.22 mag vs. .32 Long, all else equal....

[JERRYS.]

in a 2" J frame revolver, 6 shots each, which would you pick for self defense? no intermediate barriers involved....

.22 mag has some decent rounds for self defense and can be found most anywhere, but its a rimfire. .32 Long costs about the same per round, but is harder to find, however it is centerfire.

so all else being equal, which would you choose?

[mk70ss]

I would choose the .22 magnum. That round is no joke with the newer ammo designs.

[dgludwig]

I'd go for the .32 but only because I think that centerfire ammunition ignition is more reliable than rimfire is over the long haul.

[wnycollector]

These Lucky Gunner lounge video/articles provide excellent insights into the 22 mag vs 32 for ccw

[rep1954]

Ballistics wise I would take the 22 Magnum Gold-Dot or the Hornady Critical Defense.
Reliability wise I would prefer the 32 S&W Long.
In a J frame my 351 series is a 7 shot and also cross my fingers in 22 mag I have never had a 22 mag misfire.
The only 32 S&W Long I shoot is a Uberti 1849 Wells Fargo that has a cartdrige conversion cylinder and a barrel cut down to 2”. I would always take the 351 C over the Uberti.

[ThomasT]

I am guessing you are talking rounds from a snubby revolver? My choice would be the 32 long with my handloads. With a 94gr lead SWC bullet I am getting 850fps from a 2" barreled model 30-1. I wouldn't use that load in an antique break open gun. But my 32s were made in the 1970s so they are stronger guns.

I really like the 22 mag round and have over 5,000 rounds on hand. But I like it fro a longer barrel like the 5.5" barrels of my single six and from rifle barrels.

But either one would be a good choice. The 32 Long is really a reloaders round these days anyway.

[TruthTellers]

The .32 will do everything the .22 Mag can and then some, but with a better trigger and be more reliable.

If you could get the .22 Mag in an 8 or 9 shot, then having that many more rounds does make a difference. Outside of a Taurus, most .22 Mag DA revolvers only hold 6 rounds.

[RVER]

327 Federal Magnum Snub loaded with .32 S&W Long.

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[RJTravel]

in a short barrel handgun one can obtain potent .32 L ammo that hits more than twice as hard as .22 mag, and it has much heavier bullet. Not much of a choice - .32 L for sure.

[Mike38]

I'll take the .32 S&W Long, for three reasons. It's reloadable. I already reload it. The .22 Mag is obnoxiously loud, and in a self defense situation, you will not have ear plugs. .

[WheelGunMan]

[The .22 Mag is obnoxiously loud, and in a self defense situation, you will not have ear plugs. .]

No ear plugs but you'll probably have "auditory exclusion"

My pick is the . 22 mag. It's a wicked little round and I own and train with two.

[rep1954]

“I'll take the .32 S&W Long, for three reasons. It's reloadable. I already reload it.”

Hand loads get to be a very taboo subject if you go to court and have to argue self defense. Not saying it makes any sense it’s just how it is.

[ThomasT]

Hand loads get to be a very taboo subject if you go to court and have to argue self defense. Not saying it makes any sense it’s just how it is.

Heard that many times. And don't agree with it at all. My uncle was a homicide detective and later an investigator in the D.A.s office and I asked him about handloads and he stated that as long as a shooting was justified it would most likely never even come up. But don't do anything stupid like add Mercury to the nose or make exploding bullets. Stick to book loads and don't don't make super hot rounds and you should be fine.

And don't shoot somebody unless there is absolutely no other way around it! even a justified shooting will be a life changing event for you and will cost you a lot of money and trouble.

About now someones going to jump in and say "but Mass Ayoob said don't use handloads". Yep he said it alright. But he also has an agenda to sell his articles with his opinion in them. Believe what you want but all I use are handloads in my guns. I own almost no factory loaded ammo. Most of my guns have never had factory ammo fired through them.

[T. O'Heir]

$24.99 per 50 for 98 grain SJHP's with 132 ft-lbs. of ME vs ~ $14.99 per 50 for 40 grain HP's with 99 ft-lbs. of ME. The latter being non-reloadable too.
"...Hand loads get to be a very taboo subject if..." Any good defence lawyer will crush that with "My client was seeking to ensure there were no innocent bystanders hurt by using the most accurate ammunition possible.". Said "don't make super hot rounds" may be the most accurate.

[JERRYS.]

Originally Posted by T. O'Heir

$24.99 per 50 for 98 grain SJHP's with 132 ft-lbs. of ME vs ~ $14.99 per 50 for 40 grain HP's with 99 ft-lbs. of ME. The latter being non-reloadable too.
"...Hand loads get to be a very taboo subject if..." Any good defence lawyer will crush that with "My client was seeking to ensure there were no innocent bystanders hurt by using the most accurate ammunition possible.". Said "don't make super hot rounds" may be the most accurate.

when you start quoting K.M.E. try using numbers from a 2" bbl.

[Onward Allusion]

2 inch barrel? No brainer - 32 S&W Long all the way.

[Mike38]

Hand loads get to be a very taboo subject if you go to court and have to argue self defense. Not saying it makes any sense it’s just how it is.

I see / hear that often. Funny thing is, no one can come up with a case that a person was imprisoned based only on using handloads in a self defense situation. If there is one, I'd sure appreciate reading it.

[JERRYS.]

Originally Posted by Mike38

I see / hear that often. Funny thing is, no one can come up with a case that a person was imprisoned based only on using handloads in a self defense situation. If there is one, I'd sure appreciate reading it.

me too. we often hear about the over zealous prosecutor do this but if this were true I'm figuring that the shooting itself was being challenged as to the legal use of force to begin with. of course a civil suit could always be brought up even when a shooting is ruled justifiable but those types of things are going to happen anyway in states that don't shield the lawful defensive shooter from frivolous civil suits.

but that's for a separate thread. keep this as the original question asks...

[FrankenMauser]

I'd be fine with either.
But, my preference over the last few years is to preserve my hearing as much as possible. As such, the .32 S&W Long has an edge over the possibly more damaging .22 WMR - particularly in a confined space.

[JERRYS.]

Originally Posted by FrankenMauser

I'd be fine with either.
But, my preference over the last few years is to preserve my hearing as much as possible. As such, the .32 S&W Long has an edge over the possibly more damaging .22 WMR - particularly in a confined space.

how many home self defense incidents do you project you having to participate in? I'm just trying to figure out how many rounds you project having to fire in your home without ear protection and no adrenalin dump that creates auditory exclusion.

[seeker_two]

.22 Magnum.....unless your .32 revolver is reliable with .32ACP.

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[Bill DeShivs]

"Auditory exclusion" doesn't prevent hearing damage.

[JERRYS.]

Originally Posted by Bill DeShivs

"Auditory exclusion" doesn't prevent hearing damage.

of course not, just like tunnel vision doesn't mean things aren't in front of you either. and I take it that means you choose the .32 Long. thanks.

[TruthTellers]

Originally Posted by FrankenMauser

I'd be fine with either.
But, my preference over the last few years is to preserve my hearing as much as possible. As such, the .32 S&W Long has an edge over the possibly more damaging .22 WMR - particularly in a confined space.

Having shot both .22 Mag and .32 Long in the cramped indoor shooting range, this is a big factor to consider. There is a lot of blast with .22 Mag and pretty frequently when I shoot it, I get a lot of gas and particles hitting me in the face and it's very unpleasant. I've not had that issue with .32 Long.

I only have three .22 Mag revolvers that also have a .22 LR cylinder and two are dedicated outdoors guns and the other is an NAA mini that I got specifically because I felt that swapping the .22 Mag cylinder for a loaded .22 LR cylinder is a faster, less gimmicky reload than the Sidewinder and Ranger. Shooting that .22 Mag tho indoors can't be fun and I've been thinking about just getting a .22 LR only model with the 1 inch barrel. Would probably end up being an inch shorter in length and fit a lot easier in the pocket.

[WheelGunMan]

Originally Posted by Bill DeShivs

"Auditory exclusion" doesn't prevent hearing damage.

I beg to differ with you. In post # 11 I cited an article whereas several police officers and military personnel mentioned case after case where they had experienced auditory exclusion. There is no scientific data to back it up as personnel that measure it would have to do so at the moment of occurrence. That I'm afraid is highly unlikely to happen.

I was in a very stressful situation once where I experienced it along with tunnel vision.