.22 guns for EDC?

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adrian44

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Someone a the range loaned me his .22 Walther gun, and to my own astonishment I could shoot it not just accurately, but with surgical accuracy! Muzzle flip is minute, recoil is nothing to speak of, and the whole package was small and light weight.

This got me thinking. Is it a viable or a wise option to carry a .22 gun for self defence? The ease of shooting, weight, and cheap ammo are very enticing, yet I won't give away effectiveness in stopping an armed attacked for any of that.

What do you think? Does that round pack enough stopping power? Thanks.
 
Its better than throwing rocks and I never heard of anyone volunteering to be shot by "only a .22". However, quality control on the ammo is sometimes not reliable. Most times the presence of any FA will serve the purpose of SD without firing a shot. I have carried my little .22 short Beretta in a pocket when other options were not practical. It was a good little gun, but I practiced expending the full mag upon engagement.
 
I can't say I see nothing wrong with carrying a .22 for self defense. Fear the guy that chooses to carry one, he can afford to practice ALOT and is probably SURGICAL with one. Honestly I want to see how someone fairs with 10 CCI Mini Mags in his chest. There have been people shot with various calibers that kept coming. Shot placement is key.
 
On occasion I have carried a Beretta 71, and I practice with them fairly often. I have head/chest outline targets that I use on a 25ft. 'combat' range. From 'Low-Ready' I can consistently rack the slide and put 6-7 rounds into the upper chest/lower jaw area. I'm pretty comfortable with those results.
At speed, I hit better with the Beretta than my P32 EDC.
 
I see nothing wrong with carrying a 22 if that is what you want to carry. Any gun is better than no gun. I would make sure I had a gun/ammunition combo that is reliable though. Reliability has always been the 22's downfall in my eyes.
 
No. Even if the BG bleeds out five minutes later, it does you no good if you've been beaten to death, stabbed, shot by a 38, etc.
 
Quality ammunition seems to be the key,,,

Quality ammunition seems to be the key,,,
On the occasion that I toss my 22-PLY in my hoodie pocket,,,
I have it loaded with ten CCI 40 grain solid round nose Mini-Mags.

A .22 has minimal "stopping power",,,
But as you stated the accuracy level may compensate.

Aarond

.
 
Well....why don't you think police and the FBI and the military use 'em? (.22's) The advantages you list would apply to them too.

While what you said is true and a .22 is a 'deadly weapon' I would think you'd like a little more on your side than just a .22.

Also I wouldn't count too much on having 'surgical accuracy' during a real self defense situation. I'm no expert on this but I think the evidence is out there to support this.
 
"why don't you think police and the FBI and the military use 'em?"

Apples vs Oranges. In the main, LEOs and military do not have to conceal their weapons, so size (and weight) is not a big issue. In addition, the above should expect that they might have to shoot over longer distances than Joe Citizen, and would be best served by a larger, more powerful caliber that would maintain more energy at POI. And finally, the goal for Joe is to disengage and get out of the dangerous situation, just the opposite for LEOs and military. The distraction of Joe firing at the bad guy might be enough for a self-defense event, while the 'official' guys are moving towards the situation and need a better 'combat' caliber than .22.
 
I know that I was pretty capable with my MkIII before I sold it and so I see the point being made, but the issue with the .22 is that you really need to make CNS hits to make it effective, so that would be an are about 4" square across the front of the forehead.

That is a tough area to hit: It is small, and it is located on an area that moves a lot!

So, for me, I think I would not go smaller than .22Mag.

I've never shot a .22 Mag, but I'd be very curious. Don't Ruger make an LCR in .22 Mag? Then there is that KelTec pistol, but that is hardly concealable!
 
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Well....why don't you think police and the FBI and the military use 'em? (.22's)
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The Walther PP in 22lr was primary issue in Guyana as reported by Robert T Shimek in the 1985 guns & Ammo handgun annual. See, never say never without checking the facts.

I have no problem with a 22 for defense. I had an Iver Johnson TP-22 many years ago that got me out of two tight spots without any shots fired. I regreted selling it and after many years just replaced it a couple of months ago. I haven't shot the new one yet but my first was dead nuts reliable and decently accurate.

I also used a Ruger single six to get myself out of a really bad area I had no place being in. I seriously thought I was a gonner that time.
 
I could pull up an article of a guy that got shot in the face with a .45 and didn't even realize it until later.

If you can put those .22s where they need to go, they'll work just fine.
 
Having recently purchased a Kel-Tec PMR-30, and being astounded by how well it shoots, how light it is, and how good the trigger is, I wonder how it would work (.22 WMR) as a self-defense weapon. Mine shoots like a LASER!!

(I actually bought it for my wife, who wanted a gun for home when I wasn't home -- and all of the others we've tried haven't passed muster. We'll see how she does with this one. The recoil is almost non-existent.)

I suspect .22 magnum works best in a long gun, but the barrel of the PMR-30 isn't actually SHORT (4.3") and 30 rounds could be one heckuva deterrent to some folks -- especially when the rounds fired sound like .357 magnum coming their way.

I'm not giving up my 9mm carry gun, by the way -- just curious.
 
I would not carry any rimfire cartridge for SD. Even the best CCI rimfires aren't as reliable as centerfire primers. The round is also marginal in a human target.

Is it deadly? Yeah. So is a hammer. Also not my #1 choice.

9mm is a very light recoiling cartridge, and with practice can be easily handled by even old and frail people in the proper platform. It's also effective and reliable. I wouldn't consider .22LR. Your mileage may vary.
 
If a .22 is your choice to CC then practice often and use quality rimfire ammo (cci etc).

Often times showing a gun is enough, and the .22 works fine there. Not many people are going to see a gun and say "Hey that looks like a .22 based on the bore size, I bet my life that round doesn't have enough stopping power to keep me from robbing this guy"..

If you do have to shoot someone good chance even if it's not a incapacitating shot they will panic and flee or mentally give up and want medical help. Again a .22 works fine here as well..

The attacker that's only going to stop if physically incapacitated would take some very lucky (spine etc) or precision shooting to stop the threat. I would feel more confident with a larger caliber in this case, but I really do believe 5+ quick .22 rounds into center mass would prevent someone from being able to chase me for very far without their body shutting down.
 
As others have said, a .22 CCW is a lot better than nothing. That said, .22 rounds are many times more likely to misfire than centerfire rounds. If you want to go small, get a quality gun in .25 or .32 ACP.

Apart from the caliber, I just want to mention that the Walther P22 is a very low-quality gun. It's not a Walther. It's an Umarex product with a zinc-alloy slide and cheap, low-quality internals that's merely stamped with the Walther name (like the Sig-stamped Mosquito). A P22's (or Mosquito's) service life is a tiny fraction of that of a high-quality but affordable .22 LR pistol.
 
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