How effective would .22 Mag be for antipersonell?

[355sigfan]

Probably the dumbest thing I read all week. Just how long is someone going to be 'pissed off' with a hole through their head or through their boiler room.

END QUOTE

Whats stupid is someone would actually consider arming themselves with a 22 mag for self defense. People have taken far more serious rounds in multiple quanities and not stopped. The 22 mag lacks the power to stop determined attackers outside of a head shot. Thats the facts like it or not.
Pat

 

[meef]

A quote I always sorta liked......

"I'd rather be missed by a .44 magnum than hit by a .22LR."

 

[355sigfan]

Thats true but there is no reason for any able bodied female or male not to be able to handle a 223 carbine or something simular. Their very easy to shoot and offer much more than a small game round like the 22 mag. I would not let someone I cared about carry a 22 mag for self defense. Heck even a pistol caliber carbine (A class of firearm I hate) in 9mm or 45 acp would be far better and they recoil about like a 22. There is no sane reason to pick a 22 mag.
Pat

 

[killzone]

Air gun

You would be amazed some of the air guns in the market that are as powerful as a 22 would be. The one I got for my wife is the Airforce Thalon Over a 1000 Fps and very low recoil...take a look at it ..... You'll like it,.

 

[cracked butt]

The 22 mag lacks the power to stop determined attackers outside of a head shot. Thats the facts like it or not.

OMG, this is starting to sound like a typical discussion on a hunting forum...

Me: "a .243 is perfectly adequate for hunting deer"
The-guy-who-never-shot-anything-flesh-and-bone-who-gets-his-information-from-huinting-publications: "No way! a .243 doesn't have enough energy to kill a deer, you need something in a .300 WSM or bigger for the job, I mean what if you don't make a good shot and hit him in the hindquarters instead of the heart under all of that stressssss!"

 

[355sigfan]

No its like someone in the hunting form saying a 22 lr for deer.
Pat

 

[chopinbloc]

american 180

 

[mmike87]

Start her with a regular .22 and take advantage of the cheaper ammo to practice more. In time, she'll be able to naturally move up to larger guns. When she gets to that point you can save the .22 for a range plinker.

 

[chipp]

I read in a Gun Mag that they use a 22Mag for small game in africa (up to 60 lbs.) Sounds pretty Powerful to me.
Whats the difference anyway let het shoot what she wants.
If its in her she will shoot bigger guns. Hell my wife wont shoot anything.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Carbine Williams' swan song was a .22 Magnum machinegun. He demonstrated it to the Army, and the Army decision makers happened to be sober that day and didn't buy it.

 

[DMK]

If it were my girlfriend, who was recently converted from a non-shooter, I'd get her whatever she likes. Take her to the gunstore and let her try some things for size and feel. Get her a 22LR or a 22Mag, whatever, as long as it's her own gun and she likes shooting it. Take her to the range and encourage her, but let her ease into it and get some enjoyable practice. Don't try and make a commando or sniper out of her. I see guys put all kinds of pressure on women at the range, trying to make them shoot well. You can tell she isn't having fun. First concentrate on just getting her comfortable with guns and enjoy spending quality time sharing your hobby with her

After a while, pick up an pistol caliber carbine or AR and you shoot it when you two go to the range. Let her see how much fun you are having with it. When she's comfortable (she'll let you know when she's ready), let her try it periodically. If she does like it, either give that one to her, or let her pick out one of her own. If she doesn't like it, don't push it.

It's much better she shoots a .22 then doesn't shoot at all. Even just practice exclusively with such a small gun will give her the skills to pick up bigger rifle and hit with it if necessary.

 

[rdkngrydr]

.22 Mag

That maxi-mag is quite a round... 50gr Speer gold dot bullet. That should give good penitration + expansion ...

 

[goon]

Another vote for the .22 Magnum. Although I doubt that anyone would be making or ever attempting headshots in a defense situation, I have no doubt that getting hit with several .22 Mag bullets in the chest would be a very bad and painful thing. If nothing else, I would rather go hand to hand with an attacker who was shot full of .22 caliber holes than with a healthy attacker.
You may also try moving her up to a .410 or 20 gauge. I was recently in a situation with a recoil sensitive female shooter. She was intimidated by anything heavier than a .22 LR in either a rifle or handgun. What we did (myself, my brother, and a friend of mine) was just keep loading up mags for the guns she felt comfortable with and sort of "force" her to shoot. After she was comfortable with the rimfires we started basically handing her anything we thought she could handle. After some time she was OK with .410 and 20 gauge shotguns as well as some 7.62x39 training ammo and some reduced 7.62x39 loads that I worked up specifically for her. She was also OK shooting my Kahr P9 and my brother's 9mm 1911 as well as standard .38 specials from an SP-101. Last time she shot with us she was banging away with 123 grain 7.62x39 Ulyanovsk FMJ ammo in my SKS and loving it.
I would say start with a .22 LR since it is cheaper to shoot. She can shoot it alot, and if she likes shooting she will. After that, move up a little at at time.

 

[MDHunter]

Let her Shoot What She Likes

355Sig,

I gotta disagree on both counts you mention above (too lazy to use quotes, so bear with me). A .22 mag is certainly better than a knife or a bat, so if that's what she's comfy with right now, she's in better shape than a lot of men and women who are afraid of guns and resort to the ball bat over the head method of self defense!

And I certainly wouldn't wanna stand in front of MY .22 mag, I've seen what it can do to small game (squirrel, fox, etc) at distances out to 100 yards. You put a .22 mag JHP in somebody's boiler room, they're not gonna have a lot of "determined" left in them.....especially if you give them more than one!

And the .22 long rifle has killed many more deer than we'll ever know, to feed poor families during the depression and later.....my father killed several deer with a .22, didn't wound/lose any, and the bullets back in the 40s were nothing like the bullets we have today. Sure it's not a deer caliber, but it can certainly kill deer, and could kill a person as well.

Epijunkie, support her shooting the .22 mag, and maybe over time she'll get comfy enuf to try something bigger (with support, but not pressure, from you). The most important thing is that she has a gun she likes to shoot, that's the best any of us can ask!

Michael