Best small pistol ammo in 22LR for defense?
I have a S&W 2214 I really like and wonder what is best for defense. To start things off, out of my 3in barrel I chrony Aguila 6ogr. SSS at 750fps, CCI Mini-Mag 40 gr. at 900fps and CCI stinger at 1250fps. I am thinking the SSS is best. I tried them all on a wet 10in thick phone book and they all went through leaving a nasty exit.
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shot placement, then let the gun do the rest. good luck.......with a 22.
former air operations officer SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2. former navy skeet team, former navy rifle/pistol team member. co-owner skeetmaster tubes inc.. owner/operator professional shooting instruction. NRA certified instructor.0 -
With a .22, your better off with rat shot pellets. Get the guy in the eyes before he grabs the gun and beats you with it.
Earl[8D]0 -
Ammo choice in a .22 lr should be based on what feeds the most reliably. For around $200 you could get a used S&W model 10 in .38 Special which would give you much better ammo choices. 
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I like CCI Stingers.I don't know where you got your information on them,but they are over 1600 FPS.We used them on small game,and they litterly explode on impact with lots of tissue damage.Hi-Shok is another one that is very good.It splits into 3 bullets on impact and is now made by CCI.----22s can cause alot of damage.Ask people that work in the ER what they will do. I would not like to be shot with one.
EvilDr235
Two types of people drive old cars.Rich people because they want to and poor people because they have to.0 -
quote:Originally posted by EVILDR235
I like CCI Stingers.I don't know where you got your information on them,but they are over 1600 FPS.We used them on small game,and they litterly explode on impact with lots of tissue damage.Hi-Shok is another one that is very good.It splits into 3 bullets on impact and is now made by CCI.----22s can cause alot of damage.Ask people that work in the ER what they will do. I would not like to be shot with one.
EvilDr235
Two types of people drive old cars.Rich people because they want to and poor people because they have to.
CCI stingers are the most common super velocity .22LRs around. The higher velocity you quote is probably out of a rifle, not a short barrelled pistol (where the rounds exit much slower). Out of a rifle, these will spit out 180 foot-pounds, which isnt that much less than a .380 ACP! Out of a pistol, maybe you could get 150 or so.
CCI velocitors are similar, but spit out a 40grain bullet instead of a 30 grain like the stingers. The heavier bullet keeps its energy over longer distances, and might make a better close-range round.
Another good choice would be the Aguila Super-max (also 30 grain, like the Stingers). These are a bit harder to find, but they do put out even a little more energy than the Stingers.0 -
I would go with the Sub-Sonics and hope that he does'nt hear you while you pump every last grain of lead on to him, and then throw the rest of the box at him and run like hell. Not to make light of your question but .22 and home defense are inconceivable in a life threatening situation. get a cheap shotgun and cut the barrel down to 17.5 inches and use that for home defense. The sound of the shell chambering alone is enough to make any criminal think twice. 0 -
Might want to rethink the 17.5" shotgun barrel.....
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OK a shotgun in with the size bbl. you choose as it should be over the legal limit of 17". is that better. 0 -
The last time I checked the legal minimum length limit on a shotgun barrel was 18". I don't think they have changed it but I could be wrong. 0 -
That is my point....under 18" is a no-no unless it has been registered.....Someone correct me if I am wrong.
Guns only have two enemies: Rust and Liberals....0 -
Story of my life...always in inch too short. I stand corrected 18". however does that include any shotgun or just ones with a pistol grip? my understanding is that it was only an illegal barell length if it did not have a full stock? I may be wrong also. 0 -
Minimum legal length on a shotgun is 18". . .this has ZERO to do with the thread, which is what is the best .22LR for a defensive pistol.
Getting back to the original question, the subsonic snipers are really designed to give maximum energy retention downrange out of a silenced .22 and still cycle the action. I'm told they work well in that role, but that's just a different thing than defensive use. Since you will be working at point blank range, what you want defensively is maximum muzzle energy, with an effective bullet design.
I would also definitely AVOID using .22 shot shells for defense! These are simply worthless past about five yards, and have zero "stopping" power on an adult human. If you were to ever actually blind someone by shooting them in the eyes with this, you would be opening yourself up to massive liability. Why?
I think empirically Stingers work the best with a 34% one shot stop percentage. . .which is still pretty abysmal. Unfortunately, the reason stingers go so fast is because they use a slow burning powder. Most of the benefit of these is lost in a short-barreled pistol because there isn't enough barrel length to accelerate the bullet. Out of a pistol, they do only slightly better than normal .22LR high velocity. Here is some data from actual testing:
http://www.firearmstactical.com/briefs27.htm
Apparently the Quik shocks work well on small game, but these authors concluded they arent so good for defense.0
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