22 Rifle for Home/Defense?

[Rocketmedic]

So I have a hypothetical question:

I live in an apartment with a decent amount of space, but thin interior walls and neighbors and such. If (hypothetically) I were to set up a long gun for home defense, would a 22LR rifle (in my case, a Remington 597, or a lever-action carbine) be an effective choice for HD duty?
My thought is that a 22LR rifle, loaded with CCI Stingers (which cycle well) would be a reasonably effective tool. I understand that a single 22LR doesn't necessarily have the energy to immediately neutralize an attacker, but its lack of recoil and muzzle flash seems permissive to multiple follow-on shots and its light weight and short OAL makes it easy for either myself or my wife to use. Less risk of penetration into another room, less sound and lower cost for the weapon and ammo also seem to be positives. I also reckon that a .22 would make training far easier because I'd be able to afford a lot more rounds and range time than a more-expensive centerfire rifle. On the flipside, 22LR isn't necessarily as versatile a round as some of the centerfires out there and it's not necessarily powerful enough to neutralize a threat as reliably as a 5.56mm.



*Note: I've got shotguns and centerfire handguns too, and my go-to is currently a 1911 stoked with .45ACP hollowpoints. This is more of a conceptual exercise, but I'm also looking to streamline the collection somewhat too, and having common ammunition and manuals-of-arms is nice.

 

[edwardware]

I would choose a 223 carbine with light soft points or light VMax-ish varmint bullets instead. A 22 LR is very low energy.

 

[jmr40]

While not ideal it'd work better than most think. I'd not recommend Stingers. They shoot a very light fast HP bullet in a case longer than standard which may reduce reliability and will certainly reduce penetration. What you want is penetration and that would come with slower FMJ bullets. I'd suggest a 40 gr bullet. CCI MIni-mags have worked well for me, but anything reliable in your gun.

But inside a home my 1st choice is still a handgun. You already have a 45, use it. I'm not a huge fan of shotguns, they are over rated IMO. But I generally think they would be better than a 22.

 

[Panzerschwein]

A sold reliable clip fed .22 auto rifle like a Ruger's .22-10 would make an fearsome home defender with high capacity mags and a red dot. CCI stingers would NOT BE fun to get hit with during a mag dump.

 

[caribou]

In an apartment situation, the .22LR or a 12 gauge with number 12 shot trap loads would make a good,''shoot the perp, not the kids in the next room'' kind of gun.
A .22lr will kill anyone dead, and so will the 12 gauge, in room length encounters. Being aware of over penetration and caring about who your trying to defend your home for are excellent thoughts in the equation.
The .45 with FMJ's and loads on the lighter but reliable in the gun are excellent , too.

 

[DannyLandrum]

In my view, setting aside the fact that a shotgun or handgun *may be* a better option, if one does set up a rimfire rifle for self-defense, it ought to be a pump or lever-gun, not a semi-auto, since *the* primary failing of a rimfire for this purpose is not lack of power (though there's that too), but rather the unreliable ignition of rimfire priming compound, since it doesn't always get spun out into all parts of the rim.

Therefore, if I were you and doing that, I would do what I did - I built this rig for a self-defense use for a future wife / kid / step-kid: Rossi 59 I think is the model (similar to a Taurus 62 / Winchester 62) in .22 magnum (I think the 59 may be the .22 mag version and the 62 is the .22lr version and with the Taurus the 172 is the .17 hummer version), with an RMR-DI on it. It's a pump so very fast; A dud is no problem (just keep on going); It will slam fire which is kinda useful actually for a self-defense use (Rossi versions only) - just hold the trigger back and keep pumping. I got the rarer 16" version, though there are a lot more of the 23" versions out there, which you could cut down shorter if you wanted. That's the ultimate rimfire home defense gun for the recoil-super-sensitive, espec. with the P-grip I fashioned to this one to provide MSR ergos.

This same type rig wouldn't be a horrible choice in .22lr either (CCI velocitors or Aguila Interceptor) particularly in an urban situation such as yours, though .22 mag might be better, though more penetrative of course. Actually something like a Stinger might be better for you than a Velocitor or Interceptor, as it will penetrate less - though bear it mind it will whiz straight through several sheetrock layers with deadly force left in it, so to truly have a home-safe round, you'd need to go to birdshot in a shotgun or a Glaser safety slug or similar (Lehigh makes some super-explosive bullets nowadays).

But the handgun is still where it's at for me for a bump in the night. If I know I'm being home invaded, it's time to just lay the shotgun across the bed, pointed at the bedroom door, call 911 and wait; whereas the handgun is for exploring the homestead / rescuing loved ones in other rooms.

If a bear, cougar, or wolf is attacking the dogs or neighbors' horses, I will get in the safe and grab the .30-30 Marlin Youth 16", which will also soon have an RMR-DI on it. We have all the above critters around here. YMMV.

 

[someguy2800]

The pro is that There is nothing that puts rounds on a target faster and with more precision than a 22lr. CCI Velocitors would be my ammo pick if you decide to go that route. Good quality 22 ammo is very reliable.

 

[Rocketmedic]

That's what I was kind of thinking. My Remington runs well with Aguila and CCI, OK with Glazer and some Federals, and sucks with Remington cheapo ammo, so I load it with Velocitors or Stingers. My Henry is stoked with Aguila but eats everything. Like I said, they're both not primaries, but they could be in the right circumstances, and on the bizzare offchance I ever needed it, I'd hate to overpenetrate lol.

 

[someguy2800]

22's penetrate a surprising amount

 

[Rocketmedic]

22's penetrate a surprising amount

Yeah, that's my biggest fear if I ever do get in a shooting situation in an urban environment. i want a round that doesn't punch through too much. I reckon a mag dump into an assailant with a 22 is safer than with a 223.

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

I have a couple of Browning Buckmark .22LR pistols that will put ten rapid fire rounds in a hole that can be covered with a dime at 25 yards. Good enough for me and I would not be worried about the recipient getting back up.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

10 shots in a dime sized group at 25 yards fired rapid fire sure is some good shooting.

 

[Rocketmedic]

I mean, how much gun is 'enough' gun for reliable self-defense?

 

[hdwhit]

...would a 22LR rifle (in my case, a Remington 597, ...) be an effective choice for HD duty?

My son recently ditched his roommate and moved to a smaller apartment. The roommate was opposed to him having a gun in the apartment. With that restriction now gone, all he currently has is the 22 he learned to shoot with; a Remington 597.

In my opinion, there are better choices. A rifle is cumbersome to wield within the small spaces of an apartment and there is always the concern of what is on the other side of the wall. But, when you have the Remington 597 and you don't have $500 to go buy something else, the 22 Rifle will do.

First, it's unlikely you will ever need to use it.

Second, if you do, you're probably at least as well off with a rifle you have used since childhood than a gun you bought six months ago and have taken to the range twice.

Third, in any self-defense situation, it is not the power of the gun, but whether you can hit anything with it that really matters.

 

[hdwhit]

... .22LR pistols that will put ten rapid fire rounds in a hole that can be covered with a dime at 25 yards.Good enough for me and I would not be worried about the recipient getting back up.

Let's temper the bravado.

There are documented cases of people being shot in the chest multiple times with a 45 ACP who were still moving. Multiple shots, even if they can be delivered with precision, do not guarantee stopping the assailant.

 

[hdwhit]

Danny Landrum wrote:
...the unreliable ignition of rimfire priming compound,...

I have no idea how many 22LR rounds I have put downrange in the 40+ years I have been shooting, but it must number close to 10,000. During the same time, I can account for just over 4,000 rounds of center-fire ammunition. I have had two failures of 22LR rounds to fire. I have had one center-fire round fail to fire. So, my own experience suggests that it is the center-fire rounds (1 in 4,000) that are less reliable than the rimfire (1 in 5,000).

 

[Rocketmedic]

I honestly can't afford to practice "enough" with pretty much anything center-fire; those who can I envy.

Pretty much any semi-auto 22 seems formidable as all heck at interior distances...

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Any gun is better than no gun.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

For home defense I would prefer something that does not require a magazine dump to be effective and which does have visual deterent factor. My primary home defense guns, my "go tos", are a .38 revolver (with Rem +P) and a 12 ga pump (with Win #00 2 3/4") both well-tested at the range and on the mountain. An alternate is my double 12ga coach gun (20" cyl-cyl barrels).

I do have a Taurus pump .22 mag 16" barrel with the slam fire option. I do take it to the mountain purely in case of encountering a rabid animal or an opportunity to remove a coyote (invasive, destructive vermin). Plinking with a .22 mag is expensive. Personally I think it would be a better choice for self-defense than an FN FiveseveN pistol; shot one of those, was not impressed.

That said, my secondary defensive guns stashed in cul-de-sac corners of the house are a .22 LR Remington Nylon 66 and a Marlin Model 60 loaded with ammo that has tested reliable in those guns. Both are $50 pawn shop orphans that required repair and tender loving care to heal but they are now at the state that I trust them.

Female relatives armed with .22 LR rifles have had two chase-off defensive gun uses that I know about; seems guys in the wrong would rather leave than be shot with a .22 LR. I suspect that successful self-defense with a .22 rifle should include leaving the threat with a safe avenue of retreat. The bad guy should always have duty to retreat and be required to exercise it.

Locally we have had far more newspaper reports of home invaders detained at gun point for arrest by responding officers than of home invaders being shot. That common scenario should be part of defensive planning. You should also be prepared for the gravest extreme: a kill or be killed situation. However, maximum force though should be used with maximum judgment. If the BG would rather leave than die, let him go; your self-defense has been successful.

My last trip to the mountain was with my son and one of his friends who had a .380 Glock he had not shot in a long while. It failed to function with 90gr bullets. My son, who owns a couple of Glocks in larger calibers, disassembled the gun, spotted rust on the slide rails, oiled it. I shot a magazine of 95gr bullets and it ran 100%. We then tried it with the lighter 90gr bullets. It ran 100%. Please, if you bet your life on any gun, practice and maintain it properly.

 

[Sistema1927]

I mean, how much gun is 'enough' gun for reliable self-defense?

Anything is enough, until it is not.

 

[Rocketmedic]

That's part of the draw of .22LR. It's cheap enough to practice with a lot.

 

[Panzerschwein]

Anything is enough, until it is not.

And just what is that supposed to mean?

 

[MedWheeler]

^^ It means one can never know "how much gun is enough" until one is deployed and it fails to "be enough."

If I pull a .22LR NAA mini revolver and my would-be assailant bolts, then it was "enough gun."

If I empty my 1911 at a band of attackers and at least one keeps coming, then it wasn't.

 

[MedWheeler]

Though I'd grab a handgun first (if I'm awake and dressed, I have one on me, anyway), I do keep a Ruger/Tapco 10/22 set up with 25 rounds of 40-grain MiniMags in its BX25 magazine. In my home, and in my hands, I'm confident in it. I've owned the rifle since 1986, though the Tapco stock has only been on it since 2011, and the magazine since 2013.

I've fired probably close to 17K .22LR rounds over the years, most of which have been MiniMags. I've probably fired 8-10K centerfire rounds.

My misfire count is two centerfire rounds and one rimfire round. The centerfires consisted of a factory-loaded Remington-UMC 95-grain .380 round in a Bersa Thunder 380, and a factory re-loaded round of "police training" .38 Special 158-grain in a Charter Arms Undercover. Both rounds fired on their second strikes. The rimfire round was a Remington Golden Bullet from a "panic-era" purchase, in a then-new Heritage Rough Rider. That round did not fire on its second strike and was discarded (the approximately-30-other RGBs fired in that gun that day did fire.)

 

[Sistema1927]

^^ It means one can never know "how much gun is enough" until one is deployed and it fails to "be enough."

If I pull a .22LR NAA mini revolver and my would-be assailant bolts, then it was "enough gun."

If I empty my 1911 at a band of attackers and at least one keeps coming, then it wasn't.

Thank you. That is exactly what I meant.