baby cal. comparison

[Totin'a10]

Another question,
 :roll:
How would you rate a .22mag as compared to a .32acp?
Thanks for entertaining my elementary questions! :oops:

[Prof. Fuller Bullspit]

I'll assume this is for self-defense purposes.
 
The .32 is often considered slightly better for self defense because of better reliability, larger bullet etc. etc. The .22 mag may be  cheaper so you can practice more.  
 
Both will likely irritate the bad person before stopping him/her but would beat using your fingernails.
 
The difference is small and for me if I had to choose I would make the choice based on what gun I had available for these rounds rather than the round itself. In otherwords I would pick the high quality utterly reliable .22 mag over the cheap .32 or vice versa.

[unspellable]

I'd say the Winchester 32 ACP Silvertip has a definite advantage over any load in the 22 MRF.  It shows better results than you would expect on the street.

Also, center fire ignition is more reliable than rim fire ignition.  I have frequent misfires with a certain line of 22 LR's.

[Rmouleart]

I call them both piss shooters for self defense, zip right through ya, not enough meplat, low shock, but for years specially trained feds used 22mag's, double tap guns;) head shots, I prefer a 40cal and up for self defense, they will all kill you,but how fast, the faster the better, big hole,bleed out quicker, lower blood pressures faster than a small hole I would think out of the both mentioned the 22mag is a better performer, a good amount of ammo is available over the counter, not sure about the 32acp, kinda like the 25 acp a dieing cart, there is so much better carts to pick from now a days. Corp are still coming up with new 22mag ammo, I don't think they are doing anything with the 32acp in a long time, Id go with the 22mag using GDHP's, worked well on a big coyote;) never tried them on people to know how they work LOL. Aim small hit small. RAMbo.

[leverfan]

I'd say the Winchester 32 ACP Silvertip has a definite advantage over any load in the 22 MRF.  It shows better results than you would expect on the street.

If those street results you're talking about are the ones from Marshall and Sanow, you might want to just throw that information out.  At least a couple of magazines that printed their stories have since printed retractions and corrections.  Wound experts on both sides of the Atlantic have proven that the information in the M & S books owes more to imagination than research, a position that can be proven with M & S's own contradictory claims.  Some of the experts quoted and cited by M & S have come forward to say that they were never even contacted, and that the information attributed to them is incorrect.

If those street results are based on your own experience, or the experience of trusted associates, and the sample is large enough, then you're on to something a good deal more valuable.  Some recent efforts have begun to construct a real street shooting data base, one that includes all kinds of shooting situations.  

For more info, I'd suggest folks read all the articles at the site listed below.  It will take a while, but it's well worth it, if you value your hide in a self defense situation.  It will also save you from wasting your hard earned money on certain questionable books.  Spend the money on ammo, instead, and get some practice in.

http://www.firearmstactical.com/wound.htm

[unspellable]

I'd be the first to agree that a 9mm, 40 S&W, 357 Mag, 45 ACP, et al, would beat the 32 ACP or the 22 MRF, but we are talking mouse guns here.

Sometimes in the real world you just can't pack the bulk of something in the service calibers.

When it comes to the pip squeaks the 32 ACP is the smallest I will carry.  The 25 ACP is just too small, the 22 LR is really no better and has unreliable ignition.  Up to now the available expanding bullets in the 22 MRF won't expand well at hand gun velocities.  Maybe that will change.  They don't make reall cheap 22 MRF's like they do 22 LR's so maybe ignition is a little more reliable.  But I will maintain the 32 is a step up from the 22's and the 25.

[leverfan]

unspellable, I sure can't find anything to disagree with in that post.  I would actually prefer a truncated cone, full metal jacket bullet for the 32 ACP, as the meager penetration of the expanding bullets doesn't inspire confidence.  Of course, I haven't been able to find any FMJ, TC shaped bullets of 60-70 grains that would actually work for the 32, and I sure can't find any factory ammo loaded this way.  

On the flip side, the round nose FMJ designs don't leave enough of a permanent wound channel, so I end up packing hollow points in my mouse gun.  Despite the shallow penetration, I think they'll work better than poking a pin hole sized wound deeper.  

I prefer Gold Dots to any other bullet design, especially since I've had some reliability problems with 32 ACP Silvertip factory ammo.

[papajohn428]

If I were limited to either of the two, I'd go with the 32, and use Glasers.  For up close and personal encounters, a Glaser is hard to beat.  22's of all persuations have killed a lot of folks thru the years, but I wouldn't bet on an instant stop unless you can screw the barrel into their eye socket as you pull the trigger.  While a 22 can be deadly, it's more likely from peritonitis a few weeks later than from a devastating wound!

PJ

[strider72]

Bill Jordan, of Border Patrol fame, actually was wanting a S&W Airweight in .22 Magnum. Said so in his book,"No Second Place Winner".