.22 Caliber Question

[USA1]

hello , i have a .22 revolver that is strategically stashed in my home as a defense pistol.

i have other guns in much larger calibers that would be the first choice to grab in an emergency ,
but i have it and figured why not make use of it .

as i don't know too much about .22 ammo other than the hollow points i currently keep in it ,
what would be the best choice to get the most bang out of it ?

i have seen ..sub sonic
and ...magnum

any suggestions ?

[joe817]

Interesting question you pose there. If your gun can handle .22 magnum rounds, then I'd think that would be the way to go. I have no knowledge of the .22 round for s.d., but I did come up with some interesting things on a ballistic chart:

http://www.cci-ammunition.com/ballistics/rimfire.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[OverEasy]

Since it is a revolver you might want to consider Aguila .22-SSS sniper sub sonic. It has a 60 grain, yes, 60 grain bullet. It may not cycle a semi-auto but should be fine in a revolver. It's a big piece of lead for a .22.

Regards, OE

[LostInAustin]

Ya know this is my aha today! I had no idea you could reload a 22 rimfire. I have always thrown them away. Duh!!!

See...learn something every day here!

[The Annoyed Man]

Well, I don't believe you can shoot .22 magnum in a .22 LR weapon, so unless your pistol is magnum chambered, that's out of the question.

That said, use one of your other pistols for home defense. A .22 will kill your opponent, but unless you rupture his descending aorta with a lucky shot, you'll have put all 6 rounds through him and he'll have taken your pistol and beaten you to death with it before he collapses from his own wounds.

That outcome is not impossible with a larger, more powerful caliber, but it is a whole lot less likely.

Don't get me wrong, I like my .22s. They are great pistols... ...for target shooting, plinking, and squirrel hunting. But if you shoot someone with yours and they find out about it...

[USA1]

But if you shoot someone with yours and they find out about it...

i've never heard it put that way before .

[USA1]

Well, I don't believe you can shoot .22 magnum in a .22 LR weapon, so unless your pistol is magnum chambered,

when you say "magnum chambered" are you referring to length or diameter ?

[LostInAustin]

TAM is absolutely right, I have seen people walk into the emergency room with 22 cal GSW's to the torso. "Sit right here, we will get to you soon!"

Then again, one of the worst GSW's to the bone that I have seen was a 22 to the femur. Shattered it into about 100 pieces.

[USA1]

well i guess i won't take the chance .

OverEasy recommended the sub sonic rd .
i saw those at Walmart .

maybe i'll pick some up when i go back for milk .

[Mike1951]

.22 WMR (Winchester Magnum Rimfire) is physically larger with a bullet diameter of .224 as opposed to .223. The neck size of .240 would prevent its chambering in a .22LR (.224). Also much longer case at 1.052 as opposed to .595.

Some .22 revolvers come with interchangable cylinders allowing you to shoot either. Obviously, yours didn't, so you could not fire .22 Magnum.

[kbarrick]

For LostinAustin

For all practical purposes, consider that you were right to begin with and continue to discard .22 rimfire cases. They generally cannot be reloaded.

Keith

[LostInAustin]

Ya know this is my aha today! I had no idea you could reload a 22 rimfire. I have always thrown them away. Duh!!!

See...learn something every day here!

Sorry...I may have posted this in the wrong thread. Someone today was talking about 22 though!?

[MoJo]

If you HAVE to use a .22 for self defense load it with Stingers you'll get the most velocity out of these. Fire all your rounds to center mass or the ocular window of the skull. Then run like the dickens.

[USA1]

Then run like the dickens.

that's funny .

as i mentioned before , its definitely not my primary weapon .
its just a stash gun that is handy for an emergency .

[OverEasy]

USA1,
You gotta pay attention to details. The Aguila .22-SSS sniper subsonic has a 60 grain bullet!!! I don't think they have that one at Wal-Mart. The Remington subsonic has a 38 grain bullet and most other brands are around 38 grain also. I wouldn't recommend any subsonic .22 other than the Aguila. I just suggested the Aguila SSS because of the unusually big bullet for a .22. It may not be able to acheive enough velocity out of a revolver. I was designed for bolt action rifles at 50 meters. In a rifle it is effective to 200 yards, if I remember correctly. Other than the Aguila SSS, I'd go with some Hyper velocity whatever, like Stinger etc.
I'm going to go outside and see if it will cycle in my Browning BuckMark pistol or a Ruger 10/22.
Regards, OE