Self Defense .22

[tom_92673]

Would anyone recommend a .22 auto for self defense for a woman afraid of recoil?

My boss, who I took shooting hates recoil and almost threw my ruger 9mm down the lane after her first shot. She then tried a Mark II and was very comfortable.

Should I recommend a .22 auto or try and get her past her fear of recoil?

If .22, how about the Walther?

[Danield]

[MudCamper]

<taser image>

My only problem with a Taser is that it's only got one shot. If you miss, or encounter multiple thugs, you're SOL.

[postal]

Keep her practicing on the 22 until she's used to it, and get her back on the 9mm or 38 revolver.

Would never recommend 22 for SD though it can have it's place.

[movie zombie]

the .22 is better than nothing.........and the .22 kills more people each year than any other caliber as i was told by a santa clara sheriff. if she gets one and likes it, she'll want to step up to a .38 on her own: just make sure she doesn't pick up one of the light weights to try first!

movie zombie

[Danield]

My only problem with a Taser is that it's only got one shot. If you miss, or encounter multiple thugs, you're SOL.

good point.

[rkt88edmo]

.22lr do get used successfully - but usually because the bad guy gives up at the sight or sound of a gun. If you have a committed attacker .22lr is better than nothing but not what I would consider a "minimum acceptable" option.

Once she shoots more - if she is committed to a SD handgun she should talk to a trainer and they may have a better chance of convincing her than you.

[Teletiger7]

the .22 is better than nothing.........and the .22 kills more people each year than any other caliber as i was told by a santa clara sheriff. if she gets one and likes it, she'll want to step up to a .38 on her own: just make sure she doesn't pick up one of the light weights to try first!

movie zombie

The thing about people getting killed with .22 is that sometimes it takes days for the infection from the gunshot to actually kill them and in the mean time they could still be trying to hurt you. Of course thy may stop attacking you if its a CNS shot or the noise/gun in hand thing intimidates them. But as mentioned above get them use to recoil of .22 then once they learn good technique and grip the 9 shouldn't be too much of a step up.

[RomanDad]

I have a NAA 22WMR revolver for my CCW when im wearing swim trunks (which I wear just about ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, for about 8 months of the year) and can't carry something heavier...

Theres a lot of talk about "Anything less than .38 is no good for self defense". Thats a GREAT rule for cops who's job description involves taking bad people into custody, thus increasing the chance that they will get into full fledged gun fights to complete that job....

But my experience is : 1. people dont want to get shot by ANY caliber gun and will likely run away when the firearm is PRESENTED, let alone fired. 2. If I have to shoot, I will be VERY close to the bad guy, and I can really pick my target.... If Im more than a few yards away from him, my best bet is probably LEAVING THE AREA. 3. If I do have to shoot, I will not be chasing him down to take him into custody... I will be running in the opposite direction until Im safe. 4. If Im in a mass shooting incident, my goal is to empty my gun into the bad guy and then jump on top of him, beating him to submission, which I should have no problem doing if he already has 5 rounds of 22WMR in his chest, with the subsequent loss of blood pressure. This last is really the nightmare scenario, and about as likely as being hit by lightning while riding a unicycle, and at that point, all bets are off anyway.. Its fight or die, and I probably wont be ALONE in kicking the crap out of him. Given these assumptions for me, ANY caliber is probably good enough for a carry gun- The issue becomes concealibility and shot placement.

For home defense where concealment isnt an issue, I would definitely recommend something HEAVIER. (like a .410 shotgun and low-recoil oo buck- Any woman can learn to handle a good .410...)

[jimbo1747]

A .22 does have a place in self-defense, but I would go with a revolver rather than a autoloader. As you well know, misfires with .22 rimfire ammo is much more common than with centerfire cartridges. With a revolver, if you have a misfire, you just pull the trigger again to get to the next cylinder, rather than messing around with the slide on an auto.

If it was me, I'd get a 4" S&W Model 617 which has a 10 shot cylinder. Then I'd load it up with some good hyper-velocity ammo like Stingers or maybe that Quik-Shok stuff?

[-hanko]

Would anyone recommend a .22 auto for self defense for a woman afraid of recoil?

Should I recommend a .22 auto or try and get her past her fear of recoil?

If .22, how about the Walther?

I'd recommend a .22 as better than paintball and airsoft...she needs to be close as well as a good shot under extreme pressure.

I'd agree with the revolver as a starter...no safety, no cocking, etc.

Whatever you recommend, take her to a good range and rent a few different guns for a while...she'll know which is most comfortable. Internet rumor sometimes says Walther's have a heavy slide spring...hard to charge. Some women may have to practice a lot just racking the slide...upper body strength thing. SHMBO has no trouble with a 1911 set up for +p and beyond, but she worked at it pretty regularly before it became natural.

.22 to a lightly loaded 9mm or .38spl seems logical...you're still with a caliber with very light recoil and a weapon with a smaller grip.

hth

-hanko

[sloguy]

a 22lr penetrates between 9 and 14 inches in gelatin. it is not the useless pop gun people keep badmouthing it to be.

think of it this way, a round of 00 buckshot has 9 pellets. the ruger has 10 shots. a 22lr pistol is like having a round of 12 gauge that you can meter out the buckshot pellet at a time. and with practice you can swap magazines with a ruger really fast.

the 22lr is perfectly adequate. if it isnt, you need to work on shot placement. sure, bigger badder calibers are good but if they dont connect with the badguy then they are useless.

if the girl is comfy with 22lr, let her use it. the important thing is that she have confidence in what shes doing, and that shes actually training with what she has. down the road she might opt for a larger caliber but for now, if shes shooting and likes doing it then its already a success.

[sloguy]

Then I'd load it up with some good hyper-velocity ammo like Stingers or maybe that Quik-Shok stuff?

not quick shock!!!! that penetrates less than 5 inches in gelatin. remember the stuff about glaser not penetrating enough? you dont want a 22lr that wounds 1/3 as deep as the regular ammo.

[trinydex]

why not put snap caps into the mags so she learns not to throw the gun? i had to do this for my friend... i guess not everyone can be so into guns that they want to dryfire.

[50BMGBOB]

A small hit is better than a big miss. Get her the 22. TAKE HER SHOOTING. After she shoots a while maybe she will be ready for a bigger gun but she will have the 22 for now and get her to practice (22's are cheap to practice with). What ever she gets she should practice with, not just get it and put it away hoping never to need it.