Carry a P22

[Kaos]

I was talking to someone about my new XD that I purchased and how I'll be carrying it.

Then they heard I had a p22 and asked why i didnt just carry that.

So I replied that I felt more comfortable with the 9mm

His retort threw me off and I really couldnt counter it, I was hoping you could assist me in either seeing the light, or having something to say.

His answer was that the AR-15 fires a .223(5.56) which is only a hair or two bigger than a .22 and because usually you're only needing a pistol in a small space (your house, a store etc) you dont need the extra velocity and the .22 would be as effective at close range as a .223 at a bit of distance.

I didnt want to argue for the sake of arguing so I told him id look into it.

Thoughts?

[billamj]

You can't compare a rifle round, .223, with a plinking round. Can you kill things with a .22? Of course you can. Can you put a human down with a .22? You can, but you can't expect a .22 to put a human down every time. The idea of a self defense round is to stop the danger as quickly as possible. You could possibly put 10 rounds, or more, of .22 lr into someone and they would keep coming. Bottom line is that you have and use the weapon that you do because it is the best tool for that job.

[Kaos]

Good enough for me. Im carrying the 9mm XD anyways.

[Zef_66]

Good enough for me. Im carrying the 9mm XD anyways.

Wise Choice.

[MTechnik]

Stopping power.

So much more research has been put into the stopping power of the 9mm that some consier it on par with anything else available in a pistol.

22lr doesn't compare.

[PisnNapalm]

Kinetic energy is a function of the velocity of the object squared

KE= 1/2 (mv^2)

m= mass of the object
v = velocity

For a .22lr round standard velocity is typically about 1,000 feet per second. In that ballpark.

For a .223 rifle round the velocity is anywhere from 2,750 on up to over 3,700 feet per second. It is also usually a heavier round.

So a .223 rifle round might be 3 times faster and upwards of twice as much mass. It will impart alot more energy into the target.

Bottom line... Would you rather be hit with a baseball going 100 mph or one with a lead core going 300 mph?

[Philadelphia]

I was talking to someone about my new XD that I purchased and how I'll be carrying it.

Then they heard I had a p22 and asked why i didnt just carry that.

So I replied that I felt more comfortable with the 9mm

His retort threw me off and I really couldnt counter it, I was hoping you could assist me in either seeing the light, or having something to say.

His answer was that the AR-15 fires a .223(5.56) which is only a hair or two bigger than a .22 and because usually you're only needing a pistol in a small space (your house, a store etc) you dont need the extra velocity and the .22 would be as effective at close range as a .223 at a bit of distance.

I didnt want to argue for the sake of arguing so I told him id look into it.

Thoughts?

What a bullet does to a bad guy is a function of bullet size, weight, shape and VELOCITY.

A typical 22 lr bullet weighs about 60 grains and travels at about 1,000 fps.

A typical .223 bullet weighs about the same and travels at around 3,500 fps.

(all rough numbers)

A 22 lr out of a P22 will just piss the BG off unless it tears through a major artery or major CNS target.

A .223 out of a rifle will take down a deer.

[Edit: PisnNapalm beat me to the punch line I must type too slow ]

[Mity2]

if someone pull P22 on me, I'd lough...

[TonyF]

There has been allot of accurate tech info in several replies. However, the primary wounding mechanism of the 5.56 NATO round is fragmentation which typically creates a fist size pocket of tissue damage. A 22LR won't come close to that kind of terminal performance.

[nijwnfi]

if someone pull P22 on me, I'd lough...

Until they pulled the trigger. Betcha it'll still hurt.