.22 RF (short, long, LR, or WMR) for CCW ?

[MCgunner]

I carry a .22 LR NAA mini in my weak side pocket to back up my primary .38 in my strong side pocket. Actually, at some times when I really need stealth, I'll carry a .22 magnum Black Widow as a primary, but that's on rare occasion. I do have the option, though.

The little .22 LR mini is there. I've used it on vermin around the house, have shot rabbits with it, even, when I had nothing else appropriate. It's not that accurate, but at 25-30 feet, it'll take a rabbit. I've even shot snakes in the head with it. The main reason I carry it is, I mean, why not? It's easy to carry. And, I figure if I'm in a life and death hand to hand struggle and can't get my strong side arm loose while wrestling the BG, I can pull the little NAA, whip it out of it's folding holster/grip with a flick of the wrist, screw it in the guy's ear, and torch one off. At the very least, it'll bruise his ear drum. That's gotta hurt.

 

[kBob]

I carried a Beretta 21A for a number of years.....including bathing suit carry.

I would drop it in a sandwich bag draw out as much air as possible make sure it was sealed and drop it in my bathing suit pocket. Went down to around 12 feet with it many times. Shooting it from the bag it was a single shot. Ripping the bag off the slide area made it a maybe 3 or 4 shooter and pulling it out of the bag it fired the mag minus 1 and the chamber with no issue for years.

I carried it day to day in a trouser pocket in an IWB holster I had cut the belt clip off of.

I replaced it when it started to be unreliable. If you must know my always is a .32 and yes I often go larger.

My old best buddy was in a situation where being found armed at work meant being unemployed and escorted off the property by an LEO. He liked his Officers ACP and BHP P35 he had ccw systems worked out for, but they would not insure his ability to not be found out.

For the last two years he worked in that office he carried a Beretta Minx in .22 short. Closest he ever came to being found out was when as the office IT guy he had been working on a lady's computer and she had a special office chair unlike the rest of the office. Some how this chair managed to push the magazine release and said magazine popped out on to the floor. When she showed up in his office ten minutes later to ask if it might be a computer part my friend told here it was a memory chip (see how long ago that was) like the ones he had just installed in her IBM machine but was for the Compac in his office. He thanked her and went to the men's room to hide in a stall while he fixed things. That after noon he found that the lady had shown it to at least two other folks none of whom knew what that clip of little .22 Shorts was. He replaced it in his new office with the same firm with a Beretta 21A in .22 LR.

BTW he practiced quite a bit and his favorite targets included a base ball sized red rubber ball rolled along the ground or free swinging from a target stand on a string. He also used Oranges. He did most of his shooting with the little guns at three yards and switched to full sized tombstone style targets (see I told you it was a while ago) at seven yards. Just to be a tease he once fired the minx at a 50 yard tombstone target and hit it 3 times (all marginal but hits) out of five.

Remember the "rules of gunfighting"

1. avoid gun fights
2. never start a gunfight with a knife
3. have A gun.....at least
4. if possible have a bigger gun and or more ammo and or a spare gun

So....

#4. is not always possible......a .22 Short is A gun.

-kBob

 

[kBob]

cluttonfred,

Those H&R .22s like you posted are definitely up close and personal when fired DA.....you can not see the rear sight notch though the hammer. Neat little guns for walking about though and shooting SA. DA though is point and shoot.

Built like a steam locomotive, too. I really would like a brace of 999s myself, with the top break and auto ejection. Would not do for a CCW though.

-kBob

 

[HankB]

The best response I remember reading to this type of question is that when it comes to self defense, the difference between bare hands and a .22 rimfire is larger than the difference between a .22 rimfire and a .44 magnum.

 

[Gun Master]

Smallest Caliber for Bear Hunting ?

When you and your buddy go bear hunting, the smallest caliber is .22 Short.
(Reason deleted). Furnish your answer. Yes, this is a CCW question.

 

[HankB]

When you and your buddy go bear hunting, the smallest caliber is .22 Short.
(Reason deleted). Furnish your answer. Yes, this is a CCW question.

Hint: You don't have to outrun the bear

 

[Gun Master]

Hint: You don't have to outrun the bear

Just your buddy, after you pop him in the kneecap with the .22 Short.

(We are so bad that we're just "awful").

 

[Gun Master]

For the record, I am not advocating a .22 for primary CCW. Also, I am not for using SA revolvers for CCW. The only exception is the NAA SA revolver, "Just to get him off you". They are so small and easy to carry.

I don't know everybody's situation, and if .22 is all you have, "practice, practice, practice". That's good advise, no matter the caliber.

The smallest caliber for CCW is .38 Special/.380 ACP, IMHO.

 

[.338-06]

A long time ago, when there wasn't any grey in my beard, I carried a Taurus PT-22 . I could knock over a 10" steel plate at 15 yds with it. The plate had to be hit three times fast to fall, but I could do it with that gun. The second time the firing pin broke I saw the light and got rid of it. This process is called gaining wisdom.:banghead:

No more Taurus for me!

 

[ku4hx]

If all I had was a rock, I'd carry that. What you carry is based on many factors, and given better choices I'll always opt for the most powerful and reliable gun I can consistently shoot accurately. If that turned out to be some variety of .22 then so be it.

 

[22250Rem]

I normally wouldn't carry a .22 RF as a defensive tool. But if I ever did it would be my H&R Model 676 4.5" revolver with the WMR cylinder in it instead of the .22 LR cylinder. The only WMR loads I ever chronographed out of it were Remington Premier 22 WMR with the 33 gr. Accu-Tip bullet which left the gun at 1315 fps. It seems to hit with authority (for a rimfire handgun, anyway) when using the WMR loads, versus the 22LR, and I was wondering what kind of damage would occur on the receiving end of that. Ran some 22 shorts through it a few times and they seemed positively wimpy compared to the WMR's. Too bad I didn't chronograph those. But the CCI Blazer 22LR 40 gr. bullet averages 976 fps and that would have to account for something in a SD situation, (wouldn't it ??).

 

[Gun Master]

Personally, I couldn't dodge or out run a bullet going 976 fps, nor would I care to try.
That sounds pretty convincing to me.

 

[Gaucho Gringo]

In a revolver at close range a .22WRF makes more sense than a .22MRF. It is the father of the .22MRF as the .38SPL is the father of the .357M. The .22WRF has almost the same velocity out of a short barreled revolver as the .22MRF with less muzzle flash and noise. In a rifle the .22MRF wins hands down over the ,22WRF. If you are fighting close quarters the less noise and flash would be to your advantage on followup shots. I have 2,000 rounds of .22WRF ammo that I load in my .22MRF revolvers for close quarters defense guns, in a house being an example. Of course I have larger caliber weapons for self defense use, the .22 weapons mainly being for last ditch use but I still want to be less deafened and blinded in a self defense situation. I would think it applies to carrying a ,22 cal handgun. Just my opinion on the subject.

 

[dancitizen]

I hav

 

[DNS]

Due to physical limitations in my shooting hand i carry my 22lr LCR daily.
IMHO training and ability take precedence over caliber any time.

 

[kludge]

1. .22 WMR beats .22LR hands down. The difference is significant.
2. 40 grain solids. Penetration. Penetration. Penetration.
(a HP is not going to expand at handgun velocities anyway)
3. Revolver. Too many rimfire problems -- failure to feed, failure to fire, failure to extract. etc.

IMO the .22 WMR is about equal to a .32 ACP. You can argue which is better.

I would take a .22 WMR over a .25 ACP or .22LR without any thought.

 

[Hunter2011]

1. .22 WMR beats .22LR hands down. The difference is significant.
2. 40 grain solids. Penetration. Penetration. Penetration.
(a HP is not going to expand at handgun velocities anyway)
3. Revolver. Too many rimfire problems -- failure to feed, failure to fire, failure to extract. etc.

IMO the .22 WMR is about equal to a .32 ACP. You can argue which is better.

I would take a .22 WMR over a .25 ACP or .22LR without any thought.

From tests I've seen, the 22 Magnum is not appreciably better than a .22LR in shorts barrels. When you go to 3.'' and longer, then the 22 Magnum is getting a lot more powerful.
I will not feel unarmed with a 6'' barreled .22 Magnum revolver. Its putting out serious power for such a small round.
The .32ACP is more powerful in handguns with a 2'' barrel. But the .22Mag is much more powerful than a .32 ACP when you shoot it in a 6'' barrel. Even if the 32ACP is shot in a 6'' barrel, the 22 Mag still wins.

 

[tubeshooter]

I had a Beretta 21A in .22LR that I liked, but it was a bit unreliable. That's the only gun I ever carried where I felt a little uneasy about it's ability to come through in a clutch situation.


I now own a Smith 317 that I had a steel cylinder put in. With some hot, reliable ammo (say some Mini-Mags or Velocitors) I wouldn't feel too bad off. Much better in fact than I did with the 21A that I gave up as trade bait. The revolver platform helps to solve a key issue. [EDIT: 8 shots out of the revolver is a nice plus, compared to many revolver's six.]

 

[Hammer059]

I have an LCR in .22lr for daily pocket carry. I carry round nose Mini-Mags in it.
It's just a personal preference, but I'd rather have 8 rounds of .22lr than 5 rounds of .38 special.

If I ever have to defend myself from more than one "threat" I'll be glad to have 8 rounds instead of 5. If it's just one person, 8 rounds of .22lr is no slouch.

I hear so many people say "I'd get a .22 magnum" but they forget that out of a 2" barrel, a .22 magnum will have a negligible impact on velocity and just make a lot more noise. Plus they're expensive to practice with. No thanks.