If you had to defend your home and loved ones, what Caliber?

[Flopsweat]

This discussion is awesome!

Today at the range a friend of mine challenged me to a rapid fire contest. Of course I won, but the point is that I rattled off 10 rounds of .22 at 15 yards into an 8" inch circle in 3 sec0nds. With a pistol, yes. Now think about this - minimal recoil, essentially no muzzle flash or over penetration, low cost, and hardly any hearing damage. It's the perfect caliber!

 

[Certaindeaf]

Gunkid?

 

[soberups]

This discussion is awesome!

Today at the range a friend of mine challenged me to a rapid fire contest. Of course I won, but the point is that I rattled off 10 rounds of .22 at 15 yards into an 8" inch circle in 3 sec0nds. With a pistol, yes. Now think about this - minimal recoil, essentially no muzzle flash or over penetration, low cost, and hardly any hearing damage. It's the perfect caliber!

Good luck with that.

I have no doubt that you are capable of putting multiple .22 rounds into the chest of the psycho tweaker who just broke into your home...I just hope that he doesn't rip your arm off and beat you to death with it in the 5 to 10 minutes it might take him to bleed out from the holes your mouse gun has put into him.

 

[Three Bars]

A .22 is better than not having anything at all, but even if you hit vital areas with every shot it may take several minutes before the threat is neutralized.
And on top of that, how will you perform when all that adrenaline is propelling through your system...will you be able to put your shots where you want?

Then there's that old saying; Friends don't let friends carry mou.............Oh never mind....

 

[mjbskwim]

And in the final analysis, nobody gets convinced because....
Can you hit it?
Shoot somebody with a .22 long rifle 38gr hollow point through the eye socket, scrambled brains.
.380 in the neck-part of the spine, Timmmmberrrr!
.40SW or .45ACP in the gut, liver, kidney, heart, a short, bloody painful trip to St Peter's gate.
Shotgun at short range (Bird, buck, slug doesn't matter) it's all going into the wound, what a mess!
Spine shot anywhere will mess-up the Central Nervous System, from the brain to the tailbone
Post 70 drawing was drawn by super-imposing some medical images over a people target.
Still have to add the kidneys, liver, etc.

And this is all good "theory" but in truth,not all these thing will happen as you stated.
Maybe the 22lr goes in and out.Not much of a chance but may be
Same with the 380,graze the spine and not timber
There was a thread on here a year ago about a guy that got shot 22,I believe,times with a 40 and they needed a 223 to kill him.The bullets did not expand,you could see them in the xray

Then there is the shotgun.
Yes birdshot is not the best choice ,but if you put 2-7 shots on a guys chest,he will stop advancing.
oobuck should,if he's not dressed in 5 layers drop him instantly,but will for sure,put him back a couple steps
A slug,at 'in house' distances,most likely put a hole thru the bad guy.

I believe a person should shoot what they are most comfortable with,but I also believe most people should train to defend their house with a shotgun of some type.
Go look at any ballistic gel tests and see what slugs and heavy shot do.Most other calibers,except a 45/70 type,don't compare.Rifles penetrate too much,though

Oh and they say pig flesh is most like ours if your gunna waste meat for a test

 

[Sgt Nambu]

^^^^Let me rephrase that for you Three Bars. Friends who let friends carry mouse guns are rats!

 

[Flopsweat]

...Rifles penetrate too much, though...

I have some 223 that expands remarkably fast. Penetrates ballistic gel to about 10" if I recall correctly.

 

[Flopsweat]

Good luck with that.

I have no doubt that you are capable of putting multiple .22 rounds into the chest of the psycho tweaker who just broke into your home...I just hope that he doesn't rip your arm off and beat you to death with it in the 5 to 10 minutes it might take him to bleed out from the holes your mouse gun has put into him.

Well that's just silly. I never let mice anywhere near my guns.

 

[Three Bars]

As a young kid growing up in San Francisco, in the '50s, I remember reading a newspaper article about a guy who showed up at the Emergency Hospital complaining about severe headaches. After X-rays it was determined he was "rolled" and shot five times in the head with a .22...I assume he lived.

The Flip side of that is in the '80s I witnessed a police stand off in Eugene where the suspect shot himself in the head with a .22 revolver, it looked like he swallowed the barrel, he collapsed and was gone that fast.

That's the problem with a .22....you never know.

This time of year, if I'm wearing shorts and a T shirt, I carry a small Taurus revolver, .38 special in a pocket holster. Even with +Ps, and a backup speed loader, I feel a little bit under gunned.

Like my late mom used to say: "Never send a boy to do man's job."

 

[ARKLITE881South]

on the flip side of the .22 to the head, i know of a guy who shot himself over a girl, ended up being blind for the rest of his life.

 

[Three Bars]

What would it be like to attempt suicide only to botch the job.
Losing your sight is a terrible consequence, but it could be much worse.

 

[mjbskwim]

I heard of a guy doing this and severed both eye nerves but not killing himself
You're not depressed now are you?

 

[Certaindeaf]

There's an old story about a mob hit.. inside a room, three guys, one shooter and one target.. emptied a .22 handgun to the guy's fat (if I remember correctly) head and the guy was hardly phased.. he lived.. I forget if he fled or the two guys fled or what.

 

[Brutus57]

always did like a rifle with a pig sticker on it.

Brutus Out

 

[MikeE]

For me, long guns are to big to handle properly in the house, especially when I wake from deep sleep.

Also if you have the rare intruder who has close quarter skills, then weapon retention can become an issue.

This! How about waking up to stare down the barrel of the shotgun you had stashed in the corner?

 

[Sgt Nambu]

This! How about waking up to stare down the barrel of the shotgun you had stashed in the corner?

HaHa, I would not care for that! The intruder, however, would have some difficulty sighting down the barrel due to the 135# Bull Mastif attached to his throat! LOL!!!

 

[salmonriverjohn]

I will use whichever is the closest caliber, make and or model that I happen to have on hand, and their usually very handy. It beats a club hands down.

 

[Xader]

I was going to get excited that there was an extension tube that could hold 16 rounds in my 870.

Oh, but there IS, my friend.

It's called the XRail. 14+1 or 22+1.

 

[solv3nt]

Oh, but there IS, my friend.

It's called the XRail. 14+1 or 22+1.

View attachment 92441

That thing costs more than my 870!

 

[Flopsweat]

That thing costs more than my 870!

Costs a lot less than I've got in my Saiga, and it only holds 20 +1.