Dont laugh yet, .22lr

[Phase2]

If you "have gone the .380 route". then that should be much better than .22 for SD at this point. The .22 is great for range time/practice and she can do limited .380 practice to save money. If she wants, she can still upgrade to 9mm later.

 

[EvilBlackGun]

Whatever you decide,

let her try to empty the whole gun into a paper-plate at 10 feet. Then move to 21 feet. Then change the target to Wendy's coffee-cup lid size. Then a small pill-bottle size. You have the idea by now. BTW, often the revolver can be fired many times while still inside a pocket or purse, and never FTF for out-of-battery.

 

[gunowner930]

If you "have gone the .380 route". then that should be much better than .22 for SD at this point. The .22 is great for range time/practice and she can do limited .380 practice to save money. If she wants, she can still upgrade to 9mm later.

^I agree

If the issue is that you're both in college and can't afford to feed a pistol chambered in .380, then a .22 LR pistol is certainly better than nothing. It seems like many people carry them as defensive handguns and that's fine, but personally I wouldn't. Yes the .22 LR can kill people, but what are the circumstances of the shootings? Are they defensive? would you trust to it stop an armed attacker? If you're going to get her pistol chambered in .22 LR, I wouldn't do it as anything other than a stopgap until you have more money to invest in a 9 mm.

 

[Flyguy]

OK... My opinion only. I carry a G27 it shoots 40SW and I like it. I did a lot of training and range time when I was LEO so I am warm and comfy with it.

That said I don't think that a .22LR should be totally eliminated from the carry option. If you are good with it and are comfortable handling it then it isn't a bad thing.

Think about this. If you had to defend yourself against a BG he/she would be very surprised that all of a sudden they were being shot at... and if they received a hit in most cases the noise and injury would stop the attack. You gotta remember most of these people are cowards to begin with. Not sayin that it would apply all the time but in most situations I think you could stop a punk that was out for your wallet.


I tell you what I sure as hell wouldn't want to be shot with one. It can still kill you.

Again just my

 

[GunsNstuff]

I have always been on board with the .22lr as a carry gun. When you shoot anything at people they tend to run away, not stay and fight like in the movies, so I think your head is in the right place. Cheap to shoot and practice with and makes loud noises that will cause most any knife wielding bad guy to run in the opposite direction. I own Glocks, Sigs, 1911, etc but usually carry a cheap Jennings .22lr in a pocket and nothing more. I HAVE BEEN CALLED STUPID MORE THAN ONCE THOUGH lol. It was $80 brand new and it works just fine.

 

[Glockshooter149]

If you are still looking for something, the diamondback DB9 is running just under 400 and 9mm is one of the cheapest centerfire ammo out there for range time. I love mine and it conceals VERY well in a front pocket. I agree with everyone that a 22 is better then nothing but just my 2 cents on a centerfire that isn't much more then the walther p22.

 

[VERT]

My wife has a Walther P22 for practice and Walther PK380 for more serious ventures. .22 is great for low cost training. I would not personally consider our P22 to be reliable enough for carry. In fact it is the least accurate .22 handgun that we own.

I would not and do not discount the .22 as a viable defense cartridge. It is certainly not ideal and not even what I would recommend on a regular basis. But in certain situations it might not be a bad choice. If I were to carry a .22 for defense then it would be a double action revolver. There are 9 shot .22 revolvers and speed loaders on the market.

 

[45pro]

So I dont need to hear how dumb I am for considering this about this but,

I want to buy my girlfriend a carry weapon.(not the dumb part) Were both in college and soon to graduate in the next year or so. I'm thinking about options and ideally I would get a subcompact 9. However, those are a wee bit out of my price range until graduation.

I want to buy a weapon that is small and light that she can cut her teeth on and get comfortable walking around Indianapolis with. I also want a weapon that has cheap ammo that she can get plenty of range time with. We've gone the 380 route and the ammo is too expensive to get quality range time in. Ive been thinking of a p22 that we can spend all day running face drills for $20 on ammo.

I know the .22lr is a last resort bug but Id like to hear some honest opinions and not some, "glock .45 or she aint a real woman." I know its not ideal but .22lr is better than her 2 year old pepper spray.

I started my wife with the p22 about two years ago, if it wasn't for that pistol i wouldn't have been able to get her into shooting/protection. She still doesn't like the recoil of my other guns and still uses that p22. I can honestly say that i do trust the reliability of ours using premium ammo, but not cheap bulk(works good for plinking though). So she uses and carries it everyday. With that said, if price is an issue for you, Midwest Gun Exchange has the winter sale of the P22 at $299. You can get the Kel-tec PF9 on sale right now for $249. If your wanting a cheap 9mm that is the way to go. I am seriously considering purchasing it and trying to lightly "push" it on her. A 9 is no .45 but its a lot better than the .22.

I've read somewhere that the .22lr kills more people a year than all the other calibers put together. Although i believe that is because people dont respect the .22lr like they should.

 

[Effingham]

I have to add my voice to the recommendation for going the 9mm route. I (and my cousin and my pistol-junkie NRA instructor friend) all carry the Ruger LC9. It's small, light, has a narrow profile, is not too expensive, and carries 6+1 rounds of 9mm ammo. If you get a chance, go to Bradis (first choice) or some other gun shop and pick up and handle an LC9. You'll fall in love.

That said, I also have a Bersa Thunder 22 which looks more or less like a PPK (although the trigger guard design is different) and holds 10 rounds of .22 ammo. I bought it just for plinking, but the gun feels great in my hand, was under 300 bucks, and might be just the thing for your girl friend. It LOOKS like it means business.

 

[Lead Head]

I hold the 22LR in high regard, especially high velocity rounds, but I also know there is something called "diminished returns" from excess shooting time with a handgun.

In other words, yes the 22LR in a carry size handgun is relatively cheap and you can blast away for hours, even doing drills, but after an hour you won't see much improvement in accuracy. In fact, most operators usually find their performance quickly degrading.

Unless someone becomes extremely precise with a 22LR like heart and head shots, this caliber could become more of a liability than an asset. Sure a subsonic short round has been used for less than honorable reasons but this is not the case here.

All that said, if it gets her to carry and shoot more, then by all means go for it. Upgrade to a larger defensive rounds when ready.

 

[STEEL CORE]

Gave my daughter an Erma Rxcam PX-22 7 shot PPK/s style pistol, she never fires it, perfers her Glock-26.

 

[Chapparal]

Just my opinion but the .22LR is a nice little round. You can dig up "facts" about many things. The .22LR was used quite often in days gone by to kill things and people.

A well placed .22 round will kill. I would not like to be on the receiving end of one. Learn the tool, learn how to place the round. Remember the .22LR will travel a good distance.

On the plus side, the weight will be less and the recoil will be minimal. This means she is more likely to carry and use one. I like revolvers, fewer problems overall. Of course all semi-autos can malfunction, misfeed, etc. Practice and a clean weapon are her friends in this case.

 

[JoshuaW]

I vote for the P22, we got ours for like $200, and it is reliable, and she can handle it, which is ultimately what counts.

 

[GlockZ]

Don't know if I'd trust my life to a rimfire, but I would say if it made the difference in her carrying or her not carrying I'd take my chances with the 22.

 

[Jetrefz]

22lr is barely adequate for self defense in my opinion. Rimfire is not known for being reliable but I would carry a 22 for self defense. I have done so in the past. That being said, I would carry a 22 revolver since this wont jam. You can get 8-9 shots in some of the taurus models...my friend had a very nice stainless 8 shot revolver in 22 magnum and this would do the job and quite a bit more power than a 22...cost is going to be an issue..i would just get a revolver and use cci ammo

 

[Mackey]

You might want to consider the 380 though. Many women really like the Bersa line - very comfortable to shoot. I just think that a 22lr can get leave you wanting more. If you're just trying to scare people away by showing a gun, i guess it's better than nothing.

 

[daspurlock]

I think 22 is a good choice in some place's they kill 800lb gators with a will placed shot. I've told alot of people I would rather hit you 10 times with a 22 then miss you 7 times with a 45 that I cant afford to practice with.

 

[watkins1988]

my girlfriend want the same gun. its because she shot my g19 and didnt like it. so im gonna let her use this one and get comfortable and then tell her she needs to go to the 9mm. or 380

ps. not because of lethality but reliability

 

[GeneralCarver]

tons of people have been killed and successfully stopped using the .22 LR cartridge. Go for it. I say its worth taking your chances. If they don't stop on the first shot... keep shooting. Develope the mindset... "I will pull the trigger repeatedly until I see the threat is no more".

 

[Effingham]

I think 22 is a good choice in some place's they kill 800lb gators with a will placed shot. I've told alot of people I would rather hit you 10 times with a 22 then miss you 7 times with a 45 that I cant afford to practice with.

This is a good point, and it needs to be repeated.

If you can't practice with it, it's not going to be an effective defense arm. You want to use something you are comfortable with, and something you have the time (and $$) to train with.