Enter, Kirsten Weiss. Kirsten is a competetive shooter in the small bore division for Lapua originally from Pennsylvania (WE ARE... PENN STATE!!!) and a three-time All-American in smallbore. Kirsten led the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. From there she has gone on to do many great things in the shooting sports arena. So, you could say she knows a thing or two about the .22 round.
Now, getting back to the .22 as a defensive round.The question was posed on a very popular website, The Truth About Guns. Her answer was pretty cool. Here is the question and answer:
A: It depends on the context really. Is the .22 worth a “damn” as a defense round? One big fat absolutely! Is something bigger more suited for the task...it depends. Again, context is important. The .22 has its place as a defense weapon.
For example. Say you’ve somehow gotten yourself into a shady scenario (Robert, this means you), you’re cornered by a “bad guy”, yet the sound of a round echoing in the air would just alert more baddies to you. The .22 is perfect here. Not only can you easily silence them if needed, the un-silenced shot is often softer than common traffic noises, construction sites, etc. One or two pops from a .22 would hardly sound the alarm. [and on a more sordid note, there’s a reason why the Savage Mark II is one of the most commonly used assassin rounds. Look it up]
As far as effectiveness as a “stopping” round. Well, not to get gore-y, but the .22 is a very effective, damaging round. It tends to enter, but not have enough energy to exit. The bullet breaks apart, and bounces around, damaging bone and tissue on its pin ball-like journey. A well placed shot will be lethal.
According to videos I’ve seen, .22 rifle round will also penetrate deep enough to be effective, even at 300 yards. Whether one can shoot that distance accurately with a .22? That is the responsibility of the marksman to know his skills and his gun’s limits. Guns are tools. And tools are only as effective as their quality and the person wielding them.
.22s are also much easier to conceal than the bigger guns (especially for we puny women...haha! *eye roll*), so you’re more likely to have one on your person, when the time is needed. Or not fatigue if you have to carry it and its ammo for miles to the nearest safety point.
The most important factors in self defense though, are confidence and skill under stress. Lack either one, and you’re in for panic mode. So its important to train and know your defense tool of choice, under multiple scenarios. Get the heart rate up, get the mind working, induce as much stress response as possible. You want to train to be focused and ideally on auto-pilot, during the inevitable sensory overload.
I think its important to be comfortable with multiple self-defense tools. Including your own bare hands. So I’d encourage men and women alike, to train many tools, but know a few intimately. Knowing the .22 intimately gives you versatility with firearms. So it would be a top choice. Its good to be prepared for various scenarios, so other calibers are worth considering in addition to the .22 depending on the context (a long range shot, a thick steel penetrating shot, etc)
So, yes. I would be relieved if there was a .22 in my hands and I had to defend myself. Especially a rifle.
For example. Say you’ve somehow gotten yourself into a shady scenario (Robert, this means you), you’re cornered by a “bad guy”, yet the sound of a round echoing in the air would just alert more baddies to you. The .22 is perfect here. Not only can you easily silence them if needed, the un-silenced shot is often softer than common traffic noises, construction sites, etc. One or two pops from a .22 would hardly sound the alarm. [and on a more sordid note, there’s a reason why the Savage Mark II is one of the most commonly used assassin rounds. Look it up]
As far as effectiveness as a “stopping” round. Well, not to get gore-y, but the .22 is a very effective, damaging round. It tends to enter, but not have enough energy to exit. The bullet breaks apart, and bounces around, damaging bone and tissue on its pin ball-like journey. A well placed shot will be lethal.
According to videos I’ve seen, .22 rifle round will also penetrate deep enough to be effective, even at 300 yards. Whether one can shoot that distance accurately with a .22? That is the responsibility of the marksman to know his skills and his gun’s limits. Guns are tools. And tools are only as effective as their quality and the person wielding them.
.22s are also much easier to conceal than the bigger guns (especially for we puny women...haha! *eye roll*), so you’re more likely to have one on your person, when the time is needed. Or not fatigue if you have to carry it and its ammo for miles to the nearest safety point.
The most important factors in self defense though, are confidence and skill under stress. Lack either one, and you’re in for panic mode. So its important to train and know your defense tool of choice, under multiple scenarios. Get the heart rate up, get the mind working, induce as much stress response as possible. You want to train to be focused and ideally on auto-pilot, during the inevitable sensory overload.
I think its important to be comfortable with multiple self-defense tools. Including your own bare hands. So I’d encourage men and women alike, to train many tools, but know a few intimately. Knowing the .22 intimately gives you versatility with firearms. So it would be a top choice. Its good to be prepared for various scenarios, so other calibers are worth considering in addition to the .22 depending on the context (a long range shot, a thick steel penetrating shot, etc)
So, yes. I would be relieved if there was a .22 in my hands and I had to defend myself. Especially a rifle.
So, I leave you with that. Have a good day and keep firing!!!
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