Posted on 10/20/2023 7:03:50 AM PDT by marktwain
Many people underestimate the .22 Long Rifle (LR) cartridge. It is the most common cartridge in the world. It is capable of killing men and large animals. Three years ago, AmmoLand documented 20 incidents where .22 rimfire was used to kill all three types of bears in North America. Black bears are the most common, followed by grizzly/brown bears and, occasionally, polar bears.
Since the 2020 article, four more incidents have been found where bears were shot and killed or so badly wounded they were euthanized as an act of mercy. Of the four bears in this update, one was a grizzly/brown bear, and the other three were black bears. The events are listed in sequence.
The grizzly charged and Chuck stood still waiting for his helper to shoot. He looked around and the helper was running off with the shotgun. Chuck turned to run and tripped over a tree root and fell to the ground. The 500-pound male grizzly ran up to Chuck and stood up on his hind legs over him with the trap on a front paw. Chuck pulled out his .22 revolver and fired all nine shots in it. Some missed, some glanced off the grizzly’s skull and one went into an eye socket, killing the bear.
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
This guy was lucky. Luck doesn't count.
I like .22 for a backup and for plinking. My favorite round is the CCI Mini Mag. Never have a jam with them!
Penetration of a 22LR from a pistol is well below most centerfire pistols - IIRC, around 8-10 inches without expansion (from 0.22 inches). I don’t object to using it for self-defense if that is what one has, but I’d prefer even a .380 for both reliability and penetration (18” or so in FMJ).
The only time I ever pulled a gun in self-defense, it was a 22LR revolver - because that was what I had on me. The 8 guys starting to surround me didn’t want to be the first shot in the face - and having fired thousands of rounds thru the little revolver, that was my plan. So I left without shooting.
But for most purposes, even a 380 is a better choice.
If you throw them at the bear he will fall down laughing........................
Oh great, another article about how to shoot bears that attack ...but not a word about how to reduce the incidents of heffalumps and woolzels raiding our larders making us desperate enough to attack humans for food.
Ive killed cows with a .22...but they are not charging me
Or get really angry.
Has anyone done a reliability comparison between a rim fire cartridge vs center fire?
My experience is that rim fire is not as reliable.
460 or 500?
No wonder our mail,service has been so slow lately... all those bear mailings lol
Dead is dead.
So FWIW our ATV tour guide in Alaska last May had a nice stainless .44 mag revolver in a chest rig that also had a set of reloads in loops.
The confirmation email noted that the tour included various things, like bottled water, trail mix snack, and bear repellent. I had immediately told the wife I was uninterested in bear repellent that wasn’t a firearm in a caliber starting with a four. Upon meeting the guide and inquiring on caliber, I told him he passed, and what I had told the wife, getting a chuckle.
Whose .22 pistol do we like? It’s a hole in my collection. Rifles I have covered.
Nice hand cannon. Caliber?
Get lots of duds with .22 shells‐ certainly wouldn’t want to rely on it if in danger, but if had nothing else, shot placement is key. The old .22 marlin semi autos could be rapidly fired as well, as fast as you can pull, the trigger. And they hold a lot of ammo-
Someone was looking out for Chuck.
.22 kills more people every year in the US than any other. That said, I would want something far more powerful than a .22 for self defense.
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