A Ruger MK II .22 lr for home defense

[444]

Some of these replies are cracking me up.

We have guys on this board that are so bad that they would just charge into gunfire if the caliber didn't suit their idea of what it should be.


I don't know about the .22 killing more people than any other caliber, but I have seen more than a few people killed DRT by .22s. I have also seen more than a few people shot with much larger calibers who didn't seem to care at all. The idea that anyone other than a total psychopath would ignore being shot several times COM with ANY gun is ridiculous. And if you ran up against someone that did, I seriously doubt that your 9mm or 45 would have a different result. However you can't argue with the shotgun.

 

[XavierBreath]

I like my MKII's, they are fine target guns and I enjoy shooting them, BUT......

If I have to confront an intruder, I want to end the confrontation with as few shots as possible. The number of shots matters more to a jury than the type of weapon. I will use a 12 gauge shotgun in my home. That's nine .32 caliber projectiles with each shot. If it jams I can still use it as a club.

If I had to choose between a .22 pistol or a baseball bat, I'd take a baseball bat against any intruder that did not have a gun. I'd prefer the shotgun though.

The most important thing though is to avoid being surprised, and to maximize your advantages, foremost of which is knowing the layout of your home. Get a dog and pay attention to him.

 

[Min]

If I was a criminal planning to break into people's homes, this would be a good place to learn about their self defense tactics.

Bring doggie treats for the dog. Or a .22 with a plastic bottle over the muzzle.

Wear class II body armor (will defeat shotguns).



If one of us came up against a perp like described above (i.e. one with a brain), how would you go about ensuring victory in a confrontation with him in your living room at 3 am? Assumed he is well-armed.

 

[444]

Odds are that people who would break into my home are not going to be wearing body armor. If they had the money for body armor, they wouldn't be breaking in to my house.
Believe it or not, my dog wouldn't go for that ruse. He doesn't think that way. He would think, I want the treat, I want to bite these guys. I think I will bite them and then eat the treats.
He shreaded the last guy that broke into my house. He made it less than three feet inside the door.
I live in a small house (970 some sq. feet). If anyone tried to get in, I would hear them. There is no window or door in my house more than 20-30 feet away from my bed. The dog is in the house. You would have to break something to get in. I really don't think you would have a chance to bring the gun into play before the dog had you. Possibly, but I seriously doubt it.

" one of us came up against a perp like described above (i.e. one with a brain), how would you go about ensuring victory in a confrontation with him in your living room at 3 am? Assumed he is well-armed."

Shoot him.

 

[clubsoda22]

true Min, level 2 body armor would defeat 12ga buckshot, whether or not the perp had any fight in him after getting shot at across the room distances with a 12ga buckshot load is a different story. If i put a load of 00 into a guy and he's still standing (albeit shaken and gasping for breath), i'm aiming for the head or legs. If the full compliment (7rds) of 00 in my shotgun doesn't stop them, i'm running away. Screw that, i'm not gonna duke it out with superman.

 

[denfoote]

A Ruger Mk II looks plenty deadly to the typical jury idiot. I doulbt you'd get any points for it vs a 9mm.

I agree. Know why?? The MK-II looks like one of those evil Lugers that we've all seen in the hands of those equally evil Nazis in the movies!!
That's what an average jury moron is gunna think!!

 

[Moparmike]

Screw that, i'm not gonna duke it out with superman.

That is why you keep a kryptonite slug rd and a kryptonite-buckshot rd on the buttcuff for just such an occasion. It also helps to keep holy-water jelly-buckshot in at least one round too. Boy Scout Motto: Be Prepared.

Actually, a .22lr semi doesnt sound like a bad idea. You could fire off the mag in rapid succession, little to no muzzle climb, and kinda quiet. After you fired off a string of ten bullets, the bad guy will either succomb, keep coming, or run off. You cant stop anything from happening after that unless you have more ammo/bigger gun.

 

[XavierBreath]

I'm guessing that our body armored felon will be at least taken off his feet by the first close range center mass shotgun blast. The second point blank shot to the face ought to do the job.

I am not defending my home, I am attacking those who have invaded it.

 

[Min]

OK, level II body armor with trauma plate. If he's savy enough to wear one, he could be trained enough to respond real quick after that.

If he's got a semi-auto pistol in his hand, and even if he's on his back (but still conscious), expect a hail of bullets coming your way.

Body armor is what, $200 nowadays? I'm not talking about a drug-hazed teenager, more like someone who's done this a few times.

For the sake of argument, quick shots from a Ruger MkII to the groin or head (assuming you have the element of suprise) - it is, after all, your house.

 

[XavierBreath]

OK Min, I'll bite.

The chances of a home invasion being focused on me personally is remote. I am not a high yield, low threat target. I do not have high dollar jewelry in my home, nor large amounts of cash. I have guns, but so do my neighbors. There really isn't anything to make me into a target. I might be invaded by a drug addict looking for something to steal, or a kid looking to make a name for himself with a gang. There might even be the possibility of an invasion in a fit of rage I suppose. I might even be a target of opportunity for a serial type invader.

I do not, however, expect any well prepared career criminals to be focusing on my home in such a way that they will need body armor. Most home invaders don't wear body armor. Most armed robbers do not wear body armor. Most criminals as a whole do not wear body armor. Why is this? They do not expect to get shot at. They often do not expect opposition at all. If they do, they go to a target that has less risk, or at least enough benefit to justify getting shot at.

I suppose there is a possibility that a home invader would use body armor..... There is also a possibility that they will use flash bangs, or maybe sneak in while you are away and remove the sear from your pistol, place it back where it was, and then invade your home that night. Anything is possible, but not everything is likely. You cannot prepare for everything, so you must choose the most likely scenerio.

Looking at past home invasions though, I think there is a high probability that no body armor will be used, that there will be one or two perps, that I will be awakened from my sleep, the house will be dark, and the confrontation will be over in under a minute from the time I awoke. I'm thinking a shotgun would be the best tool for the job.

I have no mob affiliations and no bodyguards. I am not a felon on the run, nor am I a cop, and it is not common knowlege that I have guns in my home. It is certainly not common knowlege that I sleep with a shotgun at hand. There is simply no reason a person would wear body armor to invade my home.

When criminals begin to use body armor more frequently, I will change my tactics. Until then, I'll stick with the 12 gauge. The numbers say that is the way to go.

 

[cidirkona]

Jury: "10 shots is not self defense - life imprisonment!"

-Colin

 

[Walt Sherrill]

Lethal Force

re: "10 shots is not self defense..."

In an altercation outside a bar, perhaps.

But in most jurisdictions the very invasion of your home is threat enough.

When someone enter your house without your permission, during a time of day when you're expected to be there, the assumption is that they are intent upon doing you bodily harm -- and you may respond accordingly with lethal force.

Outside the home the rules aren't the same and your concern becomes more appropriate.

 

[foghornl]

/////smarmy Wise N. Hiemer mode on

The .22LR is great for home defense against that marauding squirrel or cotton-tail.

/////smarmy Wise N. Hiemer mode off

But for something with more 'physical presense' and fewer legs, I'll start with the .45ACP, and work up as needed.

 

[SavannahSteve]

I once owned a Ruger standard automatic 22LR and now own a Ruger 22/45. They are fine target pistols, but in a home self defense situation I would grab my semi-auto 12 ga (loaded with bird shot) first, my Marlin model 60 22LR rifle with 13 rounds of CCI Stingers second, my center fire pistols third, my single action 22 WMR revolver with a 6.75 in barrel fourth, and my 22LR semi-auto pistols and revolvers last.

That's right. I'll take any long gun, including a 22 rifle, over any pistol.