Another noob question

Status
Not open for further replies.
A

ariel

Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2011
Messages
6
I appreciate your patience with such a basic question. I just purchased a Heritage Rough Rider .22 for home defense after some lovely person decided to break in my house and steal my purse (while my son & I were asleep upstairs and my husband was AWAKE in the basement :eek:). I bought dummy rounds to practice with to become proficient without wasting live ammo, at least until I learn what the heck I'm doing with it better. What I'm wondering though is whether the dummy round actually leaves the chamber or not. If the spent shell of live ammunition stays in the chamber, but these are made to be reusable, how does that actually work? Obviously I don't know much about guns, but I'm trying to learn, and you have to start somewhere, right?
 
First off, welcome to THR! And I'm sorry to hear that someone broke into your house, especially while you and your family were inside!

The dummy round (snap cap?) should be essentially a solid piece of plastic (or some other material) that just provides a surface for the striker to hit. Nothing should leave the barrel and after firing the dummy round should look exactly the same as it did before firing when you put it in the gun. The theory is that you can practice trigger control without having to waste ammo or be at a range. (When using it for .22s its more about being able to practice at home as practice ammo is dirt cheap)

As far as live ammo goes, when fired, the bullet leaves the cartridge and goes down the barrel and continues down range. The empty case is left in the cylinder until you physically remove it yourself.

I guess I'll be the first to say.... a .22 isn't the best choice for a home defense weapon. That said, it is definitely better than nothing and a .22 is a good place to start and will be good for practice and fun when/if you eventually move up to a larger firearm.

Hope this helps!
 
yes a dummy round is for practice not a live round can help with dry fire and load/unload drills. .22 is a little weak but still a hit with a 22 better then a miss with a larger gun.
most IMPORTANT is you need some training someone to teach you how to handle and fire a gun basic marksmanship fundamentals and the safty rules are so important the
rest comes with practice and practice I hate to say it but a gun can be way more dangerous then a help untill you have the basics down. Happy shooting and be safe,
 
Welcome to the High Road. Never be embarrassed to ask a question which will make you a safer, more responsible gun owner. Every single person in these chat rooms once knew nothing about guns, even if it was 70 years ago. No one comes out of the womb knowing everything about guns, and most everyone here will readily admit they are still learning, I know I am.

There are a number of "safety rules" put out by various organizations such as the NRA, and different manufacturers.

For an extensive list of safety rules, I kind of like Glocks rules listed here (I especially like the first four on the list and hope all gun owners practice them!):

Glock Basic Firearms Safety rules

NRA's are listed here

If you've already read these, great. They should become second nature to you.

And, keep asking questions. I have met few "gun guys" who dont like to pass on their knowledge. If you dont believe me, see how many responses people get to any and all questions they ask on these forums.
 
Welcome!

Regarding 22 as a defense gun, I will go out on a limb and say that a 22 that you're comfortable with is far better than a 9mm that you're scared of. Get CCI MiniMag round nose ammo, not bulk ammo. MiniMag comes in 100 round plastic boxes and costs about $8. The bulk ammo is inconsistent, and you don't want to bank your life on it.

While it is sad that you were robbed, it was great to hear that he was just after your purse and not willing to murder the whole family to get every last thing. Also, I'm not sure having a gun would help much in this situation. You'd still be robbed if you didn't know he was there, right?

A dog might be a better bet, especially in combination with the gun.

Stay around. Learn, post, pay it forward. We don't have nearly enough female perspective here.
 
Welcome to the forum. At your first convenience, avail yourself and your family with some certified handgun training.

This will clarify many questions, teach safe handling techniques, and give you some hands on experience with your and other firearms.

It is well worth the time and expense believe me.

Good luck.
 
The only dumb question is the one you don't ask.
It would be worth your while to take the NRA introductory pistol class, which stresses safety, safety, and more safety. Once you've got safety down, the rest is easy.
 
Ok, the .22 IS NOT a suitable self or home defense weapon. I don't care if Israeli hitmen can use them to kill. I'm not sugar coating this one bit. If you want a gun to keep at home, it needs to be a major caliber and you need to learn the in's and out's of using it. You're only kidding yourself if the statement "A .22 you can use is better than a 9mm you're afraid of" really holds any water.
 
i won't even bring up the whole 22 for self defense thing. the problem is that this is a SINGLE ACTION 22. utterly unsuited for self defense imo.
 
Someone on this site once said, "a .22 in the pocket is better than a 629 (.44 magnum) in the glove box." I have to twist that around some to make it apply here, but a .22 is better than nothing at all. As several of the posters have replied, you really need to take a gun safety course and take the gun to the range to get some practice. Sorry about the break in, but congrats on the purchase of your new toy!
 
Like she said she needs to start somewhere, its not an issue of .22 vs 88mag at this point. More imporant to get some training and practice alot of public ranges have firearm
intro class for new people and even offer rental guns to try out. Shot placement is everything and take training and alot of practice to achieve I seen people with a 9mm
with perfect shot placement and the tough guy with a so called big gun that cant hit
anything but boy he has a big gun!!!!!!!!! She has to learn and find what fits her, as
said before maybe a dog is good to have as an alarm not everyone sits like an armed guard at home.most need to go get there gun from its spot anyway.
 
My suggestion would be to contact the police to see if they know when a gun safety course is scheduled in your area.

I would very strongly suggest you get training.

A gun is a great tool, in the hands of those who know how to use it,
but is more like a stick of dynamite to the untrained.

Stay safe my friends!
 
Thank you for the replies everyone! I am definitely looking in to some trainings in the area, I appreciate the leads on where to look. After getting it safely out of the reach of the kids, I have left it alone until I can get to classes to learn more about it and become more proficient with it. I live in an urban area blocks away from a college, so most of the crime in our area is property theft than can then be used for "recreational" drugs. The criminals around here are generally petty criminals that would most likely run at the sight of a gun. My intention is first to make them run, (who wants to wake the kids with a loud gunshot??!!) but if they insist on staying and being a threat to my family or our stuff, then I intend to learn how to be practiced enough to be able to immobilize them until the police can come get their too-stupid-to-run butt off to jail. Perhaps I should have chosen "mamabear" as my username....
 
I appreciate the leads on where to look.
Click to expand...
Your location would be helpful for that, Ms Ariel.

Someone might even open up their range for you if you're in their area, I've done it for a few people and will likely do it again. Having a big pile-o-guns can help for picking something better suited for defensive uses, although even your Rough Rider is leaps and bounds better than nothing (or a baseball bat) and is a great way to learn shooting without burning a ton of cash doing it, eventually you'll likely want something with a bit more power and a simpler firing procedure than a single-action revolver.

A class that includes basic handgun skills as well as use-of-force laws for your state./locality would be a good idea, but range time apart from a structured class is a good thing, too.
 
Ariel, as you can tell there are varying ideas on suitability. The main thing you have to know is you have as much God given or natural right to defend your young as a momma bear in the woods does. The 22 will work when the time comes, since you already have it. If you can't get to classes right away, take it out , run a couple of boxes thru it, loading, shooting and unloading, will never be wasted practice. Shoot into a hill , or dry wash for a backstop.Wear ear plugs or muffs, it will help your shooting. Start plinking cans. Thats how most of us learn. Read the little guide that came with it. Be Safe:)
 
After getting it safely out of the reach of the kids
Click to expand...
A couple of pointers here. In this case you cannot be too safe.

One of the most dangerous guns is the one that parents think the children will not find.

1) Out of reach is not enough with children are in the house. Make sure it is locked up. You can get a combination case for < 100 or at very least a trigger lock for even less will block the trigger from being pulled. You can unlock it every night and lock it back up if that makes you feel safer, or you can buy cases that let you unlock them by touch.

2) When they are old enough let them know that you have a gun, but it is yours and in NO WAY are they to touch it, and they are NOT to tell there friends about it. There have been too many kids who have found the gun that mom/dad had "hidden" but have no previous instruction on how "wrong" it is to mess with it.

3) When they are old enough and if they are curious, teach them about the basic rules of firearms safety, let them hold it and remove some of the fear, but make them still understand that it is YOURS and they are not to touch without you. No one was ever hurt by learning how to be safe with a firearm. Plenty have been hurt by not learning it.

4) Eventually take them to the range with you.
 
One of the most dangerous guns is the one that parents think the children will not find.
Click to expand...
I know. The safety of my children comes first. I *know* I don't know enough about it yet. I'm not even pretending that I could use it against an intruder at this point. Which is why at this moment the chambers, ammo, and gun are in separate places, all behind lock and key.

The only reason I bought it now rather than waiting until I had the classes first was because we had a minor windfall that allowed me to purchase it, and I seized the opportunity while I could. Classes are a bit more reasonable to work into a tight budget than a gun.

I looked up my local laws today and learned that it is prohibited to discharge a firearm in city limits outside of a gun club, but a quick search found several such clubs nearby that I will be looking in to as time permits. (Aaaand now the toddler's awake again. Sleeeeep child!!!!) :rolleyes: Thanks for all the responses!
 
OK, show of hands: Who WANTS to get shot with a .22?

I came up practicing and using calibers in the older of the range that begin with a ".4".
As a result, they're also my go-to defense calibers if all I have around is a handgun.

My wife OTOH, is quite proficient with her Ruger MKII and has repeatedly demonstrated her ability to confidently empty a whole mag into the paper equivalent of a male region where even a single bullet hole is almost unthinkable. And with extreme rapidity. She has bigger stuff to use if she thinks she'd have to but with her mindset, she's in no way undergunned with that .22 pistol.

I submit that a confident mindset combined with practice with a comfortable weapon trumps a big caliber choice alone minus the rest everytime.

Ariel, good on ya, darlin'. Just please make sure you're trained and practice regularly. You also might want to check out a blog called, "The Cornered Cat."
 
(half raises hand) If the option is between a .45 and a .22....

Seriously tho, This month's American Rifleman has a fellow in Coos Bay, here in Oregon defending his life with a .22, killing his assailant.

Not ideal, but she's taken the step to start defending herself and those she loves. When she's ready for something with more Oomph, I'm sure all of us here will fall over ourselves as usual to offer suggestions on our favorite calibers and frames as usual.

Good job Ariel, and practice, practice , practice.
 
theirs a big difference between a man killer and a man stopper. while a .22 will very adequately deter a person of sober mind, a person who int so sober may not notice a little more lead in his arm. definately practice with that .22. you can get bulk ammo at wallmart very cheap. less than 5 cents a shot. hi-point sells 9mm and 40cal autoloaders pretty cheap. but if you dont wanna go that route then bear mace is a very good second choice.
 
OK, show of hands: Who WANTS to get shot with a .22?
Click to expand...

Umm... not me. But then again, I don't want to get shot with a pellet gun, a sim round, a paintball, or even a rubber band. That doesn't mean that any of those are going to incapacitate me if I get shot with one though. (Though in all fairness, possibly with the exception of a very well placed .22)

Honestly, if you were protecting your family from a home invasion or a car jacking or [insert SD shooting here] would getting hit by a .22 (even a hit uhh, below the belt) really make you put down your guns and say "I'm hit, please don't hurt me!"? Then you have to think about any chemical substances your adversary might be on (as well as adrenalin, which is pretty potent in and of itself) and your adversary might not even feel the hits if they're in non-vital areas. There have been many cases of people being injured or wounded in fights and not realizing it until well after the hostilities had ceased.

I seem to remember a story I heard here a few years ago where a man was assaulting a police officer and continued to fight even after taking 6 rounds of .45 hydrashoks POINT BLANK in the torso until the 7th (and last) shot to his CNS finally stopped him. The point is that you can't always count on even a well respected service caliber to stop someone immediately, much less a round that the majority of people relegate to target practice and pest control.

While a .22 definitely beats a pointy stick, I think it is irresponsible to use the cliche of "well I wouldn't want to be hit with ___" to insinuate that a .22 is as good of a man stopper as a service caliber.

Ariel: A .22 is better than nothing, and is a great place to start and learn the fundamentals of shooting, but definitely don't mistake it for the be all, end all of defensive firearms.
 
Hey the OP didn't mention anything about a caliber debate. Nor did she ask the credentials of her SA 22 six shooter. She(I'm assuming ariel is a she) is new to guns and I believe over 97% of this forum will recommend some form of 22 to get started. And yes a 22 is better than a bat or a phone in that kinda situation.

Yes as stated the dummy rounds are just for trigger practice, I don't believe in them and just dry fire, perhaps I'll change my mind when I break something.

So just get used to drawing, cocking, aiming, shooting, loading, unloading with your dummy rounds when stuck at home, then go practice what you've learned.

Did you purchase a convertible revolver with two cylinders? If so, 22wmr(magnum) is louder, more accurate IMO, and a wee bit stronger. Either way they're both easily affordable.

Once you get comfortable with it, I'm sure you'll be willing to upgrade/get another, and make that one some sort of Self Defense/Home Defense weapon.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

C
  • Locked
Heritage Big Bore
Replies
4
Views
507
CapnTrainwreck
C
M
  • Locked
Noob Questions...
Replies
22
Views
1K
hangtime
H
Blkhrt13
  • Locked
Total noob question.
2
Replies
29
Views
1K
Blkhrt13
Blkhrt13
ExAgoradzo
  • Locked
Noob Question
2 3
Replies
55
Views
3K
Metal God
Metal God
S
  • Locked
Yet another 9mm and OAL question
Replies
14
Views
1K
billsnogo
B
Back
Top