UMAREX COLT M16 .22

[Mr.Nylon66]

Is this a good gun for home defense? And S.H.T.F? I bought it cause .22 is way cheeper then .223. Someone feel me in. Thanks

Colt M-16 .22

[NorCal916]

Better than nothing else for home defense.. Looks like the real thing too, which could help..

[durandal]

I would not want to use this weapon for a self defense or survival role. Granted it would be better than nothing. IF you can get the gun dialed in, it could be pressed into use as a pest control or small game rifle, In a shtf scenario. As a combat weapon i'd be worried about its durability, aside from the standard concerns about reliability and its obvious firepower deficiency.

I fired a few hundred rounds of different brands of .22 ammo, and found my rifle's failure point was around 500 rounds. Federal bulk were a little too long and produced a feeding problem with the magazine that required manual manipulation of the spring. winchester super x lead produced lot of leading and a round firing out of battery. Remington Golden Bullets worked quite well, except for the thick smoke, CCI Mini Mags seemed OK from limited testing.

Mine didnt have magazines that dropped freely, so i polished the surfaces of the mag body that make contact with the receiver

But as for the real problems with the gun, powder residue combined with lubrication will scrape the surfaces where the bolt and receiver make contact, instead of getting polished, the receiver gets rough. I like to keep my guns clean so i detail stripped the gun often to clean it, and found that the design was a bad fit for me, so i sold it.

Worries from taking down the receiver, aside from it being a pain in the butt, there is a potential for loss of accuracy or reliability, andyou may lose some (spring loaded) small parts.

I dont have one any longer, but If i did, i wouldnt take down the gun to clean it. When field stripping the rimfire 'Colts', driving out the rear takedown pin without loosening the flash hider damages the rifle. If it is necessary to strip the gun, i'd make a note of the timing of the flash hider.

Reassembling requires tightening the flash hider which torques the very thin sleeve barrel. I would want to avoid over tightening.

The thin barrel simply fits into place in the receiver, which is made of two pieces of metal which are screwed together. It is not secured in place and can flop around or bend if you put a little pressure on it. Also the screws are easy to strip or break. So i'd leave the receiver alone...

[sonicenergy]

I saw a lot of people use a short gun for home defense. I am planning to buy a GSG 522 for home defense too. Like what Norcal916 said, better than nothing. I believe that if you keep shooting the invader enough round till he is down, any gun can protect you. depends if you have enough rounds on your hand. if you only have 1 round .45ACP, i would rather to choose 10 rounds of 22lr.

[Kelster1574]

I know there has been numerous posts on using a .22lr as a home defense round on here. I personally own a Umarex Colt.....fun to shoot, but I would be very nervous to use it for home defense. As far as the GSG....I wanted one, but don't own one......to many negative posts in here about reliability issues.......I would do some research here on Calguns, it might just change your mind. Just my .02 Good Luck

[samz4mc]

A .22 is not really a home defense gun but there's a 92-year old man from KY who would argue otherwise. If you really must, I would go with a SIG522 (personal experience). It's easy to field strip and clean, fun to shoot, and has a folding/collapsible stock.

[sonicenergy]

I know there has been numerous posts on using a .22lr as a home defense round on here. I personally own a Umarex Colt.....fun to shoot, but I would be very nervous to use it for home defense. As far as the GSG....I wanted one, but don't own one......to many negative posts in here about reliability issues.......I would do some research here on Calguns, it might just change your mind. Just my .02 Good Luck

I am planning to buy either a Umares MP5 or a GSG 522, which one do you think is better?

[CasperSYTFU]

Umarex hands down. Just jailed one as a fun toy that's cheap to shoot. GSG felt like a child's toy in comparison.

[Speedpower]

I saw a lot of people use a short gun for home defense. I am planning to buy a GSG 522 for home defense too. Like what Norcal916 said, better than nothing. I believe that if you keep shooting the invader enough round till he is down, any gun can protect you. depends if you have enough rounds on your hand. if you only have 1 round .45ACP, i would rather to choose 10 rounds of 22lr.

Interesting!

[RuskieShooter]

Neither.

For a SHTF .22lr I would go with either a 10-22 or, if you want a AR style .22lr, either an M&P 15-22 (closest to an AR that is not an AR and what I own) or an AR lower and an dedicated upper.

For home defense do a search and there are a TON of posts about using a .22lr for home defense. Bottom line is its inadequate but better than nothing.

-Ruskie

[RuskieShooter]

I believe that if you keep shooting the invader enough round till he is down, any gun can protect you. depends if you have enough rounds on your hand. if you only have 1 round .45ACP, i would rather to choose 10 rounds of 22lr.

This thinking can be dangerous. If it takes more then 2-3 rounds to put an attacker down he can either press the attack with a knife (HD typically occurs within 20') or seek cover and return fire if armed. In a defense situation you want to neutralize the threat as quickly as possible.

If you only have 1 round .45ACP or 10 rounds of 22lr, I chose 1 round of 9-pellet 00buck...

-Ruskie

[Kelster1574]

I am planning to buy either a Umares MP5 or a GSG 522, which one do you think is better?

I do not have experience with either one.

[goldengate]

.22lr rifle would be good for plinking and training at the range, but I would not trust it for home defense. There was a video on gunshot wound that was posted on Calguns and it showed someone taking 2 9mm to the body. That person was still running around. Now, if he is armed, you bet he'll return fire even after getting hit with a few .22lr. I know, everyone is preaching shot placements. But really tho, under all the stress and less than ideal environment with a moving target. This ain't shooting paper targets at the range with good lighting.

I recommend getting a larger caliber firearm for HD. Big 5 has a Maverick 88 shotgun that can be had for around $190 (with the coupon) before tax and DROS.

[pennys dad]

I am reading an article that is comparing expansion, penetration, and FPS. They are using several different calibers and bullets in several calibers.
The 22lr CCI Velocitor penetrated the FBI required 12 inches and expanded to 1.6 its size. I was amazed. It stacked up against the other calibers in expansion, penetration, and FPS.
Now, would I use it for self defense, No. The other criteria laid down by the FBI is expansion, penetration, and FPS through, heavy clothing, drywall, glass and something else. 22lr ammo will not pass this part of the test.
I would for home defense, if choosing a rifle, use 223 ammo loaded to fragment. There is a good article on this subject as well.

[durandal]

Tactical .22s arent suitable for that.

I also forgot about 'adjusting' the recoil spring for different ammo types. If you have the wrong setting the gun wont function. Shoots nice, has the weight of a real gun, but the design is worrisome.