Walther P22 versus ballistic gelatin block

[Brass Fetcher]

I tested four different .22lr loads in a Walther P22 handgun today and here are the results and a few pics.

Firearm : Walther P22 with 3.4" barrel length

Block calibration : 8.9cm at 586 ft/sec

Ammunition : Various manufacturers

Shot 1 - Federal 36gr copper plated hollowpoint (Wal-mart value box) penetrated to 11.6" and was found base-forward in the block. No expansion present.

Shot 2 - Aguila Super SE extra 38gr lead hollowpoint. Penetrated to 14.2" and was found base-forward in the block. No expansion present.

Shot 3 - Aguila SSS 60gr lead roundnose. Penetrated to 13.1" and turned on its side at 8.0", creating the largest permanent cavity of the entire penetration. No bullet deformation present.

Shot 4 - CCI Velocitor 40gr JHP. Exited the side of the block at 15.8", but was recovered off of the deck of the testing area. No expansion present.

I hope this information is of use to you.

Thank you,

JE223

 

[repo]

Well it's interesting but I'm not sure what the information could be used for, the P22 is not exactly a hunting gun or self defense weapon.

 

[vta33]

That's quite a bit of penetration in that gelatin block by 22s. As a rimfire fan, I found the tests interesting. It would be nice to see how Remington Yellowjackets perform.

 

[C-grunt]

Thats a lot more than I would have expected. It makes me feel a little better as my P22 is currently serving as my back up gun.

 

[Stachie]

Surprised

I didn't think the 22LR had it in it! I now have more respect for my brother's varmint rifle.

 

[the naked prophet]

The .22 isn't all that bad for a self-defense cartridge, except for the unreliable primers. If they suddenly had a way to make the primers as reliable as centerfire, I don't think the .22 would be all that bad, better than a .25 in any case, and not far behind the .32 auto.

Obviously, I'd rather have a 9mm, but for a tiny little hideout/backup gun, or small game getter, or even self-defense weapon for someone who is too weak or small for even a .32, it's not bad.

 

[Zero_DgZ]

Moral of the story: Approximate value of .22 hollow points in a pistol is... spit?

Unless you need some way to make the bullet lighter.

 

[atblis]

WHat was the MV

What were the muzzle velocities of the rounds (chronoed not published)?

 

[mdao]

Moral of the story: Approximate value of .22 hollow points in a pistol is... spit?

Unless you need some way to make the bullet lighter.

The permanent cavity/amount of destroyed tissue from an unexpanded hollowpoint is larger than that of a round nose. So there is some value in it. It'd be better if they actually expanded, but I don't think the market for .22 LR pistol defensive ammunition is that large...

The .22 isn't all that bad for a self-defense cartridge, except for the unreliable primers. If they suddenly had a way to make the primers as reliable as centerfire, I don't think the .22 would be all that bad, better than a .25 in any case, and not far behind the .32 auto.

From JE223's .25 ACP testing, I'd take a 50 grain FMJ .25 ACP over any of these .22 loads. They get adequate penetration with a slightly larger/heavier bullet. They're also more reliable and come in pistols much smaller than the P22.

 

[browningguy]

Without getting into the pissing contest over the lack of percieved value in a .22:

Thanks for the test results.

I happen to have a P22 (along with 4 or 5 other .22 pistols) with the cute little laser on it. It happens to reside on my wifes side of the bed loaded with CCI Velociters. For a carry backup gun though I use my Beretta M.21 in .25 ACP with the 35 gr. Gold Dot load. It's nice to see some actual test results on the .22.

 

[Brass Fetcher]

The velocities were not recorded for this test because I needed to get about 5" away from the face of the block to ensure that the rounds went where I wanted them to.

This is because the block used had camped out in my refridgerator for a few weeks, during which time it got murky. I had to send the round into the far left side of the block, so that they would photograph well. Basically, there wasn't enough room for the chronograph in that 5" space! Hmmm.... as far as the velocity, I imagine that it is about the same as a gun with the approximate same barrel length, underwhelming in any case.

JE223

 

[atblis]

Yes

but you could chronograph the left over ammunition perhaps?

 

[chris in va]

As I understand it, the .22 is the most 'lethal' caliber concerning shootings in the US.

I've certainly seen what two shots to the head with a 22 will do. There was a murder in broad daylight a couple years ago in the town I used to live in.

 

[atblis]

Hmmm

Statistics

I suspect more people die from 22lr because it is used more often.

 

[fencer1960]

I was interested to see the performance of the Aguila SSS 60 gr. I shot a lot of this out of my P22 because it fed reliably, but the bullet would keyhole almost right out of the barrel. I thought it needed a longer barrel (or maybe a different twist) to stabilize the longer projectile, but you seem not to have had that problem.

It's running fine now with CCI MiniMags; don't know why, didn't change anything.

Anyway, thanks for the info.

 

[shooter71]

ya know you always see that a high % of people who have died from gsw are from a .22
my question is how soon was the death? i mean did the perp still have time to murder, rape, stab etc before death occured? I know a 22 will kill you but how long to actually stop the threat?
Im asking since my best friend just bought his wife a P22 for home defense while he is at work and its her first/only gun. He bought himself a Hi Point 9mm (be easy, its his first gun now) but she didnt think she wanted to use it because of the caliber.

 

[Brass Fetcher]

I've heard Bad Things too about the keyholing of the SSS round, and was very concerned in this regard. As I only had 2 rounds left, 1 for the gelatin and 1 for the paper target board, my experience here is limited. The hole that I observed from 4 yards distance appeared clean and consistent with the appearance of stabilized FMJ rounds hitting the paper head-on.

As far as the SSS bullets terminal performance - I am very excited. Look again at the depth at which it tumbled - about the 'average' distance to the vital organs from a front-forward shot angle. It is very similar in performance, if not design, of the 9x19mm NATO round and AK74 round. JE223 likes.

shooter71, like many would tell you, it has a lot to do with shot placement. A bullet will produce a slightly larger hole at the beginning of the penetration vs. the end, all else being equal. This has to do with the bullet velocity for the most part. When a smallish bullet travels deep enough to hit a vital organ, the hole may be so small that the wound does not bleed in sufficient quantities to rapidly incapacitate.

 

[atblis]

Yeah

It is the twist rate. I haven't tried it out of my pistols, but they are marginally stable out of my NS522 (don't know the rate of twist).

 

[jwerlc]

My only question was going to be "what distance from the gel were you firing from?" Did you say 5 inches from the block? I would be more interested to see results from 5 to 25 feet from the block.

 

[Brass Fetcher]

$.

 

[jwerlc]

Well said ????