Is .22LR good enough for HD?

[SDM44]

I know most people who get a .22LR handgun or rifle use it for fun/plinking at the range, or use it for practice instead of wasting more money on larger calibers. But would you use or trust .22LR rounds, even the hollow point rounds, for HD use? Or even use it (and trust it) in a SHTF situation?

Say if you have a M&P 15-22 or GSG-5, or a Ruger handgun and you it's loaded up with .22LR rounds. Would you use that or trust that if that's all you had for HD or in a SHTF situation? Or would you go out and spend more on a larger caliber & gun and use that for HD?



Just wondering, as I don't have any long guns, but I do have my SA 1911 .45 to use for HD. I was looking at picking up a rimfire rifle to use for fun at the range, but when not in use could keep it loaded up with HP rounds just in case.

[lmudave]

If a .22 was all I had I'd use it, however it is my absolute last choice for a HD round. I'd stick with the .45 and keep the .22 for plinking.

[Ripon83]

If its all you had yes, but if you could have more and handle more then I would. For example if a person had a debilitating disease, severe arthritis, or was some what fearful of firearms in a larger size then yes it can make sense for home defense. It beats bringing a knife to a knife fight......

[G lock]

its all about shot placement to stop someone in their tracks, but i believe its possible, after all it was used by spies right? the only downside i could think of is if it takes 1+ mags to stop someone then it might be considered unnecessary force in court

[shy 7th]

If this is the 22lr gun you are talking about then, yes, I would say this is sufficient for HD.

[Ergo the Qualmed]

I guess it depends on your proficiency.

I can fire off a full mag from my marlin accurately in the space of a few seconds. If you can put ten shots in the bad guy center mass/throat/wherever in a short time, with HV CJHP bullets, i'd imagine it'd be better than being mugged.

[rkt88edmo]

good for zombie bunnies
better than nothing

[gun toting monkeyboy]

It is better than throwing the gun at them. And if it all you have, it is all you have. The .22 is decent in SHTF situations for plinking small critters and finishing off wounded zombies after you have run them over. Other than that...

[jackandblood]

aguila hyper velocity out of a 16" carbine at HD range can do some damage. pics later. maybe.

[hefedehefe]

I know most people who get a .22LR handgun or rifle use it for fun/plinking at the range, or use it for practice instead of wasting more money on larger calibers. But would you use or trust .22LR rounds, even the hollow point rounds, for HD use? Or even use it (and trust it) in a SHTF situation?

Say if you have a M&P 15-22 or GSG-5, or a Ruger handgun and you it's loaded up with .22LR rounds. Would you use that or trust that if that's all you had for HD or in a SHTF situation? Or would you go out and spend more on a larger caliber & gun and use that for HD?



Just wondering, as I don't have any long guns, but I do have my SA 1911 .45 to use for HD. I was looking at picking up a rimfire rifle to use for fun at the range, but when not in use could keep it loaded up with HP rounds just in case.

I would definitely use

[Reductio]

If I had to, it would have to do. Figure that a #4 buck pellet weighs in at like 20 gr. at similar speeds.... But I can't imagine when I'd use it instead if my 12ga though...

[hefedehefe]

If I had to, it would have to do. Figure that a #4 buck pellet weighs in at like 20 gr. at similar speeds.... But I can't imagine when I'd use it instead if my 12ga though...

If your 12g was in the other room and you couldn't get to it

[scootle]

I doubt anyone would want to volunteer to be shot with a .22LR. I think statistics bear out that there are more shooting "incidents" with .22 than most other larger calibers since people don't treat it as a deadly caliber (even though they should).

The main reason you wouldn't want to rely on a .22 (or any rimfire) as your primary SD/HD tool is that rimfire is a lot less reliable than centerfire. In general, if you press the trigger, a centerfire pistol/rifle/shotgun will go bang almost every time. Rimfire is a bit more finicky and prone to failure.

So is it good enough? Probably. Should you use it for HD/SD purpose? Probably not if you have other options.

[Mssr. Eleganté]

If you are in the unfortunate position of having to use a .22LR for home defense, don't worry about using hollow point rounds. Just use the highest velocity ammo that feeds the most reliably in your firearm. You don't need to worry about over penetration in a human body with .22LR. If you are being attacked by squirrels then .22LR hollow points are a good option.

[CaliforniaLiberal]

If you can consistently and quickly put a .22 LR round into someone's eye at HD distances then Yes. I suspect that this is a rare skill however.