22lr for carry?

Its certainly better than nothing. At the same time, there are so many micro-9mms (Glock 26, Taurus Millenium, etc) out there that conceal well. I would not carry a .22 LR for protection personally. YMMV.
 
In poker, a pair of twos beats an ace-high hand, but there are a lot of hands that beats a pair of dueces. Translation: The first rule of a gunfight says to bring a gun, but there are more effective calibers than a .22
 
Since you can have a Keltec P32 that's as small and light as virtually any .22 pistol, IMO it doesn't make much sense to consider the .22 for carry. The .32ACP is a marginal defensive round, but it's no contest when compared to the .22 out of a short barreled gun! If you aren't picking it for the size, I'd move upscale to 9mm or better...
 
Taurus 941 .22 Magnum 8 shot Revolver.

How about an 8 shot 22Mag 941 Taurus revolver .

I'm interested in comments on this gun I was thinking about getting one for carry. Additional comments on ammo would help.

TY
GD
 
Ammo

No hollowpoints. You don't want to use hollowpoints in .22 LR (they don't penetrate enough). I recommend either round nose or truncated bullets (if they feed well in the gun you purchase).

As far as the Taurus revolver goes, it is an ok gun but I think a semi-auto is better for .22 LR. Once your eight rounds are up, .22 LR revolvers are quite tricky to load under stress IMO. A .22 semi-auto can be loaded quicker. Considering the lack of stopping power of the .22 LR round, there is no guarantee that a few center hits will immediately bring a BG down. You need to have as much ammo available as possible. The advice I give to most people who carry mouseguns is if you ever have to use them in SD, empty your magazine at the BG (concentrate on getting center hits of course), then reload another magazine and be ready to empty that one too if necessary. ;) Catch my drift? Don't expect miracles from "mouse guns".
 
In a past life, I used to carry a Beretta model 21A (DA/SA) stoked with CCI Stingers in my front pocket. The little thing never malfunctioned, and it was very, very fast to empty a magazine with excellent accuracy. I used to shoot 50-100 rounds at the end of every range session just for fun. It weighs about 12 oz, and you will never be made while carrying it unless you go through a metal detector. I realize the .22 lr is anemic, but the speed and accuracy makes up for some of the downside.
 
I have been known to carry a two shot Davis Derringer in 22LR in my front pocket at times. They always said, "A 22 in hand is better than a 45 left at home."
 
About 20 years ago I used to carry a Jenning 22 in my back jean pocket along with 2 spare mags when fishing in the out of the way places. That cheap little pistol was very accurate with CCI MiniMag Solids and was accurate enough to hit an orange at 10 yards when I did my part behind the gun. I never had to defend myself against a BG but it was used to take care of several Moccasins and Cottonmouth that got too aggressive. Now I usually carry a S&W model 10 revolver or the Kimber Ultra Carry 45 ACP.
 
22s are great for small game like rabbits and great for trigger work BUT will only make the altercation worse.

And almost all if not all of the 22s I know of just aren't reliable enough to SD carry.

If 22 was effective, every cop in the US would be packin one. Since they don't, it can't be.

Sure, a lucky shot to the jugular, through the nasal passage or behind the ear may kill the guy - next week. But he will have a good 10-20 minutes to finish you off.

At least get a Kel tec P-32, NAA Guardian, or a Seecamp.

But 9, 10, 40, 45 are my preferred flavors.
 
If 22 was effective, every cop in the US would be packin one. Since they don't, it can't be.
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Or maybe some just prefer a larger caliber? My old man carried a 4 shot 22LR in his back pocket on duty for 25 years and he is still with us today. :)
 
If that's what you have to carry. Guys who are strictly defense shooters often forget that the average joe may have just one gun that he has to make do for all his needs. I've been in that state before...a young guy with a family who wanted/needed a hunting gun, plinking gun, target gun and defense gun, who didn't reload (yet) and found even surplus third-world centerfire ammo too expensive when compared to the cost of Pampers and Similac...or .22 long rifles. For me then, and for many in the same boat now, a .22 makes more sense than any other gun.
FWIW, two of the four times in my lifetime that I've had to produce a gun in earnest social situations, it was a .22 that I had with me, and both outcomes were satisfactory. And no one whipped out a yardstick to check the muzzle diameter.
 
A .22 is probably OK for waving at the BG, but you better hope you don't have to fire! I don't feel that I'd have the edge trading shots with a BG if I'm armed with a .22.
 
I have a Beretta M-71. A 22LR Med size 8 shot S/A. I can not recommended enough. Al'though I will never carry it by choice, I will have no fear if that's all I had. Easy to carry easy to shoot and totally reliable.
 
I would rather carry a .22 than nothing at all. I would prefer something larger but if that was all I had i wouldn't feel uncomfortable carrying one. Would you like to get shot with a .22? I think I'll pass.
 
I wouldn't like to get shot with a BB gun, but that's not the point. A much more effective round can be had in the same sized gun, IMO this is a no-brainer!
 
How about an 8 shot 22Mag 941 Taurus revolver .

I'm interested in comments on this gun I was thinking about getting one for carry. Additional comments on ammo would help.
Click to expand...

From what I've been able to learn from reading a lot of stuff on this topic, a .22 mag in a concealable pistol does not perform that much better than a .22lr. You need more barrel length for the extra powder to do any good.

I would have NO confidence in a .22 as a self-defense weapon. And, as someone else noted, you can get a number of very effective .32 pistols (my choice would be the locked-breech Kel-Tec P-32), which are smaller and, in some cases, less expensive, than a .22 pistol. Why bother?
 
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