The Semi-Auto .22LR Carbine: The Right Choice More Often Than You Think

[looney2ns]

The Semi-Auto .22LR Carbine: The Right Choice More Often Than You Think | Jerking the Trigger

 

[VERT]

If is is a reliable Rimfire carbine I can go along with this article. The problem is finding a good source of quality .22 ammo in today's market. Also long guns might be more difficult to secure yet be accessible. But if the owner can address these issues then I agree that the .22 carbine is a viable self defense tool. In fact I would rather my wife be armed with a reliable .22 then some of the craptastic pistols being peddled.

Rimfire pistol would not be my first choice.

 

[steveh_131]

Very interesting article, thanks for sharing. My wife has some physical limitations that make practice with a larger caliber pistol or shotgun somewhat daunting - a carbine that she'll use and practice with may be of more practical value than a shotgun that she won't.

 

[indiucky]

I am always surprised (or maybe not) at how many times in the Armed Citizen column of The American Rifleman the .22 rifle comes up as the weapon that saved the day....

 

[VERT]

I am always surprised (or maybe not) at how many times in the Armed Citizen column of The American Rifleman the .22 rifle comes up as the weapon that saved the day....

Strictly a numbers game. There are a lot of .22s out there. Answer this, why are there so many instances in the same column about people using guns to defend businesses and homes? Keep in mind that the percentage of violent crime around the home is much lower then when out and about. Answer is simple really, it's because people have guns in their homes and place of business. Very few people actually carry guns. So lots of .22 rifles in homes means they are likely to be present when needed.

 

[Mark 1911]

 

[GNRPowdeR]

A suppressed 22lr carbine is a solid choice for someone who is recoil sensitive or has accuracy issues with a pistol.

 

[VERT]

A suppressed 22lr carbine is a solid choice for someone who is recoil sensitive or has accuracy issues with a pistol.

Not sure I would run subsonic ammo though.

 

[GNRPowdeR]

Not sure I would run subsonic ammo though.

Even CCI Super Speedy stuff sounds better through a can than without, especially when indoors & the sound waves bounce around the walls.

 

[oldpink]

I can point out one glaring shortcoming of .22LR over a standard centerfire gun or shotgun for home defense: inherently less reliable ignition with rimfire cartridges.
Want a rifle and you have someone who might be less tolerant of recoil or muzzle blast?
The obvious solution would be a lever action chambered in .357 Magnum, or you could go with any of a number of autoloader carbines (Hi-Point, etc.) chambered in either 9mm or .45 Auto.
Want a handgun for someone with similar personality?
Go with a 4" barreled revolver chambered in .38 Special and load it with ammo having relatively low muzzle flash and blast with the best (Speer Gold Dot, etc.) bullets available.
Want a shotgun for the recoil sensitive?
Why not a 20 gauge or even a .410?
Yes, a .22LR rifle would be better than a stick or nothing at all, but there are better viable options out there that come very close cost wise to the price of a .22LR rifle.

 

[indiucky]

Strictly a numbers game. There are a lot of .22s out there. Answer this, why are there so many instances in the same column about people using guns to defend businesses and homes? Keep in mind that the percentage of violent crime around the home is much lower then when out and about. Answer is simple really, it's because people have guns in their homes and place of business. Very few people actually carry guns. So lots of .22 rifles in homes means they are likely to be present when needed.

I think your right.....Out in the country, even today, EVERYBODY keeps a little semi auto .22 behind the door or close by on a rack...Somebody breaks in and they grab what's available...I am going to share with you an Armed Citizen story that took place in Northern Indiana IIRC. I am going by memory and I can't for the life of me figure out when this took place but 20 years ago seems right..I can not find that copy but that's not surprising...

An elderly woman had cancer and it was known that she kept painkillers in the house...Her 12-13 year old grandson lived with her and was on a 4H or Boy Scout Rifle Team....A not very kind person broke into her house and had grabbed her up and was holding a large hunting knife to her throat screaming, "WHERE ARE THE PILLS? WHERE ARE THEY?" Her grandson was upstairs and heard the ruckus and grabbed his .22 Target Rifle...He was standing at the top of the stairs and he brought his rifle up to his shoulder....The man screamed at him, "DROP IT OR I SWEAR I WILL CUT HER THROAT!!!!" The young man looked directly at his Grandma...She smiled up at him and gave her head a slight nod in affirmative...The kid squeezed the trigger and hit the guy square between the eyes and dropped him like a sack of potatoes....The press asked the Grandma if she was scared and she said, beautifully I might add, "I got cancer and only have a few years anyway...Besides for the past three months he had been bringing me home his targets and I knew that SOB with the knife didn't have a chance in Hell...My boy can shoot."

I remember thinking that was one tough old lady and one calm and cool kid....

 

[VERT]

I can point out one glaring shortcoming of .22LR over a standard centerfire gun or shotgun for home defense: inherently less reliable ignition with rimfire cartridges.
Want a rifle and you have someone who might be less tolerant of recoil or muzzle blast?
The obvious solution would be a lever action chambered in .357 Magnum, or you could go with any of a number of autoloader carbines (Hi-Point, etc.) chambered in either 9mm or .45 Auto.
Want a handgun for someone with similar personality?
Go with a 4" barreled revolver chambered in .38 Special and load it with ammo having relatively low muzzle flash and blast with the best (Speer Gold Dot, etc.) bullets available.
Want a shotgun for the recoil sensitive?
Why not a 20 gauge or even a .410?
Yes, a .22LR rifle would be better than a stick or nothing at all, but there are better viable options out there that come very close cost wise to the price of a .22LR rifle.

Good suggestions but quality 4" 38 revolvers and lever action 357 is still considerably more expensive then a decent .22 carbine. A Ruger 10/22 or Marlin 795 can be had for a couple hundred bucks. Less then $300 will buy a person a Marlin 795 LTR with tech sights, sling and extra magazine. I even put a Tasco RedDot on my son's. So yes there are better choices but at the cost of more expensive guns and ammo.

A youth model 410 would be another good choice as a low cost and relatively low recoil option.

I did not read the article as advocating the .22 carbine as self defense choice as much as acknowledging they have some advantages in limited situations. I would personally place quality double action .22 revolvers in the same category.

 

[BeDome]

Nah, I just sawed of the stock of my least favorite 10.22 and put in a twenty round mag.

You should knock before entering.



Kidding, but there is something to this "less lethal" style of self defense.

I am troubled, because I was "raised" to shoot only to kill, but if you can stop an assailant and avoid a wrongful death suit lingering for years. ... maybe?

I am troubled. If your life or your loved one's life is in danger, you do not hesitate to remove the treat, finally once and for all time.

I am troubled.

I do have a couple of things sitting around (my kids are teens and they are educated) loaded. I would almost always grab either the .45 or the 12 Ga shotgun. My .22s are not even loaded but they could be.

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

A suppressed 22lr carbine is a solid choice for someone who is recoil sensitive or has accuracy issues with a pistol.

[video]http://s647.photobucket.com/user/bearverine/media/VIDEO0005_zps1b1f004e.mp4.html?sort=3&o=54[/video]

 

[GNRPowdeR]

[video]http://s647.photobucket.com/user/bearverine/media/VIDEO0005_zps1b1f004e.mp4.html?sort=3&o=54[/video]

Beautiful!

 

[Bigtanker]

I am troubled, because I was "raised" to shoot only to kill..,

.

I was raised shoot to stop the threat. Yes, killing them stops the threat, but that is not my intention. Stopping them is. If they died because of my shots, so be it.

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

Beautiful

She is. Of the two, she looks more like me than does DeadeyeChrista, but they both get their beauty from their mother. And the 10/22 has its moments, too!

 

[BeDome]

I was raised shoot to stop the threat. Yes, killing them stops the threat, but that is not my intention. Stopping them is. If they died because of my shots, so be it.

Seems as if you missed the reason that I am troubled. I feel a conflict from my "raisin' " to the reality of today's situation. IN a society where sue first and figure what all it is we are suing for tomorrow seems to be the plan, maybe my grandfather's training AND example is a bit too old school.

I have often wondered how well we would all do if we went "less lethal." Park 4 or 5 .22LRs into some ******* who comes into your house to stop him for the moment, long enough to walk over and smash his jaw with the butt? Dunno.
I remember my mom shooting up a pack of hound dogs once to get them leave her "in heat" poodle alone. She did not kill anything she shot at and they were back the next day still "houndin' " but bleeding.

This is one of the things that troubles me about what seems like a great idea, at first. Then you think it through on both sides.

 

[oldpink]

Seems as if you missed the reason that I am troubled. I feel a conflict from my "raisin' " to the reality of today's situation. IN a society where sue first and figure what all it is we are suing for tomorrow seems to be the plan, maybe my grandfather's training AND example is a bit too old school.

I have often wondered how well we would all do if we went "less lethal." Park 4 or 5 .22LRs into some ******* who comes into your house to stop him for the moment, long enough to walk over and smash his jaw with the butt? Dunno.
I remember my mom shooting up a pack of hound dogs once to get them leave her "in heat" poodle alone. She did not kill anything she shot at and they were back the next day still "houndin' " but bleeding.

This is one of the things that troubles me about what seems like a great idea, at first. Then you think it through on both sides.

Yep
Using a .22 in preference over a bat, knife, or other lesser weapon would be reasonable, but only if you didn't have something much more effective against an attacker.
A .22 will get the job done in a pinch, but using it for self-defense should be reserved exclusively for desperation.

 

[Cool Breeze]

I totally get the "not reliable" part of .22lr, but with several guns: Marlin 60, Walther p22, Ruger LCR, Browning Buckmark, I have never had a single malfunction with Minimags. For bulk ammo, the newer Goldenbullets- that say "new and improved" on the box- I have yet to have one of them fail. Not arguing for the size, but 4k plus rounds over the last year and a half have proven themselves to be solid contenders in my book.