Posted on 01/08/2022 8:11:26 AM PST by DoodleBob
It’s a question those of us in the gun writing business often get asked. “What’s the best caliber for a self-defense handgun?” Those expecting a one-to-three digit answer from me will be disappointed. I respond to their simple question with a complex one. “What is the most powerful cartridge that you can shoot accurately and proficiently that comes in a handgun which is comfortable enough to carry that you’ll carry it all the time?” Depending on the person asking, the answer will vary. For some, it’s a full-sized .357 Mag. or 10 mm Auto. For others, it’s one of the current .380 ACPs offered in a 9 mm-sized handgun. And in certain cases, it’s the .22 LR.
...
Civilians who carry a firearm for self-defense are considering many of the same factors, including ammunition cost and availability, but their most important consideration should be using a firearm that is reliable and that they can consistently hit their target with at self-defense distances. Ballistic advantages goes out the window when your bullet doesn’t connect. Five .22 LRs in the bullseye beat one .44 Mag. that missed completely. To paraphrase famed lawman Bill Jordan, ballistics are fine, but accuracy is final.
Recoil is one factor that can hamper accuracy. Even cartridges on the lower end of the power spectrum, like the .380 ACP, can produce a lot of recoil when paired with one of today’s ultralight, micro-compact handguns. Lack of recoil is the .22 LR’s main advantage when it comes to shooting accurately. The topic of the .22 LR as a self-defense cartridge has been fought over and over in digital and print forums.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanrifleman.org ...
Even at that, most of your remarks are off the wall. The Barret .50 has zero to do with concealed carry.
***Wow, dude. Just wow. You really have trouble seeing obvious hyperbole, doncha? Maybe if you try some target shooting on that asteroid which is coming down onto your house...
As for .45’s .357’s, etc. I am only 5’9’’ (shrunk from old age). I weigh only 170, yet I carry at different times according to whether I am in the woods or in town or in between, everything from .357 GP 100 to .45 colt to 1911’s in both .45 and 9mm, with the 9mm being the least often. So your comments about what can and can not be concealed are out of ignorance.
***How is MY comment out of ignorance? YOU are describing YOURself. I didn’t ignore a single danged thing, you simply did not post that stuff so there’s no way to be ignorant of it. Take a writing class, and a critical thinking class while you’re at it.
All of them can be concealed to the point that the most ant-gun person will not see them.
***Yeah huh, and that was NOT discussed. What WAS discussed was how ordinary people become uncomfortable with such large caliber weapons that they STOP CARRYING them. Now it is my turn to call you ignorant.
You just have to know how.
***Yeah, and it’s not like you’re gonna show nor tell the average newbie.
I can conceal a Ruger Blackhawk with a 5 1/2” barrel as easy as a 5 shot mini.
***Yeah huh, now it’s time to say your comments are off the wall.
I have told you the way it is.
***For yourSELF. You haven’t got the slightest idea how to convey any advantages to the average newbie.
Take it or leave it, it is your life.
***Learn to write or not. It’s your life.
All valid things to keep in mind. It would make sense to address the actual point: Which caliber lends itself to better training and developing better technique? That caliber would be superior.
The answer to that question is the gun, and therefore the caliber, you plan on actually using, unless you want to work on general marksmanship, breathing, trigger technique. For example sux blowing wads of cash and go thru barrels on 6.5PRC in prep for PRS long distance matches so second best is using the Ruger 22 Precision rimfire. but nothing beats the real thing. Especially “when death is on the line!”**
**Shameless Princess Bride Quote
That link to the bear attack was very interesting. Too bad you were not there. You would have shot the bear in the eye with your .22 and kept those hunters from being scared to death.
With that, I quit.
You know the answer to everything. Problem is you don’t know what to do with what you know.
I imagine you’d agree Paul Harrell is pretty much the gold standard for you tube gun talkies
Wry and subtle
Crack shot with anything
Knows guns
I don’t hate Hickok I just know his perspective is not mine
That link to the bear attack was very interesting. Too bad you were not there.
***This article wasn’t about people who carry in bear country. What does it take to get you to focus on the real issues?
You would have shot the bear in the eye with your .22
***Yeah huh, while using my lasso to corral that asteroid headed towards your house.
and kept those hunters from being scared to death.
***I can see that you woulda pulled out your .50 cal Barrett sniper rifle from yer back pocket and dispatched that bear after missing with your pocket M249.
With that, I quit.
***Good. You’re tedious.
You know the answer to everything. Problem is you don’t know what to do with what you know.
***Your problem is you aint got critical thinking capability. As if logic were your second language. Take a critical thinking class.
I took a cab some years ago driven by a cop on medical leave. He had been shot in the ankle with a .22. The autopsy of the man who shot him showed the man already had been shot through the heart and lungs with 00 buck, but kept on firing for awhile.
But hits arent the only thing.
***They’re just 95% of the thing.
For me, that is my 45acp, soon to trade up for a 10mm. I much prefer the incapacitation ability of a 45 dbl stack or 10 over a 22 or even 9. Thats my opinion.
***How long did it take you to arrive at this preference? I don’t think newbies would prefer .45 or 10mm. It makes sense for newbies to carry .22 and train train train until they feel they can upgrade if it suits them.
meh.
Facing a drugged up ape charging from 21 yards I like my chances better with 2 or 3 well placed 10mm rounds even over 10 of your well placed 22 rounds for incapacitation, before he gets to you. ESPECIALLY, if body armor is involved. Should be thinking of all the different situations you can for mental preparedness.
Just my opinion.
Totally disagee. Nobody, imo, should be carrying a 22 for self defense. No one.
45acp was my first handgun back in HS days.
“I’ve heard it said that 95% of all gunfights end as soon as someone gets hit. “
That is some BS right there. Whomever told you that should be wipped.
Seems a rough crowd but All
are Heavily Armed so That’s
A Beautiful Thing!
Feel free to counter it. It has already been stipulated on this thread.
Totally disagee. Nobody, imo, should be carrying a Caliber they are not ready for, for self defense. No one.
45acp was my first handgun back in HS days.
***Not true of most people. Not everyone was raised in such an elitist fashion.
meh. Facing a drugged up ape charging from 21 yards I like my
***Candidly, I don’t think this thread is about what you think your own chances are, but about what most people who are considering a handgun would accept as their carry gun.
chances better with 2 or 3 well placed 10mm rounds even over 10 of your well placed 22 rounds for incapacitation, before he gets to you.
***Feel free to counter that 95% figure and then what the author said about how “their most important consideration should be using a firearm that is reliable and that they can consistently hit their target with at self-defense distances. Ballistic advantages goes out the window when your bullet doesn’t connect. Five .... To paraphrase famed lawman Bill Jordan, ballistics are fine, but accuracy is final. “ Once you effectively counter that concept, then we can talk about what your preference is... for other people.
ESPECIALLY, if body armor is involved.
***Well, there’s an interesting whataboutism to throw in.
Should be thinking of all the different situations you can for mental preparedness.
***The perfect is the enemy of the good.
Just my opinion.
***Back it up with logic and facts. Simple enough.
Dude, I REALLY encourage you to broaden your thinking and expand your scenarios.
In adrenaline filled physical encounters many people don’t even KNOW they’ve been hit. In many encounters you are dealing with MULTIPLE attackers in various states of consciousness. Its obvious you are not a hunter because hits are NOT 95% of the thing....I’m not tracken your deer or bear for you all night. You dont know what in the hell you are talking about.
A 22LR is a GREAT weapon to START to train someone on, But who the hell trains someone on a 22lr pistol,tells them, “ok, now you can carry with this...come back next week and we’ll start to work on the 9mm”? No one reputable. If youre a newbie and are at a stage where thats the only thing you can operate semi-safely and have low experience no way in hell should you be carrying! WTH...your thought process is WAY oversimplified and frankly, dangerous to yourself and those around you.
This is all coming from a firearm and ammuntion product development engineer with almost 30 years experience.
This will probably fall on deaf ears to you. I don’t have high hopes for you grasshopper.
Get the Mark IV with the 10 inch barrel. That will impress the wife.
Depth of penetration is key with 22 ammunition. A 22 round that expands but doesn’t reach a vital organ is essentially a flesh wound. Heavy clothing can challenge a 22 round. The ideal is a large enough round that with both penetrate and expand and there isn’t really one in 22. If someone is going for a 22 for self defense a hollow point round is likely not the best choice. That is why Federal came out with the Punch 22 ammo.
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