Panzerschwein
member
Guys I've recently learned of the Israeli use of Ruger 10/22s and Ruger SR-22 rifles in the defense of their country. Now you might be thinking to yourself "now a .22 LR sniper rifle? How silly is that!" but if you'll allow me to explain, I will show you why it might not be so silly at all.
As you can see, they see a lot of use. But why, and better yet, how? In a nutshell, the Israelis use them to bridge the gap between less-lethal crowd control devices and full power 5.56 and 7.62 options. Basically they are used as the medium option in an escalation of force scenario. Say for example the bean bag rounds and tear gas aren't stopping the angry mob coming at you with clubs and knives. But at the same time you don't want to open fire into the mob with your Tavor or M4 and have an international disaster on your hands.
So what do they do? They use suppressed and suppressed .22 LR rimfire rifles to target the violent individuals in the mob, the instigators of the riots, those who are the biggest threats to peace on the border. Comparatively quiet compared to a 5.56 or 7.62, and producing far less damage to the target. In practice areas such as the legs are targeted. A 40 grain .22 bullet hitting your thighs will get you to stop, but most likely won't cripple you for life or cause you to bleed out like a centerfire. So you have a guy maybe 100 yards away firing these quite yet very accurate and effective bullets where they are needed most, but you don't generally create a massive panic with loud gunfire and horrible wounding. It should be noted that at one time, the Israelis considered these "less lethal" weapons. Well after some deaths, they deemed them "lethal" options only. They are only to be used when the threat is serious bodily harm or death to innocents. And believe you me, an angry enough and armed raging crowd can be a serious threat indeed. But in a political climate where you want to limit deaths, it starts to make sense.
Guys that's how they use them. Keep in mind they are always backed up with center fires for overwatch, in case more power is needed. Remember, escalation of force. When a violent and angry mob ignores you trying to stop them "politely", out come the .22s to take care of business.
Just how things are done in another part of the world. Obviously not something that would ever work here, but in that particular instance the .22 makes sense for a tactical role. Just thought you guys might be interested.
As you can see, they see a lot of use. But why, and better yet, how? In a nutshell, the Israelis use them to bridge the gap between less-lethal crowd control devices and full power 5.56 and 7.62 options. Basically they are used as the medium option in an escalation of force scenario. Say for example the bean bag rounds and tear gas aren't stopping the angry mob coming at you with clubs and knives. But at the same time you don't want to open fire into the mob with your Tavor or M4 and have an international disaster on your hands.
So what do they do? They use suppressed and suppressed .22 LR rimfire rifles to target the violent individuals in the mob, the instigators of the riots, those who are the biggest threats to peace on the border. Comparatively quiet compared to a 5.56 or 7.62, and producing far less damage to the target. In practice areas such as the legs are targeted. A 40 grain .22 bullet hitting your thighs will get you to stop, but most likely won't cripple you for life or cause you to bleed out like a centerfire. So you have a guy maybe 100 yards away firing these quite yet very accurate and effective bullets where they are needed most, but you don't generally create a massive panic with loud gunfire and horrible wounding. It should be noted that at one time, the Israelis considered these "less lethal" weapons. Well after some deaths, they deemed them "lethal" options only. They are only to be used when the threat is serious bodily harm or death to innocents. And believe you me, an angry enough and armed raging crowd can be a serious threat indeed. But in a political climate where you want to limit deaths, it starts to make sense.
Guys that's how they use them. Keep in mind they are always backed up with center fires for overwatch, in case more power is needed. Remember, escalation of force. When a violent and angry mob ignores you trying to stop them "politely", out come the .22s to take care of business.
Just how things are done in another part of the world. Obviously not something that would ever work here, but in that particular instance the .22 makes sense for a tactical role. Just thought you guys might be interested.
