Defense with a Mouse Real Steal

[jokers]

To start off with if this has been discussed too much or needs to be moved let me know.

Edit: I was tired last night and meant to be STEEL not STEAL my bad and there does not seem to be a way to change the title. So it is here.

Backstory:
For years I followed the conventional wisdom of bigger is better when dealing with pistols but I started to question this thinking a couple 15 years ago when a friend was cleaning a weapon and blasted a hole is his, his neighbor's and his neighbors neighbor's wall with a 45 thankfully he did not hurt anyone but it made me think if a target 45 will go through 3 walls why do I need that big of round. So I went to a 9mm cheap ammo I was used to the gun and less penetration or so I thought. Turns out it can and will penetrate more then a 45. With the cost of ammo going up i could not practice with the gun like i want and my ammo storage was starting to take up more space then my guns I decided to free up some space and consolidate ammo. I went with a 410 at home and a 22 pistol for hiking or in a dangerous areas the 22 pistol is stored in a cabinet with easier access then the 410 though so i consider the 22 a home defense as well. The area that I am in has big cats, coyotes and wolfs. I am not in an area that has big bears or other large animals.
Issue:
Since I decided to carry a 22 pistol for home and hiking I have had a lot of people question it, scoff at it and call me foolish. Some things i bring up is a 22 will not penetrate 3 houses down, I can take the gun out and shoot it and it will not break the bank, and I can shoot all the other rifles and other weapons that have 22 whenever i go shoot my pistol. With all of that in mind I understand that a 22 will not create a massive cavity, it will not cause the block of ballistics gel to jump off the table like some of these other big guns, it wont phase someone with body armor, and if I use cheap ammo it will likely jam on me. But if someone or something attacks me it will make a loud noise, it will hurt that someone or something and unless a big cat comes to get me (I am screwed no matter what with a cat) it will scare whatever is in the area off. I can also carry a lot more ammo and not add a lot of weight to my carry.
Question:
Do any of you carry small caliber if so what is it? If anyone carries 22 is there a round, or something else that you like for the 22? If you feel that a 22 is not a good round for anything but target shooting what are your reasons and would you discuss it?
Joke:
Old man and a young man are walking in the woods with guns on their sides the young man sees that the old man is carrying a 22 pistol. He ask the old man " why are you carrying such a small gun if a bear comes it wont do anything?" The old man replies " I do not have to hurt the bear I just have to run away faster then you and that is what the 22 is for."

[Toestr]

The only other fairly common and modern pistol round I can think of that (I think) performs between .22 and .45 is a .380. Maybe a .25 or .32 ACP if you're feeling archaic. Or .32 French Longue if you're Ian McCollum. The loading and whether you go suppressed or not would also have an effect on the terminal ballistics.

Something you could maybe do is get the same model of pistol as whatever you have/get in .22. That way you could train with the .22 to keep the training costs down but still get the same practice manipulating the firearm.

Please note that that I have absolutely zero personal experience on this subject. I'm basing this purely off of my firearms geekery and some quick Google searches.

[Chuck E Ducky]

Ask yourself would you want to get shot with a .22?

22 is a popular self defense round and can cause substantial damage. Carry what you want how you want who cares what other people on the internet think. It’s cheap to shoot and if that means you are going to be more proficient threw practice have at it. 22 definitely allows for much smaller lightweight CCW that’s for sure.

I rarely carry a 22 for self defense I feel I have better options. But I keep a 22 rifle in my bug out bag as I can carry a lot more ammo to weight. Similar reasons you want one for every day carry.

I carry a sub compact .40 because that’s what I practice with the most, and my wife carries a .380 because she can shoot it more accurately and conceal it easier. So find what works for you and stop listening to the talking heads of the interwebs.

[BLachance75]

Carrying a .22 is better than not carrying anything. If you're more comfortable with it and are training with it then go for it.

As far as other options .380 is popular. You could also try to look into different 9mm ammunitions that expand more and don't penetrate as much.

[BretG]

22 magnum is another option. 45 grain Hornady Critical Defense cycles perfectly in my PMR-30. Very accurate, low recoil and makes a big boom and flash.

[I-tech]

I love the 380 bodyguard from s&w. Or a beretta bobcat in 25acp because they carry well. Think shot placement with the mice.

[Cunha]

The rare times I CCW I use a smith and Wesson 43c which is a 22lr 8 shooter.

the reason is just because between my dad and I we only have one 342 and for the function of saving my ass I think the 22 version will do just as well as the .38 except it’s slightly less reliable ignition.

Id take the .38 I just haven’t found one I like. I’d give the .22 to my spouse or a loved one and feel comfortable. Most of the woman in my life would be very uncomfortable with a 342 because it feels like smashing your palm with a ball peen hammer. I’m fine with it but I have some experience and unless you’re an actually avid gun person you will probably be happier with the .22 which isn’t as rough to handle.

[Chuck E Ducky]

Beretta Bobcat I like it’s super small easy to carry.

[GanonsGrin]

I carry a walther pk380, and my backup is a Bersa Thunder in .380. Nothing wrong with the caliber at all as long as your shot placement is proper.

[glaman5266]

I like the Bersa Thunder. Good size, good round, and hammer-fired. (I don’t like striker-fired stuff like Glocks)

[GanonsGrin]

I’m in the same boat. The Walther is hammer fired as well. I’ve just never liked the ergonomics of a striker fired pistol.

[FullContactUSA]

Joker, there's a ton of variety in "22" anywhere from .22 short to 22 magnum loads. Hell the evil black rifle 5.56mm is a .223 caliber and that can cause significant cavitation wound tracks that lead to substantial injury. It's really more about velocity a that causes the internal damage, hence the late prevalence of the 5.7 x 28 round.

When it comes to pistols in general there is really no such thing as 'stopping power' the most important factor in lethality is shot placement. For that reason I lean towards 9mm for a solid balance of speed, ammo capacity, and hollow points that dump their velocity very quickly, which decreases risk of over-penetration.

[glaman5266]

"Evil black rifle", lol.

[glaman5266]

So I went to a 9mm cheap ammo I was used to the gun and less penetration or so I thought. Turns out it can and will penetrate more then a 45.

I am not in an area that has big bears or other large animals.

With all of that in mind I understand that a 22 will not create a massive cavity, it will not cause the block of ballistics gel to jump off the table like some of these other big guns, it wont phase someone with body armor, and if I use cheap ammo it will likely jam on me.

Question:
Do any of you carry small caliber if so what is it? If anyone carries 22 is there a round, or something else that you like for the 22? If you feel that a 22 is not a good round for anything but target shooting what are your reasons and would you discuss it?

The trick is to go with hollowpoints or soft tips. They don't penetrate as much & expend more energy into the target/body. You shouldn't even consider FMJ for self-defense. To me, FMJ is for target practice only. I shoot FMJ 9mm rounds for target practice but keep hollowpoints around for bad situations or for when I carry.

We have black bears & wolf around here, so I'd rather have my 9mm just in case. Shot placement is more important than power, but some power is needed IMO. .45 is overkill for most situations/critters around here, but if something needs to be dealt with swiftly I'd like a little grunt.

In my experience, .22LR doesn't fire as reliably & has a higher chance of jams. Those reasons alone keep me from using it as a self-defense round unless I'm just doing yard work close to the house & feel like keeping something on me.

Again, I go with 9mm. FMJ rounds are (relatively) inexpensive, it doesn't kick much & I'm pretty accurate with it. I dislike shooting .40 & .45 because they knock the crap out of my hand & I can't hit jack with them. 9mm is a happy medium for me. I'd have no qualms with a .38spl, .380 auto, .25 auto, etc. though. Heck, I could probably shoot one of those better than my 9mm. But I also shoot a heavier handgun, so less recoil & all that.

It's all in what you want. I don't usually carry a .22 because of the lack of reliability in a critical situation. But I know others who do & are fine with it, so you do you.

[Toestr]

The funny thing is that malicious/uninformed prosecutors will argue that either FMJ or hollowpoint are somehow more cruel depending on what you used. They'll argue that FMJ was used for greater penetration/lethally and also wreckless because of that risk. They'll also argue the expanding aspect of hollowpoints makes them somehow more cruel. Damned if you do damned if you don't.

I've heard it suggested to call up the local cop shop and ask them what they use. Then when asked in interviews/on the stand why you used x round you just say "It's what the cops use".

[coyote]

Carry weapons are a subjective rabbit hole. Every one of us will have opinions without having substantial information about your wants and needs.

The most important consideration to my thoughts is you are training. On top of that you are training with your defensive weapon.

Carry as much gun as you believe you need. Train on it regularly.

You will be better prepared than most. That is a good thing.

[Grendel]

Pretty much this ^