.22 hornet?

?? $0.02

last ? first: if savage or stevens chambers for 22 H then tey would be a good bet.

but if you are buying a new gun for protection in the situations mentioned, look to a 12 or 20 gauge pump or auotload shotgun!

the 22 H rifle wil give you more range out to 100 yards and would probably be as deadly as the .357 between 30-50 yards, below 25-30 yards the .357 would be handier.

Is there some reason why 22 hornet has a particular appeal for you, such as other calibers being legally restricted in your locale?

Almost any rifle you can get chambered for 22 hornet, you can also get chambered for 223 Remington. 223 gives you more power, range, ammo choice, & ammo availability, without a significant increase in recoil.

I would go with the Hornet.It is much easier to aim at greater distance than the 357. I have a Ruger 77/22 Hornet. It is finicky but I reload and have an excellent load for it.It will go to a 50 grain bullet.The magazine is 6 rounds and drops out easily.Practice is the key. Byron

I read of a fluke .22 hornet shot killing a Waterbuffalo, but still, I'd go for the .357. Neither is a remarkably devastating gun, so local laws permitting, I'd go for something else. If you really want the .22 hornet, just make sure you practice. A lot. Its much more of a small game cartridge than something for "social situations".

Of the 2, I'd take the revolver. And also, I'd make sure I had more than 18 shots.

would it be possible to go for .357 in a carbine instead of a revolver? That would be the best bet I think. I might even go with that over a shotgun.

if you handload, the 22 hornet is proly the best round ever. tons of bullets, brass, and one load a powder could last you forever!!!! but if you buy factory, prepare to take out a loan. They are usually about 25 dollars per box, or more.
if you dont' handload, 357 is the way to go here.

I notice that you post a location of Asia. What is ammo and firearm availability there? That may have a lot to do with the answer you seek for "possible social unrest".

The ballistics aren't gonna be great, but a shot to the kill zone is a shot to the kill zone. A .22 Hornet gets a few hundred FPS than a .223 using a lighter bullet, but it can certainly kill a 2 legged agressor.

What about other calibers of shotgun? Could you get a 20 or 28 gauge? Way less recoil, and much more power than a .22.

I'm confused. Do you want this arm for business defense/ riot defense or for long range stuff? Knowing which would make it easier to answer.

I would select a .357 Magnum from a carbine over the .22 Hornet.

I don't know about ammunition availability in SE Asia, but the common .357 ammunition has four times the bullet weight, and in some loadings from a carbine will be near 2,000 ft/sec. (One can handload 110-grain .357 bullets to near 2,000 ft/sec in a six-inch barrelled revolver.)

55 yards is a rather long distance for reliable disabling hits from a handgun, absent a lot of practice. It's much easier for any rifle or carbine.

Art

How loud? I can't give any db level, but one reason for its popularity was the relaitviely low noise signature compared to any of the larger .22 centerfires. It was common for woodchucks in the more built-up rural areas of the northeastern U.S.; didn't disturb the neighbors.

I'd guesstimate that it's more like a .22 Magnum than a regular .22 long rifle; maybe even a small amount louder.

Art

I too will work with this cartridge and picked up a Ruger 77/22Hornet.
Thanks to Vern Humpries, I have a good start on the how to, that are
not found in Mannuels. The history he gave me was a really old black
powder cartridge originally. Now with a newer powder called LilGun,
some pretty high velocity with low chamber pressure has extended the
use of it.
This whole journey started out with me borrowing a like type Ruger
rebarreled to a 17 Hornet. At a local Turkey shoot, it punched ten
shots slightly over an inch at 100 yds. Sound level about 22 short.
Velocity around 3400 with 25gr. bullets. Very short barrel!
I suspect the 22 Hornet may be slightly louder, but surely does
not echo up and down the canyons like just about everything else
does in my area.

Interesting problem.

There is a difference between a fighting rifle and a defensive rifle. In theory, a riot is easy to turn if you are willing to hit a few people in the front ranks. The .22H or even .22LR have the potential to discourage a person at 60yds.

If you move beyond general discouragement to an active firefight with a determined enemy, you will start to realize the deficiencies of the round/rifle combo.

In the LA/Rodney King riots, plenty of shops were defended with .22LR and it all has to do with the attitude of who it was used against.

You do mention .22WMR being an option. If the savings on ammo is enough to encourage you to practice more often over a .22H, I would go with the rimfire. Placement and familiarity in such small calibers is going to be more important than a few fps.

Not really sure if cost is a factor. The lighter bullets from the Hornet
put it ahead by close to a third and is far more accurate than the 22WRM
Mossberg 640 K that I own. Indian friends from boyhood Minnesota,
it was very popular. One licensed guide used it for his meat gun for
everything. He had an 06 one of his client gave him after a hunt. When
I asked him why it wasn't used, he replied the 06 made too much noise
and it cost too much to shoot. I would never feel comfortable, but
he took bear and moose with it.

The 10-22 will certainly end all agressive action of a non armoured person at 50 yards, it's optimum range. Lay in a thousand rounds and ten magazines or so. It will serve you better in a defensive roll than a .22hornet, and I am a big fan of the .22hornet since I was introduced to it 50 years ago in the woodchuck pastures of Pennsylvania. Problem is they don't make a fast firing .22 hornet repeater! Can you own .30 US carbine? Can you have an m-1 carbine? Lots of those and ammo in SEA at least 30 years ago there was! That would be real good.
What you want is the 10-22 to harrass the incoming enemy and a 12ga pump , like a Rem. 870 with a long magazine to STOP those determined to come thru and get at you. NOTHING deters crowds like a 12ga. pump! Believe me you won't feel the recoil in a firefight! Been there and done that (several times!) You can practice a little with inexpensive "bird shot" , but I reccomend a rifle sighted shotgun (870 Rem or 590 Mossberg) with slugs and 00 buck shot. A 12 ga. slug will take out a vehicle and it's occupants nicely under 50 yards very effectively.Twice that range if you get good!
A .357 Marlin mag carbine will work OK , but I told you the best.

Puncha,

I wouldn't worry about not being able to get Velocitators. Those are overrated for defense. They will most likely break up before going deep enough to hit vitals. Speed & a hollow point don't automatically equal the best round.

Even if I had the choice, I'd go with your Winchester high speed solids if loading a .22 for social occasions.

22 magnum/22wmr whatever.
My first rifle was a hornet chambered ruger #3, best kids gun EVER.
Uncle Jerrys S.E. Asia senior trip weapon. Little history I never appreciated until I got much older.
I'd opt for a 22magnum over the hornet, more ammo-less ammo cost, more available rifles from EVERY manufacturer.
I'd ALWAYS ALWAYS take a 22mag rifle over a wheelgun in the situation you describe, but I would never stoop so low on the power scale if I had any kind of a choice.
In the situation you describe, I'd mount a bayonet on the barrel.
And keep the wheelgun on my side.

I'm a huge fan of the .22Hornet. However, for your purposes you'll do better with the .357magnum.

I would not opt for a long barreled revolver in you case. I'd go with a lever or slide-action rifle. Back that up with a 12ga shotgun.

Have LOTS of ammo on hand.

The .22Hornet is rather closer to the .223 in wound ballistics. At 100yds, the Hornet is about like the .223 at 200yds. I've killed a number of deer with the Remington 45gr Hollow Point (available as factory ammo) but reloaded using Hod. Lilgun powder which gives me about 200fps over factory ammo. Of the deer I've body shot, a broadside torso shot will give complete penetration with a 1" exit would (approx. 110lb deer). As a game-warden, I saw too many deer "poached" and legally killed with the .22Hornet to believe it would only be effective to less than 100yds on a human. 200-300yds would be more like it. Realize that even the .223 doesn't always take down a person with a less than excellent shot placement. (nor a .308 for that matter). Hence shot placement is most important with anything.

However, for your purposes, the .357 would be a better choice. If faced with an angry mob, you'll more likely take down more than one with a single shot than you would with the .22Hornet. I would prefer to keep a large supply of 158gr Soft Point rather than Hollow point. I carried a .357mag revolver for most of my L.E. career and I prefered to carry the softpoints as they did slightly better against things such as old discarded refrigerator doors, and junked car doors. (Yeah, we used to do a little anectdotal "testing" back in the "old" days when on rural patrol on paper company property and ran across some "illegal" dumping!). Now the 10mm auto with FMJ's was a "horse of different color"! Tried unsuccessfully to get the Dept. to go to it back in early '90's. At least now they issue the .40S&W.

I have a Winchester m94 lever action in .357mag that would more than adequately fill your need. I carry it behind the seat of my p/u in a case with a full magazine of 158gr SoftPoint Remingtons (11rds). Unfortunately, Winchester has ceased doing business and new m94's are unavailable and are now considered "collecters items" drawing rediculous prices.

In your case, the Taurus "Lightning" slide action would be superlative. Its available in .357magum, but will also fire .38spl. A friend of mine has one in .45colt. It can pour out some serious fire power! And, it doesn't have the "evil" factor of a mil-type semi-auto which your "police" don't seem to allow. Also no detachable magazine to get lost.