What is the best and most capable .22lr handgun for concealed carry?

[Baron66]

If a .22 bullet is good enough for an m16 I think it's good enough for me.

 

[HexHead]

and technically the 22lr cartridge has killed more american civilians that any other cartridge in modern history

If true, that should be "killed more American citizens eventually", as they probably bled out. If I need to use a gun, it's to stop the threat, right here and right now.
.22 is just a poor choice for that.

And I read somewhere that more people throughout history have been killed with a .32 than any other caliber. The grave yards are filled with them.

 

[Frank Ettin]

If a .22 bullet is good enough for an m16 I think it's good enough for me.

Perhaps you think it's good enough for you, but that just means that you're not paying attention. The 5.56 NATO is a .22 caliber bullet weighing about 55 - 58 grains at a muzzle velocity of 3100+ fps. A .22 lr from a handgun is a .22 caliber bullet at about 30 to 40 grains and a muzzle velocity of about 1,000 - 1,100 fps. And at 5.56 NATO velocities hydrostatic shock could be a factor, but not a .22 lr handgun velocities.

 

[leadcounsel]

Baron66: If a .22 bullet is good enough for an m16 I think it's good enough for me.

LOL

As for the statement that the .22LR is responsible for the most deaths of any ammo... I'd have to throw down the challenge card.

The American Revolution and Civil War had MASSIVE body counts - and the ball was not the .22LR

Last 100 years you say?
WWI body count was in the millions - and none of those militaries relied on the .22LR
WWII body count was millions - again nobody relied on the .22LR. I'd say generically the .30 caliber (8mm, .3006, 7.62x54R)
Wars/conflicts/genocides since WWII - I'd venture the 7.62/.30 caliber (in various calibers x39, x54R, x51, x25) has to be the highest body count. We're talking about hundreds of millions of people.

Just look at the guns chambered and popularity - Mauser, Mosin, Garand, AK47, SKS, M14/M1a, FAL, VZ58, etc...

If you look just as pistol calibers -
Tokarev, Makarov, .38 revolvers, 9mm pistols (Browning HP), 1911s, SW pistols, etc. vastly outnumber offerings in .22LR. And most used in many conflicts in the world every day for the last century.

 

[Robert]

Op, do what you see fit. This is done.