Carrying a .22

[Hoky_Tonk69]

So how many people actually carry a .22 semi auto for EDC? Or regularly carry?

[Raoul]

I carry one occasionally. Just depends on where I'm gonna be.

[Ugly]

Me too,, it depends on the situation. If i'm in thugville it's a .40 or .45, around the house and property it's usually a MKIII with 2 extra mags :)

[Hoky_Tonk69]

I'm asking because my wife wants a 22 to carry.

[mikegideon]

The only reason I don't is because they're just slightly more likely to misfire. The up side is that most people can be deadly accurate with one.

[gjohnsoniv]

I do, carry a Beretta 71 on a daily basis.

[mikegideon]

I'm asking because my wife wants a 22 to carry.

 

My girlfriend carries a Walther P22 in the car. i bought her an LCP a little while back so she would keep something in her purse. That Walther is still there :)

[FortKnox]

Back in '12 when I was getting back into shooting, after decades away, for my 1st handgun I bought a Ruger sr22 cause of the low recoil, how cheap the ammo was and it seems I'm hardwired into buying Ruger's just like my dad.

Anyways, I used it for my HCP course last year and carried it for 4 months before trading it for something easier to carry and more firepower, the Ruger LCR .357.

I shot over 300 trouble free rounds in it and felt fine carrying it and a spare mag around Clarksville.

[bersaguy]

I will carry one often when around the house and out in the yard. Most trips to mail box will have one with a few back up Magazines. I got started on them when a friend of mine was concerned before I got my HCP I didn't have a pocket pistol or for that fact a hand gun. He gave me a 22 Phoenix semi auto. I went to the range with him and had bought 2 boxes of ammo. I loaded in 10 rounds and fire them off at the target hitting center mass 10 times at 3 yards. backed a new target up to 5 yards and hit body outline area 10 times with 5 in the red. We shot all 100 rounds without any FTFeed or FTFire. When I got my HCP I began buying heavier calibers for carry but I liked that 22 Phoenix so well I bought a brand new one. It also performed flawlessly for 150 rounds and shot dead on. I realize they are not an expensive firearm but for the price verses performance I find them well worth the price.............jmho

[enfield]

Semi-auto, no.  Revolver, yes.

[FortKnox]

I'm asking because my wife wants a 22 to carry.

For a semi auto I would go for the Ruger sr22 and revolver Ruger LCR 22.

[chances R]

I'm asking because my wife wants a 22 to carry.

 

And good for her.  Let her carry what SHE is comfortable with.  She may want something different later, maybe not, but the important thing she recognizes the need and wants to carry.  A .22 is fine and certainly a good place to start.

[Hozzie]

If I was going to carry a 22, it would be a 22 magnum revolver.  Still easy for her to shoot, but a bit more power.  If she isn't use to guns and misfires, etc, a revolver is the only way to go in my opinion. 

Edited December 1, 2014 by Hozzie

[2.ooohhh]

I'll occasionally carry a .22 if I want a lighter firearm for the day. I have 22lr models of several of my favorite carry guns with my favorites being a j-frame followed closely by a p229. I love that they both use the same holsters as my typical carry pistols and both are dead nuts reliable and accurate with quality ammo.

[DaveTN]

So how many people actually carry a .22 semi auto for EDC? Or regularly carry?

The overwhelming percentage of people do not carry a gun; that doesn’t make it right, or a good idea. 
 

I'm asking because my wife wants a 22 to carry.

A .22 is better than nothing. If that’s all she feels comfortable with then it is what it is. A 9 or 40 does no good if she won't carry it.

She needs to be educated on the rounds and think about the scenarios where she might need a gun. It’s all application driven. The mere presence of a firearm, any firearm, may stop an attack. The shooting of an unarmed perp with a .22 will probably stop an attack. Will a hit from a .22 make an armed attacker unwilling or unable to fire his weapon at her? Doubtful without an immediately incapacitating hit.

She is making a decision about her life or the lives of those around her. She should be using the best round she feels comfortable with, can hit a target with, and fired from the highest quality most reliable weapon she can afford.

You should be proud she wants to carry; maybe some training classes or help from local shooters would help her become more informed.

[enfield]

Remember, a misfire with a rimfire semi-auto is a lot different than with a center-fire.  Restriking the round won't help.  With a revolver, just pull the trigger again and get a fresh round.

[Jonnin]

wife has a 10 shot Taurus .22 revolver that would not be bad to carry.  They also make a 9 shot 22 mag.   22 mag is so pricy and hard to get she got the 22 lr for practice and carried the mag for a while --- the difference in ammo across a few thousand rounds paid for the second gun.

 

Im with the other fellas.   As much .22 as I shoot, no matter the brand (well, I havn't tried the $20 for 50 competition stuff) there are too many misfires to trust it.   That is really my only objection.  If it worked 100% I would carry one.   I think its been said that .22 has killed more people than any other in the USA.

Edited December 1, 2014 by Jonnin

[runco]

I do from time to time, and sometimes its #2 gun on my person.  I have the Beretta 21A and NAA mini with the folding handle.  I do miss the stinger, which I had when I was in the biz.

[Cherokee Slim]

Sometimes I'll carry a short barrel Walther P22 around the yard but never when I go out.  I've been hung up on .45 for a long time.  I did notice that when I was a Range Officer for the Cleveland Club's HCP class that there were more women attending, and more men & women using .22s both revolver and auto.

Cherokee Slim

[chances R]

Remember, a misfire with a rimfire semi-auto is a lot different than with a center-fire.  Restriking the round won't help.  With a revolver, just pull the trigger again and get a fresh round.

 

So is running out of bullets..........either tap, rack, flip or slam another mag in.  I'll stay with my semi-auto.

[Dolomite_supafly]

The best, yes BEST, ammo to use in a 22 pistol if that is all you have for defense is the Aguila 60 grain SSS. It creates a larger permanent wound channel and penetrates over 8" into gelatin. It tumbles immediately upon impact if it is not already tumbling in the air. Stingers are the worst choice because they need barrel length to get the velocities they claim. I have chornographed a lot of the "hyper velocity" stuff in short barrels and most will not break 1,050 fps. Combine that will the 30-32 grain bullet and you have what is equal to a 22 short.
 
Second choice would be the CCI Velocitor. It too suffers from reduced velocities in the short barreled pistols but it also has a 40 grain bullet which works well for going deep.
 
I have chronographed the SSS in a Taurus PLY22 and it average 790 fps. May not seem like a lot but that is within 25 fps of what is chronographs in most rifles.
 
Here are a few videos of the SSS in gelatin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GwRgIpbflA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T10BMy6oq0

[kieefer]

I use to keep my 22A in the truck all the time but have swapped it out for one of my .38 revolvers.

 

Always wanted the .22WRM in a revolver but comparing the prices I've got .38's for the same price.

[K191145]

Semi-auto, no.  Revolver, yes.

 

I eqipped one of my mom's friend with a .22 a while back, it was an RG 6 shot double action revolver. I know it's a cheapo but it will shoot and not break, I unloaded a cylinder full and cleaned it before I gave it to her so i'm confident it's safe to shoot, she's 75 and that's what she wanted, a .22 because she used to have one. She knows how to use it and dry fired it several times so I know she can pull the trigger. If I have anything bigger I will not carry a .22 myself. now if that's all I had I would definatly carry it because I sincerly believe it's better than a sharp stick. Oh, and I went outside, cut and sharpened a stick for when she shot all 6 rounds because they are hard to eject in that cheap revolver.      Not really.  :)

 

My mom has a 5 shot .32H&R mag. still a little small for me but much better than a .22, she's shot it a few times.

Edited December 5, 2014 by K191145

[Refleks]

Sub 9mm calibers are still useful IMO depending on the situation.  Your mindset may vary and I completely respect it, but in my eyes something like a little .22, .32, .380 etc are what I think of as like 90% guns... in the vast majority of cases, just HAVING a gun will be enough to save your bacon and they're small enough to carry even in an environment where a regular sidearm might be prohibitively big.  They're like pocket knives, just no reason not to have one on you if laws permit.

 

The other 10% of cases (both percentages are arbitrary of course) is the worst case scenario we all tend to prepare for just to cover all the bases: a determined attacker or someone who is under the influence.  Will it be enough in that situation? It could, but might not.  Even a service caliber might not.  Still, someone who WILL carry a mouse gun all the time (if the alternative is nothing at all, or only occasionally), so long as they're aware of the limitations, is still admirable.

 

Same rules apply for minimum desired penetration and shot placement though, so as it's been pointed out above, select ammo wisely and practice often!

Edited December 5, 2014 by Refleks

[tennesseetiger]

I carry a small .25 semi-auto from time to time. Easy to toss in my pocket and go...but just like some of the comments already said, if I'm going to be somewhere I'm worried about its a 45 or 9mm instead of the .25.

With that said, my wife is not a fan of small 9mm hand guns...tried a few and she didnt like the recoil so 380 was the better option for her. I might suggest that instead of a 22?