mrhutch

I've killed a 3lb fox squirrel with a .22 LR rifle. I emptied the 10 round magazine, hitting the little animal 7 times, 5 of which were in vitals, at less than 10 yards with hollow points (it was running, thought I had missed) and when I ran out of ammo it still went another 15 yards before stopping. I will never attempt to shoot an aggressor with a .22--i'd be too afraid of what he'd do to me after being so pissed off :/

gotammo

Is a centerfire cartridge better maybe the thing is you can't run the scenario twice so you will never know. All things being = I will take a .22 I can shoot over a .45 I can't, remember the first rule have a gun. If you are fine with so am I, you have to work with what you got at the time.

gwhall57

A range instructor once told a class that I attended that most "professional" asassins use a .22. But, then again, he also claims to have seen Bigfoot duking it out with Elvis in his backyard one moon-lit night...

Seriously, if your life might depend on your choice of gun and ammo, why go with the .22?

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I never implied that there was "one caliber that was always gonna incapacitate". That train of thought is very foolish even with a rifle or shotgun involved.

No round makes up for shot placement and penetration, and especially for the ability to perform under stress. That having been said, physics are still physics; the .22lr lacks the transfer of energy to "shock" someone into stopping if an incapacitating hit isn't achieved (which happens a whole lot more than most of us would like to believe). One might even question whether or not .22lr has the penetration to pass through clothing, bone and tissue in a fairly consistent manner, regardless of bullet type and barrel length. To that end, what kind of shot placement must be achieved with a .22 to be consistently effective? Do you have to not only aim for the heart or spinal column, but also between the rib cage to get to them?

Recounting actual events are very relevant in my opinion, especially when they are used as an example to illustrate a point (which in this case was that the OP would be much better served with a larger caliber with more mass).

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crzy4guns

I think that with the proliferation of really small good .380 autos, like the Keltec P3AT, Ruger LCP, Kahr P380, Seecamp LWS 380 and North American Arms Guardian, calibers like the .22lr and .25acp are obsolete in a pocket semi auto. If you find the .380 a bit too much then a good .32 auto like the Beretta Tom Cat or Seecamp LWS 32 or Keltec P32 should fill the bill for a self defense pocket auto. Back in the day people carried the .22s and .25s because nothing else that small was available then for them to carry. With the wide range of pocket autos in .380 or .32 it no longer makes any sense to carry a .22 or .25 that is the same size.

bae

I carry my Walther TPH in .22LR sometimes, in some places. Some other days I carry a Ruger Alaskan in .454 Casull.

Cupcake

I'm sorry, have to call bologna on this one. I've got a couple fox squirrels and a single body shot has always not only put them down right quick, but done a great amount of meat damage. 5 shots would turn him into soup, and the few yard they can run, they take off like a cartoon character: so fast that I doubt hardly anyone could get a 2nd hit, let alone 7. FWIW I've used cci minimags on them, at ranges up to 40 yards.

I'll admit that the .22 is wayyyy down the list of defensive caliber choices, but the claims that it will only PO an attacker are just too far in left field (or is that right field). Sure it can happen that way, but predicting an outcome like that is for someone with way more data than we have. (real data, not the odd-story) Maybe I'm just a stickler for accuracy, I can't stand to use words like never or always, unless that's the actual case.

I'll also agree that other guns like the .380 kel-tec would be a far better choice usually and really "disappear" like the OP likes. Thinking that you'd aim for the eye socket in a life or death moment is most likely a delusion.

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hudsonvalley

S&W 351PD in 22 mag.....I don't wish to know what getting hit or hitting with that would be like. God willing, I'll never have to.

But, I think that more times than not, the presentation of the firearm would deter most threats. If you had to fire the 22 mag, I think, would do a bit of tearing up, above the shoulders or between the eyes or both.

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Cakewalk

That reminds me of posts I've read on other forums where someone would say "Just shoot him in the kneecaps!" Like it's that easy.....

Rob72

I had a TPH, and it immediately came to mind at the start of the thread. Using Stingers with bored-out HPs, it would be about as lethal as you could get in a palm-sized .22.