Posted on 06/04/2012 3:38:53 PM PDT by marktwain
I’d rather have a .22 than no gun, but given the choice, my carry gun would start with a 4.
I guess the low recoil and the ability to unload 3/4 rounds in quick succession makes it work.
I’d like to see the ratio of hits vs. misses to draw a final conclusion.
My thought has always been, if the caliber prevents the perp from getting off even one more shot than he would have with a lesser caliber, then I, my family members, my friends, my associates, or my fellow community members will have to dodge one less projectile to survive.
That’s my bottom line.
Mrs. Slim is recoil adverse, and dislikes heavy guns. I got her a S&W 351PD. Seven shot .22 Magnum that is 12 ounces loaded. 45 grain Hornady Critical Defense ammo exits the barrel at over 1000 FPS, and penetrates 9-11 inches in ballistic gelatin with good weight retention.
It's a gun she will carry and can handle.
FYI: Bill Jordan in "No Second Place Winner" opined that a J-frame 2 inch Airweight .22 Magnum would be a great backup gun in 1965.
The 9mm Sig P6, loaded with 147gr hollow points is of course the very best weapon anyone could possibly carry.
OK, I just wanted to get that in before my .45ACP friends arrived.
Most people don't like getting shot. The ones who are crazy or drugged enough to not care, will also need a lot of putting down.
One rule: although bigger is better, a .22 in the hand beats a .45 left home in the gun safe.
When you do manage to shoot them (without getting shot first) it's all physics. Variables like how close you are to a vital organ, how fast the bullet is travelling, how big/heavy the round is all come into play. Also how big the attacker is, how much clothing he's wearing etc.
Of course there are very specific scenarios where a .22 could be considered (close range quiet kills etc.), but anyone who advocates a .22 as a general purpose self defense round is nothing less than an abject moron.
The killing percentage is meaningless. Incapacitation is what you are looking for in a SD round.
I found this stat the most interesting in that it is a metric of the most important factor in self defence: the percentage of incidents where the opponent was not incapacitated. In that regard, .357 mag is king (but we all knew that, didn’t we?)
The results need to be weighted by the shooting distance. I doubt that the shooting distance data are available. A novice shooter with a .22 pistol at point blank range is going to be more effective at getting a kill than shooting the same gun at 15 feet. It would also be useful to know the point of entry of the bullet because this will also influence the kill statistic.
A 22LR will not even phase a drugged up intruder. My vote is for 357 Magnum or larger.
You ought to get the mrs. a set of Crimson Trace grips for that AirLite. Put the dot on the bad guy.
A scoped rifle chambered in .22 lr is an excellent choice for hunting small game like birds and rodents, and the ammo is dirt cheap. That said, .22 lr was never intended as a defensive round. That’s like asking if tennis rackets make good snowshoes.
I can’t put my hands on the reference source but I did read once of a favorable comparison between .22 magnum and 9mm, barrel length and all else being equal
Interesting topic. Thanks.
Correct the dumbest recognize that sound, however the smarter of those will hear it and know where you are. If they are also armed it may not end as planned.
22LR is actually not too shabby out of a rifle. out of a palm sized handgun it is kinda lame.
Since most of her “risky time” is hiking in the wilderness, the Hi-Viz is probably better.
I am not a fan of laser grips for several reasons. The biggest one is a tendency to “chase the dot” because it moves a fair bit, and I’ve seen many people at the range, try to snap off a shot as it swings across the target.
If it’s dark, I have a 500 lumen strobing light and a 16 gauge Winchester M12 full of #1 buck.
I prefer to carry my 3 inch .45 ACP, but it is not alway practical, so then I carry a Ruger LCP .380 loaded with Corbon ammo that is about 200 fps faster than normal .380 ammo. It fits nicely in my pocket.
Of course shot placement is important, but I don’t believe that one will have the opportunity in every self defense situation to make a head shot. Like for instance the perp has you on the ground beating you head on the concrete and you are struggling for the gun. I want something that is going to do more damage than a .22.
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