.22 as defense, revisited..

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My daughter, a size 2 and on the far side of 30 and weighing 105 lbs, started with a Taurus Model 94 a nine shot .22 and now, a year or so later, likes a Browning Model 1910-FN in .380. It took her a few tries to figure out how to pull the slide back. She has a S&W Model 60 .357 in which she shoots .38's for practice but loads with .357's for the house.
All of this is to say start her small and let her decide when to move up. Don't let her be in the next booth to some dude firing a .44 magnum. Even with ear protection that takes the fun out of shooting.
 
Cooper's thoughts on the "Raging Hornet":

The Brazilian company Taurus now announces its "Raging Hornet" revolver, a large,
eight-shot piece carrying the 22 Hornet cartridge. When hornets rage they do so in swarms, so I suppose the company feels that it can sell swarms of these pistols. I see no suitable niche for the item. It might do well on some kinds of small game, probably up to forty pounds in weight, but it is not adequate for feral domestic goats, as I have personally discovered on Catalina Island. As a trail gun, the Raging Hornet might serve to put various minor beasties in the pot, but is far to big and heavy to be convenient for a back packer or a trout fisherman. But there are always people who will want something simply because somebody else has one.
 
I recently purchased the Ruger 454. The reason Taurus made the Hornet eludes me. If their 454 had 6 shots instead of 5 my choice of 454 would have been much harder.
 
Funny thing about the .22 is that in a way it is more deadly than the larger centerfires. The problem is the death will take place several days later from secondary infections due to the dirt that the bullet carries into the wound. 22.s being outside lubricated unlike centerfire rounds hold a lot of dirt/germs in the lub. Of course this is not going to be a help at the time of the attack. Still IMO a .22 is far better than mace, stun gun, or any non-firearm. A .22 mag might be best for the little woman.
 
GunsAmerica shows a bunch of 32acp's from Beretta M34/35 to Bersa to CZ50's and CZ70's NIB for $149. Or the currently produced CZ-83 comes with 10+1 in 32,( also 380 and 9mm Mak.). J&G sales used to list them at about $300.

I have a 1952 Beretta M35 32acp. I'm also 5'4" with small hands and it feels sweet. The Beretta 70 series is newer and was made in 32, and it's closer to the PP Walther than the 84/85/86 Berettas in size. There are some French PP Walthers at about $270 used. I always wanted a "James Bond" gun ( PPK 32 ) and walked into gunstores many times with money in my pocket to buy one, then made the mistake of trying their double action pull and left without buying.

PS: they used to make 4" aftermarket barrels in 25 auto that fit both the Beretta 950 and the M21 - same barrel on both. Don't know how much the extra 1 1/2 inches adds to the various 25's velocities, but it gives you some. You get centerfire ignition, better sealed case/bullet, more reliable feeding. I have a 950 with 4" bbl. 8+1 in the gun, a couple of extra clips, and a box of 50 rounds makes a very small package. And 25 comes in Glasers and PPS MSC, and Gold Dot... Shoot a clip into someone real fast and it might slow him down long enough to run AND reload.

[This message has been edited by Rusty S (edited August 19, 2000).]
 
Here's a crazy idea -

Have you ever heard of a Grendel P-30? It's a clip fed, 30 shot 22mag pistol. I saw one at a gun show for 200$ a while back, with two mags. It seems to be comaprable in size to a Glock 19, so recoil with a 22 mag would probably be extremely minimal. Also, the 30 shot capacity would be good for small-caliber defensive shooting : she could shoot, and shoot, and shoot some more - if the guy didn't go down, he'd surely feel some effect from a hailstorm of 22 mags.

I've never shot one, so I can't tell you about the shootablility or the reliability, but it's something to consider.

AL



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Glock 19
S&W 629 Classic
KelTec P32

"Oh yeah? Well I talk LOOOUDLY! And I carry a BIIIGGER stick! And I'll use it, too." -Yoesemite Sam
 
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