From SeekerTwo:
Quote:
The point is....there is a place for the .22lr in a SD battery. The point is.... the .22lr round will cause damage enough to a BG that will allow you to survive....not bounce off a BG's hide and make him mad like many here seem to think. The point is.....even the lowly .22lr is a dangerous round and should be respected and utilized as such. The point is....the .22lr is another tool in the SD toolbox that can be useful in certain circumstances.
As I said before, I'm not getting rid of my 9mm or .357Mag anytime soon. But that LCR-22 I've been eyeing may be more useful than I initially thought.
Not looking to make any converts here....just to start some critical thinking...
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The 22 as a self defense round has been discussed here many times over the years (see the search function) and will likely be discussed here many times still to come. It has been discussed even more in books and magazines prior to the internet and at ranges, gun shows and gunatoriums. Few here, or in any of the other places that I've mentioned, think that the 22 is a useless round or that it will bounce off of jackets and such. (It does tend to bounce off skulls a good bit though and can be stopped, when fired from a 3" barrel, by a 300 page book, I seen that in person.)The consensus, over many decades, is that as a self defense round it's far down the list. I guns of the same size you can generally carry more potent calibers. It falls into the category of "if that's all you've got, or all you can handle, it's better than a small rock." Over the years a good many experienced people have put in a good deal of critical thought on the matter.
The problem with the 22 for self defense is that it is far less likely to stop violent aggressive action "right now" than many other rounds. It is more likely, several times over, that an aggressor will take multiple hits from a 22 and show no immediate effect, than with a number of other self defense calibers. So if a person can, choose the round that will be more likely to cause violent action against you to be stopped right away rather than minutes or hours later.
The old adage that you should look to get a gun that you can shoot well in the most powerful round you can handle and still shoot well in a gun that is matched to it's purpose, is true. If you want a small hideout gun and the 22 is all you can handle well then go for it.
But in guns of the same size you can chamber more potent rounds so why not take those? 22 WMR, 32 H&R, 32 Magnum, 32 acp in a Seecamp or Berretta, 380acp, 32 NAA, 9mm Makarov, etc.
A 22 and a thousand rounds is good to have anywhere. But that and something that tends to stop folks sooner, is much more powerful and breaks bone when it hits, is better still.
tipoc