Could you defend your life with a 22lr

[BigBoyPinoy]

Sure can, double taps at 10 yards.

[BayouBullets]

Your skepticism is semantically correct, but...

It astounds me that the ".22LR bounces around inside the skull" story is continuing to be perpetuated. We are to believe that a .22LR will penetrate nearly 1/4" of bone, then 6 to 8" of brain matter which is 80% water, and still have enough energy for one return trip - let alone 2 or 3!? I have heard of .22LR deflecting off a rib, and of them fragmenting, and I can imagine it "riding around" the curvature of the inside of the skull. But I need more documentation than an anecdote from some mob thug or a cousin of a friend of a friend. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" ring a bell for anyone?

The practical effect is real, just described poorly. I HAVE examined multiple .22 wounds from skull shots on deer and hogs (finishing shot on a wounded deer or kill shot on a captive hog). Passing through the skull tends to deform the bullet. As the bullet enters the brain, the deformation results in significant yaw. Thus, the wound channel is significantly greater than that typically found in a ballistic gel experiment due to its curvature. Fired from a short barrel the standard round does not tend to exit the skull, but it does typically take a curved or tumble path through the brain and imbed in the other side of the skull. High velocity rounds or even standard fired through a rifle WILL often exit the skull after taking that curved path through it. Oddly enough, I have also seen the projectile "catch" somehow on the bone and run along the inside of the skull cutting a slight groove as it went. This shot resulted in massive tearing of the meniscus and bleeding from where the edge of the wound channel contacted the brain.

[EddieEd]

[Cali-Shooter]

If it's all I had, I would not hesitate a heartbeat to use a .22 LR to stop armed/violent assailant(s). But you better have a Plan B in case the .22 shots don't cut it or you miss the shots.

[TheDeltaForce]

This is an interesting thread. I'm sure a .22LR could kill someone with a few double-taps to the head no problem.

I think I will up the discussion of the .22 round, by adding this factor:
.22 Magnum!!!

I'd say if you had this on you, you could easily kill what you are aiming at no problem. This is the Kel-Tec PMR-30 pistol, which has a 30-round magazine. Yikes!



There seems to be only (1) problem with this pistol best I can tell: I've read on a few blogs that after a few hundred rounds, these pistols have been exploding and something like 60% of them are being returned to Kel-Tec. Opps!

- The Delta Force

[Sheepdog1968]

Heck, push come to shove, I could defend myself with a soda straw. I'd rather have a reliable 22 LR than nothing at all. Jeff Cooper wrote a fair bit about this actually. You're going to need a good head shot into the sinus cavity area. Also, keep in mind, when you're looking down the barrel of a firearm, I doubt you/they will know what it is. The fact that you have a firearm pointed at them might discourage them from whatever they are doing.

[wolfy]

as been said shot placement is crucial as with most rounds. I've seen a video of some dude beating up a cop after being pepper sprayed in the face. Shot in the stomach and continued to come like nothing happened. Btw the next shot the officer tried to make while he was on the ground his gun jammed. Not sure if the guy was carry a 9mm or bigger.

[mif_slim]

as been said shot placement is crucial as with most rounds. I've seen a video of some dude beating up a cop after being pepper sprayed in the face. Shot in the stomach and continued to come like nothing happened. Btw the next shot the officer tried to make while he was on the ground his gun jammed. Not sure if the guy was carry a 9mm or bigger.

If its recent, most likely a 40sw. I saw a video of a cop shooting a guy like, 6 times and the guy just kept coming at the cop...he then just sat down after a few minutes of trying to get to the cop....thats crazy.....but also goes to show that shot placement is key for the common pistol calibers.

[jimcat]

Better than stone. Wait , stone is not that bad though.

[Cali-Shooter]

Any gun is better than no gun at all.

The reason people recommend that you don't use 22lr to defend your life is because there are many better options, not because it won't work. 22lr has been used to stop thousands of people, and a lot of them have died from it.

IMO, if the only gun you have to defend yourself is a 22lr, and someone tries to kill you, you use it to defend yourself. If, however, you were getting ready to buy a pistol for home defense and you asked if you should choose 22lr vs something bigger/better like 9mm/40S&W/45ACP then of course I would not suggest 22lr, but by no means is the little 22 useless in a fight.

Great post. Never buy a .22 LR firearm for the express purpose of HD/SD, those are never usually the primary uses for most .22 LR firearms. Doesn't mean the .22 LR isn't deadly, just means that it is much less efficient for the job of self-defense vs. traditional pistol calibers such as 9mm, .40, .45, etc.

I wouldn't mind carrying a .22 LR handgun for SD, as long as I got a centerfire cartridge handgun with me as well.

[Tom Towns]

This is an interesting thread. I'm sure a .22LR could kill someone with a few double-taps to the head no problem.

I think I will up the discussion of the .22 round, by adding this factor:
.22 Magnum!!!

I'd say if you had this on you, you could easily kill what you are aiming at no problem. This is the Kel-Tec PMR-30 pistol, which has a 30-round magazine. Yikes!



There seems to be only (1) problem with this pistol best I can tell: I've read on a few blogs that after a few hundred rounds, these pistols have been exploding and something like 60% of them are being returned to Kel-Tec. Opps!

- The Delta Force

A very close, life long friend of mine who now lives in another state wants to gift me with one of these ...FTF...the next time we meet up...
I'm hesitating to say ok ... because of Ca. legality concerns.
I guess I need to address this in another post & or section...

Too bad I'm not a criminal or gangster instead of a law abiding citizen...

[GaryS1964]

I have a Marlin 22 rifle with a tube magazine. It will squirt out 18 22LR rounds as fast as I can pull the trigger. Definitely put a hurt on someone. I would definitely use it if I didn't have access to my bigger guns for some reason. It's a great plinker and shoots tight groups. Got more than a few rabbits with it in my youth.

But now I'm thinking. Is this gun even legal? I bought it in 1962 and have never given a thought to how changes in the law has affected the right to keep and use it.

[BigBoyPinoy]

I have a Marlin 22 rifle with a tube magazine. It will squirt out 18 22LR rounds as fast as I can pull the trigger. Definitely put a hurt on someone. I would definitely use it if I didn't have access to my bigger guns for some reason. It's a great plinker and shoots tight groups. Got more than a few rabbits with it in my youth.

But now I'm thinking. Is this gun even legal? I bought it in 1962 and have never given a thought to how changes in the law has affected the right to keep and use it.

I believe 10rnd limit does not apply to tube fed .22lr.

I also love my SS long barreled Mod 60.



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