Yes, I will admit that .22 WMR seems to be somewhat available nowadays and that it would be a viable way to say "get off me." If I were to get any .22 WMR gun, I'd make sure that it was double action. The H&R convertibles are cheap enough and work well; my 676 is more accurate than a Single Six and had a great DA trigger pull, too. High Standard Double Nine convertibles hold nine rounds, not six, but they're getting a little costly these days. You can still find 'em priced reasonably if you prowl Gunbroker for a while. But, capacity aside, I like the H&Rs better because they're sturdier.
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.22 vs. .38 wadcutter
- Thread starter Ernest T Bass
- Start date
I would have no issue using the WC's in +p for HD.
.38 special is just as good as any 9mm imo.
A .22 for HD is less effective than a baseball bat imo also.I know for a fact my cast iron biscuit skillet will kill a BD in 3 swings or less.
In all seriousness tho i own a .22 and it sits in its aluminum case waiting for its workout at the range.My S&W .22a has proven itself reliable with any ammo ive fed it,bulk or whatever.But i will not keep it loaded and my 3 ccw weapons all sit on top of the .22's case ready at hand,but its latched down and not accessible.
I also feel that when i get all 5 of me ccw weapons purchased i will buy a 12 gauge for HD.
.38 special is just as good as any 9mm imo.
A .22 for HD is less effective than a baseball bat imo also.I know for a fact my cast iron biscuit skillet will kill a BD in 3 swings or less.
In all seriousness tho i own a .22 and it sits in its aluminum case waiting for its workout at the range.My S&W .22a has proven itself reliable with any ammo ive fed it,bulk or whatever.But i will not keep it loaded and my 3 ccw weapons all sit on top of the .22's case ready at hand,but its latched down and not accessible.
I also feel that when i get all 5 of me ccw weapons purchased i will buy a 12 gauge for HD.
In response to your poll, a .45 ACP is the best choice for home defense - that round offers more "power" than the other 3 choices.
In response to your question, the .38 WC would be a better choice than a .22 LR, as it would have a better chance of stopping an intruder.
That said, my bedside gun is a S&W 36 (3" barrel) loaded with Buffalo Boar .38SWCHP.
In response to your question, the .38 WC would be a better choice than a .22 LR, as it would have a better chance of stopping an intruder.
That said, my bedside gun is a S&W 36 (3" barrel) loaded with Buffalo Boar .38SWCHP.
It depends on where you live
Do you live in an apartment with thin walls? Are your neighbors close? Is penetration going to be a problem if you miss? Where is that round going once you let it loose?
Lot's of questions, huh? A shotgun with birdshot probably is your best bet as it will act like a slug at close range and won't penetrate walls so easily.
So, out of your choices I would say the .38spl for close (arms reach) combat and the 22lr for longer distances (down the hall)
Do you live in an apartment with thin walls? Are your neighbors close? Is penetration going to be a problem if you miss? Where is that round going once you let it loose?
Lot's of questions, huh? A shotgun with birdshot probably is your best bet as it will act like a slug at close range and won't penetrate walls so easily.
So, out of your choices I would say the .38spl for close (arms reach) combat and the 22lr for longer distances (down the hall)
No doubt the .22 would work in a pinch. But no .22 I've ever owned has ever fired every round, misfires are a part of life with .22s and I wouldn't want to bet my life on one, especially out of a semi-auto ... I use two .38s for SD, both loaded with 158gr SWCHP +ps ... I don't find them hard to shoot, they're pretty accurate at SD distances and they make a pretty big hole. As others have mentioned, there are low-recoil .38 JHPs available (Federal makes a good one ...) and I might try one of those over a heavy wadcutter ...
2cooltoolz
New member
If a .22 caliber can be used successfully by some for home defense, then why would it be so sacrilegious to use a .38 special 148 grain target wadcutter for the same purpose?
People can believe what they want. I think the basic premise is wrong. If I run out of everything else, I'll break out the .22, but that'll be a while.
kmrcstintn
New member
.38 spl 148gr wadcutter...low recoil (even from lightweight snubbies that might do double duty as bedside guns); inherently accurate; full caliber diameter w/ flat tip (cuts full size .357" hole and eliminates worry about expansion from short barreled guns vs 'will my hollowpoints open at slower velocities?!?'); much more mass than a .22 rimfire which promotes deeper penetration (you want to have projectile impale major organs and/or blood vessels to expidite incapacitation); et al
In the .22 LR versus .22 Mag debate, if the barrel is short, I recommend the LR. I did some penetration tests several years ago. I compared .22 Short in a Beretta Minx, .22 LR in an Iver Johnson TP22, and .22 Mag in an NAA Mini Revolver. The barrels of all three were around 2" long. I made a slotted holder to take 3/4" thick pine boards. I fired all three and compared their penetration. The LR penetrated the most. The Short came in second. The Mag penetrated the least!
I even called CCI. They told me that the .22 Mag was designed as a rifle round and uses a slow burning powder. Those short barrels just don't give it time to completely burn.
I think somewhere in the 4 to 6 inch barrel length range, the Mag catches the LR. In longer barrels, especially rifles, the Mag is definitely better.
I even called CCI. They told me that the .22 Mag was designed as a rifle round and uses a slow burning powder. Those short barrels just don't give it time to completely burn.
I think somewhere in the 4 to 6 inch barrel length range, the Mag catches the LR. In longer barrels, especially rifles, the Mag is definitely better.
I second the hollow base wadcutter loaded backwards.
Hodgdon says that my load (above post) will give 956 FPS in the 7" unvented Saami test barrel. What velocity will one get with a vented (barrel/cylinder gap) 4" barrel? 850 FPS? I don't know, I'm guessing. Even if loading them backwards does make them expand at these low velocities, I wouldn't want to lose the penetration. To me, regular, ol' .38 SPL doesn't have the excess energy to burn.
Now, if they were gas-checked, they might be pretty wild. One could drive them much more quickly without leading up the barrel. But then, up goes the cost.
christcorp
New member
ETBass.
Your concerns are totally a "NON-ISSUE". You stated:
Your concerns are totally a "NON-ISSUE". You stated:
I can only assume that you've never had to actually shoot a "Real Live Person". I pray that you never have to. But let me tell you right now, without debate, can not be argued, etc... If you ever have to pull out your gun and aim it at someone; what noise, flash, and recoil you gun/caliber produces will be the very LAST thing on your mind. And if you actually have to pull the trigger and shoot a person, you will not notice the noise, flash or recoil. In that situation, it totally does not exist. If you keep your eyes open; can look at the person you are about to shoot; aim the weapon at them; and pull the trigger........ Then it doesn't matter if it's the lightest of 38 specials, or if it was a 357 mag revolver; the hottest of the buffalo bore ammo. You won't know the different.I absolutely LOVE the low flash, low recoil, and low noise of the 148 grain target wadcutter.
bamaranger
New member
.22's
I have not read all posts, has any body mentioned this?????
Twenty-two ammo seems more prone to failures to fire than centerfire pistol rounds. Something to do w/ eradict priming, and also contamination of the powder charge due to the heel crimp of the bullet. How many of us had had a.22 round fail to fire at a plinkning session. Heat, humidity, moisture compound the problem.
A .22 if anticipated for use in defense, should receive fresh ammo regularly, of a premium nature.
I have not read all posts, has any body mentioned this?????
Twenty-two ammo seems more prone to failures to fire than centerfire pistol rounds. Something to do w/ eradict priming, and also contamination of the powder charge due to the heel crimp of the bullet. How many of us had had a.22 round fail to fire at a plinkning session. Heat, humidity, moisture compound the problem.
A .22 if anticipated for use in defense, should receive fresh ammo regularly, of a premium nature.
zombieslayer
New member
In Florida, you can't hunt deer with a rimfire. It's not that a .22 won't KILL, it's just considered unethical because it's more likely to maim the deer than kill it. They die, later on, from the gangreen. You can shoot a deer with a .38 wadcutter. It's like apples and oranges, I know, but thought I'd chime in anyhow.
Circa 1974, when I was a high school student, there was a minor political riot on the front lawn of my high school. A student got into a wrestling match with one of the local cops from my town. After school, as I walked home, I walked across the patch of lawn where the cop and the student wrestled. Apparently, the cop's dump pouch opened, and left six rounds of ammo on the ground...six rounds of nickle case 148gn wadcutters. Don't know how hot they were loaded, but that was the duty round of my home town's police.