.22WMR?

Z

ZVP

New member
Adequate for self defense from a 3" bbl?
Horniday makes a quick burning powder made specially for short handguns.
I have been wonndering about a Heritage Arms 3" S/A with the Magnum cylinder in it?
Heck I feel safe on the trail with my 6" Ruger Single Six with the Magnum Cylinder and with these new loads the revolver might even be better than it is now.
Bass Pro's has a Good Fathers Day price on the Heritage ($299.00) Being on a tight buget and retirement income it really has me thinking...
Opnions?
Thanks,
ZVP
 
It is better than nothing but please remember the smaller the caliber the more important bullet placement. With the stresses and speed a life or death situation happens you may well be served better to find a good quality used short barreled revolver in the same price range. A 22 mag. is very good on snakes, and small animals when facing a 2 legged skunk intent on hurting you the largest you can handle well is really your best bet.
 
I'd say it depends on how much you trust and can handle your handgun in a very intense situation ! I keep reading info about what is the best self defense handgun caliber but rarely hear how a person can train to be ready for an attack or a home invasion ! It seems to me your heart rate would be racing , your mind would be cluttered , and unless you are trained or practiced defensive tactics you could be left totally defenseless ! I have a S&W model 651 22 magnum that at the range I can shoot pretty good groups off hand at 25 yards with but I'm not sure how well I'd be able to handle it in an intense situation ! As far as that goes, I'd rather be armed with my 8 shot 357 magnum even with 38 plus P ammo or my 9mm semi auto w 13 rounds.....I guess the only thing us mere mortals can do is get to know our handgun (s) real well and practice till it becomes like a natural part of you !
 
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I personally classify self-defense situations into two categories. The first is where the sight of the gun or the shot itself convinces the bad guy to either run, lay down, surrender, etc. In that case, the .22mag does the job as well as anything else.

The other situation is where shear knockdown power is what is required to win. In that case, the .22mag is woefully inadequate.
 
I carry an NAA Black Widow .22 Magnum as a trail and snake gun. It's small, accurate, and does the job. First 2 chambers are loaded with snake shot and the other 3 with Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel defensive ammo.
 
Shooting Times recently ran an article on two new .22WMR cartridges developed for self defense. Overall, these two new players (one is from Hornady, I don't recall who makes the other) seem to come out somewhat equivalent to an older .380 ACP in energy.

Better than a pointy stick, but not what I would make my first choice if I had other options.
 
As are most handgun rounds. None have knockdown power.
Click to expand...

From thefreedictionary.com, knockdown means "overwhelming; powerful" or "to strike to the ground with a blow." A round of sufficiently robust caliber penetrating the heart, lung or ocular-nasal cavity will put down most assailants. That's properly called knockdown. The heavier the round the larger the effective target area. And below some caliber threshold the target zone becomes impractically small (e.g., a bb to the eye ball will stop many people but bb gun is not a practical SD weapon, unless of course it's all you have.)
 
Being on a tight budget has its restrictions not only on what you can afford to purchase, but on the cost of the ammunition to train with. Your .22 Magnum is not a bad choice, and given the cost restraints you have, that makes it a better choice than deferring a purchase for some time until you have the funds, it that interval you are defenseless. I do like the Taurus Model 941, it comes with the shorter barrels, is double action, swing out cylinder, good grips, and either 6 or 8 rounds in the cylinder, for about the same cost.
 
To correct my post above, the Taurus 941 holds 8 rounds, with the 4" barrel as standard. Of course, you can load it with 6 rounds if you want !
 
I have three handguns for carry/home defense and am comfortable shooting any of the three. A 44 mag Ruger Alaskan in a Ross Leather shoulder holster. A S&W J Frame in 38 special carried in a Bianchi pocket holster and a NAA standard 22 magnum with fold up grip carried in a nylon pocket holster. I have six shots for the 44 and five each for the 38 and 22 magnum. I have a couple of Split Six speed loader holsters for the 44 and the 38, and just a leather pouch with a ten round strip loader for the 22 magnum. I'd have to say, with all of the training I went through in my department starting in the old days of S&W model 67's and Mini 14's moving up and through Glocks and AR's and a couple of Barrett's for good measure: in a personal defense situation, if you have to reload, you're not placing your shots very well at all. Also if you have more than 6 assailants you probably shouldn't have drawn in the first place, unless suicide was in your plans for the evening.

So yes 13 is more than 8 which is more than 6, but we're back to the point I just made, If you need that many or a reload and more, you're in deep dodo and probably shouldn't have entered the fray in the first place. Mind you I'm referring to a personal encounter. Home evasion against 4 or more bad guys and I'd call 911 and start shooting hoping I am up to speed on my reloading technique.

So with the above in mind, I find that any of my selected carry guns would do the job that it was selected to do including the 22 magnum. The different guns are just a means to have an available option depending upon dress for the day. Smithy.
 
People are not knocked down by the force of handguns. They may fall because of the effects of the round (psychological, CNS) but not the sheer force.

That's the way it is and we like to be precise here.

No handgun round is guaranteed to be overwhelming or knocking you to the ground. Well known discussion - yet again.
 
For the $300 you would spend on the Heritage you can find a nice used semi-auto in 9mm or .40 S&W. Also .22WMR ammo cost as much as 9mm so there wouldnt be any savings there either.
 
I think that in a situation where the attacker isn't willing to risk much, any caliber will do. In that case, a 22wmr is enough for the task.

If the attacker is highly motivated to do you damage, I think the 22wmr is way too little. That's not to say it couldn't be effective, but the margin of error is pretty slim with a tiny bullet like that.
 
What TMD said. The 22WMR will be just as loud too. If you are just a wheel gun guy, you can pick up used j and k frames for that much or less in 38 especially.
 
well the muzzle energy may not be spactacular, the bullet diamater can leave somewhat to be desired but can we not all agree that its better then trying to say "please dont kill me" while some meth head holds a knife to your throat?


wasnt it cooper who thought a 8 or 9 shot j frame in 22 wmr was "the best dang little friend you can get'?
 
Three times in my life I have had to show my gun as a deterrent in self-defense. That show was sufficient to dissuade the bad guys and send them running.
In all three cases the gun was a Ruger Single Six.
My carry is a pocket .22lr semi-auto.
I believe most bad guys are not very smart but they are smart enough to know they don't want to be shot with anything regardless of caliber.
I am aware of the scenario where one is being attacked in a dark back alley by a drug crazed 250 pound monster.
I protect myself by not going into dark back alleys.
 
For that same $300 (ok maybe a COUPLE bucks more) you can get a PMR-30 in 22wmr. 30 rounds of .22 mag, lightweight, and I'd bet easier to conseal then a 3" SA.

There are also a lot of better options out there for that same price point

JMHO
 
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