As all of you know, you have many choices regarding self-defense. It all comes down to what you’re most comfortable with and what you can afford. Depending on the person, the answer will vary. For some, it’s a full-sized .357 Mag. or 10 mm Auto. For others, it’s a .380 ACP offered in a 9 mm-sized handgun. And in some instances, it’s the .22 LR.
Is the .22 LR a preferred self-defense round? We’ll examine some scenarios, history, and how the .22 LR was used before to see its success in this capacity.
Brief History of the .22 LR in the Military
Smith & Wesson produced the first .22 cartridge in 1857, when they chambered their first revolver, the Model 1, in the tiny rimfire. The small handgun was not a military or law enforcement firearm.
It was designed for civilian self-defense. The seven self-contained .22 rimfire rounds its cylinder held could be rapidly loaded, offering a distinct firepower advantage over the single-shot pistols or five—and six-shot black powder revolvers of the day, whose balls, powder, and primers had to be loaded separately. Reloading those was time-consuming.
During the Civil War, some Confederate cavalrymen carried a .22 pistol as an emergency weapon. Although the pistol’s ballistics were poor, it effectively broke contact and got the soldiers out of danger. The .22 long-rifle (LR) cartridge was introduced in 1884.
In World War II, the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the forerunner of the CIA and the US Army Special Forces, used a silenced .22LR for clandestine purposes.
Army Green Berets used silenced Hi-Standard .22s at least into the 1990s and possibly beyond.
Reliability is An Issue for .22LR
The biggest drawback of the .22 LR is reliability. Although I have shot countless rounds of .22 LR over the years, the rimfire cartridges can occasionally fail. We have all experienced that. Small rimfire cartridges are more fragile–rough handling tends to dent cases, bend bullets, or loosen them in their cases.
Certain ammunition manufacturers are working on solutions to these issues, but it remains a consideration and an issue.
Ballistics And Stopping Power
When using a weapon for self-defense, the purpose is to kill or incapacitate an assailant or enemy soldier. Other calibers possess much more stopping power than the .22 LR. And that isn’t even up for debate.
However, the .22 LR can incapacitate and/or kill an attacker. If the shot hits them in a vital area, then they will go down. One shot from a .22 to an attacker’s CPU will drop them like a mail sack.
That means, however, that the shooter must be very accurate, and in a crisis, that isn’t always true unless the shooter is well-trained and experienced. It is a compromise that the shooter must give serious thought to.
Ammunition Is a Big Factor
Not all .22 LR ammo is created equal. If the shooter is carrying concealed, the barrel will be shorter, so the ammunition that functions best with the shorter barrel must be the first consideration.
Ammunition, like the Federal Punch, CCI Velicitor, and Winchester Silvertip, makes it a more viable option for those for whom the .22 rimfire is the best choice.
So…is the .22 LR a preferred self-defense round? No, and far be it from me or anyone else to tell you so. But in certain instances, it will work.
Glock 44 .22LR. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Image: Creative Commons.
Image: Creative Commons.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a 19FortyFive National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing for 19FortyFive, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications
