Am I just delusional

357smallbore

357smallbore

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Joined
Feb 14, 2015
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898
Location
Leavenworth KS
I love all types of guns. I own many different calibers in auto and revolver. Revolvers are my absolute favorite though. I prefer a 357 magnum over anything else. I've been a shooter since 81 and the love affair is stronger than ever.
Here's my take on something that some may think controversial. I'm a huge fan of the 22 WMR in a 4in revolver. I have a High Standard Sentinel MK-IV in 22 WMR. It holds 9 rounds.I carry this from time to time as my CCW weapon. It's light and carries well, it's very accurate, no real recoil to speak of. As for dependability, if I shoot 500 rds of CCI out of it, I may have one ftf.
I believe if I had to use to defend myself, I could end the threat with this caliber and gun. I have many friends that agree, and many that say it won't stop an attacker. I know it's not a first choice caliber, I am just saying I believe 9 rds of 22 WMR would end the threat if I can do my part.
I can empty the cylinder at 5yrds in less than 3 seconds accurately on a B-34 target. I think a bad guy would have a very bad day.
Anyone think I am just overly fond of a caliber and gun that really won't do the job?
 
If you shoot a revolvers, or a certain revolver, better than any auto, then choosing one for SD/HD is perfectly reasonable.
If it's just for nostalgia, then maybe not so much.

I would rather play with and gaze at my wheelguns all day long, but it's just a fact that I shoot polystriker-wondernines just as well or better, and they have clear weight and capacity advantages, so it's plastic fantastics on my hip (most of the time).
 
Not my 1st, 2nd, 3rd, even 4th choice-don't even own one-but beats feet, fist and foul language. In No Second Place Winner Bill Jordan wrote that an S&W J-frame lightweight in 22 WMR would be an ideal backup gun. And in SD only the hits count.
I have see a number of videos in which a BG is shot with a less than optimum round, screams, runs away-and keels over.
IIRC there was a case in Chicago-?-in which an elderly woman achieved a one shot stop- hit the BG in the throat with a 22.
 
357smallbore said:
I am just saying I believe 9 rds of 22 WMR would end the threat if I can do my part.
Click to expand...
A .22 mag will work. Not a "bad" choice, although I would not feel "comfortable" with it. !!! However, an encounter might be very different from what one has trained for, imagines or expects. Just keep in mind how easy it is to miss under stress, so you may have less than nine rounds on target. Counting on the range always being five yards can't be counted on, I'd suggest practicing at 15 to 25 yards, and see how you group. Run a couple laps first so you are not all calm and steady. Then consider your target may be a moving target. Or multiple targets. Many assaults/robberies/jackings or "I just don't like your race, creed, or color", involve "teams" of two or more assailants. Then you no longer have nine rounds. Only 4.5 (each) for two guys trying to kill you. Of course, that is true for any caliber, but it may come into play as far as bigger may be better. If it takes nine rounds to get a single hit at longer range, then one might want a little more smackdown from that one, or maybe two hits.

For sure, if the BG stands still five yards away, he's going to have a bad day. But if he and his homie are ten yards away, moving, or shooting at you, etc., or you get sucker punched first, and become disoriented, that changes the game.

Just a thought, not a judgement. :)
 
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Carry whatever you're comfortable with, can draw quickly, and shoot well.

Just drawing it will likely stop an attack. If you shoot someone once, they will probably stop attacking you.

If they're just determined to kill you and don't care if they die (because you hurt their family member or stole from them or whatever), they'll keep coming until you get a lucky CNS hit or they bleed out.

People don't open fire on you from long distance unless they're assassinating you because it's personal (or business). That's not how you mug someone.

You will not be attacked by "crazed 300 pound meth heads". I see the meth heads every day. They're sick and dirty and homeless and weigh about 100 pounds.

I still don't carry a 22 for SD, but other people do and seem happy enough with it.
 
NIGHTLORD40K said:
If you shoot a revolvers, or a certain revolver, better than any auto, then choosing one for SD/HD is perfectly reasonable.
If it's just for nostalgia, then maybe not so much.

I would rather play with and gaze at my wheelguns all day long, but it's just a fact that I shoot polystriker-wondernines just as well or better, and they have clear weight and capacity advantages, so it's plastic fantastics on my hip (most of the time).
Click to expand...
This x 2
 
357smallbore said:
I have a High Standard Sentinel MK-IV in 22 WMR. It holds 9 rounds.I carry this from time to time as my CCW weapon.
I believe if I had to use to defend myself, I could end the threat with this caliber and gun. I have many friends that agree, and many that say it won't stop an attacker.
Click to expand...
An attacker sounds singular, entertain the possibility of more than one.
357smallbore said:
I know it's not a first choice caliber,
Click to expand...
Is it the only one you have?
If you have better options why carry one you know is not first choice; the goal is stopping attacker(s) hopefully before they can inflict injury or death onto you.
357smallbore said:
I am just saying I believe 9 rds of 22 WMR would end the threat if I can do my part.
I can empty the cylinder at 5yrds in less than 3 seconds accurately on a B-34 target. I think a bad guy would have a very bad day.
Anyone think I am just overly fond of a caliber and gun that really won't do the job?
Click to expand...
That reads like the possibility of needing all 9 rounds to stop a singular threat is somehow deemed as acceptable.
B-34 target is 20x24"- potential for hits that are not quickly incapacitating and misses. (Plus that 20x24 target ain't moving or shooting back)
If the bad guy(s) are not incapacitated before they can inflict injury or death they ain't the only one(s) having a very bad day.

I believe that one should always try to carry the handgun (of the options they have available) that gives them the best odds of successfully defending themself.
 
Chances are you will never need to draw your firearm.
Chances are if you do, that alone will deter attacker(s).
Chances are if it doesn't, one solid hit will end the encounter.
Chances are if it one hit doesn't, more hits may do it.

But as wise men say, it's not the odds but the stakes.

I sometimes carry my KelTec PMR 30 when out in the woods or doing chores around the place. I don't feel underarmed if I were to encounter a human miscreant. That said, my usual EDC is a micro 9 11+1 with an extra mag.
 
I carry a Glock 17 so that tells you where I stand. But my wife shoots her 22 revolver better than her other, bigger caliber revolvers (due to health reasons). I don’t mind that she carries eight rounds of 22 vs five rounds of 38 Special. At least she carries and if all goes well she’ll be back on her game soon and carry a more effective caliber.
 
Tallball said:
People don't open fire on you from long distance unless they're assassinating you because it's personal (or business). That's not how you mug someone.
Click to expand...
That would be true 99% of the time, and I agree with your entire post, but I'll still say one must expect the unexpected, and never say "never". The are quite a few recorded shootings, on camera, where once the shooting starts, distance opens up to 15-25 yards. If someone is shooting at you, at 25, you would want to return fire. Just can't say: "it can't happen", or "don't" happen.

Where you work, live and play makes a difference. I live eight miles from a small town. I know it well, and worked there for about 14 years. Kind of like Mayberry, but with a highly competent police department. I'd feel perfectly fine with the OP's pistol when going there to shop, visit, or for any reason. I can make assumptions as to what does and doesn't happen, what bad-guys "don't" do etc. When I go to town I sometimes just carry my five shot .44special. On the other hand, I'm 22 miles from a medium sized metropolis, with plenty of homie-G's gang-bangers and crack heads. If I have to go there to shop, or whatever, I'm packing much heavier artillery. I make no assumptions as to what the BG's in the city do and don't do, or will or won't do.

So, if the OP is not going to stupid places, at stupid times, (to quote John Correia) I agree, if he's competent with the .22Mag, he's good.
 
357smallbore said:
I love all types of guns. I own many different calibers in auto and revolver. Revolvers are my absolute favorite though. I prefer a 357 magnum over anything else. I've been a shooter since 81 and the love affair is stronger than ever.
Here's my take on something that some may think controversial. I'm a huge fan of the 22 WMR in a 4in revolver. I have a High Standard Sentinel MK-IV in 22 WMR. It holds 9 rounds.I carry this from time to time as my CCW weapon. It's light and carries well, it's very accurate, no real recoil to speak of. As for dependability, if I shoot 500 rds of CCI out of it, I may have one ftf.
I believe if I had to use to defend myself, I could end the threat with this caliber and gun. I have many friends that agree, and many that say it won't stop an attacker. I know it's not a first choice caliber, I am just saying I believe 9 rds of 22 WMR would end the threat if I can do my part.
I can empty the cylinder at 5yrds in less than 3 seconds accurately on a B-34 target. I think a bad guy would have a very bad day.
Anyone think I am just overly fond of a caliber and gun that really won't do the job?
Click to expand...
A .22WMR in the hand beats a .45 ACP in the safe.

I have a 4" Colt Trooper MKIII in .22 WMR and it is a fantastic shooter.
 
357smallbore said:
Anyone think I am just overly fond of a caliber and gun that really won't do the job?
Click to expand...
Nope.

Carry what you shoot best and are most comfortable with.

A .22 in the gut is going to have the vast majority of criminals reconsidering their chosen profession.

If you were to bump into a marauding band of looters, high on angel dust, you will likely find yourself wishing you had chosen a different firearm.

For those who are not tactical bros wasting time on that delusional fantasy, a .22 magnum will likely work just fine.

Don't let a bunch of knuckleheads on the Internet talk you into something you are not comfortable with.
 
The gun the poster described "Was" one of my favorites for just what he described. How I let it get away in the mid 80's is just another example of my short sightedness.
"Oh, I'll get another one" dream on............
 
I honestly can't think of a good reason to carry one. If recoil is the issue, there are .32s and .38s with very low recoil that should still be much more effective. If weight is the issue, there are plenty of lighter guns that pack more punch. Capacity? Nope. Accuracy? Nope. Reliability? Nope.

People do as they like and it's not my business. And I firmly believe that almost no one is ever going to really need a gun, and that those of us in the tiny minority will almost certainly then be served by merely having a gun. If push comes to shove, though, I personally would prefer to have almost any other gun.
 
If you need a hammer but have a favorite set of pliers do you use the pliers instead? A gunfight isn't a game and most people are not going to be quite as steady as they would like to be. You may be crack shot with that revolver but what if you have already been hit? Can you deal with the adrenalin dump that is sure to be coming? I don't understand why people handicap themselves when it comes to saving their own lives or that of another. You need the proper tool to do the job.
 
No matter what gun you use, it's not as important as shot placement. Any bullet in the right place will do the job. Any bullet in the wrong place is of much less value.

And for those who plan to aim for center mass, it's worth noting that that's where people wear body armor.
 
I've a NAA .22 mag. mini-revolver or whatever they're called. It's something I drop in my pocket when fiddling about the house or work-shed.

Why? If some nut or felon kicks a door, I'll fire the puppy at the intruder while running to get a real weapon. I've some itty-bitty .32 revolvers that serve the same purpose. I'm just NOT going to carry a full-sized auto or revolver about the house -- any of them would be a bother. I'm old / retired. I'm lazy. I'm no longer fleet-of-foot.

The .22 mag even out of this non-barrel will go through a pressure-treated 2" x 4" and leave a nasty splintered hole out the back of the board. I'd not want to get hit with that. And, it is LOUD -- "make your ears ring" loud, sounds like a .38 Special. It's SOOOOOO small that it takes up no space in a pocket when I'm about the house.

I would NOT carry a .22 mag as a primary defense weapon, however. Felons and nut-cases are not easy to drop, let's just face it. When doped-up to the max, they're feeling no pain. Ask any seasoned cop who's had to subdue monsters in human form. ( I feel so sorry for these officers. Raising their pay is something I'd be all-for, even if it meant a bump in my taxes. I'd not do their job. I'd lose my temper on day 3 and get fired. Bang, bang bang, "Stop or I'll shoot." ... in that order ).
.
 
Interesting topic here; and one that I have often wondered about. Defensive carry for me is usually something like 38 Spl., or 357 Magnum in a revolver, or 9mm in a Glock 19. But I often carry a Ruger Single Six Convertible in the woods with the 22 Magnum cylinder in it. So I naturally start to wonder "what if ?" it were needed for a self defense situation. I know 22 Mag. is considered marginal or even less so for defensive uses, but I'd sure hate to be on the receiving end of one. I'm no ballistics expert but I have chronographed a lot of 22 Mag. ammo from the 5.5" barrel of that Single Six. With all the collective knowledge available here on THR, I will post some of the 22 Mag. data from the chronograph to show average bullet velocity and bullet weight and some of you folks with ballistics programs might be able to come up with some data on their effectiveness? Inquiring minds would like to know.
1. CCI Gamepoint 40 Gr. JSP: Avg. 1451 FPS
2. Federal Small Game 50 Gr. JHP: Avg. 1169 FPS
3. Hornady 30 Gr. V-Max: Avg. 1722 FPS
Certainly more potent than regular 22LR ammo, most of which is something like a 40 gr. bullet and runs somewhere in the 1100 FPS range from that same gun. But how much more power with the 22 Mag.?, in relation to a self defense scenario. Thanks in advance .
 
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