.22 Mag for self-defense concealed carry

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I can only comment on the .32 as I have no experience with the .22 Magnum.

As much as I like the .32 S&W Long for its accuracy, I just don't have a great deal of confidence in it for SD use. That's mainly because of its slow bullet. I don't know if the bullet could be counted on to have enough momentum to get to a vital area in case it encountered bone.
 
For those who have difficulty pulling a heavy DA revolver trigger, would pulling the trigger with both index fingers (one on each hand) be so terrible? Having an SA mode (exposed hammer) would take care of the potential need to shoot single-handed (probably not that advisable with these folks in any case).
 
"I carry an NAA Pug .22Mag on dog walks in my quiet little Texas town, but I wouldn't carry it for any other occasion ... .22Mag can certainly kill you...)

I was wondering if anyone was going to bring up NAA. I got a NAA widow maker with the folding grip/clip a couple years ago. I LOVE that little gun. Perfect for things like dog walks or trips around town where you don't intend to end up in a situation where you'd need a gun, but if you do you've got it in your pocket/on your belt, and it's no bigger than a cell phone. Shockingly accurate too for a little barrel like that.
 
Mag

I am not recommending a .22 mag for self defense. I do believe that it is woefully under estimated as a pistol round. My personal experience says the paper "figures" on the .22 mag is not the whole story. The gentleman in a prior post wrote of shooting through a fence post with his and the failure of a .357 mag. With a .22 mag round from a Ruger Single Six (4 5/8 inch barrel). I've had a similar experience shooting a cast steel sign. A 38 Special +P would only leave a gray spot on it. A .22 mag round would penetrate it easily. Anything is deadly if it will penetrate to the "vitals" of a creature. I've killed large whitetail deer with a .22 mag pistol. A youthful, stupid, illegal act that I would not repeat today. However, at 16 and a farm boy - if it "got up" and stopped long enough for me to get a bead on it I'd probably shoot it. Statistics and paper power equations are not the real world. I like the .22 mag from my real world experience with it.
 
All this great info and not a one person talking about shot placement?

IF the lady has a 357/686 S&W and can't hit anything with it because she can't really lift it to aim it,the gun is useless.
Same with any gun someone is afraid of.

If I have to shoot someone with my Buckmark in 22lr (and 22mag is WAY more potent than a 22lr) ,and I put all 10 round into the chest cavity,the person will go down.
Period.
I can shoot it that well and ten rounds will destroy and stop most organs functioning.
In the forehead they will most definitely stop brain function.

You always want to use the biggest (practical) caliber you can shoot accurately and consistently,(consistently accurate?) If this is a 22lr in a 8 shot revolver,it is a very fine defense weapon.
I would definitely trust a 22mag S&W (don't like tauruses) with my life.Looking to pick one up too.
 
If you want something with a great trigger how about a 1911 chambered in .22WMR? I don't know about WMR but I know that in LR they are starting to sprout up.
 
I run a trapline. I need 22LR solids. If I shoot a coyote through the lungs with a 22LR hollow point it blows a 1" to 1 1/2" hole out the other side and there is a lot of blood under the hide on the far side that making skinning the yote a PITA. Yotes are a PITA to skin anyway. In any event- if it is summer and the perp has light clothes on- I think a 22 magnum ought to work- not as good for sure as the big stuff but it should be okay. If it is winter and heavy clothes, etc- then go for a head shot. They shoot hogs and gators in the head with 22LR's and they're dead before they hit the ground.
The 22, not just for squirrels :D
 
As someone's signature says on here... "A hit with .45 beats a hit with a .22 every time. A hit with a .22 beats a miss with a .50 BMG every time." Any gun is better than no gun. Let her use what she can use. I would feel much safer if she had to back my play with a .22 she was comfortable with than a .357 she was afraid of.
 
Citinseattle

Let's all forget caliber for a moment. We are going thru a situation similar to yours. If she is comfortable with a 22, go with it. Try to move up gradually. Even a bad 22 is better than a great plan on paper and no protection.
Why do I feel like this? I have a friend with the same RA as you talk about. She has used a 22. She is comfortable with that rather than nothing.

I like a 9mm. I certainly would not stand in front of someone with a 22 and let them fire while I tell them how ineffective it is. I do understand certain calibers are better. I just think given a certain situation anything is better than nothing.

My 2 cents. It is worth what I charged you for it and no more. It is your decision. Best of Luck.
 
American Arms. 22 Magnum 1 1/8 Barrel

For the last 12 years of my 30 years on the police force I have carried my American Arms. 22 mag every day while working. I called it my "Get The Hell Off Me" gun. Now that Hornaty has their new V-Max round out I love it even more. I have taken it to the police range and shot everything I could come up with. Their new 30 gr. Round with 2200 fps out of a rifle does wonders out of my 1 1/8 barrel. Their polymer tip kills a 2x4. Has to do damage to a bad guy. Still love my Sig 220 though.
 
Hey Milkrun, wondering if you have your rounds confused ... Hornady's new Critical Defense FTX is the one with the plugged tip, it's 45gr. In a magazine test it did over 1,000 fps from a one-inch barrel ... I think they do make a 30gr rd, but it's for squirrels and plinking, the FTX is far superior for "getting somebody off" you, IMHO ... If you're looking for some alternatives, Speer has a 40gr Gold Dot JHP for .22mag ... and Winchester has also joined the club, tho I haven't seen their rounds in stores yet ... have fired both the Hornady and Speer from my NAA Pug and both are very accurate at 7yds with no recoil to speak of ...
 
I don't think anyone can argue that the .22 is a great round for dispatching game/slaughtering livestock, but that doesn't necessarily make it a good SD choice.
I'd repeat what someone else already said about trying a lighter shooting 38spcl first. Or try a sp101. They weight about 14lbs and as such soak up far more recoil than the air-weight j-frames.
That being said if all she can handle is .22 it's far better than nothing.
I'd go with one of the j-frame size Tauri - or one of the S&W's if you can find it. I definitely think that with rimfire you'd want to go with a double action revolver. If you have a misfire, just pull the trigger again.
 
I've shot thousands of 22mag rounds out of my Single Six. As I've stated before I was perfectly comfortable carrying it as a defense against Cougars. I've seen the effect of this round downrange on various objects and can personally testify that it penetrates better than any non-magnum round I've seen. I know that's a strong statement but while my buddies were moving upward in caliber I kept the same gun. I think most of you can guess the result of that, I ended up more accurate, faster, etc. THAT is the whole point here. I could reliably and quickly place my shot in a VERY small area. In short my shots were more likely to kill than theirs. Get her a high capacity 22mag revolver, run a few thousand 22lrs through it, stand back and let HER defend YOU:D
 
Here's another thought that I'm sure will rile up a few people here. If the gun I'm shooting has allowed me to practice that much and get that good and the bad guy in front of me has a short range weapon (knife, club metal bar etc.) do I need to kill him? On my worst day at self defense ranges I could keep all six shots inside of a quarter with my Ruger. Knee capping a bad guy no problem. Before anybody starts to inform me you can't shoot accurately when you have Adrenaline in your system keep two things in mind, I've made two different headshots on rattlesnakes about to strike in those type of conditions, and I'm a grouchy old retired night shift nurse who has started IV's in the middle of coding patients who were more dead than alive at 3AM in semi darkness. I'm not superhuman. Both things were a result of enough practice to make what you're doing instinctive.
 
On the caliber note... Ya,.22 is small, but would you stand at arm distance and take a few .22 to the chest, neck, or head? I wouldnt. Plus most crime is based on how easy it is to commit. Most women are an easy target, but once they pull a gun, grandma isnt an easy target now.
I say .22lr is better than a kick or bite. If you want to test this then take some 6x6 and hit it till your blue in the face. Now shoot it with even .22lr promise you will think differently. (Except you Mr. Norris, you dont count)
 
Remember that the goal is to quickly stop an assailant before he can hurt you (or someone else). So the real question is how quickly and reliably being shot with a particular cartridge will force an attacker to stop whatever he is doing to try to hurt you (or someone else).

So while a .22 can certainly kill someone; but whether, if he's attacking you, a .22 will stop him quickly enough to keep him from hurting you badly is another question entirely.

There are four ways in which shooting someone stops him:

  1. psychological -- "I'm shot, it hurts, I don't want to get shot any more."
  2. massive blood loss depriving the muscles and brain of oxygen and thus significantly impairing their ability to function
  3. breaking major skeletal support structures
  4. damaging the central nervous system.

Depending on someone just giving up because he's been shot is iffy. Probably most fights are stopped that way, but some aren't; and there are no guarantees.

Breaking major skeletal structures can quickly impair mobility. But if the assailant has a gun, he can still shoot. And it will take a reasonably powerful round to reliably penetrate and break a large bone, like the pelvis.

Hits to the central nervous system are sure and quick, but the CNS presents a small and uncertain target. And sometimes significant penetration will be needed to reach it.

The most common and sure physiological way in which shooting someone stops him is blood loss -- depriving the brain and muscles of oxygen and nutrients, thus impairing the ability of the brain and muscles to function. Blood loss is facilitated by (1) large holes causing tissue damage; (2) getting the holes in the right places to damage major blood vessels or blood bearing organs; and (3) adequate penetration to get those holes into the blood vessels and organs which are fairly deep in the body. The problem is that blood loss takes time. People have continued to fight effectively when gravely, even mortally, wounded. So things that can speed up blood loss, more holes, bigger holes, better placed holes, etc., help.

So as a rule of thumb --

  • More holes are better than fewer holes.
  • Larger holes are better than smaller holes.
  • Holes in the right places are better than holes in the wrong places.
  • Holes that are deep enough are better than holes that aren't.
  • There are no magic bullets.

The bottom line is that a lower power cartridge with a smaller caliber bullet will make smaller holes and may not be able to as reliably penetrate to where those holes need to be to be most effective.

Or to put it another way, why would anyone think that a .22 will be enough when sometimes a .357 Magnum isn't necessarily enough. LAPD Officer Stacy Lim was shot in the chest with a .357 Magnum and still ran down her attacker, returned fire, killed him, survived, and ultimately was able to return to duty.
 
Im not being overly critical but text doesnt convey tone... I never understand the thinking that 22 anything is a good choice for anything but small game, targets and plinking.

By default most self defense situations are very, very close ranged affairs where stopping the threat is at a premium and time is very short and finite... Its your life, carry what you will but I would never recommend 22 for a self defense anything.
 
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