.22 Mag revolver for self / home defense?
I am thinking of purchasing my wife a revolver for her to carry. Any comments on the .22mag, or should I seriously consider a larger caliber? She does occassionally shoot my 9mm; however, she's not crazy about the recoil.
Thanks!
Thanks!
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Many people say that the smallest you should go with is a .380. Any gun is better than none, but if you're betting your life on it... well... 0 -
revolvers catch on clothes. 22 is too samll to defend a home. get a gun to carry and a gun to keep in the home. like shoes, sometimes more than one pair will make your life easier. if you choose a 'do all gun,' keep the design simple. 9mm/38 cal is nice. if you go revolver, get a hammerless design. dont be confused by tactical guns and defense guns. when you defend, you run or stand your ground. tactics are offensive, where you chase a bad guy and break cover. this is dangerous and is not taught by NRA basics. do your homework and study some more posts. we will steer you right. good luck.
former air operations officer SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2. former navy skeet team, navy rifle/pistol team member. co-owner skeetmaster tubes inc.. owner/operator professional shooting instruction.0 -
In a pistol, especially one with a short barrel, .22MAG offers little advantage over .22LR. That's because .22MAG uses a slow burning powder that requires a long (rifle length) barrel in order to burn completely & reach the high velocity that makes it so effective on varmints at short to medium range.
I agree with bobski's 9mm/.38 revolver recommendation. Some newer revolvers have a heavy trigger pull, so be sure that she can use any gun before you buy it. I like the S&W M36/60 Ladysmith models for women because they are modified for weaker, smaller hands. For those who have a problem with recoil I recommend .38 wadcutters; shot placement, not bullet power, is most often what decides who walks away from a Close Encounter of the Worst Kind.
Neal0 -
There are some nice compact semi's out there in 380 and 9, but if your wife don't like the 9 from a medium sized pistol she sure won't like it fram a smaller one. Whatever she is carrying it has to be something that she is comfortable with and can shoot well, which means practice, which means if she don't like the recoil she won't want to practice ...
Take her to a range that has rentals and let her try a couple things to see what is tolerable to her.
I generally recommend revolvers to new or infrequent shooters because they are basically "point and bang", but unless they are hammerless or shrouded they can hang up at the most inconveninet times.
I would much rather my wife (or other family member, etc.) be carrying a smaller caliber handgun that they can shoot w/ a reasonable degree of profeciency because they don't mind practicing, than a larger caliber that they don't like.
With all of that ramble out of the way, no big advantage to the 22 mag. w/ a short bbl., go with 22lr and the hoter ammo, or there are some that are talkin about the 17hmr in a short barrel, but I'd rather see you stick w/ the 22 ... I like the lil 17 rimfire, but, it is a very light bullet and from a nominal 2 inch barrel I don't think the accuracy would be as good as a 22 because of the bullet stabalization aspect. I'm planning on acquiring a short bbl. 17 HMR to do some tests with, borrow or buy ... preferrably borrow[:D]
And the testing I'm concerned with is penetration of heavy clothing, sheet metal and even glass as well as drywall and in each instance having a soft medium behind the "barrier" to see what energy is left.
Home defense ... inexpensive 12 ga. plus whatever else you may have.
If you only have time to do two things so-so, or one thing well ... do the one thing!0 -
.22mag is a stinger out of a rifle barrel, but little advantage in a pistol. While I am inclined to think a .38 is minimal I sometimes carry a .32. It will do the job.
He Dog0 -
I wouldn't hesitate to give the wife a .22 for self defense, if she is scared of the recoil of a 9mm.
In a household defense situation, the bad guy is assuming that the person in the house is unarmed. If your wife shot once with anything and missed, 99% of bad guys are going to be making tracks.
It is vital to have a gun you are unafraid of, so that you can be accurate as possible. And the .22lr is a proven man killer, I saw lots of calls for the coroner because of the work of the .22 when I was a Paramedic.0 -
Allen Griggs: Must agree with you. Only handgun my wife appreciates is
my Colt Woodsman .22. Tried her with others but no go. It sure is one
hell of a lot better than no gun at all though and would sure send a bad
one at least in for major medical treatment or worse. I make sure she
goes through at least a box of ammo per month so she doesnt forget. I
must admit mine is a .45 1911a1 though.0 -
More people are killed each year with the 22 than any other calibre
You'v gota kill it to grill it0 -
for many years my primary self defence / house gun was a HERITAGE ARMS ROUGH RIDER SAA 7 1/2" BBL in .22 WIN MAG. 5 loaded chambers with the hammer resting on an empty one. at close range, the .22 WIN MAG makes a great self defense load, but i concur that its not the first / best choice. it was the 1st handgun i owned, and i feel it was adequate. best regards, mike.
What other dungeon is so dark as ones own heart, what jailer so inexorable as ones own mind.0 -
.32 H&R Mag. is a good choice for someone who cannot tolerate recoil. If that person is relatively inexperienced with firearms, the wisest choice is a revolver. In a high stress situation it affords the least challenge to a user.
Jerry Weinberg0 -
The 38 special is a good round and cheap to purchase. They now make several good +P round that are great for self defense. The .22 mag out of a 4 inch revolver will be LOUD. There are several good 38 special revolvers out there that would be perfect for a women. I just noticed this on GB.[;)]
http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?item=15760455
Boomer
"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as it is by the obstacles which one has overcome while trying to succeed"
NRA Life Member0 -
I know of matching pair of small berettas are for sale. I think that the guy wants $300 for the pair. One is a 22lr and the other is 25auto if your interested. I would not get a relover. They get hung up when you really need them. Now don't get me wrong. There is a .357 sitting beside me on the night stand when I lay down at night. But it is not in a holster or anything. I have no kids and it sits in the open.
Ray
More Powder, More Lead, More Dead0 -
I know of a 200# man with a .01 blood alchol count who was shot at 3 times with a .22 cal. pistol, (1) miss (2) center mass hits. he got so mad he stabbed and killed the shooter, then took himself to the hospital. where after treatment he recovered. Thast was almost 20 years ago...I bet he is out among us as we speak.
Jerry Weinberg0 -
I'm thinking a 3 1/2" barrelled J-frame in 32Mag or 38 Special also look at the lightweights. 32L and 38 wadcutters could be used for practice. 0 -
I did some testing with short-barreled rimfires years ago (and again last week with a 17HMR)that proved (to me, at least)that 22Mag is a viable CLOSE RANGE defensive round with plenty of power over the .22lr.
My testing included 25' accuracy, penetration in wet phone books & old Levi's pant legs (folded over a pine board), and hydrostatic shock using gallon milk jugs filled with water (wrapped in Levi's jean denim) to see if there were any gains to be made in choosing the .17HMR over the 22lr or 22mag.
I also took some shots at an old levelII vest I had lying around; the .17 won that hands down.
Now, instead of the Taurus 941 in 22mag, I carry a Taurus ultralite in 17HMR with a bobbed hammer and wood grips.
Just the hydrostatic shock changed my mind; the 22mag would split the milk jug, spraying water everywhere, and the 17HMR destroyed it.
Don't get me wrong; I advocate carrying as much gun as you'll ever need, but if recoil and flinching are major concerns for your better half, she should carry whatever increases her hit probability without making her nervous or uncomfortable.
I tried the P3AT, P32, P11, several 5-shot versions in wheelguns chambered for 32H&R mag, a Chief's special in 38spl, and many sidearms I figured would be just the right balance between power and controllability when getting my Valentine a carry piece; she liked my newly-abandoned 941.
For the home; a pump 20ga. with an 18" cylinder-bored barrel is almost ideal-the noise of racking that first round will generally take the wind out of most sails, the noise/flash will definitely cause an attitude adjustment. Loaded with #4 shot, it will certainly make an awesome room broom.
If you know it all; you must have been listening.<br>WEAR EAR PROTECTION!0 -
Look at the SIG P 230-380 semiautomatic. The wife likes hers, grip is good for her smaller hand, easy to do maintenance, and shoots well. Wife does a number on milk jugs and coke cans at close distance. This SIG is a 9mm x 17 kurz (means short).[:)]
It must be right, or we wouldn't do it this way!0 -
My advice is nothing smaller than 9mm for self defense and as large as you can handel effectivly. .380 and 38 super are 9mm. Revolver or auto. My 2 cents. [8D]
Greg
Former
USMC
ANGLICO0
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