.22lr most suitable for self defense?

[BigFatGuy]

I know the humble .22lr isn't ideal for a self defense situation, but what if your 90 year old grandma wanted to pack heat? (Mine doesn't, I'm just thinking...)

So, oh ye of the all-knowing rimfire crowd, what .22lr round would you take for self defense situations if that caliber was all you had to work with?

[gatesbox]

Put on your big boy pants and get ready for the flames. for Grandma I'd say a revolver like an SP101 or LCR 22 for the purse. Plenty of good semi-autos, seems like there is an abundance of used Mosquitos on the market...

My bad, OP is asking for ammo.... I'm going to guess any HP hunting round will be more or less the same, let the ammo gurus weigh in, sorry I did not read carefully....

[DVSmith]

Whatever she could lift and fit her hand. If it were me, probably a da revolver so she didn't have to be too mechanically inclined.

[BigFatGuy]

AMMO. What .22lr AMMO would you load for self defense?

Sorry, that NYC public schooling means I don't always speak clearly, even when I type. ;-)

[zomie]

Ammo that may be interesting ...

[Excaliburr]

stingers!!!!!

[44fred]

Stingers or Velocitors (sp?) Both are hyper velocity.

[bonesurf]

Stingers or Velocitors (sp?) Both are hyper velocity.

Push comes to shove those two

[jeffsenpai]

I use the 30 gr Aguila Super Maximum hyper-velocity solid point round. It is the hottest 22LR round on the market, and you will need all the velocity you can get with the 22 LR round. Out of a short pistol barrel (for example my Ruger LCR has less than 2''), The only rounds that will get above 1000 fps consistently are the Hyper-velocity rounds such as the CCI Stinger, Aguila Super Max, and the Remington Yellow Jacket, I went for the solid point Aguila, since the hollow points of the stingers and yellow jackets may break apart on impact and fail to penetrate adequately.

[Bunsen]

My girl has a Sig P220 with a .22 LR slide on it and it is perfect. Plus it will shoot just about anything without problem. For self defense we keep it set with CCI Mini-Mags.

[ChaneRZ]

I'd use CCI Stingers.

[donw]

i'd select anything with at least a 4" barrel...and CCI stingers or Mini-mags.

[The King]

22 magnum?
Yes it's expensive but grandma isn't going to the range.
A smith J frame, or even a taurus small frame, with a light enough trigger pull, might be just the ticket.

On the other hand, get her a dog and an alarm system with radio panic button.

[Izzy43]

#1. Pick the pistol or revolver that fits the shooter's ability and hand size.
#2. Make sure the pistol or revolver is very, very dependable.
#3. Pick the ammunition that the pistol or revolver fires reliably.

Given those three criteria the pistol or revolver that I would pick ( and I did for my wife) is the Ruger SR22. She's my backup SD weapon.

Why? It fits her hand great and she shoots it accuractely, it has been 100% reliable thru a couple thousand rounds. It will shoot any HP or LRN ammo without a failure (so far). As for the ammo I load it with CCI Mini-Mag HP ammo and CCI Mini-Mag LRN. First round in the mag is the LRN followed by an HP then alternating.

Loading just one type of ammo may not be the ideal approach to self defense. My main SD weapon is a shotgun, 1st round-00 buckshot, 2nd round-slug, repeat. From my bedroom door to my bed is 18 ft, alarm gives maybe 15 second alert, door breaks down I may get two shots off before the intruder is on me. First shot has got to count. With the SR22 maybe 5 shots. We practice alot.

[robcoe]

I would at least bump up to a .22 magnum.

If you look around you might be able to find a 10/22 in .22 magnum, i know they made them for a while