you clipped a piece out of, you'll see that, yes, that is reality. Obviously, if you CANNOT operate anything else, then .22 is your only option, and therefore you are not a choosing it over other options. If the only weapon available is a .22, same deal; you are not making a choice. Exactly who the "MANY people who... should not, attempt centerfire ammo as a defensive option" are, I have no idea. I'm saying that given a choice of all my guns, I would never choose .22 over other, better options.
 
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Any serious discussions of the 22lr for self defense should contain a few pro voices. Here are a few:

Before we go to what's below I'll add that that in his book "No Second Place Winners" Bill Jordan advocates for a J frame revolver in 22 Magnum for self defense. A "wicked" round he calls it.

The three main reasons in favor are, in no particular order: 1. cost of the gun and ammo. This is no small consideration for many, especially now. 2. Very modest recoil. This is also a serious consideration for many whether it's for reasons of health or other factors. 3. While the 22 has no actual stopping power (yes there is such a thing) it can stop a fight. As reliably as other more powerful rounds? No not at all, but well placed shots can compensate to some degree.

This below is a good article. From Richard Mann.

https://gundigest.com/article/defensive-22-lr-good-bad-or-stupid

An interesting vid from "The Plinkster"



Another

https://aliengearholsters.com/blog/22-pistol/
 
TheWarhammer said:
So the main thrust of the article is this: If you are an International Man of Mystery (who can't really talk about all the stuff you've done, but will give advice to other such operators on the internet), and you find yourself in a situation where you have bad people chasing you in the dark and you need to pop tires, shatter headlights, then shoot out all the street lights on a dark stretch of road, and then shoot a bad guy multiple times right between the eyes, and the only gun and ammo available by law is a .22 pocket gun with no more than 200 rounds of .22, then a .22 is what you should carry.

I'm seeing shades of Gecko45 in that article. Nice little fantasy read there. :rofl:
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Well said. Loved the article for it's novelty/entertainment but beyond that it goes into covert mall ninja territory.
 
I wonder how many against the 22.cal are the type that seldom even make it to a range. The once a month guy that brag's about his big bore and will be the first to put down a 22.cal for self defense. How many times have you been to a range and seen the countless number people shooting that are just terrible with even a low recoil 9mm? And of course they will put down the 22.cal.
There are many active shooters out there that train religiously by using a 22.cal as a supplement to their training. And make no mistake they can do wonders with them. Great speed and great Accuracy.
And to those guys (gals) I would put my money on them to stop a threat much more than the monthly warrior no matter what the caliber is. 8 to 10 fast shots into a persons neck and face would stop just about anyone.
People in the gun community focus so much on which caliber, constant caliber wars. A 22.cal IS a self Defense Weapon. And although I do not carry one, I train often with one most certainly would not hesitate to use one and feel confident in my ability to use one well..
And if for some reason there is a person that does carry one for self defense, then Pity the poor slob that under estimated that shooter and his gun.
By the way, I was at the range two days ago training with a 22.cal with 150 rds and will be out again today. And I can assure you the range will be almost empty.
 
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Here's an unusual idea for a home protection rig in 22LR that's crossed my mind lately
Built on perhaps the most popular 22LR platform in modern history
With it's 2 handed purchase, it's not really a pistol, and it's too large to carry on your person, but it's small enough to easily maneuver in hallways by just about anyone
25 round magazines are plentiful.
Of course, after seeing this,,,,I'd probably have to go ahead and get one of these for it,,,

https://franklinarmory.com/franklin-armory-bfsiii-22-c1/

With a folding brace and (aftermarket) binary trigger:

 
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Ernie Bass said:
I wonder how many against the 22.cal are the type that seldom even make it to a range. The once a month guy that brag's about his big bore and will be the first to put down a 22.cal for self defense. How many times have you been to a range and seen the countless number people shooting that are just terrible with even a low recoil 9mm? And of course they will put down the 22.cal.
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I couldn't care less if somebody else is terrible with a 9mm, I'm not and I'm not going to carry a .22 if I have any other option.


tipoc said:
While the 22 has no actual stopping power (yes there is such a thing) it can stop a fight.
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How does one quantify this mythical "stopping power"? Please be SPECIFIC .

tipoc said:
As reliably as other more powerful rounds? No, not at all
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Then why would I want it if I can have other more powerful rounds?
 
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Trunk Monkey said:
I couldn't care less if somebody else is terrible with a 9mm, I'm not and I'm not going to carry a .22 if I have any other option.
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Lol, I doubt that they care that you don't care or they care what you carry. There may be a time when you don't have a option. And if that time comes, I will feel good knowing I shoot both well, not that anyone cares.
 
Ernie Bass said:
Lol, I doubt that they care that you don't care or they care what you carry. There may be a time when you don't have a option. And if that time comes, I will feel good knowing I shoot both well, not that anyone cares.
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This post makes literally no sense.

Yes, there may be a time when I don't have an option.

When (and if ) that time comes I won't have an option and I'll carry a .22.
 
Although I have no interest in 22lr as a SD cartridge, I still shoot my 22lr handguns more than any other caliber.

(Blushes.) And I have a Beretta 21A on its way to my FFL right now.
 
Tallball said:
Although I have no interest in 22lr as a SD cartridge, I still shoot my 22lr handguns more than any other caliber.

(Blushes.) And I have a Beretta 21A on its way to my FFL right now.
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I hear ya, I shoot my LCR all the time for plinking and training for my LCR9mm. Recently bought the LCP22 for fun and training with my Pocket guns. Thankfully I started stocking up with 22.cal right after the last shortage. Lesson learned. Have enough to shoot each week now for about 5 yrs. (Gotta keep those skills up. Use em or loose em.
 
.380 inadequate? Why carry it as you have a mentality that is negative to begin with.
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I carry a POC plastic .380 because it works and I live in a community where people are not violent, if I lived in Portland, during the short time it took me to escape the city, I'd carry my DW 10 MM. As for my "Mentality" being negative, are you my shrink? Wait, I've never had a shrink! Never needed one either. You sure it's ME who is negative?
 
Trunk Monkey said:
Until they are
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Indeed. Always interesting to me that we can be lulled into thinking that a place with less crime means we can carry a lesser gun. Gunfights are a binary thing; you are either in one, or not in one, and not 'in a lesser or safer one.' Should one find themselves on the wrong side of the binary in a gunfight / not in a gunfight, best to have a fighting pistol if possible. Even that's a compromise, since handguns suck in general and smaller handguns suck even worse.
 
HisSoldier said:
I carry a POC plastic .380 because it works and I live in a community where people are not violent,
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To paraphrase: you are carrying a 380 not because of who you normally encounter, but "just in case" someone(s) (strangers) tries to kill you.
So, if someone(s) violent, not normally encountered, justifies use of deadly force to try and save your life, a plastic 380 is preferred. (It is whats being carried)
If a 380 is the "best you can do" because of work attire thats understandable.
able =/= willing
If/when not limited by work attire, Of the concealable pistols you own, is the 380 what you would prefer in hand if you had to defend yourself (regardless of location)?
Its a rhetorical question, purpose of which is to encourage carrying what would be preferred in hand when/if possible. If its a 380, it is what it is.
 
The counter argument is that we all carry due to the likelihood of a shootout, unless maybe you go everywhere with an AR? Why would I go anywhere I expected a gunfight with a handgun if I could take a rifle? It also follows that we should all wear body armor with plates all the time, no one does that except police, why? because they are far more likely to be attacked.
If I go to Portland I'll carry my 10 MM with extra mags, around here it's too much gun IMO. Your opinion may be different.

I do believe in preparing for evil people and a takeover by an evil domestic "government". But those preparations are passive, meaning I don't carry them around on my person every day.
 
All guns are defensive if they have to be.

But no. I don't have enough faith in the tiny bullets to penetrate deep enough. I have a few .22s, if I HAD to use one defensively, it would probably be my Ciener conversion on my Kimber frame, I would dump 15 Stingers center of mass as fast as I could.

There are no guarantees. Only degrees of likelihood. The odds go WAY up with pretty much anything bigger than a .22.
 
On the subject of the .22 pocket pistol, obviously the .22 rimfire cartridge does not dispose of any considerable power. However, it will penetrate the skull of a human being (most of the time), and if it is properly placed, it may render good service. A pocket .22 pistol in the hands of a delicately constructed lady with slender wrists and modest musculature may indeed suffice as a personal defense weapon, especially when one considers that a defensive pistol serves its purpose more than half the time by its mere presence, regardless of whether it is fired or not. The .22 rimfire cartridge offers a larger opportunity for practice than any centerfire round. When the ladies and children of your household discover how much fun it is to plink with a .22 pistol, they may well practice enough to develop the sort of skill necessary to render the little gun quite serviceable for personal protection.

The leaders in this category for much of the 20th century have been the Walther PPK and PP—in caliber .22 LR. I now discover, to my dismay, that these little pieces are almost impossible to locate for sale in this country. Their clones, manufactured in Hungary and Turkey, are equally hard to come by. Many years ago when we were living in California I purchased four PPKs for distribution to various ladies in our immediate circle. I wish that I had bought 50 of them!

- Colonel Jeff Cooper
 
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