Does anyone carry a .22 cal? In what

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  • Hawkeye7br

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    Like the title says, does anyone carry a .22 caliber? If so, in what holster? I really enjoy shooting both my Sig 1911-22 and my Sig Mosquito, but if I'm gonna carry these, I'd like to have a holster that fits properly instead of a softside generic Uncle Mikes's (although it is comfortable).

    If this has already been a thread, please point me in the right direction.

    thanks in advance
     

    Nam1911

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    both those guns are the size of full caliber guns. Why carry a diminutive round that has low chances of stopping someone when you can carry a gun of the same size if not smaller in a real defensive caliber?

    Holsters are for carry...maybe there is a reason you don't see 22 caliber handgun holsters because they aren't really meant for defensive carry and not many people carry them because they suck at putting people down quickly.
     
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    Ive carried a .22 revolver before.. if you are gonna do it make sure that thing is 100% reliable.
    ive yet to own a auto .22 that is reliable. The guns you mentioned will probably fit the regular caliber holster probably? But if not go to a gun show and find the kydex bender. Or better yet find a local leather smith and have him mold you a custom holster, i know a great guy in btwn. Send me a pm if curious
     

    Cameramonkey

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    Another vote for "you are already talking about carrying a centerfire sized gun, why not carry an effective caliber?".

    Now if you have a legit medical reason that you just cant handle the recoil, slide racking issues, etc then a 22 in the hand is better than a 45 in the safe. (not judging)
     

    oldpink

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    As was already mentioned by others, .22 LR is nowhere near as capable from a ballistic aspect for self-defense as a decent centerfire caliber, say 9mm or .38 Special on up, not even as much so as the "bare minimum" .380 ACP, but it's even worse than that.
    Rimfire cartridges are inherently less reliable when it comes to dependably going *bang* as any centerfire ammo, something that my experience bears out, with thousands of rimfire ammo (.22 LR/Long/Short and .22 Magnum) fired vs. at least as many centerfire rounds fired, yet I've had scores of rimfire ammo misfire without a single misfire of the centerfire ammo.
    Worse still, the inherent design of the .22 LR ammo heel-type soft lead bullet and rimmed case makes its feeding reliability poor compared to standard pistol centerfire ammo with its regular jacketed bullet and rimless case.
    In fact, the poor feeding and firing reliability of .22 LR is the main reason that Colt even bothered with developing the otherwise less than stellar .25 ACP.
     

    Hawkeye7br

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    Point taken regarding reliability and knockdown power. For the average housewife or girlfriend, are the reasons still valid given that a lot of wives/girlfriends won't practice with anything more than a 22? I guess the real question in that regard....is their 22 more valuable than a 9mm that they are afraid to pull the trigger on? andhow to carry?
     

    Cameramonkey

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    Point taken regarding reliability and knockdown power. For the average housewife or girlfriend, are the reasons still valid given that a lot of wives/girlfriends won't practice with anything more than a 22? I guess the real question in that regard....is their 22 more valuable than a 9mm that they are afraid to pull the trigger on? andhow to carry?

    My vote would be go 22WMR Revolver if that is what they absolutely MUST carry a 22. the WMR is an impressive round given its caliber, and if the round doesnt go boom (as rimfires are more oft to do), the fix is to pull the trigger until it does go boom again, unlike an auto that requires a specific clearing process that they wouldnt practice either.
     

    oldpink

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    Point taken regarding reliability and knockdown power. For the average housewife or girlfriend, are the reasons still valid given that a lot of wives/girlfriends won't practice with anything more than a 22? I guess the real question in that regard....is their 22 more valuable than a 9mm that they are afraid to pull the trigger on? andhow to carry?

    It's simply not axiomatic that a much more capable caliber -- 9mm or .38 Special -- is beyond the reach of the average woman, at least as long as you have someone who knows how to train her the basics of gun handling, stance, and recoil control, and as long as you don't start her out with a lightweight or smaller than average handgun that magnifies the recoil.
    It's funny how many people look at compact or subcompact guns as "lady guns," when actually anyone who effectively handles such guns is going to need to be a much more advanced shooter than an amateur or average shooter.
    I wouldn't start out any new shooter with the likes of .45 ACP or .40 S&W, and especially not 10mm Auto, .357 Magnum, or .44 Magnum, but it's certainly possible to find even a petite woman who actually winds up preferring these larger or more powerful calibers, just as long as she gets worked up to it the right way with somewhat less powerful calibers first.
     

    Bigtanker

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    If the gals are truly recoil sensitive (not noise or muzzle flash sensitive) get a Glock 19 with the .22 TCM conversion barrel. The 22 TCM is basically a 9mm necked down to a 22 cal bullet....at 2000+ fps. They make it in a 1911 but with the manual safety on that gun, I wouldn't recommend that for a beginner.
     

    BehindBlueI's

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    Point taken regarding reliability and knockdown power. For the average housewife or girlfriend, are the reasons still valid given that a lot of wives/girlfriends won't practice with anything more than a 22? I guess the real question in that regard....is their 22 more valuable than a 9mm that they are afraid to pull the trigger on? andhow to carry?

    If they'll practice and that's all they'll use, let them use it. However, if I may suggest something. Get a 4" .38 or .357 revolver with rubber grips. Load it with .38 Special 148 gr wadcutters. It'll be a touch louder, but the recoil won't be much more than a lighter .22. The .38 wadcutter is a pretty decent round for stopping people with bad intentions. It's not up to par with modern expanding ammo, mind you, but it does a good job at a much lower recoil level.

    For carry, something like the LCR or LCRx is pretty easy to conceal. The grip does a good job of taming recoil as well. The trigger is nice and the sights are adequate. Again, just stick with wadcutters if they don't like the recoil of heavier rounds.
     

    inccwchris

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    I carry a .22 magnum derringer in my pocket every day. Work is a no go on carry so that really limits what I can do. I figure a 5 shot 22 mag in the pocket is better than nothing at all.
     

    Beowulf

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    I occasionally carry my Beretta 21a Bobcat .22 in a Desantis pocket holster. I load it up with either CCI Stingers or Remington Yellowjackets and I've never had a failure to feed or jam with those rounds (now, with regular ol'standard velocity .22s on the other hand, it can be a jam-o-matic, which is why I normally shoot it with CCI Mini-mags or equivalent rounds at the range).

    Granted, I've never actually had to draw any gun I've carried in a self-defense situation, let alone fired it, so I can't really give any feedback on whether it's an effective caliber.

    Since I bought my Glock 42 last year, that's been my main go-to carry gun.
     

    lucky4034

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    If you are going to carry a rimfire (.22mag > .22lr)... at the very least ...get good quality ammo and put it in a revolver.
     

    NHT3

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    I've been known to carry a 22TCM, other than the size and weight the slide is very easy to run, recoil is very 22lr like and bullet energy nearly that of a 45ACP.. It's all about hitting what you are aiming at and if you are recoil sensitive it's a great choice IMHO


     

    hog slayer

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    As I really only carry open while working outdoors, more often than not it'll be my 617 10 shot 22lr. (I just can't find the same comfort in single action holsters as I do the generic pancake type.) If i end up running into town I'm not a fruitcake, so I'll just untuck my t- shirt and accept a bit of printing. I don't feel unarmed, although my mindset adapts to my greater limitations in FIBS factor.

    I think to the OP's question, try any standard full-size holster to determine what you'd like. If, like me, you'll have a footlocker full of holsters. I dislike uncle mikes type cheap stuff very much. Another resource would be obi john, from ACT. He's got more gear than I, and that's really saying something. Besides, he can only carry 4 or 5 pistols at once, anyways.
     

    Usmccookie

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    I like my naa 22mag. By like, I mean tolerate because I have the folding grip which doubles as a pocket holster And allows you to get a full grip when firing. That being said, single action with a laughably terrible trigger. But as the saying goes, something is better than nothing. Atleast I know ill carry it everyday.
     
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