another .22 LR question

[.22 LR]

not sure if this is the right place, but i have read around and not got a solid answer as to how deadly a .22 rifle really is

now i know enough that you wouldn't want to use it as home defense, but i go to the desert often and racing events and bring it with me (rifle i bought at K-mart in early 90's) currently i have AR tactical copper plated 40 grain round nose bullets.

i hope i never have to but being a semi-auto how close would this gun have to be to stop a human??

again sorry if this is not the right place.

 

[Agsalaska]

It is often said that more people are killed in the US by 22lr every year than any other caliber. I have no idea if that is true or not but, if its not, I bet it is close.

I can rather easily hit a coke can out well past 100 yards with my 60 year old 121 The Fieldmaster. Pretty sure that would stop someone.

 

[rcmodel]

+1

Don't let the Internet commandos convince you a .22 LR is not a deadly weapon.

I have personally killed coyotes past 100 yards with one more then once.

And even Attila The Hun would fall down and croak on your living room rug if you dumped a 10-round mag of .22 LR HS solids in his chest at 50 feet.

As well his henchmen would, if you dumped a mag on them & their horses at 100 yards and hit just a few of them in all the right places.


It might not kill them all instantly.
But it will stop the charge and make them re-think the plan a little I betcha!

Given a choice in a deadly gunfight?

I'd settle for a .30 cal battle rifle.

But if a .22 was all I had?

It beats a rock or a sharp stick in the eye by about 1000%!

rc

 

[BullfrogKen]

Deadly? Sure.

But the flu and basic infections have killed a much larger portion of the population than firearms ever will.

Stop. Maybe. But I wouldn't want to pin my hopes on it.

 

[.22 LR]

thats just my concern is how many bullets it would take to stop a grown man in his tracks

 

[wgaynor]

Some act as if the .22lr will bounce off of shirts and jeans. A quick trip to the range with some old clothes will prove otherwise.

Others will state that the .22lr will only leave a shallow cavity. Shooting into some phone books will prove otherwise (not saying it will penetrate as much as my .44 magnum).

Regardless, I believe that a mag full of .22lr will stop MOST threats. Truth is, there is not a gun out there to stop all threats. Somebody hopped up on Bath Salts or PCP will keep coming until you put one through their noodle.

Personally, I feel fine with .22lr. I feel good with my 44 magnum. I feel great with my .30-.30.

 

[BullfrogKen]

How many? As many as it takes.

These aren't scientific equations. People have been shot in the head with worse, continued to fight, and even survived such wounds.

 

[.22 LR]

mine holds around 15 or something? so i guess it depends on the situation your are right, my 22 rifle is the only gun i have besides my dads 30-06 witch is un-avaliable to get a hold of so im stuck with this

 

[Tomcat47]

What is the model of the rifle you have... I am curious?

We all love gun pics here on THR as well.

And I will add this as part of the answer to your question. A 22 is a powerful small cartridge and very accurate in most rifles.

A rock also is lethal as well if used as a defensive tool, there is a story about a Kid, A rock And a giant... the giant loses! The Kid was very good with a rock!

Both a .22 rifle and a rock are inanimate objects requiring human interaction and usually training to be lethal, however both can also produce harm if used carelessly or negligently.

 

[BullfrogKen]

Stuck with?

What's stopping you from buying another gun? You can have more than one, ya know.

 

[mljdeckard]

(We do this all the time.)

I would not use it. All handgun rounds suck. Even fired from a rifle, a .22 is not great. It produces minimal penetration, little cavity trauma, and unpredictable paths when it hits a human target. (When I was in high school, a friend of mine got hit below the front right-side ribs, the exit wound was below the BACK right-side ribs, after traveling around the outside of the skin.)

If I HAD to use it, I would dump as many center of mass as possible. My 1911 conversion uses 15 rd magazines, I would see how fast I could crank 15 stingers into the target. (Try it sometime, it's fun anyway.) Then guys argue over HP or solid, and I really think they are splitting hairs. Solids MAY penetrate further, but HPs will likely fragment and cause more carnage. I really think that the end result is best either way by hitting as many times, as fast as possible.

 

[.22 LR]

i will maybe buy more when i get some extra money, not really a big gun person only bought this to shoot in the desert but here it is

 

[tyeo098]

Get a few water bottles set up on a birm.

Shoot them with solid rounds, the bullets go though and water leaks out. Lame.

Shoot them with HP rounds. Even at the lower 22 velocity it still has enough energy to rupture the bottle and splash water everywhere with a magnificent show.

Humans are 90% water.

The only issue is ribcage penetration.

 

[mljdeckard]

I bought a CMMG upper receiver chambered in .22 to go on top of my AR. Best of both worlds.

 

[BullfrogKen]

I'd have concerns over it's reliability in a semi-auto.

The rate of misfires, feeding, and ejection hiccups are much higher than centerfire rounds.

 

[J-Bar]

Placement is paramount. Every day in packing houses I see cattle weighing over 1000 lbs and swine weighing over 500 lbs dropped with a single .22 round between the eyes. Not saying it is a good choice for defense, but even an imprecisely placed head shot should be distracting, if you can make it.

 

[.22 LR]

i am sure that doesn't apply to a human does it? lol

 

[Rom828]

Not my first choice in a gunfight but I feel well protected when all I'm packing is a 22lr. Lot's of folks been killed with them. One or two in the lungs or in the melon will change someones attitude. It's all about proficiency and tactics.

 

[.22 LR]

that's what i have been wanting to hear, if one or how ever many hit someone in the dome or chest what would the outcome be

 

[jhb]

Shot placement. A woman killed a brown bear with a single shot .22lr rifle. She hit it in the eye and went into the brain. Point is shot placement won and does everytime. Bigger calibers allow for poorer shot placement and bigger holes and faster blood loss, etc. Either way a .22lr rifle is a fine weapon and tool. I've seen white tails taken with it many times when shot placement was on target. Granted they were florida white tails so really goats with antlers or so a texas fellow told me once. So those fellows on the internet who tell you a .22lr will bounce off a deers skin are way off from reality. That said I've seen it but do not recommend it....proper hunting requires proper caliber within laws and such, but these were old florida boys in the swamp, and they kinda do what they want. Plus most are rleated to the county sheriff and most of the elected officials and game wardens, so the old good old boys mentality overrides all else, like it or not.

Anyways a .22lr rifle is a fine round and will get the job done with proper shot placement. I prefer larhr calibers myself for defense or hunting, but never underestimate the .22lr round its hung around for a reason.

 

[.22 LR]

does the type of bullet play a big roll? like hallow point vs round nose vs others or something?

 

[Clippers]

When my wife was looking for a conceal gun she thought she might want a 22 semi-auto, but changed her mind and found a 38 revolver. It was interesting to me though that when we were looking at 22's a salesman told her that you don't want a 22 because he knew a guy that was shot with one and then was calm enough to smoke a cigarette on the way to the hospital. Well when we got back into the truck my wife asked me what I thought and I told her that I've always thought that a 38 was a lot better carry gun but a 22 would be better than nothing. Then I told her that I could gaurantee that the guy that was shot by the 22 was'nt shot between the eyes. Whether you're shooting a big or small caliber, shot placement is critical.

 

[Tomcat47]

Ah! A Marlin model 60 .... Got a few of those myself! Shoot Good Ammo in it such as CCI Stinger or CCI Mini Mag..

The Marlin 60's do very well with good ammo and keep it clean after an outing... never a problem! Mine has never jammed with quality ammo. The dirtier bulk ammo after a while will produce some problems in my experience, so I just do not use it in my model 60's at all. A typical outing to the range is about 100-200 rounds and I keep it clean.

While your question was about it being able to stop a Human attacker, the answer is yes it can! It is obviously convoluted by terminal ballistics, but keep in mind the fact remains that leaking is leaking..... which sends the body into shock! Stingers are nasty little rounds at close range, where self defense occurs! (Not 100 yards)

While .22 may not be the optimum choice in self defense, it still out shadows a rock! and in a Model 60 capable of firing 14 rounds, and in a rifle platform offers some quick accuracy.

Some may not agree with (my opinion), but would be (their opinion). Many have perished at the reception of a .22 round through history, be it from war or just violence in the world... And it is well known many deer have perished from a .22 LR ....those are facts.

The CCI Velocitor is a .22 to be reckoned with when considering Hnting with the .22 LR. (IMO) this is the top for longer range hunting!

Here is info on Velocitors:
http://www.cci-ammunition.com/products/detail.aspx?use=2&loadNo=0047

 

[.22 LR]

has anyone had any experience with the AR tactical 22 LR copper plated round nose 40 grain?

 

[rcmodel]

a salesman told her that you don't want a 22 because he knew a guy that was shot with one and then was calm enough to smoke a cigarette on the way to the hospital.

About 50 years ago here in town, an old local cop friend on a domestic violence call on a guy with a butcher knife in his kitchen.
He shot him right between the eyes with a 158 grain RN .38 Special out of a S&W Model 10.

The bullet ricocheted off the guys forehead and shot out the ceiling light.

Then my friend was wrestling the bleeding BG in the totally dark kitchen, while his irate wife was beating my old cop friend over the back with a broom!

It came out good, with both arrested, and nobody was killed or really seriously wounded.
Other then the BG, who had to part his hair a little different direction after the scalp wound healed up and he got out prison.

My thinking is, a mag dump in the chest from something as simple as a 10/22 would have resulted in a DRT drunk husband with a dropped butcher knife, right there on the dirty floor.
Pretty soon, if not way sooner then the single .38 Special.

rc