.22 for self defense

[Andy79]

Hello!

Well you all helped me with my first decision on buying my Ruger SP101 and I just got it out of lay away and will be shooting this weekend.

Now I am considering buying a lighter carry and was looking at the S&W 317, 22LR. Do you think that a .22 is enough to take someone down when used in a self defense situation?

I am basically deciding between a light weight .22 or a light weight .38.

What is your opinion?

Thanks!

 

[Odd Job]

I am basically deciding between a light weight .22 or a light weight .38.

Get the lightweight .38 for the following reasons:

1) More likelihood of penetrating to the vitals
2) With the right ammunition you can have an expanding bullet that has a better chance of causing blood loss than the .22
3) More reliable discharge (central primer vs rimfire)

 

[Andy79]

Thanks Odd Job, any specific gun you would suggest?

 

[Odd Job]

Unfortunately I don't have any experience with .38 revolvers, only a .357 magnum.

Somebody else will have to advise on the gun.
In terms of ammo, you can try this:

http://www.midwayusa.com/Eproductpage.Exe/showproduct?saleitemid=738035

 

[JImbothefiveth]

.357 revolvers can fire .38 special, but probably won't be as light.

 

[Odd Job]

Yep. I don't think the OP is after a .357

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

There are only two circumstances where I would recommend .22 for self defense. One: if it is all you have. Two: if a person has some infirmity that absolutely precludes anything with more recoil.

 

[Andy79]

I am not opposed to getting a .357 being I can load it with .38s I just wasn't sure that a .22 would do the job.
I just looked online at the S&W site and saw a few that looked pretty light weight.....
- 642
-442
-M&P340

Any opinions on these guns?

 

[Litlman]

I have a 442 , very reliable. Accurate at close range, Double action only & easy to conceal. Got it in my front left pocket right now in a cheap Uncle Mikes holster. Use the search function and you will get a ton of info. This is a great site. I have had this gun since 1993. Good luck.

 

[bja5006]

get the .38 and never have to wonder.

make sure you carry the right ammo too!! do research on that aswell, test it if you can. i have, and now i have absolutely no doubt that what's in my hand can stop a man

 

[tractorshaft]

Have you considered a .22 Magnum? S&W and Taurus make fine little revolvers in this way more powerful yet diminutive caliber. A J-Frame .22 Magnum makes a very devious little hideout pistol Having offered that on topic reply...Here goes...

"If you're gonna be a bear, be a grizzly" - Flame on

Here is my pick for little "Pocket" pistols with a little more bark and bite than a .22 LR, I love em, I love em , I love em....the .380 and the .32, especially the little .32 with Glasers (Dont use Glasers in Kel-Tec .380's) Now if they would only offer this in .32 NAA I would be happy....

The .32 NAA is based on a .380 ACP case necked down to accept .32 ACP bullets.The 60-grain Jacketed Hollowpoint penetrated 6 1/4 inches of ballistic gelatin, think of it as a "Baby .357 SIG"

Courtesy of Bob Cogan's website

www.apwcogan.com

 

[XavierBreath]

Do you think that a .22 is enough to take someone down when used in a self defense situation?

It's possible, but other calibers have a higher incapacitation index.

 

[tractorshaft]

Andy,

Follow this http://mouseguns.com/tactics/seltac.htm link to this article entitled;

"Mouseguns for Self-Defense - Selection and Tactics"

It is most excellent reading, as a matter of fact, the entire website www.mouseguns.com is fun to browse around.

Enjoy!

 

[Bezoar]

aa 22lr or 22 mag can kill a person or a cow or a pig, etc. its just that the time between bullet impact and the subjects expiring is not easy to tell.
Alot of cases go like this"
mugger shot in chest 5 times with 22mag, hit the ground and died inside 2 minutes.
More cases go like this:
mugger shotin chest or head several times, but lived the 3 months between killing/raping the shooter and their first pretrial hearing.

its just that the 38 spcl generates 2-4 times the muzzle energy of a 22lr from the same barrel length.
And at the same time, each 38 bullet is creating far more damage to bone and tissue in whatever you shoot. That tissue damage is what creates stopping power.

Sure, a .22 diam hole through the chest may make a knife wielding mugger run away in fear. But a 38spcl JHP or LSWCHP through the abdomen will either kill the mugger outright or make drop him on the spot so the police can haul him or her away to jail.

 

[janobles14]

i wont get into ballistics or anything else. i will just say "go with the .38 for all of the reasons mentioned."

if recoil is your concern then forget the airweights and go with a standard weight .38. they arent THAT much heavier and will tame some of the kick. if weapon weight is the isse then the light weight .38's dont weigh THAT much more than some .22's.

 

[BHP FAN]

The main thing with using a .22 is bullet placement,which is going to be iffy under stress,and with both you and your target moving.If you HAVE to shoot,shoot at least a double tap.Statistics show that a shot with immediate follow up causes more shock than a shot and then,a minute or two later another shot.That said,it's better to use enough gun.Still if that's all I had,I'd use it,and do my best to use it effectively...

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Andy,
I carry a S&W Airweight .38 Special every day. It's a small light revolver that will protect you better than anything in .22 Caliber. The Airweight weighs only 15 oz and can easily be carried in your front pocket. If price is no problem you can even buy a 12oz S&W Aitlite in .357 Magnum. You probably won't want to shoot Magnum through it but it is lighter and the Airweight. I know a few people who bought one but never intended to carry .357 Magnum rounds in it. I can't see paying almost twice the price if you're going to carry .38 Special +P rounds anyway.

For very light concealed carry .38 Special I would consider a S&W M442, M638 or M642 because the hammer won't snag. I have a M638 and M642 and both work very well.

Good luck finding something you like.

 

[C-grunt]

Here is a picture of a .38 special on the left and a .22lr on the right. Both will kill a person if given good shot placement. If you had only one shot to save your life or the life of a family member, which would you choose? In all reality you might only get one bad shot at the bad guy. I personally would want that shot to do a good amount of damage.

People die from gunshot wounds either from loss of blood or a shot to the upper central nervous system. A bigger/heavier bullet will make a larger hole to increase blood loss, and have better penetration through bone and what not to help hit those vital areas.

 

[MachIVshooter]

I am not opposed to getting a .357 being I can load it with .38s

If you only plan to fire .38's, there's no reason to spend the extra $$ on a .357. The M&P 340 you mention is a fine gun, but about $400 more than the 442. And, you can get the 442 without the lock http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...d=10001&productId=82470&langId=-1&isFirearm=Y

 

[foghornl]

Try some nice easy .38Spl ammo in that SP-101 first....some 'target wadcutter' loads, maybe some "Cowboy Action" rounds or some of the 130-132-Gr FMJ rounds.

Then, gradually go up on the power scale till you find a round that you like to shoot and performs well.

As to a .22 rimfire...well if that is what I had in my hands when the Vigoro Strikes Mixmaster...run whatcha brung. I keep the .22Mag cylinder in my Single-Six. Not my first choice for SD/HD..particularly since it is a Single Action revolver, but I CAN use it effectively if pressed.

 

[mgkdrgn]

Now I am considering buying a lighter carry and was looking at the S&W 317, 22LR. Do you think that a .22 is enough to take someone down when used in a self defense situation?

I am basically deciding between a light weight .22 or a light weight .38.

IF you can/will actually carry the 38 ALL the time, it might well be a better choice just on the power issue.

That said, most of the time I carry a NAA Black Widow in 22 mag. I also own a Glock 26, which I'll carry if I'm dressed such that I can. But, since I spend a lot of my time in shorts in tshirt here in South Carolina, the BW is an =easy= pocket carry, and way better than a pointy stick if the need arises. 22 mag is also a whole lot nastier than a 22lr, even from a short barrel pistol.

 

[BHP FAN]

I've always wanted one of those black widows.I had the little .22lr NAA,and with paws my size I got burnt by cylinder gases and peppered by debris with every shot,but I've noticed the longer cylinder and better grip position the revolver much better in the hand.

 

[tractorshaft]

10 years or so ago I was in the kitchen of my cabin in Kodiak trying to put the cylinder of my NAA .22 mag back into the gun, on the old model I had (maybe they are still the same?) you had to pull the hammer back a bit to give clearance for the cylinder. Well as the cylinder went into the frame the hammer slipped and hit the edge of one of them .22 magnum rounds, it was split by the forcing cone, half going down the barrel, the other half peeling off at a 22.4 deg angle into a cabinet the other into a piece of ponderosa pine on the wall. My dang ears were ringing and my wife looks over with that "What next" look and rolls her eyes, "Are you OK" she asks, I say yep, but that pesky cabinet and board that have been bothering me finally got their due...All in one shot

My point is, be danged careful when putting the cylinder into these little guys, that was my first AD/ND and the only thing that saved me observance of the rules.

two weeks ago I go into my favorite gun store and ask if anything new came in, he puts a Sig box on the counter top and says "Have a look", I cycle the slide and a 230 GR Hydra Shock .45 round goes flipping up into the air...If you could have seen the face of my gun store owner friend I pick the round up off the floor and he asks, already knowing the answer...Was THAT in there? Yep, it was...He was distracted when putting it away and failed to check it..He said "Thank God it was you who looked at if first" You all know how scary some people are when "Looking" at a gun. The first thing they do is start pulling on the danged trigger...Se la vie... FWIW, he would have probably checked it himself before giving it to anyone else but it taught him a valuable lesson...He now checks EVERYTHING before handing it over to a customer, regardless...

Stay Alert..The world needs more lerts.....

Tractor

 

[Phil DeGraves]

People die from gunshot wounds either from loss of blood or a shot to the upper central nervous system.

Actually, with .22 they also often die from perontinitus some time afterward.

Go with the largest caliber you can shoot comfortably if you are shooting for your life.

 

[mgkdrgn]

...put the cylinder of my NAA .22 mag back into the gun, on the old model I had (maybe they are still the same?) you had to pull the hammer back a bit to give clearance for the cylinder.

Still the same ... they do have an extra set of notches on the clyinder now so that you don't have to carry with the hammer down on an empty. It's now down and latched firmly into one of those extra notches.

When I put the cylinder back, I usually keep my thumb on the hammer, line up the cylinder, and ease it into to one of those notches before I even bother putting the rod back in. It's a pleasure to carry, hardly even know it's there.