.22 Magnum carry for self defense?

[zoanemesis]

So my 64 yr old father and I are eating breakfast and we are having a discussion about whether or not the .22 Magnum is good for self defense. Now keep in mind, my father has a Ruger LCP also and is a veteran. He thinks that if he walks around the house with a single action .22 Magnum loaded with hollow points that it will stop a intruder. His reasons are for safety because it has a safety, he feels comfortable with it, shoots better with it and hes afraid that if he walks around with the LCP it might accidently go off with a round in the chamber. Another point he says is that with the revolver he has, he has more seconds to decide whether to pull the trigger or not, his big thing is safety.

I think that the .22 magnum is a horrible choice for self defense. First its single action, thats problem number 1. Second its a .22 regardless of the ammo type theres soo many better calibers out there with more stopping power. Also if saftey is a concern theres a bunch of revolvers in a bigger caliber that are double action that have safetys on them.

What do you guys think?

[MARINE DIVISION TWO]

So my 64 yr old father and I are eating breakfast and we are having a discussion about whether or not the .22 Magnum is good for self defense. Now keep in mind, my father has a Ruger LCP also and is a veteran. He thinks that if he walks around the house with a single action .22 Magnum loaded with hollow points that it will stop a intruder. His reasons are for safety because it has a safety, he feels comfortable with it, shoots better with it and hes afraid that if he walks around with the LCP it might accidently go off with a round in the chamber. Another point he says is that with the revolver he has, he has more seconds to decide whether to pull the trigger or not, his big thing is safety.

I think that the .22 magnum is a horrible choice for self defense. First its single action, thats problem number 1. Second its a .22 regardless of the ammo type theres soo many better calibers out there with more stopping power. Also if saftey is a concern theres a bunch of revolvers in a bigger caliber that are double action that have safetys on them.

What do you guys think?

In the line of business,I have personally seen the devastation a 22lr & 22 magnum will do on a Human being,Its effective enough and yes there are better calibers to choose from but any gun is better than no gun !

[bogey1]

A .22lr can kill a human up to 400yrds. (rifle). I carried a .25 for years. I gave my dad and his wife 2 .22 pistols last year for protection.

[Jhaydeno]

Per above, carry what your comfortable with, or it might not be carried. The reality is even brandishing it at home would scare off 80% of intruders, the bang scares the next 15%, and hopefully he's got good aim for the last 5%! Nothing is ever 100% effective; it's all a numbers game. Be happy, your dads off to a good start!

[redeye202]

Nothing wrong with 22 mag for SD, as long as he uses quality ammo, and yes, out of a revolver, they are damn loud.

[BestDefense=StrongOffense]

.22mag is just fine in my book. The dumb-dumb that ends up on the business end doesn't care if its a .22 or a .45lc. No one wants to be shot by anything.

[mpan72]

I agree with the sentiment that any gun is better than no gun. It sounds like your father has his mind made up about gun safety and he just would feel more comfortable with the 22mag revolver.

I have done some research into stopping power and have found pistol rounds out of a pistol are not the best choice for sd anyway. Yes some are better than others but I have personaly found that the difference is not that great. With this in mind I chose the 9mm in a large gun because I can shoot it well. If I found that I could only shoot a .22 well that is what I would carry. I believe that shot placement at average sd ranges is the most important factor in whether you survive the encounter. These are just my opinions and others may dissagree 100%.

[Truckman]

I believe that shot placement at average sd ranges is the most important factor in whether you survive the encounter.

This^^^^^^^
BUT, shot placement is FAR more important with small caliber, low velocity, rounds.
A .45 hit, center mass, will do far more to stop an intruder than a .22 hit in the same place. .22's are easily deflected by bone, etc.
The .22 will need to be a head shot, through the ear, eye, mouth (upward angle), or nose, to be certain of penetration enough to stop the threat.
Even a .22 heart shot won't stop them quickly enough, especially if they're on PCP, meth, or similar.

[Ranger P229]

It sounds like your father has made up his mind concerning what to carry already. As has already been stated, if the choice is between a 22 in his hand, or a 9 that he won't carry/have access to, then the 22 wins every time.

If he likes single action revolvers there are a lot of options in 38 special, or 357 that you could explore. A bigger round for SD, but still in a SA revolver.

[knight0334]

It is certainly better that a pointy stick.

While not "ideal", it will work. The only "bad" about single action is longer reload times. However, shooting in single action tends to be more accurate, thus might not need a reload. And with less recoil, that just magnifies the unlikeliness of having to reload because of his increased chances of putting the bullet where it needs to be.

Stopping power is a joke. Humans have cognitive responses, and criminals are more often than not - cowards. For the most part, once shot or shot at - they flee. Only deranged, drugged up, and hellbent perp's continue their assault after being shot or shot at.

For years my dad carried his Ring-of-Fire 25acp in Florida. ...why, because he was comfortable with it and he can hit a moving armadillo in the head at 25ft with it. (although he has upgraded to the AMT 380 that I gave him a month ago)