How Lethal Is A .22 ???

[gvw3]

My Ruger 10-22 has 25 round mag's and I can fire all rounds in around 20 seconds. Who is going to live through that? I don't use a 22 for home defence but I am sure it would work if that's all you have.

[lilmule]

An atlatl while dangerous in the correct hands,and that would be like asking how many spoke Hopi in a crowd of 100,in say times square.Or like building a fire via friction at least move up to flint and steel.
The 22 cal while small can be deadly,would a larger caliber be more so sure,but they may not have larger or can conceal much larger.Its the learning curve that can fit in anyones hands and not recoil much,and is better than a rock at most distances.
I cc when clothing permits either a 32 acp and now my recent 9x18,weak side however still has a 22 lr in reach.In summer they are even primary,no wont stop a crazed water buffalo in my bath tub.Doubt if 8 9 x18 would either at least not quickly.
You would have a death wish to fire on a grizzly that hadnt attacked you with either 10-22 lr or 8 9x18.If on the other hand its all one had as being eaten shoot on the way down.
Assuming im near my night stand or truck, my 45 acp would feel better.

[RYANINMICHIGAN]

It is better than a rock. poke enough holes and it weill die. It could be used to fight to get a bigger weapon

[montezumaz]

Hungry Horse MT Man Dies From Self-Inflicted Gunshot While Playing With a .22 Magnum Revolver
http://www.ravallirepublic.com/news/...9ce82d308.html

[b1pig]

I have had a Marlin bolt action since I was a kid. I have another that I think is a Marlin, also a bolt action with magazine. I shot those rifles for years and, as stated several times, they "can" be lethal, based on shot placement.

something else that stands out, though and is also mentioned. followup shots. I bought a Walther P22 a couple of years ago with the laser on it. The price was right and it fit my hand perfectly... and the intial sight aquisition is almost perfect for me. After I bought it, I took it out to do some practice, which is what I mainly bought it for. I carry a Glock 21 at work, and the .22 is a FAR cheaper round to buy and shoot to keep up on the mechanics.

In short, I concur with previous statements about rapid fire. I set up a target at 20', which I figure to be the farthest distance to encounter a "target" in my house. I was able to RAPIDLY empty 11 rounds into an 8" circle and very consitently. It has become my first choice and I keep it full of Yellow Jacket ammunition. Whether it kills them or not... a person will rethink entering/remaining in my house with rounds going down range and with the aid of the laser, the point/shoot capability is pretty good.

[Ruger_Fan]

Originally Posted by CJ_56

Every time someone asks this question I point them to this video where a man empties two .22 revolvers point blank shooting at his lawyer. The lawyer lived. Is that the caliber of gun you want for self defense? Not me.

I saw a lot of people saying a .22 is a viable defense round in this thread before I stopped reading the comments. They're wrong. A .22 can certainly kill "if" you hit someone in the right spot. But hitting someone in the right spot is not nearly as easy as all that unless you're shooting at someone that isn't expecting to be shot. Most home invaders, criminal types, etc. are ready for a confrontation and won't be a sitting duck type target. That leaves you trying to hit a concealed and covered target and / or a moving target. The video tells you exactly what you need to know. The lawyer was shot in the neck and lived. I have a hard time believing that would have turned out the same if the guy had a .45. Yes you might still kill them or stop them with one shot of .22 LR. But a larger round has a MUCH better chance of doing the job you want done. That lawyer was shot FIVE times in the face and the upper body. That's exactly where you would try to shoot him. He walked away from it. No way he does that if the gun is a .45. Not a chance.

Every expert in the world will tell you this. They don't just say it for fun. It's true. I know people who were shot in the head with a .22 and the bullet followed the bone alright - right around their skull and out the other side with nothing more than a cut on his head and it wasn't even that bad. He never had the slightest problem with being shot in the head. Think about what I'm saying here. He was shot in what is considered to be the most lethal spot and he barely noticed it. It's not like his life was saved by heroic efforts at the hospital either. None of his wounds were life threatening. None.

A .22 will NOT do the damage of a larger caliber weapon like a .45 or a 9mm or a .40 caliber. It certainly won't do the damage of a centerfire rifle caliber from a .223 on up. It's not even close.

And the idea of shooting multiple shots means you need to make multiple hits. The odds of that happening are slim. Remember Black Hawk Down? Those bad guys were being shot with .223 rounds and they kept on fighting because they were so stoned they didn't know they were hurt bad. Most people in a gun battle will quit when they see they are seriously hurt. They don't want to die. But drunks in a stupor, PCP blasted dopers, crack heads, etc. are often going to be just like those khat heads in Somalia. They won't even realize they're shot until you hit something vital that puts them down.

If you want to be a hit man then yes a .22 can work well for you. If you want something to defend yourself and your family get a centerfire weapon with as much power as you can handle.

There's a reason you don't see armies using .22's. Yes I know about how Israel used them to take out guards quietly. But that's one very limited example. If they were actually good for SD you'd see at least one country using them in their army. But no country does.

I guess the question is "why" would you choose a .22 for self defense when clearly other calibers are far, far superior? It makes no sense to me at all.

Plenty of armies use the 22 LR for training purposes, including Canada. No, it's not the weapon of choice for combat or self defense. The 5.56 isn't either. When I enlisted I was used to shooting hunting rifles. When I qualified with the 5.56 I thanked the lord it was peace time. I sure wouldn't want to face some guy who thinks dying is going to get him 21 virgins with a glorified 22 wmr.

Weird things happen when someone is shot with any weapon. A plain clothes officers shot one of the North Hollywood bank robbers with a .380 in the shoulder. The FBI report concluded that if he had shot the robber with a FMJ instead of a HP he would have died. Every weapon has it's drawbacks, even the heavy hitters. Sometimes to get the job done it takes multiple shots with any gun. If you want to use extreme examples some people survived the bombing of Hiroshima.

[goofy]

Or perhaps a well placed shot is what it takes.
WITH ANY CALIBER!!
Mike

Case #1: Guy only has enough money for 1 pistol. He needs that pistol to small game hunt and protect himself and plink with.

Case #2 Guy wants a gun to protech himself. Neither have shot much before buying their pistol. This guy buys Glock 17 with extra mags, holster and 100 rnd of sd ammo.

Guy in case one shoots a lot has cheap ammo and can kill a squirrel at 50 yards with his 22lr. Guy two shoots 2 mags holds a 10" group for 75% of them the other 25% miss the target. Guy 1 can shoot 3" groups at fifty yards with his.

I would much rather have a guy who only hits 75% of the time shooting at me vs a guy who can stack his shots in tight groups. I am sorry unless someone is hopped up on drugs and you shoot them 10 times and hit 8 to 10 times with a 22 at 21' they are not going to want to be in a firefight with you.

I have taken squirrels, raccoon, skunks, groundhogs, ducks, coyotes, and Deer all with a 22lr.

[soundguy]

Originally Posted by JLA

Exactly. Shot placement is key. A couple 40 grain solids in the breadbasket will buy you some time to get away, and thats only if the guy getting his breadbasket filled with lead doesnt fall dead.

Its not my 1st choice for a CCW caliber, but its certainly not to be underestimated or overlooked. And it is certainly better than a knife or a can of pepperspray.

yep.. i'll take a 22 vs running around with my arms up yelling 'help help' any day..

[lilmule]

The report or sound of a 22 just might bring help,summertime shorts n t shirt I cc a 22 cal alone,as am built small it takes some more clothing to hide either my llama 32acp or my pa63.That is currently the largest I cc with a 9x18.And dont feel under gunned with my Llama,do somewhat with the 22 but only at times,considering cannot hide larger in summer attire thank full to have it then.
Before you make fun of my 32 acp it is longer than 3.5 in barrel wise s and b 60 grain jhp=1200 fps =205 fpe more than the average lightweight short barreled 380.
In a 22 use left over stuff that wouldnt function in my semi auto as its now a revolver 1 in snubby.,like round leadnose,or any of the remingtons stock jhp or covered brass fmj,functioned fine in the pt22 just left over.

[GregD]

From 1972 to 2005, worked a bunch of homicides. Many many shot with .22 rimfire, short and long rifle and a few with magnums.

[CJ_56]

Are we back to this again? Yes no matter what else we can say it is possible to kill some bozo with a .22. It happens. But these guys with their magic 10/22's that put a million rounds in a bad guy before you can spit are just like using spitballs on a herd of elephants. Sure you might get lucky and put an eye out here or there but anyone who's paid attention knows that it takes a heck of a lot of rounds to actually kill a bad guy when you're not just taking pot shots at your husband while he's asleep. Murder is not what we are looking for here. It's self defense and unless your 10/22 has some magic gizmo that makes it fire 21 rounds at once then you're better off using a shotgun which btw will fire 21 rounds of .22 size bullets at once. Not only that but some of them will actually do it again after they fire the first time. I'm guessing I can get off more lead with my 12 ga. than I could with a 10/22. Maybe I'm wrong. It's just a guess that firing 21 rounds at once is better than that one at a time stuff.

Oh yeah I should have mentioned that #4 buckshot pellets are slightly bigger than a .22 bullet. They are actually the size of a .24 caliber bullet. And they put 21 of them in ever shell. What were you guys saying about using a 10/22 again? Put 20 out of 25 rounds into the target? It's funny really that none of our soldiers could ever match that level of accuracy in a firefight. But it's pretty easy to get 21 buckshot into a bad guy all at once with a shotgun. And if you miss the first time you can always try again. My HD shotgun holds 7 shells +1 in the chamber. What is that, 168 .24 caliber pellets? Let's see you match that with those 10/22's. But it's all about shot placement of course. It seems to be mandatory that we say that in every post in these threads.

[PMK]

I'm no expert and I have not read all the posts. .22? Lethal? You bet!! Number 1 preferred caliber of hit men and some current governments. My friends laugh at me for my love of the .22. It will keep you eating if time gets tough. It is also capable of scrambling your brains like eggs. It is rare to survive a head shot from a .22 under 50 yards ( depending on grains and charge ). An extremely under rated caliber. In my humble opinion it is maybe the best all around caliber ever, especially with modern weapons and cartridges. If they don't drop when you hit them, odds are they will at least back up!! If defending yourself, you want to at least halt the offense. .22 will do that and likely a great deal more. .22 is deadly and demands respect.

[GunnyGene]

Originally Posted by PMK

I'm no expert and I have not read all the posts. .22? Lethal? You bet!! Number 1 preferred caliber of hit men and some current governments. My friends laugh at me for my love of the .22. It will keep you eating if time gets tough. It is also capable of scrambling your brains like eggs. It is rare to survive a head shot from a .22 under 50 yards ( depending on grains and charge ). An extremely under rated caliber. In my humble opinion it is maybe the best all around caliber ever, especially with modern weapons and cartridges. If they don't drop when you hit them, odds are they will at least back up!! If defending yourself, you want to at least halt the offense. .22 will do that and likely a great deal more. .22 is deadly and demands respect.

Most folks will aim for center mass. Which means a good chance of hitting bone. With a .22 the crotch is a better target for the first couple shots as a stopper. Think about it.

[PMK]

Thanks, GunnyGene. I had not actually looked at it that way before. Damn nice thinking! I was limiting my scope to the scenario of the skulking towel entering the yard while I was set up with my trusty bolt action Targetmaster. Thanks for the insight.

[GunnyGene]

Originally Posted by PMK

Thanks, GunnyGene. I had not actually looked at it that way before. Damn nice thinking! I was limiting my scope to the scenario of the skulking towel entering the yard while I was set up with my trusty bolt action Targetmaster. Thanks for the insight.

Human anatomy is a required course for doctors, masseurs, and professional killers. There's a reason troops sit on their helmets in choppers, and it ain't for the comfort.

Even if you miss the main target there's a good chance of busting a major artery, and he'll bleed out in a minute or so. It's all about winning. And as a side benefit, it reduces the ability of the bad guys to procreate more aholes, if they survive.

[CJ_56]

My wife's cousin shot himself in the head with a .22 while cleaning his "unloaded" revolver. The bullet traveled around the outside of his skull under the skin and came out on the other side of his head. It barely hurt him at all. It didn't even leave a scar. This is common with a .22. If there is an angle to the bullet hitting a skull it will ricochet like skipping a rock off water.

Yes you can kill livestock with a .22. You put the gun right to the head of the animal. I've seen it done more than once. Get the angle wrong and you'll have a ricochet flying off who knows where.

BTW hit men use a .22 because of the noise level. They execute people by shooting them in the back of the head going under the skull at the point the brain stem sits. Hitting the brain stem causes instant death. That bouncing around the inside of the skull stuff is pure Hollywood.

Unless you get zero deflection (straight on shot) it is VERY possible for a .22 bullet to bounce off bone and go elsewhere. The much more deadly choice for a human would be to shoot them in the abdomen where the bullet can bounce around inside the body. Unless you are certain you can shoot straight into a skull then shoot for the crotch. That makes a lot of sense to me. Yes you can certainly kill someone with a .22. But light, slow moving bullets are well known to ricochet. Faster, heavier bullets don't ricochet nearly as much. That's why a .45 is almost useless when shooting a car windshield while a 9mm or a .40 will go through that glass. The same is true of steel BTW. That's the big reason I switched from a .45 CCW gun to a .40. I still carry my .45's once in a while depending on where I will be going. Out in the woods where penetration into things like car windshields will almost never happen a .45 is a great weapon. In a shootout with someone in a car give me a .40 and that's for the same reasons I wouldn't want a .22 in a gun fight. .40's are fast and fairly heavy. They have the benefits of both a 9mm and a .45 ACP. And they lack the problems the heavier, slower .45 have. With a .22 it's lighter and slower but the problem remains - ricochets.

Besides all that I can fire 21 rounds of .32 size bullets at the same time I'm firing ONE .22 size bullet. No contest.