Is 38 +P as good a defensive round as 9mil?

[bripro]

Im not into ballistic comparisons so Ill just ask you experts. Is a good 38+P hollow point as effective/more effective than 9 mm HPs for a defensive round?

[shortthrow50]

.22lr @ center mass round would quickly end an attempt at your life. I suppose if you live in the ghetto and are amungst crack heads and meth heads that keep walking with holes in their chest, you might want to step up to a .50 desert eagle. Desert Eagle will cause enough massive trauma in their chest where the invinceble drugs wont work any more. True story

[jcabin]

.22lr @ center mass round would quickly end an attempt at your life. I suppose if you live in the ghetto and are amungst crack heads and meth heads that keep walking with holes in their chest, you might want to step up to a .50 desert eagle. Desert Eagle will cause enough massive trauma in their chest where the invinceble drugs wont work any more. True story

That's an awful lot of mythology there. Are you writing a gun owners gag book?

A .22lr center of mass won't do much physical damage unless it hits something critical, like the heart or spine, and even then that person may have a few seconds of fight left in them. You can hit the lung, or some other organs, and it might take hours or days for them to die. You could also pass straight through flesh and not hit anything vital at all. This could be said for .38, 9mm, 40sw, 45acp, so on and so forth. From the research I've done you're not going to see any significant difference until you get into rifle calibers. A 9mm, or a 45acp for that matter isn't going to obliterate flesh coming out of a 5 inch barrel from 5 yards away.

You could shoot someone in the meat of the thigh, with a .22lr, and have it pass straight through and that person would fall to the ground in agony screaming not to kill them, or they might pass out.

.38spl is not better than 9mm going by the ballistics tests that have been done. That being said, 9mm isn't better than .38spl if the person holding the gun doesn't know what to do with it. Get some training.

[rwb1500]

You could shoot someone in the meat of the thigh, with a .22lr, and have it pass straight through and that person would fall to the ground in agony screaming not to kill them, or they might pass out.

Or they might hop around on the other leg yelling "Fuck, ahhhh, shit, that really hurt!" Then maybe they'd kick your ass because you're not very quick at reloading your .22 derringer... *rolls eyes*


.22 is just about the worst defense caliber there is (.25 acp not included) for defense. This is common knowledge. Is it better than a pointy stick? Yes, arguably, depending on the heft of your stick...

The only good reasons to carry a .22 are either deep, deep concealment or as a back up to a back up (Which is silly anyway in the age of tiny polymer .380s.)

I saw an episode of Cops once where officers were responding to a shooting. They got there and there was a shirtless guy pacing up and down the street, swearing and yelling "Damnit it hurts, ouch. That dude shot me." He got shot right in the chest, top of the pec. Later the cops found the gun used. They layed it on the hood for the camera man. It was a Ruger Bearcat.

I'm sorry this is totally of topic OP. I too was interested in a balistic comparison between .38 and 9mm. Sorry you got trolled.

[1blindref]

back on topic-
here is a link to a handgun ballistics chart

http://waterguy.us/handgun.htm

some interesting info there.

[orionz06]

back on topic-
here is a link to a handgun ballistics chart

http://waterguy.us/handgun.htm

some interesting info there.

Energy is about as useless as determining effectiveness as a .22lr is at self defense.

Energy tells us nothing about what the round being fired will do to a bad guy, other than the initial kinetic energy is has at the muzzle. We should be looking for penetration depth, expansion, and expansion against clothing.

[shortthrow50]

Or they might hop around on the other leg yelling "Fuck, ahhhh, shit, that really hurt!" Then maybe they'd kick your ass because you're not very quick at reloading your .22 derringer... *rolls eyes*


.22 is just about the worst defense caliber there is (.25 acp not included) for defense. This is common knowledge. Is it better than a pointy stick? Yes, arguably, depending on the heft of your stick...

The only good reasons to carry a .22 are either deep, deep concealment or as a back up to a back up (Which is silly anyway in the age of tiny polymer .380s.)

I saw an episode of Cops once where officers were responding to a shooting. They got there and there was a shirtless guy pacing up and down the street, swearing and yelling "Damnit it hurts, ouch. That dude shot me." He got shot right in the chest, top of the pec. Later the cops found the gun used. They layed it on the hood for the camera man. It was a Ruger Bearcat.

I'm sorry this is totally of topic OP. I too was interested in a balistic comparison between .38 and 9mm. Sorry you got trolled.

no. i do appologise to all of you senior members for side tracking the whole thread with my very first comment and bringing .22s into discussion.
I also have to comment about some dude wobbling around with one functional leg kicking someones ass. If that was the case, I would turn the gun on my self to save from the embarrasment later on lol

[Jerry H]

The OP asked a simple question and got 15 responses and only 2 had anything to do with his question. Don't know why .22lr got into it but it is what it is. IMHO the 9 is a better defensive round. My we are a fiesty bunch.

[mrnyman]

.22lr @ center mass round would quickly end an attempt at your life. I suppose if you live in the ghetto and are amungst crack heads and meth heads that keep walking with holes in their chest, you might want to step up to a .50 desert eagle. Desert Eagle will cause enough massive trauma in their chest where the invinceble drugs wont work any more. True story

Actually thats bad advice that can actually get someone killed, not all the crackheads and methheads are "in the Ghetto" they are in Suburbia too , heck some of your neighbors might be crackheads, cokeheads too, more drugs are consumed in "nice neighborhoods " than any Ghetto believe it not , just that its more private.
The point is to be aware regardless of where you are.

No the .38 special is not the equal of the 9mm but it is one heck of a good defensive round, i have no problem carrying it from time to time and i own .40's , .45's , 9mm, .357's and .357 Sigs.
the .38 is a good round that will be around for a much longer time than it is already.

Nyman

[shortthrow50]

Ok then. You guys most know alot of people that love to get shot by .22s and keep coming for more. If you got shot by a .22lr at any range below 100 yards, you would be on the ground screaming for an ambulance. Alot of people carry .22 for defense. Its a good concealable weapon. I personally carry a .45 becuase I like the .45. All Im saying is caliber dont mean crap. .22 will do its job very well and leave an attacker cryin like a baby or possible kill him. Wake up people