Best "Defensive" .22LR rounds?

[professorhard]

are CCI Stingers HP or ball ammo? I agree with you, but I'm still torn between a P22 and finding a GOOD .380.

Copper plated hollow points

[dchang0]

I wonder if SHOTSHELL .22LR would work... The problem with roundnose .22LR is overpenetration. The perp would likely keep on coming, even with a lot of rounds pumped into him. The shotshells work great on small game/pests out to about 20ft with tight groups.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=474973

I'm not sure how well they work on larger pests like coyotes, etc., or criminals. Anybody up for testing these on a thawed turkey at 50yds and closer?

NO .380. I had one, a 25oz. Sphinx, and it kicked way too much. Sold it because it beat up my hand. I actually find my 20oz. CS9 9mm to be much more comfortable to shoot, even though the two guns were nearly the same weight. Not sure why... Most likely something to do with the fixed barrel on the Sphinx.

.32ACP is cool. Easy to shoot, even in a teeny gun like the Seecamp.

[berto]

^ha ha! not with this one, she'd kill me. this one's a keeper!

The only reason why I would consider a .22 is because she is TINY. her arms are small and she gets tired holding my 226, so I thought: polymer. okay; check Walther P. Then I was worried about caliber (although she is a decent shot at 7-10 yards with 9mm). I just thought a smaller caliber would be better for her to handle. I initially wanted .380, but I thought it would be too close to 9mm, so I figured .22.

I would consider .32ACP but I've only seen it selling a FEW times at Wal Mart.

7-10 yards is all she'll really face unless you live in a ridiculously large house.

I bought my wife a 4" S&W Model 10 because the 4" 686 was too unwieldy for her. She's fine with a 9mm or a .45 but the last thing I want her to worry about is a malfunction so a revolver was the way to go.

Go to a range and rent some different pistols and see what she likes best and move from there.

[bombadillo]

Nah, it'll just piss em off with the shot shells. I'd say go buy yourself a MkIII 6 7/8 govt slab side with literally no recoil. Let her shoot it for about the first 6 bricks worth of ammo and let her get really good with it. Then when she is quite confident bump her up to a 9mm or .380. She should have no problem shooting a 4-5" barrel in either caliber and then progressively get different guns till you get her a good compact gun to be proficient with. Did you see how I did that. I got you 4-5 good guns, and all the while your girl got confident with them all. Thats what i'm slowly doing with my wife right now but in reverse. I'm working from big to small! Got a .44 mag, .45acp, 9mm, next is a .22lr pistol so she can start out with. Fortunately for me my wife is great and she said I can "spend whatever I want this year with obama in office" Couldn't believe she said it so I went to town with ammo and guns. Got 3 AR's, an XD-9SC, ruger super redhawk 7.5" and parts and ammo galore. A good 5K+ in ammo now all to my wonderful wife.

[Gunaria]

I think some 22 head shots would ruin anybody's day.

[TitanCi]

^ nice wife you got!

all GREAT advice; just as I thought many of you would answer. So - where can one find these CCI Stingers anyway?

[!@#$]

this will be your best bet from a 22lr. a 40 grain gold dot going 1400fps from a rifle.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=182050

this would also work IF your gun will stabilize it.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=135961

you need good penetration to hit the vitals.
the stingers and other hp ammo will turn a rat inside out but will be a shallow wound in a human in anything other than "the perfect shot".

[Arteel]

I have not tried cci stingers yet, but out of the ammo I have tried, remington subsonic hp's expansion was very good and maintained 99% of it's weight when shot. If you are looking for the stingers, I picked up a few boxes at my local walmart.

For me, I would not trust a .22 firearm. Only reason is .22's, for me, aren't as reliable. I'd say just let her practice on a 22 and let her work her way up to a 9mm.

[SCMA-1]

The problem with 380 is that most guns chambered for this cartridge are very small/light and designed for deep concealment. Most are also blowback operated and their recoil and handling characteristics leave much to be desired.

I would recommend taking her to a range that rents out lots of different guns and let her tryout a number of 9mm compact guns like the Glock 19. A recoil operated compact G19 in 9mm is easier and more comfortable to shoot than a sub-compact blowback operated 380. Rule of thumb is always get the largest gun to fit the task at hand; smaller handguns sacrifice sight radius and handling characteristics/ergo at the expense of accuracy.

SCMA-1

[MrTenX]

If you gotta go with .22 this is what I use and would recommend.
S&W 317 loaded up with 8 CCI Velocitors.
It weighs only 12 oz. and all the women that I've let hold it love it.
Perhaps not the best choice, but remember, the first rule of gunfighting is to have a gun, any gun.

Edit: In my experience selling guns over the counter, alot of women aren't strong enough to cycle the slide on many semi-auto's, so keep that in mind.

[scr83jp]

Dude dont rely on a .22 for your girlfriend. It takes a little more getting used to shooting "larger calibers" but its well worth the effort and training if one day it could save her life.

My girlfriend is 5'0 and 100 pounds and she shoots an SP-101 (38 sp). She is not the best shot as she is still learning but she can make nice groups at 50 feet. If I were a bad guy I wouldnt want to be at the end of that barrel.

My guess would be a 380 or at least 9mm. Consider a revolver for ease of use and cleaning.

If you really want to get a .22 I guess I would say go with a hollow point

My favorite 22 ammo is the CCI mini Mag but can't find it anywhere. Many years ago I purchased a Rossi Mod 88 2" stainless steel 5 shot 38 special(non +P) with rubber grips it's very accurate and easy to aim & fire. no longer made look for a used rossi 2 inch revolver.

[MrTenX]

Many years ago I purchased a Rossi Mod 88 2" stainless steel 5 shot 38 special(non +P) with rubber grips it's very accurate and easy to aim & fire. no longer made look for a used rossi 2 inch revolver.

+1 on that!
I sold a crap load of those little Rossi's to mostly women and non-shooters looking for something for the home/purse back in the mid 90's. They were inexpensive ($159-$179 if I remember correctly), and not going to be shot much.
In fact, I sold so many of them I won a promotion that InterArms (the importer of Rossi firearms at the time) had, that I was able to chose any Rossi handgun I wanted for free.
Got a nice little Rossi 720 revolver (3" stainless, 5 shot, .44 Special) with my name engraved on it.

[taloft]

I say get her a Lady Smith chambered in .38 spl. I'm sure you'd be able to find one used locally. The grip is much smaller and fits a Ladies hand very well.

If it doesn't go bang, she just pulls the trigger until it does. It is light enough to hold for an extended period of time, doesn't require a high strength factor to operate, and isn't finicky about ammo. This allows practice with lighter loads while carrying +P+ loads for defense. Although, she should practice occasionally with her carry load to get used to it. Also, if the assaliant is right next to her, she can jam the gun into his gut and pull the trigger. Try that with a semi auto and all you'll hear is a click because the slide is pushed out of battery.

The best reason of all is that when she steps up to a .357 or 9mm you now have an excellent hold out piece.

[cineski]

A properly placed .22 will take someone down. I know a guy who got shot with one of those in the stomach....with a cheap non-HP bullet. He said he dropped like a bag of bricks. He now wears that bullet on a necklace. 8-10 .22's from a tiny woman on target is much more deadly than one poorly placed 9mm and a bunch of holes in the wall around a BG.

[TitanCi]

Again, thanks for all the great advice! I have my work cut out for me on this one!!!