[10or45]

I guess to each their own.

Let’s see.. poor ignition reliability, poor feeding reliability, and very minimal performance and effectiveness. Sounds like a winning combination to me...

22LR is good for plinking or small game/varmint hunting. It’s not a self defense or home defense caliber.

If the only possible threat is a blue grouse 100 yards away then I could agree with a 22 mag.

 

[mmcbeat]

I would not consider a .22 for self defense. Mainly because it’s about all I could find right now, I have Hornady 100 grain 9M Critical Defense Lite in my house gun. Recoil is light, not as much punch as hotter loads. I haven’t shot it without ear protection but I’m sure it’s not as loud as a hotter load either.

 

[CDW4ME]

A hit with a 22LR is more effective than a miss with any other caliber.

Why is the larger caliber always less accurate in these examples.
Never do I see the opposite, "a hit with a 9mm is better than a miss with a 22lr"

If it works, go for it. I know I wouldn’t want shot with one.
.

This is the new standard for ammo selection.
Forget the outdated 12-18'' penetration and consistent expansion criteria.
Anybody want to get shot with ____ ? No, nobody? Well then this ammo is GTG.

Most bad guys don't want a snout full of those little 40 grain bullets. It sure beats nothing.
.

Better than nothing is not a criteria I'd use by choice picking a gun to defend my life.

OP someone(s) is (are) psychotic and criminal enough to have broken into your home.
Lethal but non-CNS hits may allow 10 seconds of voluntary hostile action.
The goal is to stop the threat(s) ASAP.
Of the calibers that you have available is 22lr the most likely to stop a threat(s) ASAP?
For perspective:

 

[evlbruce]

Better than throwin' pillows. But wouldn't unless I had to.

-Firing a 22LR indoor will not destroy mine and my loved ones eardrums.

I'd be much more worried about stopping power, unless you've got intruders on a regular basis. In that case get a can or better yet, move.

-Minimal wall penetration that could possibly harm family in other rooms of the house.

This is an internet bugaboo.

-Lower recoil, muzzle flash and noise means that my wife could take the gun and use it in case I'm unable to. (My wife is not into guns and not interested in getting more familiar with guns)

Would worry more about her missing entirely and shooting me by accident.

-I've had to use it couple times in the last year to chase coyotes away in the middle of the night (coyote behind the window wanting in the chicken coop, wake up but still 1/2 asleep, 22LR is easier caliber to manage, take care of business and go back to sleep without waking up the neighbor at the ranch down the road).

Keep a 22 on the wall or get a can.

 

[FireForged]

I am not a caliber elitist or anything but I would never choose a 22LR for self defense unless it was the only thing I could use.

In my lifetime I have had 22LR (rimfire) cartridges fail to fire probably a million times. This has happened is every 22 rifle and handgun that I have ever owned. I would call it a fairly regular occurrence.

22LR is very very very underpowered in regards to its potential to stop a human quickly. Sure, it can do the job but it is certainly not very forgiving and your shot had better be perfectly placed.

Sound? I mean .. come on. Yep.. gunfire can certainly damage your hearing. To me, its a fair exchange for my life. I have a set of low profile muffs near the bed if I am all that concerned about it. I developed tinnitus at age 40 and that was after decades of shooting with no or inadequate hearing protection and many rock concerts, sirens, aircraft engines and dragsters. I would never suggest that a person not concern themselves with decibel issues and hearing protection, I do think its important. That said, you are not likely to ever have to defend your life with a gun and if you do, it will probably be only one brief instance in your lifetime.

 

[Out West]

I'm good with your choice. Especially if you shoot the 22 more accurately than other guns you might own.

Some may knock the choice, who cares? Hits count.

 

[NYhunter518]

As I type this I’m sitting on my couch with a 22lr on my side. A TX22 with 16+1 capacity that has been 100% reliable with CCI stingers.

The reason that’s the gun on my hip when I have many other handguns in much more powerful chamberings is because I live in a very safe area and have a way higher chance of having to go save the dog from a rabid fox or save the chickens from some kids vermin. For that a 22 is a much better choice for a variety of well known reasons.

Most nights that same gun is on my bed stand for the same reasons mentioned above.

We all know pistols suck at stopping people, they may die but without a CNS hit they’ll have the ability to keep fighting long after being shot with “insert round of choice.”

I never want my life dependent on a handgun, but there are positions when we have to die to conceal-ability, in your house there’s none of those concerns that’s why I have a shotgun beside my bed. If a intruder is in my house and I wake up I’m grabbing the shotgun not a pistol.

In my opinion unless you only have a short gun in your house a 22 caliber pistol is an excellent bedside gun. Especially when it should only be used to get you to some kind of a long gun!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Doc Holliday]

.22LR is still plenty loud indoors, I can attest to that.

I'm good with using a .22LR for self or home defense. Funny how everyone bags on it, until an 'end of the world/survivalist' situation, then all of a sudden it's THE caliber to have, can take small game, easy to carry a lot of rounds, can use for defense, etc...and if it's okay for a backup gun, then it's good enough for a primary carry, because either way you are willing to use it to save your life.

Everyone saying it won't stop someone...please quit basing that on just one shot...because I'm going to pull the trigger a few more times. Even Mike Tyson won't be standing after a mag dump.

 

[Glock45Lover]

Why is the larger caliber always less accurate in these examples.
Never do I see the opposite, "a hit with a 9mm is better than a miss with a 22lr"

I'm not saying a larger caliber is less accurate. I'm saying hitting the target with a 22LR is better than not hitting it at all.

 

[Wishoot]

Firing a 22LR indoor will not destroy mine and my loved ones eardrums.

Try firing a 22lr pistol indoor without hearing protection and get back to me.

 

[Parzival]

i'm not going to get into a caliber war but real world info. i was a paramedic for 31 years and can honestly tell you i picked up more people dead from a .22 cal than most large calibers combined. most large calibers do a lot of tissue damage in a general area while a .22 goes in and bounces around hitting everything in between.

i'm sure there will be many experts on here saying the opposite and start quoting specs and gel tests. my info is just real world. YMMV

 

[flyover]

If you are going with a 22 LR I would suggest going with something like a 10/22 and a suppressor.

A 22 would not be my first choice.

 

[collim1]

I can get .11 splits with my .22 semi-auto handguns and still be right on target at close rangesC a. Even at 15 yards it’s easy to stay on target at .20 splits.

I can’t do better than .18 with my 9mm semi-autos and .22 with double action .38 revolvers, and that is at 7 yards.

To be accurate past that distance I am slowing down to .25 or greater depending on the distance.

The practically non-existent recoil of .22 Lr makes it conducive to fast and accurate shooting.

10 hits of .22 in under 2 seconds will prolly be quite effective. It’s essentially taking a hit from a buckshot load.

 

[Yankeefan816]

As I said when we had cake or ice cream available for dessert, “Why not both?”

My home defense gun is a 9mm with a couple mags of Hornady Critical Defense. My wife doesn’t shoot it as well as she’d like so we also have the Glock 44 ready with two mags of .22LR Stingers. Heck, I also have some Hornady Crit for my old .410 shotgun.

If we have an intruder, I’ll grab what I shoot best and she’ll grab what she shoots best. If I get got, I want her to have options.

Why not have both options? If you prefer the .22, then use it as primary but if they keep coming, it would be a good idea to have your other gun ready in a fallback location.

Just my $.02

 

[TheDreadnought]

Hi, I will certainly get lot of different opinion on this subject, but I always find a lot of useful info in this forum, so here it is.
I have recently switched my nightstand gun from a higher caliber one to a 22LR. After careful consideration I have come up with the following points:

-Firing a 22LR indoor will not destroy mine and my loved ones eardrums.
-Minimal wall penetration that could possibly harm family in other rooms of the house.
-Lower recoil, muzzle flash and noise means that my wife could take the gun and use it in case I'm unable to. (My wife is not into guns and not interested in getting more familiar with guns)
-I've had to use it couple times in the last year to chase coyotes away in the middle of the night (coyote behind the window wanting in the chicken coop, wake up but still 1/2 asleep, 22LR is easier caliber to manage, take care of business and go back to sleep without waking up the neighbor at the ranch down the road).

Seriously considering switching from a semi 22LR to a 22LR revolver, to minimize risks of malfunctions and further easiness of use (see point number 3 above).
Thoughts? Anyone else with a 22 in the nightstand?

Fast accurate hits with a .22LR? Why not?

A study was done a few years ago, and there are ZERO cases where somebody was killed by an assailant, AFTER the assailant was hit by a .22LR.

Physiological stops, psychological stops, or just the FIBS factor... all work. You don’t have to kill or incapacitate an attacker, just so long as you make them reconsider their life choices and go bother someone else.

That said, the low recoil on a .22LR makes it much easier to get those fast, accurate hits under pressure than it would with any service caliber. That’s just physics.

So while .22LR isn’t the “ultimate defensive caliber”, nothing really is. They all have benefits and drawbacks. .22LR gets the job done plenty.

A .22 carbine with capacities of 20+ is even better.

I would go with either 40gr RN mini mags or Velocitors for ammo.

 

[-JCN-]

Suppressed 22LR with a red dot. Very reliable and double strike capable.

 

[WT]

Some of my older friends, due to their infirmities, have decided to carry .22 cal revolvers. It is easier on their arthritic hands.

One friend practices with his .22 revolver equipped with a Crimson Trace laser. He is very good, firing from the hip. Another, an older female who was involved in a fatal shooting, also carries a .22 revolver.

 

[Lola1]

My approach to your question. . the goal of shooting someone in self defense is not to kill him, but to stop him from pressing his fight or invasion. A person shot with any caliber may stop his activities not wanting to be shot again. Good. A percentage won’t stop, and then you need something that is more likely to stop the aggressor than a .22,.25 or a .32 all of which will kill but might take several days. Many defenders have been killed by the person they shot who ultimately dies. There are lots of studies on line and reputable articles ( i was reading one a few hrs ago about using a .36 cal cap and ball for self defense) you can read and examine use for SD of various calibers , .380 and up, and experiences with them. And wouldn’t a 40 grain projectile with no cross sectional density to speak of at .22, traveling at 1200 fps, punch right through a wall? In lieu of that .22 revolver, i might suggest a .38 special revolver with a 4” barrel and low flash powder, or maybe even a pump shotgun with a barrel between 18-20”. But, everyone has an opinion. I am glad for you your are thinking about this. Happy thanksgiving.

 

[larry_minn]

I will admit. For the last few weeks I have had a .22 as bedside pistol. Logistics has my two normal pistols out of my reach. I was too lazy to dig out another, had the .22 handy. 10 should be enough to get AR rolling”
Not smart. But better then a harsh word.

 

[Pluto57]

Personally, I will be sticking to my 9mm or .45 for a home defense handgun, but a .22 will likely do the job in the most likely scenarios.

Unless you've made some kind of psychotic enemy, the person breaking into your house is more likely to be looking for stuff to steal than to do you or your family harm. If you put a bunch of .22s into them, they're likely to retreat or possibly drop dead on the spot. Depends on where you hit them. I think the least likely result is that they will try to attack you, although that is certainly possible.

A suppressor is a good idea, even with a .22. They're pretty loud indoors. If you're not going to go with a suppressor, I would recommend a revolver. As noted by others, .22 rounds are not known for their reliability and a misfire in a revolver is easier to deal with than a misfire with a semi-auto. You will lose a least two rounds with a revolver, tho.