How Embarrassing…

[Guest stovepipe]

Wouldn’t you know it, the first time I get pulled over in 20+ years, is the night I couldn’t carry (conceal) my usual my .38 Spec, or .40SW carry pistol… You know how embarrassing it was admitting my carry gun was a NAA .22?!? – I’m just sayin’…

[mikegideon]

I've had the same fear of being caught with my LCP :-)

[Erik88]

ouch. ticket?

[kwe45919]

Hopefully he gave you a ticket...........for carrying a peashooter.

[Mike.357]

according to some .22's have killed more people than any other calibers added together .

So what is the problem with carrying it?

[daddyo]

according to some .22's have killed more people than any other calibers added together .

So what is the problem with carrying it?

My objective is not to kill; it is to STOP THE FIGHT. The .22 caliber is not an effective fight stopper. Why do I want to give the BG time to shoot back at me while he is bleeding out?

[Guest BEARMAN]

Different situations call for different carry options.

I wouldn't be ashamed of the .22 NAA revolver, because I for one wouldn't want to be shot with any firearm, regardless of the caliber.

The .22 lr round tends to tumble around in the body, not exiting,but tearing up all manner of organs and such.

I've had two people I know of who had been shot with a .22 lr.; one lived, one died on the operating table. The one who lived was gut shot and almost died.

[jtluttrell]

The .22 lr round tends to tumble around in the body, not exiting,but tearing up all manner of organs and such.

I've been told otherwise.

[R1100R]

I carry at times a NAA in .22 Mag. I know I don't want to be shot with it. I was

in the Night Club business in Atlanta for years and have seen a few shootings. I would not discount at all the .22 round. Upclose and personal at 0 to 10 feet I have seen it do damage.

[dats82]

I have an NAA .22 mini mag in my pocket right now. All you people can dog the .22, but the reality of it is that the majority of criminals are going to turn around and go the other way regardless of what is popping at them. Although it is not what I usually choose the carry, the way I figure it, I am probably going to be close enough for a head shot if I use it, so either way, .22 or .45 they will stop.

[Guest BEARMAN]

I've been told otherwise.

Watcha been told, jt?

[jtluttrell]

Watcha been told, jt?

Well, specifically that the "tumbling" theory is not true.

[Guest BEARMAN]

jtluttrell;495299]Well, specifically that the "tumbling" theory is not true.

Try telling that to my friend who was gut shot.

The Surgeon's had to literally remove all his intestines and lay them on a table and cut out the bad, wash and clean the good as best they could.

Then they put them back in the right place, as best they could, and stitch him back up...all because the little bitty .22 lr. round tumbled around,ricocheting off ribs and bone, and ripping his intestines to shreds; because it didn't have enough power to exit the body.

He spent six weeks in the hospital, on high powered antibiotics to prevent infection from the bile and so forth.

The scarring he carries is horrifying.

[Guest stovepipe]

Yeah, I know the pros and cons of the .22 round, and I am very glad to have a NAA 22 for situations like last night where I couldn't carry a larger firearm... It’s certainly better than nothing. Realistically, though, a miniature single action .22 doesn't have the defensive range, accuracy or impact of either the .38 or .40 that I normally carry. (Got to have a tight 3 shot group from a .22 to = one .38 hole... But, either way you have a hole.) - Guess, for me, admitting what I was carrying a .22 was just a little embarrassing. It’s a manhood thing... To make it worse, the officer did seemed to chuckle to himself when I told him.

Luckily, no ticket… I had a headlight out so he ran my license, returned my papers, and nicely told me to get it fixed. All in all, a good text book experience.

Edited April 4, 2010 by stovepipe

[Guest archerdr1]

well, he could have thought, "Man, he is carrying a .22, he must be a really good shot"

[saintsfanbrian]

The only bad gun to carry would be the one left on the night stand.

If I couldn't conceal any of mine I would go find one I could. If it happened to be a .22 then so be it. Ask James Brady what being shot with a .22 feels like.

[Guest strelcevina]

i don't carry my gun much at all.

to be honest ,don't have much need for it.

when i carry than i carry .38 little revolver.

my Beretta is like 2bricks . i sometimes carrying it open, when i go fishing

in last 4-5 years i wonted to buy little .22 NAA revolver.

so it can be on me 24/7

[Guest bart_p]

Although it is not what I usually choose the carry, the way I figure it, I am probably going to be close enough for a head shot if I use it, so either way, .22 or .45 they will stop.

Sorry, but I just had to interject at this one. It is not very wise to assume that you would be able to make a head shot at any distance in a fight or flight situation. Even if (big BIG if) you were able to make a head shot on a target under those conditions, it is not the magic fight stopper (especially with pistol caliber rounds) that is portrayed in movies. It is best to shoot the upper thoracic region (unless wearing armor) until the threat has subsided. If they are in fact wearing armor, unless you have a carbine or absolutely no other option, running is your very best option.

Bart

Again, sorry for the threadjacking

[Guest faust921]

Pretty funny. George Costanza - "shrinkage".

Edited April 5, 2010 by faust921

[JAB]

I sometimes carry my .22 WMR NAA mini in my weak side pocket as a BUG. My belief of the most likely use for a BUG, for me, would be as a contact weapon - a 'get off me' gun - to use when the assailant is so close as to make drawing and orienting my primary difficult or, even more likely, when the assailant may be trying to wrestle the primary away. A guy on one of the other forums to which I belong calls the minis 'ear, nose and throat' guns because he thinks the best use would be to stick the barrel in the assailant's ear, up a nostril or to their neck/throat and fire.

That said, there have been a few instances in which the mini has been my only gun. It's even easier to conceal than my P3AT.

For those who would discount the possible effectiveness of the little guys - or even the possibility that they could be a fight stopper - here is a sad story that might change your mind:

Trooper Mark Hunter Coates, South Carolina Highway Patrol

The trooper shot the suspect five times with a .357 Magnum. The suspect lived and went to prison. Trooper Coates was killed by a single shot from a .22 that struck him in an area that wasn't protected by his body armor (have read several other accounts which stated that his murderer was using a .22 mini-revolver.) Apparently, Trooper Coates was killed almost instantly.

[daddyo]

For those who would discount the possible effectiveness of the little guys - or even the possibility that they could be a fight stopper - here is a sad story that might change your mind:

Trooper Mark Hunter Coates, South Carolina Highway Patrol

The trooper shot the suspect five times with a .357 Magnum. The suspect lived and went to prison. Trooper Coates was killed by a single shot from a .22 that struck him in an area that wasn't protected by his body armor (have read several other accounts which stated that his murderer was using a .22 mini-revolver.) Apparently, Trooper Coates was killed almost instantly.

That is an isolated incident and is not representative of the effectiveness of service calibers IN GENERAL. I can find examples of an attacker using a .380 and the victim walking away after returning fire with a service caliber weapon and killing the attacker.

Cherry picking does not prove anything.

Edited April 6, 2010 by DaddyO

[JAB]

That is an isolated incident and is not representative of the effectiveness of service calibers IN GENERAL. I can find examples of an attacker using a .380 and the victim walking away after returning fire with a service caliber weapon and killing the attacker.

Cherry picking does not prove anything.

On the contrary, I would argue that every, single shooting of any human or animal with any firearm is 'an isolated incident' in that there are always going to be numerous variables. No two firearms (even of the same make and model) are exactly the same, there is no guarantee that any two rounds of ammo (even of the same brand and type) are going to perform exactly the same and there is always a bit of chance involved in how the bullet performs, how the individual reacts after being shot, how the individual's body reacts, how much damage one individual can withstand and survive relative to another individual, etc.

Therefore, there is no such thing as 'cherry picking' when discussing such matters. There are only individual examples and their outcomes and such examples should be taken as such. Notice that I did not say that this example shows the probable effectiveness of a mini revolver or that it shows the mini revolvers will probably be effective as a fight stopper, only that this incident exemplifies possible effectiveness with regards to both. Do I feel better armed carrying my NAA .22 WMR mini revolver as a one and only firearm than carrying my .357, one of my 9mm handguns, my .38 etc.? Of course not. Did I say that the incident mentioned shows that a .22 mini revolver is universally more effective than a .357 Magnum? Certainly not - although this real world incident shows that, without a doubt and in that case, it was.

Edited April 6, 2010 by JAB

[Guest bart_p]

This goes back to what I said in my other post. Handgun caliber weapon are not nearly as effective fight stoppers as we all are lead to believe. Aside from that, every single bullet that enters flesh will act differently. They will yaw and ricochet and split to pieces. Things like clothing and distance and angle of impact have a lot to do with this. Then you have any intermediate barriers such as glass or a car door that the bullet may need to pass through to hit it's intended target. Once the bullet gets where it's going, it can be deflected off of bones (particularly smaller calibers, even 9mm) and do some quite unexpected things. There is no magic bullet out there, but with luck (yes I said it) your properly placed shot will have its desired effect on your target. If it doesn't, put two more on board and call me in the morning.

On the .357 not taking down the guy in 5 shots, I would go as far as to say that I'm not surprised. I'm not saying that the .357 magnum is a poor choice, but like I said, pistols are pretty poor choices for what we all carry them for. This is not uncommon in gun fights by the way. Then to the .22, once again, not surprised. It obviously hit the central nervous system to cause an instant drop. This is not impossible with any pistol caliber, but it isn't likely to happen consistently.

Bart

[Guest DylisTN]

22lr to the head: cows, chicken, pigs . . . None of them were armed or dangerous but they droped like a stone every time. I carry a 45, but have great respect for the 22.

[Guest Sgt. Joe]

I sometimes carry my .22 WMR NAA mini in my weak side pocket as a BUG. My belief of the most likely use for a BUG, for me, would be as a contact weapon - a 'get off me' gun - to use when the assailant is so close as to make drawing and orienting my primary difficult or, even more likely, when the assailant may be trying to wrestle the primary away. A guy on one of the other forums to which I belong calls the minis 'ear, nose and throat' guns because he thinks the best use would be to stick the barrel in the assailant's ear, up a nostril or to their neck/throat and fire.

That said, there have been a few instances in which the mini has been my only gun. It's even easier to conceal than my P3AT.

For those who would discount the possible effectiveness of the little guys - or even the possibility that they could be a fight stopper - here is a sad story that might change your mind:

Trooper Mark Hunter Coates, South Carolina Highway Patrol

The trooper shot the suspect five times with a .357 Magnum. The suspect lived and went to prison. Trooper Coates was killed by a single shot from a .22 that struck him in an area that wasn't protected by his body armor (have read several other accounts which stated that his murderer was using a .22 mini-revolver.) Apparently, Trooper Coates was killed almost instantly.

Stories like Trooper Coates are in fact few but his is not the only case of an officer wearing a vest being killed with a smaller caliber weapon. Go to the site below and enter Officer Killed and Florida. The first return should be a story from Tittusville FL.

I happened to know both the shooter and the officer, it was a horrible case of a bad info No-Knock. I worked daily with the shooter and was in the Guard with the officer.

While there isnt a lot to the story listed, IIRC it was a .25 cal that Chuck retrieved from his bedroom.

I will never forget opening the morning paper to see a former co-worker in prison orange only to read on and find out the Officer killed was also a friend.

Of course I freaked out, but I told the wife immediately that there was just something not right about the whole story. It took some time to sort out but I was right. It was a bad info raid.

Not a bad bone in either of these two people, one was doing his job and one was defending his family from what he thought was an attack. It was a sad and tragic event for ALL involved and the community as a whole.

The bullet hit Steven in the shoulder and ricocheted off his collar bone directly to his heart....he also died nearly instantly on the scene.

http://www.cato.org/raidmap/

I am a firm believer in carrying the largest caliber that you can handle for self defense. I am limited pretty much to 9m but if the need was to arise I would carry my P22. I dont envision such a need but if ever, it would be carried. Small but way better than nothing. Just like those 380's so many of us carry, mine are BUGS but again if the need arose anything is better than nothing.

No reason IMO for the OP to be ashamed. Ashamed would have been "I have a HCP but I am not carrying anything";)