Caliber debates are nothing new in the gun world, and when it comes to self-defense, the back-and-forth can get heated. And while it isn’t as common as the 380 ACP vs. 9mm fight, the use of 22 LR does come up rather often. Is 22 LR a viable option for self-defense? Does it ricochet all over? Could you kill a rampaging bear with it? We’ve got your answers, and they just might surprise you.
22 LR- Explained
Here’s a quick rundown on 22 LR. Some misconceptions about this cartridge exist because it’s a .22-caliber, meaning it’s technically the same caliber as rounds like 223 Remington. The bullet diameter of the 22 LR is 0.223-inches, and the diameter for the 223 Remington is 0.224-inches—an incredibly minor difference. Because of that, there’s sometimes confusion. The reality is that there’s more to a cartridge than its bullet diameter or caliber. Factors like bullet weight, case size, and their related powder and bullet length come into play (there’s more, but you get the idea).
22 LR was officially launched in 1887 by the J. Stevens Arm & Tool Company. It wasn’t the first .22-caliber or the first cartridge to utilize a metal case, but it is the oldest one that is still in regular production. The cartridge was created mostly for shooting pests and varmints and was the next logical step after the short-lived 22 Extra Long. Thanks to its design, it caught on with target shooters, too. For almost 150 years, it’s been favored for many reasons, such as affordability, nonexistent recoil, and versatility.
Self-Defense Debate
The question of whether 22 LR is a good idea for self-defense use is one with more than one answer. Let’s break it down one piece at a time.
Caliber Choice Education
Choosing a caliber for carry is a personal choice, but it should always be an educated choice. That’s harder to do when you’re a new shooter or simply one who’s only seen certain opinions in the gun world. Many shooters end up with a 22 LR for specific reasons. Some people choose it for their inability to handle any recoil whatsoever due to injury or arthritis. Others are just familiar with the cartridge from childhood. Still others like how cheap it is, and some believe it ricochets wildly within the target it penetrates (more on that later).
If your only option for carry is one chambered in 22 LR, the answer here is that it’s better to have a gun around for self-defense than no gun at all. Just because your only handgun is a 22 LR doesn’t mean you should give up and not bother carrying at all, because it can work.
Effective With Proper Placement
Ask any emergency room doctors and surgeons, and you’ll discover that a lot of the DOA or unsavable gunshot wound patients they see were shot with 22 LR. While that doesn’t make 22 LR the “Best Thing Ever”, it does confirm that it’s a round that can stop a threat given the right circumstances. For any round to be effective, it needs to hit something vital. If your 22 LR impacts a vital organ or great vessel of the heart, it’s going to stop the threat. It might not be as fast a halt to the violence as you’d get with a larger caliber, but it can work quite well.
The bottom line is that while 22 LR isn’t ideal for self-defense, it is effective with proper placement. Using one as your dedicated carry gun is more iffy than counting on something like a 9mm. However, that doesn’t mean it’s a terrible idea that must be avoided at all costs.
Charging Grizzly vs 22 LR
You can shoot a bear with a 22 LR. How well it’s going to work is another story entirely, but it has been done successfully (granted, it was many years ago). In 1953, Bella Twin shot and killed a charging grizzly with her Cooey Ace #1 22 rimfire single-shot rifle. She’d been out checking her trap lines, and while the story goes that her first shot dropped the bear, she did go ahead and keep shooting into its skull seven more times. The first shot had entered the brain through the orbital bone of the right eye. Could this be done again? It could, but I wouldn’t bet my life on a 22 rimfire versus a bear.
Bullet Ricochet
Every once in a while, someone pops off with the idea that 22 LR is great because it ricochets internally, doing far more damage than a “normal” bullet. In reality, that’s not the case. Any bullet, including 22 LR, could bounce off the inside of the skull or off a rib, but it’s not likely to be that impressive. Also, it doesn’t bounce around like a ping-pong ball. The bullet dumps its energy into the initial wound cavity. Any resulting ricochet within the body is going to have minimal results. There’s no scrambling or mincemeat involved. We need to stop spreading this myth as gospel. It could convince people who would otherwise carry a larger caliber to go for the 22 LR.
22 LR gun – Concealed Carry
There are times it makes sense to carry a gun chambered in 22 LR. Sometimes it’s about injuries, arthritis, or weakness in the hands. Other times, the only handgun the person has just happens to be chambered in 22 LR. Still others flat-out prefer 22 LR, which is something we’ll address shortly.
READ MORE HERE: Dr. Dabbs – Bella Twin: The Tiny Little Woman and the Really Big Bear
Carrying a 22 LR means you have a firearm available to protect yourself from an immediate threat. You’re not unarmed, and you’re not helpless. This is a point especially worth making for those who are elderly or infirm and carrying it. If at all possible, you should practice with it for good shot placement, but it’s better to have it than to have nothing at all. For some gun owners, the 22 LR is the only real option, and that’s okay. If it becomes possible in the future for you to get a gun in a larger caliber, then do so. However, it needs to be a manageable caliber for your skill and strength. Having a bigger gun you can’t handle for rapid-fire or follow-up shots isn’t a good idea. That brings us right back to 22 LR being good for some people.
Bigger IS Better
As for those who carry 22 LR because they subscribe to the belief that the bullets bounce wildly on impact, that’s ridiculous. So is the idea that this admittedly diminutive cartridge is all they need when they’re capable of carrying and firing something larger. If someone has the financial and physical ability to carry a gun larger than a 22 LR, they should. Why would you not want to have the upper hand in a gunfight when your life is on the line? Stack the odds of surviving in your favor by getting something larger.
Conclusion
The gun moral of the story is that you can use the 22 LR for self-defense. The pervasive idea that it’s a garbage round isn’t accurate, but neither is the idea that it magically ricochets on impact. As usual, the truth is somewhere in the middle. 22 LR can be a capable defensive round with correct placement, and there are some shooters for whom it’s best (or the only option at that time). After all, the first rule of a gunfight is to have a gun.
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