.22 lethality.

[Cato]

And the fact that I see an overwhelming amount of people disregard it's capacity to be a self defense tool.

Especially at close quarters like a home. The reduced recoil, blast, and noise make the .22 ideal. Those little MP5 looking .22 look awesome for home defence.

Unfortunately, dudes got to keep M1A Scouts and 10mm semi auto handguns on their night stands.

[BumBum]

"Richie loved to use 22s because the bullets are small and they don't come out the other end like a 45, see, a 45 will blow a barn door out the back of your head and there's a lot of dry cleaning involved, but a 22 will just rattle around like Pac-Man until you're dead." - Vinnie Antonelli (Steve Martin) in My Blue Heaven

[taloft]

Seen the damage done to the calf muscle of a friend. He was hiking and the trigger got snagged by a mansanita branch. Idiot had the muzzle pointing just below his knee cap. Violating several safety rules. The round went into the front of his leg and out the base of the calf muscle above the heel. Tore up the muscle something terrible. Over half the muscle is gone. Likely the round tumbled. Earned himself a wicked scar and a permanent limp.

Great reminder to always obey the rules no matter the caliber. They all are capable of killing.

[JMP]

Duh. The nice thing too about .22lr is that it's hard to miss even with rapid fire. The only concern I'd have is the reliability of rimfire ammo. My .22lr target pistol never jams or misfires unless it's subsonic ammo, but with cheap .22lr ammo there's a failure on the part of the ammo from time to time. With ammo like CCI Minimag or CCI Stinger failures are exceedingly rare and I can't remember any failures with good ammo. Admittedly, I have been shooting cheap bulk ammo this year since I don't want to shoot my good ammo until it becomes easier to replace.

[MichaelKent]

Yep, never underestimate the lethality of any round... 9mm and .22lr are often derided in the self defense forums, but the deadliest shooting in US History (Virginia tech) used a 9mm and .22lr handguns (with no "high capacity" mags) to kill all those healthy young adults. Sure they're not as powerful as a .45 or .308, but they are more than capable of doing the job!

[12ga]

Yes. a .22lr is a deadly cartridge.

It will kill someone...

...it just may not stop them from killing you.

[Spawn]

Put a .22 into someone's face or head, they're gone

[Sutcliffe]

Kill you just the same

It might not kill as fast as larger calibers, but it can still do it quickly and cheaply.
I remember the back of a cartridge box saying the round was lethal out to a half mile.

[mage]

Well played sir.

This is the best argument I have heard against .22 as a defensive round.
The lack of reliability in primers/function in a semi auto platform is exactly what would keep me from choosing or using a .22 as a defensive or offensive weapon. The lethal capabilities of the round itself is not the issue to me,it is the lack of consistency in the rounds performance (not cycling semi autos,different velocities,duds) that is a deal breaker.

This.

I have never had a 22 auto go through more than a couple mags without some sort of malfunction. The other day I had 3 duds and 1 fte when I only fired 60 shots total.

[Off the Roster]

in the "civilian" world the .22 is responsible for the most deaths annually (fbi rating)

how far is a .22 lethal?




my SR22 has 10k+ rounds and has had maybe 15 stoppages in its career.

[opie4386]

.22lr will definently kill but my concern us bone. I feel a .45,40 or 9mm will stop a threat slightly better than a .22lr

[67goat]

Among all handgun ammo, single shot drops (not kills) are pretty close. But I think that speaks more. About the fragility of people than stopping power of the rounds. Basically, a large percentage of people will be stopped simply from the psycological aspect of being shot, regardless of actual damage.

However, given that we are talking about defense, there is a good chance the assailant may be on drugs or has already been shot or stabbed previously in life. This would lessen such a reaction, so I would not want to count on it.

A pellet gun can also be deadly, but I would not pick one to carry unless I had no choice. Yes, any gun is better than no gun. But that applies to what you have at hand during an incident (or if you can only get your hands on certain things, for whatever reason). If you are at the LGS figuring out what to get, the any is better than none does not apply.

Shot placement is key with any handgun caliber. However, even with less recoil, I would say shot placement is actually harder with a .22 in a defense situation (hunting is different). The reason is that you are actually making your target area much smaller with a .22 than with more traditional defense cartridge sizes. Yes, even a 9 or .45 can be deflected by bone, but it is less likely. A .22 might go through a forehead, but more likely to bounce off or be stopped. Same with chest shots. Unless you think you can hit an eyeball sized target while being attacked, it would not be my choice.

[200Volts]

I knew a 300 pound, Somoan, bouncer, shot dead with one 22 to the heart, point blank.

[200Volts]

And I've bounced a 22lr, shot from a rifle, off a possum's head, didn't even make him blink, at point blank.
I keep my home defense 9mm loaded with hollow points, and jacketed, alternating in the mag. Over penetration is not an issue, since my family will hopefully be behind me in that situation.