“I’m no .22 fan for defense but by the numbers .22LR has killed more people, I believe, than any other caliber.”
I don’t believe that.
“.22LR has killed more people, I believe, than any other caliber.” I don’t believe that.
I believe you are correct, but it’s a complex question:
https://www.buckeyefirearms.org/alternate-look-handgun-stopping-power
The .22 does very well in terms of one-shot stop, in highest percentage of hits that were fatal (excluding rifle/shotgun), and #1 handgun in average number of shots to incapacitate the target. In terms of total numbers shot or killed though, the popular/police calibers - 9mm, .45 ACP, .38 SP, and .40 S&W - look like winners.
In terms of targets never incapacitated, the mouse guns are losers. A lot of people drop when they are hit in the trunk or the head by a .22 because they’ve been shot, and that’s scary. The problem though is that when you hit a tough guy with a .25 ACP, a .22LR, or a .32, it’s not going to drop him as quickly or as reliably as a bullet with more energy. Because of those tough guys, targets are twice as likely never to stop from being hit by the mouse guns, no matter how many times they are hit.
I think the strength of the .22 is that we’re all good with that gun. Even with a limp wrist or awkward stance, it hits where we want it to. That plus no one flinches with a .22. Bonus: Most of us practice more with our .22 than with the higher calibers - it’s much cheaper, so we’re better at it.
Maybe that .22 round has killed more Whitetail deer...but not people.
I doubt Pol Pot, Stalin, Castro, Hitler, Lenin, American troops, Chinese troops, German troops, Italian troops...Aussie troops..etc..etc..etc...used that round much.
And those guy's killed a lot of people.............