Truth be told, when I venture into NH onto some pretty deep and remote trails I carry my Ruger Sp101 in my front pocket (have NH non-res LTC). Its a bit heavy but fits well either in my cargo pants front pocket or my Uncle Mike's holster. Point is that when I'm in remote territory I don't know very well my choice of carry changes accordingly. I guess its my Boy Scout training, "Be prepared."
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How effective is a .22 magnum?
- Thread starter 87seph
- Start date
At point blank range any projectile, heck, any weapon can be lethal.
I've read 3+ pages. Just thought I had .02 cents to add in. Eddie made some great points, Springer also understands the .22WMR. It carries more energy than a .32 at distance. I can attest to its stopping power and long range capability. The Israeli Army uses both .22lr and .22 mag for short range urban sniping, that says allot. In NY (my Hometown) .22lr and .22 Mag are the choice of enforcers. So both a Military and some wise guys trust it. They gotta know something! Carry what you feel comfortable with, or what you can afford. Just make sure you are proficient w/ your choice. I carry .380 or 9x18. JP
I think there's a caveate here. The key words are Military and some wise guys. There's a distinction between using the 22LR in an offensive role versus a defensive one. All of the examples you gave were on the offensive side. In that role, I think the 22LR (never mind the .22 mag) can be very servicable, especially if stealth and assassination is the intended purpose. The target is often unaware and shots are generally well placed and aimed.
In a defensive scenario, well placed and aimed shots are a rarity. The target would be aware of you, hopped up on adrenline, and on the move. Cops and armed citizens on the streets are invariably always on the defensive side. You'd need something a bit more powerful. I will concede having a .22 is better than nothing, but I would never view it as a viable defensive option.
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MagnumAl
NES Member
J frame .38. Light, easy and used for a long, long time. Others have said it...shot placement and controlability aren't necessarily within the defenders control if one is under violent assault. I have a .45 I use for most carry, ppk 44 charter or 38 j frame for different situations (or moods). I used to carry a .25, before I learned the little bit I know so far.
Cooper said " a.22 to the tear duct stops more decisevly than a 9 to the wishbone.
Jordan was also instrumental to the development of the .44mag.![[wink]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/002.gif "Wink [wink]")
Jordan had nothing to do with the .44 magnum. He championed the Model 19 in .357. Elmer Keith and Phil Sharpe pioneered the .44 mag. Jordan may have liked it for sport but said many times in print it was too much for police work.
John
How many people here actualy shot someone with any thing .
true if you shoot someone with a canon it qwill do a better job than a small
mouse gun .Having said that and from what I have read,90 % of people who are shot
go down quite rapidly it phycological the remainder do not seem to stop
regardless of call unless they have a vital organ hit
Aim is every thing ,keep practicing let instinct take over in the event you are in a bad situation.You will react as you have practiced .
I have a 9mm 92fs large for carry ,85 fs I carry and a 351 pd I carry
All three guns are lethal I have also never shot any body and I hope I will never have to
I do practice a lot though.
true if you shoot someone with a canon it qwill do a better job than a small
mouse gun .Having said that and from what I have read,90 % of people who are shot
go down quite rapidly it phycological the remainder do not seem to stop
regardless of call unless they have a vital organ hit
Aim is every thing ,keep practicing let instinct take over in the event you are in a bad situation.You will react as you have practiced .
I have a 9mm 92fs large for carry ,85 fs I carry and a 351 pd I carry
All three guns are lethal I have also never shot any body and I hope I will never have to
I do practice a lot though.
If all you can conceal is a 22Mag then by all means do so. It is going to be better than pepper spray or trying to punch someone. Having any gun is better than no gun at all. Obviously a larger caliber is almost always more effective, but in a SHTF situation whatever you can effectively carry is worth having.
Kenny
Kenny
dwarven1
Lonely Mountain Arms
Never heard of an AMT AutoMag II? Nice little gun.
strangenh
NES Member
+1!
Plus there was the Grendel P30 (Kel-tec's prior incarnation), and ugly but apparently reliable gun. Allegedly (and I mean I read this someplace I don't recall), the long straight cartridge, pressure variability, and rimfire ignition mean the 22mag is hard to make reliable in semi-auto handgun.
Have no personal experience with shooting a person (thankfully). Over the years, have read several articles on the usage of either .22 LR or .22 Mag as defense. These articles stated that a .22 hitting something like the rib cage, will bounce and become like a "buzz saw", the carome taking out internal organs. Can't say....just don't know for sure.
Am thinking of a face shot with a .22. The frontal cheekbones should act like a backstop. The round "should" follow the bone up into the eye, and therefore the brain. Similar to hitting a windshield...a round may not penetrate, but will be deflected upwards.
Picked up a S&W 617 for my wife for her birthday. She has Arthritis in her fingers and a semi is out of the question...in any caliber. Does not have the finger strength to pull the slide. Have been working with her for a couple of months and she can now keep double-action groups to a face-size target at 32 feet. Will soon be bringing in a man-size target to 7-8 yds....but only when she can consistently hit the "pasters" I've had her using.
Grin, my own preference is either .45 ACP or .45 LC...that's me. She has to work within her own capabilities. I think by the time all is said and done, she will be deadly with the 617. She dry fires and practices at home with snap caps and takes it very seriously. Yup....I'm proud of her.
As an aside, a lot of "hit men" used .22 as their weapon of choice. Guess what I'm saying is....don't sell the .22 short....either in LR or WMR.
dwarven1
Lonely Mountain Arms
You may want to have her look at the 317 for concealed carry. Basically an airweight J-frame .22. Got some noticeable recoil since it's so light, but not too bad.
She doesn't have a LTC. Had her try my 686 and 625 Mountain Gun. They made her skittish and she doesn't like the ramp sights. She is taking well to the 617, loves the Partridge front, and gets better each week. She spends a lot of time dry firing with snap caps so I know she's serious. Who knows? At some point in the future I may be able to move her into a larger caliber. Time will tell.
dwarven1
Lonely Mountain Arms
I only mention it as a potential possibility. Good luck to your wife in the future with her shooting. (in case I haven't mentioned it, I have a 617 myself - 10 shot cylinder. I also found a speedloader for it; great little design, and a great gun, too)
Anybody that feels a .22 mag is going to be ineffective, lets get a lawyer to write up a real good disclaimer and put a few into somebody. What, you don't think that's a good idea? Exactly my point. Nobody wants to be shot with anything, .45,.40,.380,.32,.25,or a.22. Any way you look at it it's going to hurt like a bitch. Unless your attacker has been smoking PCP for the past few hours, chances are he is going down purely out of shock, not "stopping power". Once most anybody realizes they have bullet holes in their chest they are going to go into shock, no questions asked. Heart rate will go up along with the blood pouring out of them. I want to see somebody stay calm after being shot a few times, unless it's in your head in which case you are likely to go to sleep permanently. Seriously, in most circumstances being shot with anything will calm somebody down real quick. I have seen somebody shoot themself in the leg with MY 22 revolver. They were a little excited to say the least, and dropped instantly. If it had been in the chest, I will bet the result would be even better. Don't count out anything that is going to rip a hole in you unless you have already taken a bullet from it. My guess is a .22 mag is going to stop most anybody, no questions asked. Pepper spray has been proven effective in most cases, and that looks like fun compared to a bullet.
Kenny
Kenny
Trooper Mark Coates was killed by a NAA chambered in .22 long rifle. His death was captured on video, and is the subject of a few police officer safety lessons.
A well placed shot can kill anyone, but in a self defense shooting you want them to stop. If you shoot them in the heart and they die a week later, that doesn't do you any good at 3 a.m. in your bedroom when he has an axe and keeps fighting.
I'd trust my life to a little caliber if it was my only choice, but go as big as you can if you have the option.
A well placed shot can kill anyone, but in a self defense shooting you want them to stop. If you shoot them in the heart and they die a week later, that doesn't do you any good at 3 a.m. in your bedroom when he has an axe and keeps fighting.
I'd trust my life to a little caliber if it was my only choice, but go as big as you can if you have the option.
While it would hardly be any sane person's first choice, the .22 magnum is extremely underrated. It's superior to .25acp (James Bond's first choice) in both muzzle energy and momentum. Its muzzle energy also beats the .380. My preferred choice for self defense involves heavy artillery and air support.
Ken
Ken
dwarven1
Lonely Mountain Arms
Do you have a link for the sight you put on it? I'm curious to see what it looks like.
strangenh
NES Member
Yeah, it completely kicks the .25ACP's ass... out of pretty much any length barrel. .25ACP is really anemic.
We've covered this territory before in this thread:
http://northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=461130&postcount=54
Most of the velocity numbers for 22WMR are out of rifle barrels. But 22WMR - even CCI's TNT - is not more energetic than .380 out of a handgun. 30gr TNT does 1600fps from a 6" revolver (about 232 joules ME) according to CCI, and has been clocked at 1265fps from a snubbie (145 joules ME, see link in linked post).
Speer's .380 Gold Dot is about 294 joules ME in a 3.75" barrel.
