Are .22 magnums any good for self defense?

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If the OP wants to carry a .22 Mag, that is, as we say, his bussiness. But he seems to be trying to convince the rest of us that it is a superior - or at least suitable, round. In that, I think he has failed.

BTW, what will happen when some of the 'misguided youth" in his neighboorhood get more aggresive toward him? And, the last I heard, bad guys now own (or steal) cars, so they can even come into his ""safe haven"".
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:rolleyes: Oh geez here we go again.....listen do you know what law enforcement goes by when they choose a round? They want something that can go through car doors and such. A citizen with a carry permit has no business shooting into a car. I was saying that the caliber is good for elderly and people that cant get to a range. If someone buys a .45 and cant get much practice in then how can you expect them under stress and all that to be able to win in a fight for their lives? Their aim would be rusty, motor skills not so great, and they will probably not be able to handle the caliber. A .22 is different, their is a reason so many non gun enthusiasts choose small calibers. Its because they dont have the time or want to go to the range and need something they can handle. I never said it was the ideal round. I said I carry it in my neighborhood. Outside of that I carry a 9mm loaded with 124 grain +p ammo. I honestly think that the vast majority of you bashing this thread live in a fantasy world. Their is a reason the Russian Army does not use .45's and the same can be said about our own. The philosophy for Russian calibers was for a gun that one could handle and be accurate with. The Makarov and AK-74 are what they use today and those calibers excel not at leaving big entry holes but a tumbling affect that tears up the insides of its victims being twice as useful even according to LE for a "Man stopping" round over Hollow Points in bigger calibers. If you want to talk down about the Russian military for their choices I would love to see you go toe to toe with some Spetznaz, and your not going to tell me that you will be victorious either....Do you think if you stood at 7 yards and I shot you between the eyes you would be likely to try and harm me?:rolleyes: I like .22 mag because I can do this with it at 10 yards standing:
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You missed my point.
Most people, when armed (with any firearm), react differently to a conflict than those who are unarmed.
Of course the odds are:
1. That most crooks depart at the first sign of any resistance
2. More leave at the sight of a gun - any gun, not obviously a toy, without regard to it's caliber
3. Still more run or surrender at the first shot, hit or not
4. But then you are left with those who don't care. Many (mostly gang members) may have been shot before. Others are drunk or on drugs, and simply don't consider the potential outcomes as a deterrent.

This is particularly a problem for folks who may have deterred a crime before with mere display of a firearm. They have learned that it worked before, and expect it to work again. Then there are those who are TV trained - where the outlaws always obey the commands of the good guy with a gun.

So, the OP may choose his .22Mag. And he may indeed run when he can, rather than become involved in a conflict. But he may also feel the need to protect others (justified in most states) by display or use of his firearm. Since the non-dedicated crooks most likely have left, he may enhance the probability that he will need to shoot.
Hopefully it works out for him.
But if not, could the choice of a "better" (no matter how much marginally "better") caliber have prevented the harm to him and other innocents?

I simply feel that I do not want to be the test subject in an experiment of how small a caliber is "enough gun". This is one case where "more" really is "better". I just want people to be able to make an informed decision. Informed with facts, not suppositions.
 
Big Tom, I am not sure where to start.
1. So, you feel that if you are out on the street and someone inside a car starts shooting at you (called a 'drive by'), you have no business shooting back. OK, that is your choice.
2. It's great you can shoot little groups. How do you do in low light, when you are not feeling well, and it's cold and raining, and there is more than one bad guy?
3. As a matter of fact I do know how Law Enforcement chooses rounds. I was involved in the choices for my agency when I was on the job. And I just returned from a meeting at a major manufacturer who is releasing a new police round.
4. If they will not go to a range with a 9mm, WHY do you think they will be able to shoot a .22? It's not a birthright, but a learned skill. One I have taught for 30+ years, on and off the job.
5. The Russian Army? What do they have to do with your carry of a .22 Mag. You lost me on that one. I do know that most militarys treat handguns as badges of office, but even then they do not issue .22 Mags.

It's OK, you carry what you like, I'll carry what I like. But my decades on the street taught me that I cannot predict when something bad will happen. I'm glad you can, and that you feel safe in your neighborhood. I feel safer everywhere I go, because I carry a gun.
 
Big Tom, I am not sure where to start.
1. So, you feel that if you are out on the street and someone inside a car starts shooting at you (called a 'drive by'), you have no business shooting back. OK, that is your choice.
2. It's great you can shoot little groups. How do you do in low light, when you are not feeling well, and it's cold and raining, and there is more than one bad guy?
3. As a matter of fact I do know how Law Enforcement chooses rounds. I was involved in the choices for my agency when I was on the job. And I just returned from a meeting at a major manufacturer who is releasing a new police round.
4. If they will not go to a range with a 9mm, WHY do you think they will be able to shoot a .22? It's not a birthright, but a learned skill. One I have taught for 30+ years, on and off the job.
5. The Russian Army? What do they have to do with your carry of a .22 Mag. You lost me on that one. I do know that most militarys treat handguns as badges of office, but even then they do not issue .22 Mags.

It's OK, you carry what you like, I'll carry what I like. But my decades on the street taught me that I cannot predict when something bad will happen. I'm glad you can, and that you feel safe in your neighborhood. I feel safer everywhere I go, because I carry a gun.
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Being that my state does not have a stand your ground law I think I am fine with what I carry. As was said before, I carry it around my neighborhood. My neighborhood is about a mile and a half long and is in the middle of Suburbia. I understand that criminals can come to the neighborhood and cause trouble. HOWEVER it has never happened and I'm not holding my breath on it. A drive by? Again I ask what world you live in. Drive byes are usually done out of gang retaliation. Why would they randomly start shooting out of a car window at me? I did nothing to provoke them and if someone was to confront me it would be most likely robbery, etc. I am certain that most robbers will choose from among many others to attack rather than a guy who is 6'3 and 280 lbs. You got small school children, Joggers, maintenance people, and then you got a 6'3 shadowy figure who tends to hide his face. Who would you attack first? I myself grew up in gang life. I got the knife marks to prove it. But Then I turned 17 and grew up. I carry a gun everyday since I got my CDWL. I referred to the Russian army because they will tell you that bigger is not always better. If it were I would think we all would carry a .50 cal...I think that people who wont shoot a 9mm much can do better with a .22 is for the fact that their is NO FELT RECOIL! Do you think Aileen Wuornos went to the range much when she carried around a .22 revolver with her as she prostituted? I would say not....and yet we have a record of her killing 7 people with a .22.....proofs in the pudding dont you think?
 
cutesy tombstone silliness

I carry so that I or somebody I love dose not find their selves under a tombstone at the hands of a violent criminal. It is not an academic exercise for me. I want the most effective defensive tool available because I want to live. Simple as that, I WANT TO LIVE. My selection of a defensive handgun caliber is nothing short of a life and death decision. I will not entrust my life to a sub marigional performer and feel those that do, do so a their own peril. By any objective measurement that I have seen, the .22 mag falls far short of the mark. If just brandishing was enough to ensure my safety, why carry a real gun at all? A prop gun would work to scare everyone away, right?

Carry what you want.

"better than nothing" is not my selection criteria.
 
Ugh.

Low signal, high noise, EXTREME annoyance rating.

Closed.

Oh, and I closed it with a .22 Magnum. It stopped it dead right there... :rolleyes:
 
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