22LR for concealed carry?

[Onward Allusion]

I'm just curious as to how many here carry a gun chambered in 22LR as their primary CCW. I not trying to debate the merits or shortcomings of the caliber. I'm just curious as to why the 22LR is your choice. Also, is it a revolver or semi?

 

[EchoM70]

It's just going to turn into a use enough gun thing whether it is your intention or not. It's inevitable.

However I'm not against someone using a .22 WMR in a small revolver if they can't use anything else. You know, arthritis in the wrist or something along those lines. Heck, I carry a NAA derringer in .22 WMR in my pocket when I'm out and about sometimes. It's just easier to slip it into my shorts pocket during the summer months than trying to worry about concealing something bigger.

Any caliber beats nothing at all, that's for sure!

 

[vamo]

I don't use one, but I can see the merits of a 22lr derringer or pocket pistol. Jeans and a belt just aren't as comfortable as gym shorts or sweat pants. 22lr allows for very small lightweight guns. Its not realistic for a lot of us to always carry our favorite 9mm/.45/.40/38spl.

In most cases its going to be enough. Pulling your gun will end most confrontations, shooting someone with any caliber will end most remaining. When we argue caliber effectiveness we're discussing the very rare situations where pulling a gun didn't defuse the situation and the perp kept coming after being shot.

 

[possom813]

I carry a PT-22 in stainless during the summer months when I'm in shorts most of the time, or when I'm in a hurry to get out the door.


I've put a lot of rounds through it and it's as reliable as anything else I carry.


A buddy of mine put it best at the range when we were out with ccw's.

"Heck, I wouldn't want you shooting at me with it".

Said after I dinged the 50 yard steel(12") 7 for 9 and 8 for 9


22 may not be the best tool, but I can carry the PT-22 in the pocket with no belt and no worries about my underwear showing

 

[husbandofaromanian]

I have an NAA in 22lr that I carried for almost a year (before I got my Kel-Tec P3AT)... I am a big fan of 22lr... It is by far my favorite caliber...

 

[Armored farmer]

NAA .22/.22mag revolver.

 

[bannockburn]

Never have as my primary CCW but I have taken along a Beretta Model 21 just to try it out as a deep cover back up.

 

[jonnyc]

I carry a P32 most of the time, and I am toying with the idea of carrying one of my light, accurate, and reliable Beretta Model 71s in .22LR. I spend most of my out-and-about time locally, and I don't really feel the need to carry a BHP or Desert Eagle. At other times, for other destinations, I decide differently.

 

[BSA1]

O.A.,

This is a commonly discussed topic which you yourself have started regarding use of the 22 LR and 22 Magnum. In fact the topic you started on use of the 22 Magnum was spirited and well discussed. I’m not sure why you keep asking about using the 22 rimfire for self-defense but it has been covered recently here:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=745234&highlight=22+magnum

and here;

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=741244&highlight=Onward+Allusion

and here;

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=740064&highlight=22+self+defense

 

[Hullraiser]

I've carried one in the past. It's better than nothing and can be really deep concealment. Now the smallest I carry is 380 (TCP/P238)but feel more confident with a 9mm (Bersa UC) or my preferred .45. (1911C3/PT745) in most situations a 22lr stinger would work well enough to stop a non meth crazed attack

 

[SargeUSA]

I have on occasion carried my Ruger SR22 instead of SR9C but recently, I take my newly purchased Ruger LCP. Can't see it in my front pocket and it works with shorts, jeans, etc.

 

[RustyShackelford]

.22LR as a defense caliber/sidearm....

The "hey, why don't people use the .22LR round for CCW or protection?" posts come up often on message boards.
There are a few practical reasons not to use a .22LR as a carry gun. Poor ballistics, lack of power, excessive force concerns, etc.
In a real critical incident, you will need to fire the least amount of times to stop the threat. You couldn't stand over a felon shooting 5/6/9/15 times at them with a .22LR.
Some hue & cry about the "mafia" or Mossad(secret service) using .22LR suppressed pistols.
Unless you have seen to many spy movies or think a prosecutor/courtroom would buy those excuses, Id stick to a proven, larger defense caliber like a 9x19mm, .40, .45acp, .38spl, .44spl, or a .357magnum.
.22LR guns are best for small game hunting & training-marksmanship.

 

[Deus Machina]

I don't, because I don't have anything in the caliber small enough. If I had one of those NAA revolvers, I'd carry that when my pockets aren't big enough for my .38.
I won't complain about people that use it. I'll just suggest aiming for the face if possible.

 

[Armored farmer]

If you have a ccp and a little .22lr allows you to carry when otherwise you couldn't or would'nt for whatever reason.....then .22lr it is.

Remember the first rule of being in a gunfight.

 

[hardluk1]

Not unless its the only cartridge I have left.

 

[aarondhgraham]

I carried a Taurus 22-PLY for along time,,,

I carried a Taurus 22-PLY for along time,,,
Because I needed something very small and concealable.

I practiced with it a lot because it's just so fun to shoot,,,
And with CCI Mini-Mags I had no failures whatsoever.

I recently purchased a Ruger LCP,,,
It's comparable in size if not a bit smaller.



The LCP is replacing the little Taurus,,,
After I get a little better with it.

Aarond

.

 

[340PD]

Not mine, but it sure makes sense.

"a.)The most reliable handgun in the world is the one you practice with the most.

b.)The handgun caliber with the greatest stopping power is the one
you make headshots with.

c.) The best weapon for _____? See a. & b.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

"a.)The most reliable handgun in the world is the one you practice with the most.

This certainly isn't necessarily true. Just because you use something a lot does not make it more reliable. I used to shoot an AMT Hardballer all the time. It never got more reliable. It was a great gun for learning to clear malfunctions, however.

b.)The handgun caliber with the greatest stopping power is the one
you make headshots with.

Um, no, again. What you are probably saying is one you can make CNS shots with, not headshots. Roughly 50-60% of the head is non-CNS which means you can damage a lot of head without causing a CNS disruption. So a headshot isn't necessarily a stopper.

 

[alfon99]

There was a shooting in my town last winter. A really crazy dude entered a supermarket and shot another guy. He only fired 3 shots before the REVOLVER JAMMED. It was a crappy .22 lr revolver. I don't think I ever heard of a Revolver jamming like that. Luckily the guy that was shot is OK.

 

[RustyShackelford]

Headshots....

I would not plan or train to take "head shots" at a subject in a critical incident. Even with a .22LR pistol the concept isn't a smart idea.
Human heads are small, thin & easy to miss.
As instructors & legal use of force experts like Massad Ayoob say, if you wound or nick a felon in the head & they live, how are you going to look in court?
If a guy is in a wheelchair or disfigured a jury could turn against you.
You could also injure or kill a bystander too if your head shot idea misses.

FWIW; some say the .22mag like the Ruger LCR is good for personal defense.

 

[oldbear]

A ,22 would not be my first choice for self-defense, but as Col. Cooper once wrote, " having any weapon is better than not having a weapon.)

 

[Onward Allusion]

BSA1 -

The reason I've been asking about 22LR and 22 Mag is because my faith in tiny semi-autos had been shaken quite badly not too long ago. I know that 22LR/Mag are marginal at best but it's all a balancing act with size/weight/capacity/energy. I really wish some top tier company would make a double stacked 32ACP that is as small as the LCP but thicker and is just as if not more reliable as the LCP.

I bit the bullet about a month ago and starting carrying an Airlite in 22LR. It has Crimson Trace grips that turn on automatically. I carry a Mini Mag in 22LR as a backup. My wife has the same setup. We both used to carry P32's but don't anymore...but that's a whole other story. With the Airlite & CT grips we both are able to quarter sized groups from 7 yards firing fairly quickly.

I'm asking now because I guess I'm seeking validation for carrying 22LR again, except this time it is in the form of an ultra-reliable 10.5 oz revolver that holds 8 rounds. It was a toss up between the 22 Mag & the 22 LR. I really should stop second guessing myself.

 

[MedWheeler]

This thread is already straying from the OP's question.


To stay on thread-topic, I don't carry a .22LR, but I will never disparage the determined person who does and knows how to use it. Many a bad guy has been captured, driven off, or disabled by the lowly rimfire. There are few who would soldier on with an attack against a well-executed rimfire defense, but cease to be a threat when countered with a centerfire one. Most of us live lifestyles that, combined with "condition-yellow" awareness, will never allow us to come into contact with any of them.

There have been times I've grabbed my PT-22 and headed out, but I also have a Kel-Tec P32, which is even smaller and easier to conceal. So, those times were simply because the Taurus was the one already out of lock-up.

When I have carried it, I was no more nervous than when I carry the P32, or my most-often-carried PF9.

 

[splattergun]

I carry a NAA .22wmr/22 sometimes. My daughter carries a .22lr revolver. Why? Because I haven't talked her into a getting a .38 LCR. Yet.

 

[tpelle]

In my experience , the biggest issue with ANY rimfire cartridge for self defense is the unreliability of the ignition system.

Unlike a centerfire cartridge where the process of getting the priming compound into the primer cup is better controlled, and is subject to quality control, a rimfire cartridge simply has the semi-liquid priming compound dropped into the empty case, and the case is then spun, which distributes the compound out into the formed rim. There is no good way to inspect it to see if there are voids.

When you fire the cartridge and the firing pin crushes the rim, if there happens to be a void at that particular spot, then you get a click instead of a bang. A second strike won't set the cartridge off either. You can remove the cartridge and re-insert it with it "clocked" a little differently and then it will fire.

I've had this happen often enough that I know it's not a fluke.

In well over 40 years of shooting I've NEVER had a centerfire cartridge fail to fire.

Now, I agree that I wouldn't want to get shot with a 22,and that in all but the most extreme situations it would give an attacker something more pressing to do than continue his bad behavior, but I just can't get past the fundamental reliability of the ammo.

(Next time you're at an outdoor range, look around on the ground and I'll bet you can find at least one rimfire cartridge with a strong primer hit but with the bullet still in place.)