I said “Honestly I have never seen much point to this round. In rifles I have .22lr and if that isn’t sufficient 5.56 or larger. No need for something in between.”
What I should have said was “For me the upside of increased performance of the .22 mag cartridge (vs .22lr) does not merit the downside of additional logistical complications.”
I am not saying it isn’t a good round. .22 mag is a good round. What I am saying is that to me the downsides of adding another couple guns and in particular adding another cartridge are not merited. .22-250 is also a good round as well as .17 and .22 hornet. Stuff like this is how Mel Tappan (aside from a rich wife) ended up recommending that you should own a metric shit ton of different guns.
Our friend Peter made some interesting points.
“The .22 Magnum, as a handgun defensive round, rivals the .32 ACP in terms of energy, and has a flatter trajectory than the latter. Compare CCI’s 40gr. HP .22WMR round (product code Maxi Mag #0024) with Federal’s Hydra-Shok .32 ACP 65gr. JHP (product code P32HS1):
CCI: 40gr. bullet weight
1200 fps muzzle velocity from a 4″ handgun barrel
= 128 fpe muzzle energy
FEDERAL: 65gr. bullet weight
925 fps muzzle velocity (barrel length not provided)
= 123 fpe muzzle energy
Out of a rifle barrel, the CCI load is much more effective, of course. I’ve used it for disabled shooters, and those who can’t handle much in the way of recoil. Out of a lightweight carbine such as Keltec’s CMR-30, it can provide a viable small game harvesting tool and personal defense cartridge out to 100-150 yards, given accuracy by the shooter.
If you’re carrying a Keltec PMR-30 handgun, and a few magazines loaded with 25 rounds each (the 30-round claimed mag capacity is illusory, as rounds can dent under spring pressure if you try to load too many of them), that’s a fairly potent handful of personal protection for low-recoil-tolerance shooters. I know how accurate I can be with a handgun, and I wouldn’t feel undergunned with such a carry package. I could put 5 rounds apiece into 5 bad guys, and be confident that they’d do what was required. It’s worth thinking about.”
– Ryan here. Those little Keltec handguns seem cool. Setting aside that its a Keltech. That company makes a lot of lemons. They seem to have zero quality control relying on a return policy and that their market niche generally are not high round count type shooters.
Personally I don’t see the benefits of .22 mag justifying adding it to my logistics. Other people can look at the same info and make a different decision. YMMV.
.22LR.
Peter wrote about this awhile back.
http://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2014/02/22lr-as-defensive-round.html
.22lr out of pistols isn’t what you would really call a stopper. However it can be effective with proper shot placement. Since someone is going to say it yes .22lr pistols kill a lot of people. That is because a bunch of shitty pot metal pimp guns are made in that cartridge. Those guns are dirty cheap and a lot of them are made. They are common in social/ cultural communities where folks get shot a lot.
If I was going to carry a .22 handgun for defense it would be a revolver. This is because inherently rimfire cartridges are prone to failure. With a revolver you just pull the trigger again.
.22lr out of rifles is a different discussion. To paraphrase long time LEO Chuck Haggard “Every shooting I have been to where the weapon was a .22 rifle was a fatality.” When asked if he thought that was the increased accuracy or the increased velocity (compared to a pistol) he said ‘Yes.”
If I was arming a new/ weak shooter a Ruger 10/22 with a 25 round magazine would be the go to, or at least on the short list. No meaningful recoil, the inherent point ability of a long gun and lots of bullets is a good combo. I wouldn’t want to try to get down a hallway where someone (even a very inexperienced shooter) had a 10/22. If I was setting up a gun for this I would use a red dot type sight or a fixed 3-4 power scope.
As to carrying weapons or prioritizing in some sort of emergency where I had limited space. My thinking is as follows.
Realistic scenario (natural disaster, etc all):
-Centerfire pistol, concealable. For me this would be a Glock 19.
-Centerfire rifle, military pattern.
After that probably a .22. I guess my 10/22 since I don’t currently have a .22 handgun. That S&W kit gun is high on my list of planned acquisitions.
For a non realistic scenario (red dawn, walking dead, etc) I thought about it and would stick with the same list.
I definitely see the benefit of owning .22’s. I have one and plan to get a couple more.
I can see the logic in having a .22 pistol and maybe even carrying it. Lots of ammo is handy. However I would submit that if your goals are more scavenging/ hunting based a .22 that is going to be realistic for concealed carry may be questionable for said hunting. Shooting squirrels at 25+ yards with a 3″ barreled .22 might be a hard go. The big 4-6″ Ruger MK whatever, Browning Buckmark type .22’s can fill that role but are pushing the envelope of realistic concealment. I think a .22 rifle fills that role much better. One of those guns in a backpack might work out better than say a 2″ .22 revolver on your belt.
Anyway those are my thoughts on that. As always you all may see things differently.