looking for .22 s&w revolver

[Hiram]

I'd like to find a .22 revolver for my wife to carry. Anybody got one that wants to part with hit, let me know. The ones with the pink handles would be cool for a ladies carry. Thanks...

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[CarlMc]

You forgot to say something like: "Hi, my name's Bill and I'm a..."
Got some questions to ask you:
1. You want to carry a .22? Is this for self defense purposes? If so, you need to do some serious research. I recomend articles in corneredcat.com focused on men and their gun relationship with their significant other. She writes plainly and I learned a lot about how to introduce my wife to firearms.
2. A pink revolver? First off, do you know what _your wife_ wants? Very few women like pink guns, despite marketing trying to make you think otherwise. My wife hates pink guns; likes hers stainless, black, and revolvers. And big. I have a daughter that will take a pink gun only because it's exactly the opposite of what she is. She's brash, impetuous, will shoot anything I put in her hands and love it, and is very competitive. Definitely not ladylike. Her sister is afraid of everything but a .22, but the 22 is pretty much good for small game and target practice. It will kill whoever tries to use it for self defense, because all you're going to do is make the person who got shot really mad (assuming they notice they've been shot) and all she'll be able to do is throw the gun at them as a dying act of desperation.

I took my wife to the range several times (surprise birthday present at first) before I patiently watched her try several and settle on a .357 revolver. So a S&W 686 was her Christmas present (she never had a clue,) and she's been working on the flinch ever since. That's the only reason I'll be getting a .22 revolver. She insists on the .22 revolver; I would have preferred a semiauto for both of us, but I have to stick with what works best for her in this regard.
Honestly, I don't know why most women tend to like big shiny revolvers, but if that's what it takes to get them to consider their self defense, I'm all for it.

What I'm saying, in a nutshell, is that you will do far more harm than good by attempting to make the decision for your wife.

 

[Hiram]

CarlMC,

After recently completing my third tour in Afghanistan, perhaps I can fill you in on a couple things regarding a .22 caliber.

The bullets fired from my M-4 against the Taliban were almost identicle to a .22 LR. Yes, it's a higher grain load and a faster traveling bullet, but for home defense I will argue that a .22 hollow point is quite sufficient.

Most women are afraid of recoil, which acts as a deterent to the shooting sport. A .22, perhaps a 617 is a great target plinking gun which can be carried as a concealed carry in a purse as well.

Hiram

 

[CarlMc]

CarlMC,

After recently completing my third tour in Afghanistan, perhaps I can fill you in on a couple things regarding a .22 caliber.

The bullets fired from my M-4 against the Taliban were almost identicle to a .22 LR. Yes, it's a higher grain load and a faster traveling bullet, but for home defense I will argue that a .22 hollow point is quite sufficient.

Most women are afraid of recoil, which acts as a deterent to the shooting sport. A .22, perhaps a 617 is a great target plinking gun which can be carried as a concealed carry in a purse as well.

Hiram

You and I will have to disagree on that topic. While more people have been killed with a .22 than any other caliber, it usually takes a lot of 'em. I can kill with a short ice pick, but it will take a lot of sticking to make a difference, and they'll need to hold still and not get ticked off while I'm wearing myself out.

The .223 has more pressure, weight AND velocity, thus more energy to deposit into the target, and isn't likely to slow down dramatically because someone's got a heavy coat on. I couldn't find the article I was looking for, but I did find this:
[Guest Post] .22 LR vs. .223 Rem. | The Firearm Blog

Historically, militaries have pretty much just trained with the 22 and it has not been used (that I'm aware of) in any real way in combat.
Back to the topic of self-defense, which you sort of alluded to by making the "carry" statement, rather than stating clearly that it was for self-defense, it would be wise to start by looking at what are the common self defense calibers and going from there. What do the police use? What are the most common civilian calibers, and what's the debate there?

Have you talked to your wife? Have you taken her to the range and observed what she likes? Have you visited corneredcat.com, specifically the article entitled "Buying a gun for your wife" and the other articles under the heading "For the Men" such as "How to make your wife hate guns" and so on.

I recall from my own time in the service that you don't get any training at all in ballistics, self-defense tactics, or concealed carry. That knowledge that you did get doesn't translate so well to the civilian side of the world, so I strongly encourage you to do a lot of research (I did, and I learned a LOT) about the topics, and having your wife become a part of that search is even better. I consider is highly foolish to give someone a 22 and think that they're safe. If I wanted my wife dead, I might consider getting her a 22. When she's emptied the gun into a drug addled bad guy, he'll still be moving, except that now he's really angry and will likely beat her to death with it. It would later sound like this: "Look, officer, this bad guy beat my wife to death with her own gun. Say, is that a .40 or .45 you've got in your holster?"

 

[Hiram]

I've killed 6 deer in 9 years with a .22 magnum, (it would have been 9, but I spent 3 on deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan). I go with what works. Feel free to walk around with your .44 or .50 huge. Real world experience with .22 mag tells me a quite different story.

 

[CarlMc]

I've killed 6 deer in 9 years with a .22 magnum, (it would have been 9, but I spent 3 on deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan). I go with what works. Feel free to walk around with your .44 or .50 huge. Real world experience with .22 mag tells me a quite different story.

22 mag is a step up from 22LR (that distinction wasn't pointed out right off,) and nonetheless marginal for self defense. While the maxim "it's not what you shoot 'em with, it's where you put it" is true, in a time of stress, hitting what you aim at is incredibly difficult, as I'm sure you understand. That's why I work hard to improve my aim with my 9mm. I'm not a proponent of everything bigger and better, and if carrying a 357 seemed reasonable for my lifestyle, I would (Mag or Sig) but everything is a compromise. Just because I CAN defend myself with a 22 mag doesn't mean it's a wise thing to do.

However, I'm looking at the Taurus model 94 (a nine round in 22LR or 8 in 22M) revolver for my wife to practice with, as her S&W 686 .357 is an intense experience for her. If we were desperately in need of a defensive weapon, a 22 would do in a pinch, because what you have is a far cry better than what you don't. Since it's a practice gun, I'll be getting it in 22LR. 22M for plinking/practice seems a good bit of overkill budget-wise, but that's just me. Even my wife has noted the practical differences between her 38/357 brass and the lilliputian 22 brass at the range. I had her try several different guns at the local ranges until she downselected the caliber and style she liked, which helped me decide on her Christmas present. I also have no problem stating that she's got a much bigger gun than mine, but it doesn't take me that long to clean them, either.

Then again, you're getting the advice you paid for. What works for you obviously may not work for others. That doesn't absolve you of any responsibility when the cops ask you why felt the need to shoot the bad guy nine times, then reload for more, when a few less shots with something more reasonable would have done the job. It also doesn't play well when the DA's got you on the stand and the ignorant jury thinks that a 22 is bigger than a 9, therefore you had ulterior motives for the poking you kept giving the guy, regardless of whether he went down or not after the first five.

 

[Greenbug]

How much are you looking to spend? I've got a S&W 351PD in 22 Magnum I might part with.

 

[keystir]

+1 on the .22 magnum, I think that 351pd Greenbug's got is your best bet for a .22 s&w revolver used for carry. btw, where do you hunt? I didn't realize it was legal to hunt deer with a .22 mag