Small 22's, to what use?

[Carl Levitian]

[ Old arthritic hands drop pistols on the ground that have any recoil when fired. My dad can't get a second shot off with a 38sp. He can empty the cylinder and be reasonably accurate with a 22.lr. It is far from ideal, but better than nothing.

Old people CC too, a 22lr is the only option for many of them. I would rather have 8 shots land where I want them than 1 shot and the pistol lands on the floor! My Dad can barely make a fist with his right hand, his grip is weak to say the least.]

That quote from Frozen North sums up where I am in life, to a tee.

I turned 70 this past winter, and wear and tear from a lifetime of turning wrenches has left me with bad ostio arthritis. My favorite handgun used to be my old Smith and Wesson model 19. Then in late middle age it was my S&W model 64. Now it's my 4 inch 10 shot 617. I can still bounce a can around at 50 yards or put a small 10 shot group in the head on a half size silluette target with no problem. My wife has rumitoid arthritis, but she can can still shoot a .22 revolver real good.

Age is the greatest thief the world has ever known. In time, it will steal most of what you are, leaving you with a pale shadow of your former capabilities. The fire breathing macho guns are fine, but sooner or later, you will be the old guy on the cane, or walker, if you live long enough. You do what you can, with what you can handle. A good .22 is usable by even a senior citizen. And that .22 is capable of ruining someones day if used right.

Carl.

 

[gunnysmith]

LOL Carl I still haven't gotten accustomed to shaving that old guy in the Mirror.

 

[NavyLCDR]

So why do folks buy them and what do they use them for? I'm not knocking them, I'm genuinely curious.

When I am hiking in the woods with friends, I carry a .22 pistol for protection against bears.

A hiking buddy once asked me why I carried a .22. I said, "For protection against bears." He said, "You really think you are going to stop a bear attack with a .22?" I said, "I don't have to stop the bear attack. I only have to slow you down."

Funny.... he never went hiking with me again.

 

[Carl Levitian]

[LOL Carl I still haven't gotten accustomed to shaving that old guy in the Mirror.]


You never will, Gunny!
Carl.

 

[Geckgo]

lol NavyLT, I used to say the same kind of thing to my surveying crew about running down the cut line if they encounter hornets.

 

[Average Joe]

I know some trappers that use them for finishing off small animals in the traps.

 

[Fat Boy]

GREAT Comment about shaving the old guy in the mirror...big time accurate!

 

[MrWesson]

I use mine as a training aid for shooting USPSA with a subcompact. The short sight radius simulates it well.

 

[MedWheeler]

Sam Cade:

John Hinkley: Shot 3 people, none died.

Sirhan Sirhan: Shot six people, One died and he was hit 4 times.

I don't carry a .22LR defensive gun. That being said, I don't care if whomever I have to shoot dies; I only care if he fails to stop being bad at that moment.

 

[Ole Coot]

I have carried and still do a Beretta 21A, walnut grips I have had for many years around the house, strictly a pocket gun when I am working outside. Have a small problem with wild dogs and coyotes. That little 22 dropped a coyote at around 15yds with three quick shots. I would imagine over the years more animals and humans have fallen to the 22lr than any other. I do carry a 45 or 40 but not to walk to the garage.

 

[Hypnogator]

Usetawas...

...small .25s and .22s were the smallest defensive firearms you could get. For those who wanted to pocket carry, more particularly, to carry in a vest pocket a tiny Browning .25 was the only firearm available that would fit the bill.

The baby Brownings still are, for that matter, but with the advent of the Kel-Tec P-32 and later the P3AT and clones, .32s and .380s became scaled down to the size that were formerly exclusively .22s and .25s. Similarly, 9mms have been scaled down to the size of the .32 and .380 "pocket pistols" of the early 20th Century.

Even today, the small .22 or .25 makes a decent (if not terribly powerful) defensive weapon for those who are recoil-shy.

 

[elano]

I've been looking for a good 22 revolver for back yard plinking and something to keep handy against snakes while doing yard work. I was going to get a heritage rough rider but the local pawn shop has a Iver Johnson 22 revolver 8 shot with a 2" barrel. I think it's a model 55-SA. Every cylinder locks up fairly tight. I was thinking it was too small for any real fun until I saw this thread.

Does anybody know if this would be a good purchase for $100? The rough rider is $60 more at the same shop.

 

[Manco]

The way I look at this is that all ordinary handgun calibers are anemic for defensive purposes--some more than others to be sure, but all require multiple rounds to be considered effective to any degree of reliability, so we should all shoot whatever allows us individually to place multiple shots on target in relatively rapid succession if necessary. For some the most practical caliber may in fact be .22 LR, which has other benefits in addition, such as low cost and wide availability. Using quality ammo in a revolver, it can be as reliable as anything else, and with a 3" barrel and the right loads, it can penetrate deeply enough to stop or kill by any reasonable standard.

 

[22-rimfire]

If the Iver Johnson functions, it will probably fill the need for you. Not everybody can or wants to afford that new S&W. The price is fine if it works.

For years I felt exactly the same way about the small 22 handguns as being somewhat impractical. But impractical for what? They shoot. Not the best choice for self defense, but still A LOT better than nothing at all if that is important to you.

NavyLt, you usually comment on carry laws and so forth and in general are more expert than I am about such. Your comment on carrying a small 22 in the woods for bear protection has elevated my opinion of you! There is a thread that is currently ongoing about "Is a 357 enough for bear protection?" I say yes, but honestly in practice, I am very comfortable carrying a 22 revolver in black bear woods. I have no intention of killing one. I have never really had a problem and I don't prepare for an event that is so unlikely to even happen in the first place and saddle myself lugging around a big 44 magunum revolver just because it might happen. I might get struck by lightning tomorrow or I might die tomorrow.

Back to compact 22's... I recently bought a 5" M63 and I am really liking this gun. I like it so much that I am going to buy a 3" M63 when I have the cash. The same applies to a 2" M317 later. Prior to this, my choices were always about accuracy and so forth and I always leaned toward S&W M17 or 18's or the M617, or the Colt DA 22 revolvers with a 4" or longer barrel. Things are changing and sometimes change is exciting. I'm still not a fanboy of the NA Arms tiny 22 revolvers, but I can see the utility quite easily. I might carry one of these when I would choose to carry nothing at all other times.

I suspect the forum community would be shocked at just how many 22 firearms are chosen for self defense for many reasons. Carl Levitian's reasons are sound and practical.

Ultimately, I think shooting guns is about fun and having a compact 22 available to you just adds to the fun.

But to answer the OP's initial question, you would use the compact 22 for the same purposes you might a larger 22 firearm, but you may have more trouble being as accurate with it over a larger choice. But again, shooting 22's is usually about fun and they are certainly fun to shoot. What is not fun is shooting my one Glock that hits 2 or 3 feet SW of the bull at 10 yards.

 

[elano]

If the Iver Johnson functions, it will probably fill the need for you. Not everybody can or wants to afford that new S&W. The price is fine if it works.

Thanks for the advice! I took it and walked out of the store with this little pistol for $85 out the door.





I took it out today and ran some rounds through it. It goes bang!

 

[rayman]

They're just fun

In my little 22lr j frame S&W, a malfunction is caused by faulty ammo. Never the gun. It'll probably be the only gun I'll be able to shoot when I'm really old. The 44 magnum will end up being a paper weight on my desk.

 

[foghornl]

It isn't really a "small" gun, but when I want to practice Single-Action shooting on the cheap, I bring out my 4-5/8" barrel (or so, never measured it) Ruger Single-Six....much cheaper to shoot than the .357mag Vaquero.

 

[sixgunner455]

It's a .22! What other reason do you need to buy one?

 

[mr.trooper]

.22 snubs and pocket pistols achieve surprisingly high penetration BECAUSE the velocity is so low - the bullets don't deform, so very little energy is needed to achieve penetration... So...

1) They make good backup guns
2) They are good for warm weather carry
3) They promote the "always armed" mentality by allowing carry at all times.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

How about just fun? Shooting doesn't have to be all about grim, steely-eyed practice on human-shaped silhouettes.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

They are fun and I am looking for a short barrelled one to add to my 22 collection.

 

[Manco]

How about just fun? Shooting doesn't have to be all about grim, steely-eyed practice on human-shaped silhouettes.

No, it doesn't, but that's pretty fun, too! I just hope that I won't ever be forced to do it for real, though--that would NOT be fun.

Come to think of it, lately I have been shooting .22s for fun rather than for cheap defensive practice. My Airsoft pistol has effectively taken over that role because I can shoot it almost anywhere I want (like inside my house) and in any way I want (simulating defensive scenarios). .22s are a lot more fun for target practice, plinking, or just plain shooting, though.

 

[mr_goodbomb]

.22s kill more people per year than any other round, partly because they're so common, and definitely because people expect they're less than lethal. They're not.

 

[deputy tom]

The older I get the more I shoot .22 handguns.Like Carl,my hands are getting weaker with every passing year.I also am shaving the old guy in the mirror.The lighter recoil of the .22 makes shooting fun again and the added benefit of lower cost for ammo helps keep it that way.YMMV.tom.

 

[sixgunner455]

the older I get, the more convinced I get that ... shaving sucks.


and .22 is the most important caliber.