self defense 22

Self Defense 22 - 22 Rifle, or 22LR or just "22" for short, is one of the oldest cartridges in the world. It was first invented in the early 1880s and was one of the most popular cartridges in America for decades. It's great for hunting all kinds of wildlife, it's great as a training round, and it's used for shooting and target practice by millions of people around the world.

But can you use a 22 for self-defense? Can it do the job or should you skip the whole thing and go with the 9mm, 380 ACP or some other cartridge? For some, the answer to that question is a resounding "Yes!" and any mention of the use of 22 for self-defense was removed with words such as "rat gun".

Self Defense 22

Let's start with the obvious: 22LR is not a powerful cartridge. At the muzzle, a typical 22LR round will have a 40 grain bullet that leaves the barrel of your gun at about 1100 feet per second and packs over 100 ft/lb of energy. Compare that to the 9mm round, with a bullet that weighs nearly three times as much, travels over 1100 fps, and fires over 320 foot-pounds of energy, and you begin to see the problem with using a 22 for personal protection.

Download Smallbore Rifle 22 Lr Isolated On White Background Modern 22lr Semiautomatic Rifle With A Wooden Butt On A White Back Weapons For Hunting Sports And Selfdefense Stock Photo

However, cartridge capacity is only one part of the personal defense equation. The most powerful gun in the world doesn't do you any good if it's not around when you need it. Apart from this, a powerful gun that can't shoot well may be comfortable for you, but it will have little effect on the bad guy trying to ruin your life. Turns out it might be something to use a catch 22 for self defense after all.

Let's talk about what this might look like in practice. I live in Florida, and spend some time teaching friends and neighbors how to draw. Since I'm in Florida, a good portion of the people in the area are elderly. Their muscles and bone structure aren't what they used to be, and delivering the recoil of a 9mm or even a 380 is a bridge too far for them. Add the strength required to manipulate the slide on most guns and suddenly switching to using a .22 for self defense starts to make more sense.

Also, despite our best efforts (and we have teams of people working on this every minute of every workday), the cost of ammo is higher than it was forty years ago. Having a .22 pistol you can trust and practicing using inexpensive rimfire ammo is a good idea as it keeps your skills sharp. At the end of the day, it's our ability to make the shot when literally everything in our lives is on the line that will make the difference. A gun that you know how to use and are comfortable with will feel more comfortable and perform better in your hand than a gun that you shoot once a year.

But don't take my word for it. This is what famous trainer Massad Ayoob said in his course, "In The Gravest Extreme: The Role of Firearms in Self-Defense," written in 1980.

Lr Self Defense Ammo Testing

"However, only among small defense cartridges (a .22) have a useful place as a personal defense weapon. That is because it is easy for non-gunners to shoot quickly and accurately. cringe, close your eyes they and pull the trigger; Wild shots are therefore less likely. There is a more personal factor here. Also able to make a sure threat, because the criminal who takes a gun will consider the uncertainty Some are not inclined, while others rely on the magical power of weapons to drop anything in front of you when they sell. But the pr. incipal reason is, "I can't pay twelve dollars a box to practice every month! ". "Fixed" ammo for .45's, 9m/m's and .38. Specials are available for as little as $5 for a box of 50. In contrast, a box of 50.22 can be had for over a dollar. This encourages practice. , which is important for anyone who wants to be able to protect themselves (both from military criminals and from lawsuits by innocent civilians who have been hit by fire). - "In T he Gravest Extreme", page 109. New bullets, new weapons, new possibilities

Keep in mind this was written in 1980, before Glocks and hollow point ammo jackets became popular. Back then, a 1911 in 45 ACP or a revolver in .357 Magnum were considered the best handguns you could buy. Yet here is Ayoob, a legend in the business at the time, recommending the use of a .22 for self-defense as less-than-optimal but still very viable for people who can't handle the recoil of a larger gun.

A lot has changed since then. Now there are small 380 ACP pistols that are easy to shoot and easy to handle. In addition to this, modern computer models and high-speed photography have given us a better idea of ​​how bullets behave when they hit the target. With all this in mind, is it a good idea to use 22 for personal protection? We found out.

Traditionally, the biggest problem with using a 22 for self defense is that the round has too much power to reach a vital organ and stop the threat. To see if that is still true, we will shoot three common 22LR cartridges in ballistic gel through four layers of heavy duty cloth, using four different 22 caliber guns.

Why The Ruger 10/22 Is Home Defense Perfection

The weapons in our test will be a Glock 44 pistol, a Smith and Wesson 43c revolver, a Ruger LCP LiteRack pistol, and a Ruger 10/22 rifle. We will fire five rounds of each type of ammo with these guns through four layers of heavy duty fabric in a ballistic gel block. We will measure the penetration of each bullet into the gel and measure the results. We will also measure the muzzle velocity of each shot and use that to calculate the total muzzle force of each weapon and weapon combination.

The LCP Lite Rack is very similar to the best-selling Ruger LCP2, except it is chambered in 22LR instead of 380ACP. The pistol has a 2¾ long barrel, which means there is a chance that some of the ammo we will be testing will not reach the velocity that other guns with a longer barrel can.

The Federal Punch 22 is the clear winner of this test section. With more than 12 inches of average penetration through the gel, it exceeds the FBI's minimum standard for defensive weapons, which is quite something given the short 2.75-inch barrel.

Second best is the Winchester Silvertip, with 11.8 inches of penetration, just short of the minimum FBI standard. In addition to this, Silvertip bullets disintegrate on impact with the gel, leaving only a fraction of each pellet to penetrate the target and reach a critical area.

Best Derringer For Self Defense

CCI Mini-Mags are very popular and are a good choice for target selection, pinking and small game hunting. However, when we fired them at LCP, they failed to approach the FBI's minimum penetration for a defensive round.

The 43c is an eight-shot chambered in 22LR. It has a 1 7/8" long barrel, which can also affect penetration. Federal Punch also does its best when shooting this gun and penetrates an average of 14.44 inches through four layers of heavy duty cloth and gel. This is a standard that some 9mm and 38 specialty cartridges cannot achieve, so the performance of this round in this gun and the LCP Lite Rack is quite impressive.

The Winchester Silvertip round is also very good, with a penetration diameter of 12.43 inches. However, as with the LCP, the round splits upon hitting the gel, reducing the amount of bullet that penetrates the gel. A Silvertip roll doesn't work as well, coming in at only 9.25 inches.

The CCI Mini-Mag round shot at 43c failed to achieve less than 12 inches of gel penetration. This cycle is very effective for many things, but short-term self-defense is probably not one of them.

Lr For Self Defense: Ammunition Test & Comparison

The Glock 44 is a special 22LR version of the very popular Glock 19. The 4-inch barrel length makes it burn more loose and push the bullet at higher velocities, which can affect

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