I have a JC Higgins in my safe that was my dads so I'd probably go with that. 9 shots and if one doesn't go bang in a SD situation just pull the trigger again.

I think Sears sold a ton of these back in the day. My dad bought his as a teenager in the 50's and he and his buddies would plink rats down at the local dump with them.

 

Any time you see something marked JC Higgins it's a good idea to check who made it because there were some fantastic guns that were sold cheap because of the name that was stamped on them... a good example being JC Higgins marked FN Mausers which were the same as the FN Mausers sold by Browning but for the one with the big name you're paying an extra thousand Bazooka Joe Comics.

 

As long as it works, and you can shoot it, the brand and model means nothing.

 

Walther P22q,

 

I would like a Smith & Wesson .22 Combat Master Peace in .22.

 

Beretta 71...
Or my Ruger SR22.

 

Beretta 71... Or my Ruger SR22.

My Ruger has miss fires I clean it regularly do you have any problems with yours? I have even sent it in to the factory

 

Browning 1911-22A1

 

M&P Compact.

 

For reliability sake, I guess my 9-round Taurus 94. The Beretta 71 (8+1) does have a history of successfully dispatching terrorists. I carry my Beretta 21a (7+1) the most, while walking my dogs IWB appendix. My Browning 1911-22 (10+1) is just badass.

Top to Bottom:
'69 Ruger Standard
'62 Beretta 71
Taurus 94
Browning 1911-22
Browning Buckmark Micro Plus Pro Target
Walther PPK/s
S&W 422
Beretta 21a Bobcat

 

My Ruger Mark III 22/45 has been very reliable - if none of my other guns were available I would use it!

S&W model 63 5" barrel 8 round cylinder would also be an OK choice.

 

I have three, Laser light equipped Ruger SR22 pistols in my house and gun shop.
And a couple extra loaded magazines are by the guns.

Excellent guns.
Even while the shooter is on the move, 5 to 15 yards, in total darkness.

 

Thompson-Contender .22cal barrel.

 

My Ruger Mark III 22/45 always works

 

I have two .22 pistols reliable enough to consider;
S&W Plastic M&P Compact - light and handy.
Nelson Conversion on the Caspian frame of my least used .45. Accurate and steady.
Under your restrictions, I would probably keep them both loaded, carrying the SW.

My CZ Kadet Conversion is reliable in feed and function, but I would have to put the stock mainspring back in it to avoid the occasional misfire with .22s.

 

Didn’t the Kadet Kit surprise you? I expected a decent shooter, not a very reliable target gun. Only my Ruger MKII beat’s it.

 

Only .22 pistol I have is my G44. It’s eaten everything I’ve put in it (including black pack garbage), so until I snag a P322, I’ll go with G44.

 

Maybe one of those Ruger Chargers? Semi auto, takes a 25rd mag, and would make a decent club when it jams or runs out.

 

With a binary trigger

 

Ruger Mark IV loaded with the Winchester Silvertip ammo. That Silvertip works well on varmints at pistol ranges so 10 center mass isn't a slouch.

 

If, for whatever reason, you could only shoot a .22LR pistol (age, hand strength, etc) which one would you choose for home defense?

Pistol, no rifles, no other caliber than .22LR, please...

All my .22 handguns are single action Rugers and you could probably live with a convertible .22 LR / .22 WMR Single Six being your only gun for a lifetime. If using a .22 for personal protection I'd pick any Single Six with either .22 LR CCI Stingers or .22 LR Aguila 60 gr subsonic, or with the .22 Magnum cylinder with a decent flat point CCI FMJ or Aguila's 40 gr JSP load.

 

Stingers are too light and actual ballistics tests show them penetrating insufficiently. I'd go CCI Velocitors. Also hyper velocity but 40 grain, and apparently penetrate better. See below for both.

 

P322, I’m really impressed with this gun.

I do have an old 6” Sears 9 shot J.C. Higgins (High Standard) revolver but the DA trigger pull is atrocious, SA isn’t bad though.

 

If you had grip strength issues a G44 slide might be hard to pull back. Wife has a SR22 and its easy to pull back. We have a PPK22lr and its reliable. The Kel- Tek P17 is really light and would be easy to operate. jmo

 

I've owned several .22 LR pistols and all of them had good mechanical reliability. The reliability problems I've experienced have been with .22 rim fire ammo; mostly misfires and velocity variations between rounds. Given the constraints of the OP, a Ruger auto would be my first choice for a pistol. A good DA revolver would be my first overall choice because it is easier to deal with a dud round.

 

Good food for thought topic; thanks OP

 

If, for whatever reason, you could only shoot a .22LR pistol (age, hand strength, etc) which one would you choose for home defense?

Pistol, no rifles, no other caliber than .22LR, please...

I guess I might just get some bear spray. If I seriously wanted a "defensive" .22 I'd get a Ruger .22/45 Lite

 

1. You have not told us the physical disabilities, the skill sets of the user or the situation.
2. When you read #1, you haven't told us whether the user has the ability to cock a gun, operate a safety, load a revolver or load a semi auto pistol, whether the person is living in a rural single family dwelling or an urban apartment.
3. YOUR knowledge, your skill set, your experience does not go into grandma, grandson or your nephew by osmosis or blood line.
4. Yes, people will post that they want go outside of your stated limitations of a .22lr pistol. Conversely, if you don't want to provide the information in 1 and 2 above, go to a commercial gun range that rents .22lr pistols. Ask the owner which of the .22lr pistols he has purchased new seem to be reliable and long lasting in service and the most requested by rental customers.
5. Years ago, I went to a singles dinner. A woman doctor said that she wanted to buy a car and asked what she should buy. Oh the table buzzed with everyone telling her what to buy because she was a doctor, blah blah blah. I was the last to speak. I told her to take a pencil and pad of paper and go to any car dealer and sit behind the steering wheel of a car and learn what was a comfortable distance for legs to be in the car behind the driver's wheel and write that down. And then make sure that every car she tried had an adjustable seat. Then try the steering wheel and learn if it could be moved to make her comfortable and make note of the car model. And, then go through a list of what type seats were comfortable. Turned out she already bought a car. She just wanted approval. If you really want a .22lr, the guy who buys them, fixes them, and rents them every day is who you want to talk to about what you buy.

 

1. You have not told us the physical disabilities, the skill sets of the user or the situation.
2. When you read #1, you haven't told us whether the user has the ability to cock a gun, operate a safety, load a revolver or load a semi auto pistol, whether the person is living in a rural single family dwelling or an urban apartment.
3. YOUR knowledge, your skill set, your experience does not go into grandma, grandson or your nephew by osmosis or blood line.
4. Yes, people will post that they want go outside of your stated limitations of a .22lr pistol. Conversely, if you don't want to provide the information in 1 and 2 above, go to a commercial gun range that rents .22lr pistols. Ask the owner which of the .22lr pistols he has purchased new seem to be reliable and long lasting in service and the most requested by rental customers.
5. Years ago, I went to a singles dinner. A woman doctor said that she wanted to buy a car and asked what she should buy. Oh the table buzzed with everyone telling her what to buy because she was a doctor, blah blah blah. I was the last to speak. I told her to take a pencil and pad of paper and go to any car dealer and sit behind the steering wheel of a car and learn what was a comfortable distance for legs to be in the car behind the driver's wheel and write that down. And then make sure that every car she tried had an adjustable seat. Then try the steering wheel and learn if it could be moved to make her comfortable and make note of the car model. And, then go through a list of what type seats were comfortable. Turned out she already bought a car. She just wanted approval. If you really want a .22lr, the guy who buys them, fixes them, and rents them every day is who you want to talk to about what you buy.

Yea, okay, great...so do you have a .22LR pistol recommendation?

 

Well I gotta say the Keltec P17 would make a pretty good HD pistol. Lightweight, comes with 3 16 round mags, fiber optic front sight, rail for laser or light.



I would also say the Taurus TX22 is pretty handy as well. 16 round mags. Though it is full size and might be too large for most women. They now make a compact version which would be handy. Add a laser or a light for HD.



A braced Ruger Charger or clone is also a pretty good choice. You can add a laser and 25 round mags.