If it can do this to steel what would it do to a BG?

[exavid]

No doubt use what you have and use what you can hit the target with. A .22 is better than nothing for sure but if I could conceal my 12ga. on my person I wouldn't carry any pistol or revolver. Mean time I'll get by with a .308+P or a 9mm depending on what I'm wearing.

 

[Manco]

I have no doubt in it's ability to punch small holes, but a hit to an arm or leg probably won't phase an excited attacker. They'd hear the noise, but probably not know they'd been shot for a few moments unless you hit something immediately vital

I've read enough accounts of delayed reactions to being shot by larger calibers to believe that the same rule can apply to them (perhaps less frequently, I don't know). Most such accounts have been of people who had a negligent discharge and shot themselves, but some were of defensive shootings. Why this occurs is difficult to pin down with any certainty, and it probably varies among individuals as well.

As a result, I sometimes joke to myself that maybe an Airsoft pistol would be the most effective defensive weapon because at least you always feel that sting immediately, and some bad guys may actually think that they just got shot by a particularly powerful handgun. Of course, this is not a serious suggestion, but who knows, there may be some truth to it.

 

[Manco]

Whether its "a lot less significant" or not, is irrelevant. It's proportionally significant.
A minimum combination of speed and mass is more likely to be "significant.

It's proportional to the target, too.

A great deal of field testing has been done since 1965 or so, and the participants in these tests have never asked to be issued a .22lr for field work.

I assume that this is because most people who are young, healthy, and strong enough to work in law enforcement or the military could handle something more effective (especially with some level of training). For some other people, .22 LR may be more effective because it makes them better shooters, and in my opinion more shots on target (given adequate penetration) trumps using larger calibers for defensive shooting.

 

[waldron]

Out the other side?

I don't want to fall into all the academic stuff. I am familiar with a lot of it. BUT, a simple question: Did the bullets come out the other side? Did each shot produce two holes?

If not, think about it.

 

[WifeofBleys]

My husband said he thought it dented the other side, but we didn't think to take photos.

 

[Drail]

I don't think we ever shot any Freon cans at less than 100 yards and all we got was a dent on the front. At close range some .22 ammo might get through.