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Yes, a .22 is better than nothing but I wouldn't just carry that and be satisfied.

I believe you need to do one of two things (or both):

1. Do more shooting of centerfire calibers. Repetition (with good instruction) is the surest way to overcome that flinch.

2. Rent or borrow a Sig Sauer P238 (.380). Its a small & light pistol but is incredibly soft shooting. Even if you take this route, continue shooting larger calibers and get over that flinch.

Pawpaw wrote:Yes, a .22 is better than nothing but I wouldn't just carry that and be satisfied.

I believe you need to do one of two things (or both):

1. Do more shooting of centerfire calibers. Repetition (with good instruction) is the surest way to overcome that flinch.

2. Rent or borrow a Sig Sauer P238 (.380). Its a small & light pistol but is incredibly soft shooting. Even if you take this route, continue shooting larger calibers and get over that flinch.

I saw the cutest little Kimbers today. They are the Kimber Micro in .380 caliber (9mm Kurz) and they apparently run ~$650. They were cuter than a speckled puppy and smaller than the Sig P230 SL that is my pocket gun.

I'm late to the party and all the good information has already been said. However, my 2 cents worth is that yes, a .22 is better than nothing. And it may be fairly effective in warm seasons with less layers of clothing to penetrate. I carry a .380 when I need maximum concealment and they do not all shoot the same. I started with a Ruger LCP and that thing had a heck of a recoil. I traded it for a Taurus 738 and it had considerably less felt recoil. But I wanted hammer-fired for the pocket pistol so I traded that for a Beretta Pico and it is definitely the best of all three. Minimal recoil and a I mean minimal! No soreness in the hand after 50 rounds, where those other two were 20 rounds max before wanting to take a break. So I like the Pico. As always, your mileage may vary.

If you would let us know what part of Texas you are in, there may be a member nearby who might be willing to go to the range with you and let you try some of their pistols. Perhaps you find a .380, 9mm, or something else you like better.

Pixie123 wrote:I know it’s not the best choice, but does anyone carry a .22? The reason I ask is because I am not very accurate at shooting larger caliber pistols, even with a lot of practice. The recoil makes me miss my target a lot. However, with the .22 I can consistently shoot very accurately. Head shots and heart shots are very easy. I am able to hit vital areas cleanly and consistently with a .22.

I want something small that I can shoot accurately and conceal.

Is this a bad idea?

The claim is that 9mm has to much recoil, and causes the shooter to be inaccurate. The recoil in itself shouldn't cause inaccurate shooting. What will cause inaccurate shooting is anticipation of an unpleasant condition. What we don't know is what kind of gun was the shooter using, and what was the earprotection. was she wearing?

Smaller 9mm guns aren't fun to shoot for many people, but the recoil on larger heavier guns isn't bad even for the most recoil sensitive. This post has LC9 written all over it. Maybe check out a full sized Glock, a 9mm 1911 or a Beretta 92. See how these work.

I think though in this case there is a real good chance that its the anticipation of the big bang that is causing a flinch. A pair of earplugs covered with a headset might turn her into a better shooter.

I would consider a revolver in .327 Magnum. It will chamber .32 SW, .32 long, .32 HR mag, and .327 Magnum. Find the one that has recoil you can handle and it will still be more powerful than a .22. The LCR firing .32 HR Mag is not bad on recoil in my opinion, .327 is a bit rough though.

Get a 5.7. It has the recoil of a .22 and lethality greater than 9mm. It's the best of all worlds. Every round that hits COM will stop the threat.

It's not a bad idea.

As has been mentioned a .22 magnum also has very little recoil.

You may want to try one as they are far more powerful with little increase in recoil vs. .22 LR.

A .22 is about the size of a pencil, right? If someone stabbed me with a pencil, I’d quit what I was doing.

I agree with most everyone here. Something is better than nothing, but a centerfire is better than rimfire. Look into .380’s and such as others have suggested

If it's worth saying, it's worth saying more than once
- the best gun to carry is the one you have/the one you have with you
- a hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .44
- carry the largest (caliber) gun you can with which you can still effectively place your shots on target (remember that "miss with a .44"?) and can every day carry/conceal comfortably (so that you actually WILL carry it).

I will suggest you pursue trying out larger caliber offerings in the hopes of finding one that meets the requirements above and provides more stopping power than the .22. If that doesn't work out, then carry the .22

If you are confident shooting a 22LR I can’t think of to many people that would scoff at you while being shot. The fibs factor (fudge I’m being shot) is a fantastic deterrent.

Rock Island just released a 1911 in 22wmr.

If you haven't done it yet try hitting up a range that rents guns and you might find a higher caliber that you do like. I needed a smaller carry gun than my glock 19 so I tried a few .380s and they are certainly not all made the same. Some are very light weight and thus jumpy as hell in the hand. I didn't like the feeling of having something so jumpy and it made me a little shy about pulling the trigger which left my shot placment all over the paper. I did find that Sigs 238 was a great balance of small but heavy and made shooting a smaller gun enjoyable for me.

On a note of you and your .22 if your not confortable with the higher caliber choices you have but love the .22 then that could be your better choice. There is always going to be guns with more stopping power. I've heard that debate about my .380 too and all I can say is you make the best choice for you. Being confident in your abilites to work with the gun your carrying is to me the most important thing.

Oldgringo wrote:Everybody who knows anybody who wants to get shot with a .22 Long Rifle Hollow Point, please raise your hand.

I don't know about others but I don't want to get hit with anything whether it is a .22 LR or a rock. But I also don't feel that a slingshot is a great SD weapon.

1. A hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a 45.
2. Any gun is better than a sharp stick.
3. The .22 you have with you is better than the .45 you left at home.

I try not to criticize anyone on what they carry if they are actually carrying it and they can use it. Sure, there are more capable cartridges and guns, but having it is the first hurdle.

I am sure I am just repeating what someone said above already.