Are .22 magnums any good for self defense?

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While not my first choice, I would not feel insecure carrying it. Other factors other than "killing power" make the difference in carrying or not carrying sometimes.

I sometimes carried a Beretta .25 until the Kel Tec P32 came along. Now the gun I carry most is a KT P3AT, and I have several excellent handguns including LW 1911s, snubs, and 9MMs.

I do not feel that I am taking a risk, and carry when I might not otherwise, as pocket carry.

I say go for the .22 mag.
Jerry
 
What's with the "flash mob" fears? Did I miss a news story where one of these required a citizen to use deadly force?

Maybe I'm behind on the news or something....somebody feel free give me a clue.
 
In No Second Place Winner Bill Jordan said the 22 Magnum in an S&W airweight J frame would be his ideal concealed carry gun. Like the 22LR, not my first choice, but beats fists, foul language, etc.
 
Why stop at the .22 Mag? Why not go for the .22 CB short?

Because you are betting your life, and the lives of your loved ones.

As for your neighborhood, is there some magic that keeps real bad guys out of your neighborhood? Please, please share it with us.
We just had a bloody double murder in a patrolled, gated area, very high rent. The two mopes used knives to kill a mid thirties man & woman, so they could steal their high end cars - a Hummer and a sports car.

And a friend went back to his 'nice' neighborhood in CA (where only the good guys have guns), and witnessed a murder 2 doors down from his house.

So, you have a duty to share this magic with the rest of us!
 
Many times I've been the first one to defend the lethality of the .22 Mag and the .22 LR for that matter. As a matter of practicality though, I can't see the reason to intentionally arm yourself with one for defense. I will give it credit for being the best mini-revolver round, but I would only use a mini-revolver as a second, or third gun.

All the rounds that are commonly maligned here as ineffective; such as the .38 Sp with the 158 gr lead round nose, the 9mm with FMJ, .32 ACP, .32 S&W Long, etc would all be more effective than a .22 Magnum. If you can't handle recoil in a snub revolver for instance. The .38 SP with 148 grain WC would certainly make a bigger hole and penetrate better than a .22 Mag.

Webleymkv said:
I would also feel better armed with a .22 Magnum than I would with a .25 ACP provided that the .22 Mag is in a revolver.
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So would I. However when you really think about it, being able to say a cartridge is slightly better than a .25 ACP, well...
 
There is no guarantee
that any gun in any caliber
will stop an assailant.
Use the weapon you feel
most comfortable with and can shoot
well.
 
If the objective is for your spouse to carry a weapon they are comfortable with, considering weight, recoil, and just plain preference, I'd rather have them carrying a .22 Magnum than carrying nothing at all.

I have seen a 200 pound black bear dropped with one .22 Magnum round at 40 yards.
 
Deep Concealment

A friend of mine carried a little .22 mag derringer in what can be described as a jock strap holster while in Iraq. He worked in situations where abduction was a real threat. His mindset was that a expedient search may still leave him a fighting chance. He didn't want to end up on the internet in an orange jump suit getting his head chopped off. Oh, he assured me that he could fire it by reaching in through a pocket. His .22 Mag was for a last defiant act in a moment of desperation. A .22 mag is better than nothing but not my choice as a main line carry piece.
 
First, come up with incidents where a 22 mag failed to stop a crime (not kill the guy but stop a crime) as a statisically significant rate than another round.

Be sure to break it down by shots fired or no shots fired but deterred.

Anecdotes don't cut it. I can post two geezers with 22 mags stopping a 12 gauge carrying BG and a BG killing an officer with a 22 mag while the officer's 357 didn't do the job on the BG. Interesting but anecdotes are not conclusive.
 
Besides, who ever said that a shot to the leg, foot, arm, etc. would produce a stop.
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Oh, it could. I'm sure it has. Given the limited amount of time I'd likely have in a real shooting scenario, I'm not going to be experimenting with that, however. I'm going to shoot for center of mass, because such an approach has a better history of stopping assailants.

Accordingly, I also carry a loading that has a known history of stopping two-legged predators. Rimfires don't have much of a track record on that front.

my carry gun is a 22 magnum snubbie.
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According to your Wookieepedia page, you carried an EE-3 blaster rifle in Empire. Now you're down to the .22 mag? ;)
 
Just some numbers

a .45 has an impact area of .159 inches compared to a .22's .038 inches. This impact surface area correlates to permanent wound channel. Under Bare gelatin testing Remington .22 mags 40 gr pointed soft points at 1893 fps had a maximum penetration of 9 inches (Brass fetcher). There are several .45 choices that comfortably meet or exceed the FBI Handgun Performance protocols. The .45 produces a potential wound channel over 400% larger than the .22 mag and reliable penetration is consistently much deeper. I know this is not a .45 vs. .22 mag comparison thread; however in my mind the .45 represents the gold standard of personal defense handgun calibers. When asked to think about the potential effectiveness of a particular caliber objectively, I compare it to the Gold Standard, does it fall short or exceed the standard? In this example, the .22 mag falls so far short of the standard that I personally would never choose it as a first line defensive firearm. Yes the .22 mag can and has killed (stopped). But I would go bigger if I was at all capable to. .327 Fed, .380 .38 special are all pretty tame in the appropriate platform yet significantly out perform a .22 mag (yet still far short of my standard).
 
What a bore. The OP topic was whether 22 mags are ANY good for self-defense.

The answer is clearly yes.

So, yep - carry a bigger caliber that you can shoot well if you have it.

Anybody else have anything else to say that isn't caliber wars.

Look, if for some circumstance, I couldn't get or have my 9s or 45s and only could use my 22LR Bearcat - I would - rather than trying to use a frying pan.

:D
 
What's with the "flash mob" fears? Did I miss a news story where one of these required a citizen to use deadly force?

Maybe I'm behind on the news or something....somebody feel free give me a clue.
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Growing in popularity in big cities. And now suburban kids are mimicking it. Are you saying that being attacked and beaten by a pack of 20-30 teens is not cause for deadly force?
 
What diameter frying pan is the best? I have a 10" and a 14". Do you think I can stop an assailant with my 10" frying pan, or should I use the 14" frying pan. The 10" one is easier to carry but I don't want to carry one that everyone says is ineffective. Cast iron or aluminum? I think the non stick is more tactical, but I do like old school stuff, so maybe the Lodge brand in a 10"?

I think a 10", cast iron, with a non stick coating may be the best tactical frying pan. The best EVER. Like Jason Bourne quality. I am now sure of it. That is the best ever, so don't anyone try to sway me in any way, no matter what. You will be wrong, and I will maintain that I am right. Forever. :cool:
 
If caliber doesn't matter then why bother with the excessive noise and flash and recoil of the .22 magnum.
If caliber does not matter then why not .22 Short?
It would be even easier to shoot for the elderly, the recoil sensitive....the suicidal...:rolleyes:
 
My issue with rimfire calibers, like others, is putting your life in the hands of the reliability of a rimfire cartridge. Too many better choices available is so many different platforms to waste time carrying a rimfire.
 
Ask yourself this question:

Does any LEA issue and carry (whatever caliber)?

If the answer is "YES", then it is probably a reasonably good SD round. This will include .45 acp, 10mm, .40 S&W, 9mm and .357 Mag, .38 Spl (and anything larger).

If the answer is "NO", then it may be "better than nothing" and used as a last-ditch backup, but is not a good choice for SD. This will include .380, .32 (and anything smaller).

If you take your cues from what the guys who get paid to put their lives in the balance...it becomes pretty simple.

Do I need to wrap this all up for you, or can you read between the lines? :)
 
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