JavaScript is disabled
Our website requires JavaScript to function properly. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser settings before proceeding.
Good question to ask, but not looking for a resolution. Albeit, it's just an intellectual curiosity. I am not sure if you're aware that Federal, Speer, and Hornady are producing 22 magnum ammunition as self-defense loads. i.e. Federal Premium Punch in 22 WMR, Speer Gold Dot in 22 WMR, and Hornady Critical Defense in 22 WMR, and not to forget Winchester's Silver Tip & PDX1 in 22 WMR. Do you suppose they got it wrong??? Certainly, a centerfire cartridge is much more reliable than a rim fire cartridge, and not to forget better ballistics in semi-auto 25acp - 10mm. Nevertheless, I am curious as to what you know about the caliber itself, and if you have any experience with it. For the record, I have zero experience with 22 Magnum. Most of my experience has varied over the decades with semi-auto calibers and two different revolver calibers.., such as the .38 Special & .357 magnum. As for the semi-autos it ranges from .380 all the way up to 10mm. Hope that answers your question to my original question.
Best,
LightX
I don't think they got it wrong so much as their marketing team got it right. Twenty two hollow points have existed for a whole lot longer than those fancy rounds you listed. They've probably killed more everything than every other cartridge in the history of man. There is no reason to choose the magnum over long rifle in my opinion, unless a very long barrel is had
 
I haven't put .22 holes in anything defensively, but I'm impressed with the way it punches through mild steel. Out of a 4" barrel revolver, cci maxi mags and an unremembered Remington loading went straight through some simple squares ( welding practice) . No way a .22lr could do that.
 
If someone was just not able to use a .38 even with light ammo? Then better than nothing of course. I would always have them try a .38 first. There are some real light loads in this round that almost everyone should be able to shoot well and even the very light loads would be better. If the .22 is all someone would carry and practice with? Then beats nothing by a long way.
 
Hello fellow 2A supporters & NWF members,

I am serious and curious to know what the general consensus is here (FORUM) concerning the 22 Magnum for Self-Defense with respect to "Concealed Carry, Snub Revolver i.e. Ruger LCR and or S&W 351C. HENCE, not a Ruger vs S&W as to which brand is better to question. But, rather the effectiveness of the 22 Magnum.

I would like to know your opinion(s), thought(s), and or perspective(s).

If you know any good reads about this specific or related to my questions, please by all means feel free to mention them.

Feel free to elaborate.

Thanks,
LightX



"
Shoot for the face. IME any blow to the head will most quickly disorient a perp. One cannot count on much tissue damage, so you aim for nerve central.
 
I haven't put .22 holes in anything defensively, but I'm impressed with the way it punches through mild steel. Out of a 4" barrel revolver, cci maxi mags and an unremembered Remington loading went straight through some simple squares ( welding practice) . No way a .22lr could do that.
Unless this is the guy coming after me, I'm not too worried about punching through mild steel
1679971915878.png
 
Unless you're extremely recoil sensitive, I'd say no. I'm a fan of . 22wmr and I own a couple of f pocket pistols in the caliber but they are only ever carried when nothing else is feasible.
I prefer my G43x, but as stated…. I get by. ;)


They don't get snubbier than a NAA Pug in 22WMR packing Hornady Critical Defense, and I SURE as H wouldn't wanna get shot by one!

53C45851-68B9-43E8-8E4B-28EACA307769.jpeg
4312F96D-4871-434E-BCE4-97C130719902.jpeg
E16704F4-316B-4EB8-B523-0C70254E9E4C.jpeg
 
Unless you're extremely recoil sensitive, I'd say no. I'm a fan of . 22wmr and I own a couple of f pocket pistols in the caliber but they are only ever carried when nothing else is feasible.

As was mentioned above, I would recommend. 327 federal.
I would. If you find a decent trigger that also offers significant reliability.

No love for the rim job?
I would. If you find a decent trigger that also offers significant reliability.

Absolutely.
 
Velocity out of a snubby will be very low, probably in the ballpark of a .22lr fired out of same.
Famouse for the most snubby of all 22's.... North American Arms has some velocity data to compare. It does seem like the 22WMR has a slight advantage over the 22LR in the same barrel length.

 
Hello fellow 2A supporters & NWF members,

I am serious and curious to know what the general consensus is here (FORUM) concerning the 22 Magnum for Self-Defense with respect to "Concealed Carry, Snub Revolver i.e. Ruger LCR and or S&W 351C. HENCE, not a Ruger vs S&W as to which brand is better to question. But, rather the effectiveness of the 22 Magnum.

I would like to know your opinion(s), thought(s), and or perspective(s).

If you know any good reads about this specific or related to my questions, please by all means feel free to mention them.

Feel free to elaborate.

Thanks,
LightX



"
Nay.
I like 22WMR, but the loads are made for rifle length barrels and the powder doesn't burn that fast. Even shooting 22WMR in full size (5"+ barrel) handguns sends out a good sized fireball, which is fun as hell, but not ideal when shooting defensively if one wants to keep their vision.

Anything out of a snubby will lose a significant amount of punch because there just isn't enough barrel to burn the powder and get to a desirable velocity.. There are some "short barrel" loads for certain calibers that help with that. I don't know if there are any good ones in 22WMR.

my 2 cents
 
I would. If you find a decent trigger that also offers significant reliability.
I really wouldn't trust my life to rimfire anything.
Without a doubt, it's true that a centerfire is more reliable than a rim fire; however, stove pipes and double feeds can happen with any semi-auto pistol as compared to the revolver. As a result, I never felt confident carrying a SA Government Model 1911 Chambered in .45 due to the amount of stove piping when training at the range. It takes more time to clear a double feed or stove pipe on a semi auto than it does to pull the trigger on a revolver... in my case, it's probably why I have a bit of obsession with the reliability of the revolver over the semi auto. regardless, I still love my semi autos.
 
Famouse for the most snubby of all 22's.... North American Arms has some velocity data to compare. It does seem like the 22WMR has a slight advantage over the 22LR in the same barrel length.

Great info. Thank you!
 
Famouse for the most snubby of all 22's.... North American Arms has some velocity data to compare. It does seem like the 22WMR has a slight advantage over the 22LR in the same barrel length.

Years after NAA started rolling out the .22WMR's a couple places started marketing some ammo aimed at them. Made to try to get the best out of the little shorties. The ammo Stomper is using is I think one of them. This ammo would also of course work better in the little wheel guns in this caliber like the LCR.
 
About all my wife will shoot is a 22lr. Her chosen gun is an old Rossi 8 shot 22lr with a 3" barrel. She stokes it with CCI Stingers.
The pluses for her are no slide to rack, no mag to load or insert, and the failure drill is... pull the trigger again.
It's not my first choice, but I would not want to be shot with it.
I used to use a 22 short as a kill gun for butcher animals. It had no problems punching holes in the thickest skulls. Hit in the right place it drops big animals first shot.
The problem is hitting that right place. Butcher animals are held in a stall, Bad Guys are loose and moving! DR
 
Better than a pointy stick but not my first choice. The main reason for going there would be severe recoil sensitivity. Even then I'd try a .32 for the centerfire over the rimfire.
I've given much thought to the .32 centerfire in the revolver at one time. Primarily the .327 Magnum. Finding a .32 revolver is not as simple as it seems. Ammo is a bit scarce as well. It's probably much easier to default to the 5-shot j-frame chambered in .38 or .357. I like the idea of 6 shots in .327 vs 5 shots in the .38.
 
Personally .22 mag wouldn't be my first choice for carry if other options are present. As mentioned above, if recoil is an issue .327 mag would be a good option for the ability to choose between 4 different calibers depending on what level of ballistic performance & recoil you are willing to accept.

That being said, I would be fine carrying a .22 mag revolver in a pinch, or having it as a backup gun. The link below demonstrates how .22 mag performs in short barrels. To summarize, overall penetration appears to be adequate for defensive purposes (12" - 18" in ballistic gel), though you won't get any expansion.


If I were to carry any rimfire cartridge for defense I would do so in a revolver simply for reliability's sake - if a round fails to fire just squeeze the trigger again to fire the next cylinder. Rimfire has gotten a lot better and more consistent over the past 20 years, but I still don't trust it enough to use it in a semi-auto for anything other than plinking.

I'm of the mindset that having a gun is better than not, having a gun you can shoot comfortably and accurately is better than one you have a hard time controlling. In tiny revolvers controlling recoil can be a serious challenge, so I wouldn't dismiss .22 mag as an option if you're comfortable with it and can get consistent shot placement at defensive distances.

Others will disagree, and they have good reasons for doing so. Rimfire presents a reliability risk that some are not willing to take, and doesn't have great terminal ballistics compared to modern center-fire cartridges. The question they will ask is, why would you carry a rimfire cartridge when center-fire options are available? It's a legitimate question, one you should think about before committing to a course of action.

Ultimately it's your life, and your choice on how best to protect it. Listen to the feedback, do some research, and let us know what direction you decide to go.
Great Info! Much appreciated.Thank you. :)
 
Hello fellow 2A supporters & NWF members,

I am serious and curious to know what the general consensus is here (FORUM) concerning the 22 Magnum for Self-Defense with respect to "Concealed Carry, Snub Revolver i.e. Ruger LCR and or S&W 351C. HENCE, not a Ruger vs S&W as to which brand is better to question. But, rather the effectiveness of the 22 Magnum.

I would like to know your opinion(s), thought(s), and or perspective(s).

If you know any good reads about this specific or related to my questions, please by all means feel free to mention them.

Feel free to elaborate.

Thanks,
LightX



"
22 mag in a short barrel is similar to 22lr in a long barrel, about 100 ft lbs of energy or so.

As either a backup or when you just can't carry anything else a naa 22 mag revolver is an option. As an edc I think it's much too weak compared to small 9mms which is the minimum I would carry. It's better than no gun for sure but I would make the effort to find a small 9mm You can carry all the time.

6.7 ounce naa revolver (swing out cylinder type called sidewinder) ina gerber multi tool pouch carried on the belt:




ECC739B6-3698-4BBD-A3F7-E2EE93D739B4.jpeg
 

Upcoming Events

Tillamook Gun & Knife Show
Tillamook, OR
"The Original" Kalispell Gun Show
Kalispell, MT
Teen Rifle 1 Class
Springfield, OR
Kids Firearm Safety 2 Class
Springfield, OR

New Resource Reviews

New Classified Ads

Back Top