The power of a .22

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44 AMP

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It always comes down to the best choice for the worst case

The best defensive handgun from a stopping power standpoint would be the 12ga shotgun. However, the Fed Gov in their wisdom has denied us those kinds of weapons (generally) for quite a long time.

All guns can kill, and any bullet in the right place can kill instantly. But when things are not perfect, bigger and more powerful guns up the odds in your favor. Nothing is 100%, and there have been cases of men taking a couple of 12ga slugs to the chest and running away (they didn't get very far, but the were able to run a short distance). Counting on a .22 to stop an attacker (who doesn't want to stop) is nearly as smart as counting on winning the lottery for your retirement income. great when it happens, but not something to count on.

No handgun has an overabundance of "stopping power", and without hitting the "off switch" nothing is for certain. But....
 
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Bill DeShivs

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Some of you guys sound like you are ready to do war with zombies.
Damned few assailants are going to do more than run the other direction if shot with any gun.
Why would you think you will run across someone who is so determined to do you harm that he would persist after you have shot him with anything?
 
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Silvanus

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Why would you think you will run across someone who is so determined to do you harm that he would persist after you have shot him with anything?
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That's exactly what I'm always wondering about in threads like this. It's not like some killers are out there to get you (at least I hope that's not the case for most of you). A "normal" BG who wants to get your wallet and cellphone, will not persist if you shoot him with any gun and caliber.
 
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CraigC

Moderator
Damned few assailants are going to do more than run the other direction if shot with any gun.
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Are you really willing to bet the life of yourself and your loved ones on that? Ever been in a fight for your life? You are making a very foolish and dangerous assumption NOT based on facts. Many people are dead because they trusted a cartridge/load that was far superior to the .22LR at stopping a fight. It doesn't take a PCP freak to shoot back after you put a 36gr slug in his body. All he has to do is point and pull the trigger. All it takes is one shot from said assailant and your life will change forever.
 
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JohnKSa

Administrator
Are you really willing to bet the life of yourself and your loved ones on that?
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In the vast majority of self-defense gun uses, the caliber is totally irrelevant. Either the gun is not fired or the shot does not connect. In the remaining cases, a good number give up upon being shot regardless of the severity or placement of the wound. In a small percentage of cases (well under 10%) the caliber used (and the skill of the defender) will play a part, however the biggest value of a self-defense firearm isn't in it's ability to destroy the attacker but rather to rapidly change his priorities.

I'm not saying it's a good idea to use a .22LR for self-defense, but the facts tell us that in the vast majority of gun defenses a .22LR would work as well as any other firearm.

In the very rare cases where a defender must actually "break the attacker down" with bullets(attacker doesn't give up or stop until he is physically unable to do anything else), a .22LR (or any other very small caliber) would be a decided disadvantage. Even in those situations it would be possible to prevail--but it certainly lays a tremendous burden on the skill of the defender. In other words, it dramatically reduces the chance of a successful defense in a situation where a determined attacker will not desist until he is physically unable to continue.
 
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akr

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ClayKing---


You aren't getting it. Those people were unarmed and they were shot multiple times each.
 
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Bill DeShivs

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Craig
I don't carry a .22. My wife and I carry .32 acp primary guns, with 9mm "back ups."
Would/have I carried a .22? Yes.
I balance my carry gun around my life- I don't live around my carry gun.
I have carried a gun for 32 years in Memphis, and haven't had to shoot anyone yet.
 
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garyl43

New member
"I balance my carry gun around my life- I don't live around my carry gun."




You must be crazy! I don't leave the house without my Kevlar vest and Desert Eagle .50 :eek:. My life is worth that much! ;)
 
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garyl43

New member
Of course! And don't forget the night vision goggles and 8hrs ninja training daily (gotta be prepared for those evening trips to the Piggly Wiggly ya know) :barf:.
 
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jakeswensonmt

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No one seems to ever dispute that shot placement is key, and who would dispute that a .22 is very good for short range accuracy and quick followups?
 
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CraigC

Moderator
Hmm, I guess we should all bet our lives on the statistics and start toting .22's. It must have just been a rumor that the old .38Spl LRN earned a reputation as the widowmaker. Must just be an old wives tale that the Army dumped the .38 and started reissuing the Single Action Army .45 when the .38 failed to stop the natives. The current military must just be wasting money on the 6.8SPC, they should issue .22LR uppers instead. If the .22LR is enough, put your money where your mouth is and sell off all those 9mm's, .357's, .40's and .45's.

Seriously, this is one of the dumbest discussions I've read in a long time, thanks for the chuckle.
 
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teeroux

New member
shot placement

hell i bet i could take someone out with a shot to the head with my sling shot but that doesnt mean i'll carry one for self defense. Its always a good idea to go with a round with better stoping power cause NO ONE hits the bullseye every time.

though if alll you have is a 22lr it still beats the slingshot:)
 
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RonC

New member
One of the articles on the Finland incident said that the shooter put 68 bullets into the 8 victims. I suppose almost any caliber that penetrates the skin and into internal organs will kill with 8 shots into each person.

Ron
 
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clayking

New member
You aren't getting it. Those people were unarmed and they were shot multiple times each.
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Gee, I would be willing to bet the overwhelming vast majority of people killed or shot from an armed person with a handgun weren't armed either!

f everyone ( not just us gun folks) carried a .22, I can guarantee the crime rate would drop. No one wants to get shot.
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Ain't it so.......................ck

Then there's this:http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/killed/2006/table33.html
 
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akr

New member
You STILL aren't getting it. The point you are trying to make is that a .22 is fine for carry. If every adversary you encounter is unarmed, that's fine, but you don't want to be in a gunfight with more heavily armed people. It's best to have something else better, of course. You were talking about people who were nothing more than "sitting ducks", who were being shot at multiple times with a .22. I think 68 shots were fired to kill 8 people. I'm not saying it took that many, but he certainly was not in any gunfight. :rolleyes: How can you justify that situation as a big reason to carry a .22 for self defense?:rolleyes: Is that all you have? If it is, well then, by all means, carry it until you can buy a larger caliber. A 9mm would be fine.
 
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clayking

New member
You STILL aren't getting it.
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Gee, I said in my opening post that I carry 9mm or higher...and never made the point that the .22 was fine for carry, just proached the subject as it obviously has killing power.................................ck
 
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