So since it is so bad and no manufacturers recommend 22LR for defense use, why did Federal come out with the "Punch" and the CCI come out with the "Uppercut"? Both of these are dedicated self defense rounds. Why does Ruger, Smith and Wesson, and many other manufacturers make 22LR and 22Mag revolvers and pistols in their self defense lines?First and foremost, if that is what you carry, then go for it. I am not here to tell anybody what to do however I would never recommend to any body I know for the following reasons-
1/. Rimfire ammo like .22lr is notorious for ignition failure and ejection failures. You can negate that by carrying a revolver but....,.22LR is not manufactured to the same standards as defensive centerfire ammunition.
2./ .22 LR is notorious for corrosion and when you have a smaller surface area (a .22LR cartridge) you are prone to more failures via corrosion. If you carry a pistol in your pocket like a lot of .22lr carriers like to do you are adding sweat and moisture constantly to that highly corrosive cartridge. This makes it worse with a revolver with its open cylinder design.
3./ .22 LR are one of the most inconsistent ballistic cartridges made. Plenty of testing has shown this. You can take a ballistic gel dummy and shoot it plum in the sternum and the .22LR will just lodge into the surface area of the bone. Then you take the same gun, same ammo, new dummy and the .22LR will go through the sternum and go about a half inch into vitals. When it comes to cartridges it is one of the most inconsistent when it comes to fragmentation, piercing, rolling and so forth.
4./ There is ZERO conclusive reporting or evidence that indicates a .22LR in a handgun is a useful or valuable defensive carry round. No large scale testing via any legitimate military, law enforcement, security agency or any other large scale case use has ever been done with the .22 being effective in any capacity against human targets in defensive case uses. It is backed entirely by .22 case use studies that are often results from accidents or cheap saturday night special loadouts like .22 / .25 etc in gang conflicts where people are getting shot multiple times and suffering damage hours after the event.
5./ The cycling rate even on semi autos is slower than centerfire unless you are running competition standard .22s.... But you would probably not be carrying competition standard .22s
6/. Stopping power is often a misnomer in the firearm communities. "Stopping power" is often thought of as a powerful thud or taking a large chunk out of a person but it has more to do with - The psychological reaction to gunfire (loud versus quiet) and the .22LR fails at that. The ability to fragment bone and penetration through vital organs causing large wound channels and disrupting nerves, tissue, arteries etc as a .22 has very little or no "CNS disruption" power behind it. Think about what happens when a round hits bone, if even a modern 9mm hits the sternum it will split the sternum and that bone split causes larger arterial and tissue bleeding and damage. A .22 is going to hit, impact and either penetrate or lodge itself into the bone. A centerfire defensive hollowpoint bullet is going to mushroom and fragment and cause a much larger surface area of potential bone breaks, tissue damage and a wound channel that flares out causing more bleeding and damage. A .22LR causes little CNS disruption unless you are "lucky" and the .22 manages to deflect and hit off of several internal bone structures and goes through nerves.
7/ .22LR ammunition is not manufactured even the nicer more expensive rounds to the same manufacturing standards as defensive American made centerfire ammunition.
8. / Manufacturers do not recommend .22 for defensive use. My dad has worked in the firearm industry his entire career from manufacturing to retail and he has never heard of a company suggesting .22 as a reliable and effective defensive carry round. .22 handguns just do not produce the velocity and power that even .22 rifles do.
If a .22 is what you have then use it. If you have some medical issue or preference for it then use it, however, its not nearly as effective and has more shortcomings than say any modern .380 or 9mm especially in the last 8 years where manufacturers have been making the various lighter recoil controlling "EZ" systems and what not to make it easier to carry defensive centerfire calibers.
In point #6 you state the sound scares bad guys away? That is the most Joe Biden shit I've ever heard. "Just need a double barrel shot gun! I tell Jill to just shoot it in the air and it will scare them away..." Come on, man.
You preach some pretty good fudd lore!
Jay