.22 Mag for self defense

[prairiedog555]

I have a .22 mag Taurus revolver that I like.  Shoots good.  I have used it for finish shots on deer.  (not mine, I use a 30.06 and they drop dead)

When I clean deer the recovered .22 bullet really expands and does the trick.  And I see from ballistic charts that the energy at the muzzle is comparable to .9mm and better that .38.

I am not a handgun expert, just a shooter.  And I know that .22 mag is not optimum protection, as the .38 is not.  But I have this gun and I am deadly with it and IF I decided to use for self defense how would it perform?   I know some of our GB readers are LE experts that have expert opinions.

Please advise.

Thank you

[SHOOTALL]

if you like charts check out the % of one shot stops the .22 mag. has if it is listed at all ! that will give facts not opinion .
no doubt a 22 of most any size will kill its how much damage the one who got shot can do before they fall !
the ME of a 40 grain bullet vs. a wider 158 grain bullet is not going to tell you much with regard to stooping power . some what like poking with a finger vs. nailing with a fist full of quarters ! the poke may work in a very few instances in just the right spot , but in the heat of battle do ya really want to poke a finger ?

[southern utah]

often referred to as a mouse gun I would think with proper ammo and good accuracy it would be deadly. Many LEO pack small caliber pistols and resolvers as back up. 22 bullets like to bounce around inside and have done more damage than larger fmj bullets.

[SHOOTALL]

that is often the case with 22's but the time it takes to work often leaves long enough for the attacker to kill you !
do you know of any departments that issue back up guns that issue 22's ? i read where many issue 38 spl. or such .
i hope this is not out of line , but why on earth would anyone not want the best possible chance to survive they could give themselves ?
I read once that 80 % or more people shot with a handgun survive , so at best the handgun is not the best choice for protection , most use it because of laws , dress ,cost or reasons other than its fight stopping record !
most shot guns launch a 24 cal buck shot at 1200 fps and send a bunch down range at a time !
the 22mag. sends one smaller bullet down range at near the same speed ( out of a revolver ), the shotgun depends on multiple hits to work and no.4 buck ain't most folks choice to start with ! any handgun round is at a disadvantage to start with and the smaller you go the bigger the disadvantage gets ! there is an old saying about a Texas Ranger being ask why he toted a 45 , his answer was because they don't make a 50 !
another test for self defense is to get a shot timer place an index card ( 3X5 ) 7 yards out get a buddy to time your draw and shot , if you can do it in 1.5 seconds ya got a chance . want to put a little pressure on hand your buddy 10 bucks every time you come up short , this is one of the best test i ever had to see how good i was , after hard practice most can do it 8 out of 10 times or better !
when some one has committed to hurt or kill you nothing you think , own in the truck or at home , saw on tv the movies etc means anything , its what you got with you right now and know how to use right now ! make your choices wisely !

[m-g Willy]

If thats the only gun you have--use it!
It beats not having anything at all.
Practice doing a dbl tap when shooting(firing 2 shots as fast as you can into the target.)


Willy

[SHOOTALL]

i most defense classes they tend to shy away from such guns , but teach if you must use one go for points of easy entry , eye nose  mouth and ear which means almost touching the perp. !
if it is in fact all you have by all means use it , just realize how to use it for most effect !

[Redhawk1]

If anyone doubts the capability of the 22 Mag, would you want to get shot by one, even from 15 yards away? I know I would not want to be shot with one.

I carry a NAA 22 Mag, it is my gun that I have with me 24/7. But I also carry a Sig 357sig as my primary, but I feel just fine with my 22 Mag. Some times that is all I am able to carry due to the clothing I wear in the summer ie shorts and t-shirt.

[~Ace~]

In the winter... a .22 Mag is often FAR more effective than most other Handgun calibers... 

[Savage]

One more time: If the .22 is all you have, carry it. Most any other caliber is more effective, and available is about the same size package. The choice is yours--------!
Savage

[chris s]

if it's what you have and you are comfortable and can shoot well use it. Yes something bigger would probably be better but its all about shot placement.

[Savage]

"Shot Placement" 

In a "fight or flight" situtation, an average to good shooter will be fortunate to get hits 40% of the time, much less percisely place his hits.
Savage

[Cheesehead]

I am considering a da revolver in 22 mag for my wife since she is recoil sensitive. I have shot some light weight 38's and they have substantial recoil. Now to choose the right revolver.

Cheese

[Savage]

Wonder if anyone still makes a .32 Mag in a DA for the recoil sensitive?
Savage

[coyotejoe]

i most defense classes they tend to shy away from such guns , but teach if you must use one go for points of easy entry , eye nose  mouth and ear which means almost touching the perp. !
if it is in fact all you have by all means use it , just realize how to use it for most effect !

Actually, most civilian shootings do involve some physical scuffling, often fighting for control of the gun. That is one reason I prefer a revolver, an auto is almost certain to jam if a shot is fired during such a struggle. Yet my .22 mag is an auto because I don't envision it as a personal defence weapon. With that said, I also do not feel unarmed while wearing my AMT automag.

[corbanzo]

i most defense classes they tend to shy away from such guns , but teach if you must use one go for points of easy entry , eye nose  mouth and ear which means almost touching the perp. !
if it is in fact all you have by all means use it , just realize how to use it for most effect !

Actually, most civilian shootings do involve some physical scuffling, often fighting for control of the gun. That is one reason I prefer a revolver, an auto is almost certain to jam if a shot is fired during such a struggle. Yet my .22 mag is an auto because I don't envision it as a personal defence weapon. With that said, I also do not feel unarmed while wearing my AMT automag.

That is because most civilians are afraid to pull the trigger.  Before anyone carries any gun they have to ask theirselves if they are ready to use it at any time.  If they aren't... it's more of a danger than a help. 

And really with any personal defense weapon, it isn't looking at which is going to kill the fastest, it is the shock of being shot which stops the attacker, which a .22 mag will do.  Some people have different tolerances for pain and physical shock, but most people are gonna stop after being shot, even with a .22 caliber. 

And southern utah was exactly right about the use of it, and bouncing around.  Since it doesn't have the energy to not be affected by different thicknesses of tissue, it will change course as it hits different levels of the body, and even some times travel back and forth a couple of times inside the soft tissue of the body cavity.

[SHOOTALL]

be careful in a contact shot even the blow back of Stuff from the person getting shot can stop a revolver , meat , bone etc can block movement of a cyl. ! and one would hope that you are taking the weapon away from and not having such done unto you !
it should be noted that a 22mag. in a rifle is quite a different animal ! and may work better than some handgun rounds from a handgun , but i would find it hard to believe that a 22mag from a handgun would out  preform a dependable round in any season !
that is correct that the fight stopping ability is far more important than any thing else , so i must ask if you know your attacker and he will stop at the shot from a 22mag , why did you allow him to get to you in the first place ? you should have avoided him !
i carry a bigger round because i have no idea who will attack me , if he is on drugs , drunk or in a mental state where he feels no pain !
if you are comfortable with a mouse gun enjoy !

[LEO]

A 22 magnum is better than no gun at all but it is not an ideal choice either.  I have seen two people shot with a 22 magnum handgun (I realize not a statistically valid sample but it is real world observation).  The first person had a 22 magnum revolver in the seat of the truck and while he was fiddling with it the gun discharged striking him in the leg just above the knee, he didn't realize he had been shot until he saw the blood seeping out of his pants.  He drove himself to the hospital.  The second subject had a 22 magnum revolver in a poorly made homemade holster, the revolver fell out of the holster when the fellow bent over striking the hammer on a rock and discharging, it struck him just below rib cage traveled up through the chest cavity and came to rest near the collar bone.  The man walked approximately 75 yards up a trail to the parking lot to his vehicle and had his girlfriend call 911.  The subject flatlined in the helicopter but they were able to revive him and he recovered.  He will have problems the rest of his life as with any gunshot victim.  But the point being if he was intent on doing you harm he could have done a lot of harm from the time he was shot until he collapsed.  I know in an actual defensive shooting he would have probably been shot more than once but still and I realize the first shooting was to a non vital area but it is still something to think about in that I saw a person shot in the almost exact same spot in the leg with a 357 magnum and it broke the leg and turned the surrounding flesh to hamburger.

[azmark]

I looked up the chart at Chuck Hawk's website.  42% one shot stop record out of a revolver.

[SHOOTALL]

so you start off knowing a minimum of 3 shots will be needed to stop your attacker ! statically speaking that is !

[EDELWEISS]

I never much thought about 22mag for defense, but it seems like it might be an option for those with recoil issues.  Frankly I keep hoping someone would come out with a 22 or 17 that has a Hi-Cap magazine, but still in a "carry-able" size.  Before the Dark days I seem to remember Grendel was talking about a 22mag with a 30 shot magazine.  Now that sounds like the poor-man's FN57.....  One or two shots might not be an instant stopper but how'bout 10 or 15???

[kennisondan]

I am not undergunned with any thing I practice and am proficient with... but would like to have the largest that I am good with for that duty.. I have had a couple of mouseguns and was armed at least... I think a good knife is at least as good as a little pistol, if you are willing to use it with aggression..
all in the ability and the intent... when I have a derringer double action 22 mag and a good knife or two I feel safer than just knuckles ....
dk

[SHOOTALL]

AT least you don't have to worry about reloads with a knife !