22lr Self Defense - It's a question we often get asked by those of us who write about guns. "What is the best caliber for a self defense pistol?" Those expecting a one or three digit answer from me will be disappointed. I answer their simple question with a complex question. "What is the most powerful cartridge that you can shoot accurately and skillfully in a gun that is comfortable enough to wear all the time?" Depending on who is asking the question, the answer will vary. For some it is a full size .357 Mag. or 10mm Auto. For others, it is one of the current .380 ACPs offered in a 9mm pistol. And in some cases, it's 0.22 LR.
When many law enforcement agencies switched from the .40 S&W to the 9mm Luger, Internet forums exploded with discussion of how this proved the 9mm was "just as good," ballistically, as the .40 S&W. No, the .40 S&W has a larger diameter and heavier bullet that travels at higher velocities. It's simple physics. But law enforcement chooses their caliber of choice based on many factors, ballistics being just one of them. They also consider the cost of ammunition, the life of the firearm, and the ability of their trainees to become proficient and accurate relatively quickly. For these reasons the 9 mm. begins to impose itself.
22lr Self Defense
Civilians who carry a firearm for self-defense consider many of the same factors, including cost and availability of ammunition, but their most important consideration should be using a reliable firearm with which they can hit their target in self defense ranges. . Ballistic advantages disappear when your bullet doesn't connect. Five .22 LRs in the bullseye beat a .44 Mag. which failed completely. To paraphrase famous lawmaker Bill Jordan, ballistics are good, but accuracy is final.
Federal's 22 Punch
Recoil is a factor that can hinder accuracy. Even cartridges at the lower end of the power spectrum, such as the .380 ACP, can produce quite a bit of recoil when paired with one of today's ultra-lightweight micro-compact pistols. The lack of recoil is the main advantage of the .22 LR when it comes to shooting accurately. The subject of the .22 LR as a self-defense cartridge has been discussed many times in digital and print forums.
This article is not an argument that the .22 LR is "the best" round for self-defense, or even a good choice for many gun owners who can use a more powerful cartridge. But the .22 LR may be the best choice for some shooters, as a primary or backup weapon, and if so, they need to choose the best ammunition and firearm for the job. To that end, in a two-part series, we'll look at both ammunition (Federal Punch .22 LR and Winchester Silvertip .22 LR) and a firearm (Smith & Wesson Model 43C) specifically designed for self-defense with the . 22 LR cartridge.
This year two manufacturers, Winchester and Federal, introduced .22 LR cartridges designed specifically for self-defense, the Silvertip (left) and the Premium Punch (right).
.22 rimfire cartridges have a long history as a self-defense bullet. The cartridge was introduced by Smith & Wesson in 1857 when they chambered their first revolver, the Model 1, in the miniature firebox. The small revolver was not a military or law enforcement firearm. It was designed for civilian self-defense. The seven self-contained .22 rimfire cartridges in the cylinder could be loaded quickly, providing a distinct firepower advantage over the single-shot pistol or five- and six-shot black powder revolvers of the day, including bullet, powder and primers that had to be loaded . separately. While the ballistics of the .22 Short black powder cartridge (as it later became known) were quite poor (it launched the 29-grain bullets at just over 800 fps for an energy return of about 44 foot-pounds), it was slow—a last-ditch range weapon .
Would Or Should You Use .22lr For Personal Defense Ammo?
Over the years, the rimfire .22 has gained in performance. A "Long" version was introduced in 1871, followed by a "Long Rifle" cartridge in 1884. The .22 Long Rifle ("LR") cartridge, the most common today, effectively tripled the power of the original .22 Short cartridge. As self-contained ammunition advanced, more powerful cartridges were developed that had the fast-loading advantages of the .22 rimfire, but the .22 LR remained a popular choice for self-defense. A wide range of small and economical guns were available in caliber and on many rural farms a .22 caliber. the rifle served a triple role: to put meat on the table, eliminate vermin, and deter bipedal predators.
The .22 LR has found modern military and law enforcement applications, particularly where noise or excessive penetration is an issue. The circle's silence when removed meant it was used by intelligence agencies such as the US Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II. American long-range bomber crews in the same conflict received Stevens 22-410 rifles and combination rifles as survival weapons. Full metal-jacketed ammunition was issued to passengers, in case they needed to use the .22 LR for defensive purposes.
Military and police use of the .22 LR continued after the war. U-2 pilots wore a suppressed High Standard .22-cal. weapon. In the 1970s, the British Army issued a .22-cal. Walther PPs (designated L66A1) to their soldiers in Northern Ireland for off-duty self-defense. The Israelis have used the .22 LR in many law enforcement and military applications. Their marshals carried Beretta Model 71s in .22 LR and used them successfully in several incidents against heavily armed terrorists attempting to hijack an aircraft. The Israelis have also modified a version of the ArmaLite AR-7 survival rifle into a "personal defense weapon" for their F4 Phantom pilots.
The .22 LR rimfire cartridge was often used by the military and law enforcement, such as this Walther PP, used by British off-duty soldiers in Northern Ireland and designated in service as the L66A1.
Lr For Self Defense: Ammunition Test And Review
As technological advancements go in firearms, one of the biggest revolutions of the past two decades has been in ammunition. Modern advances in gunpowder and bullet design have turned typically "obsolete" or "insufficient" cartridges, such as the .32 S&W or .32 ACP, into viable options for self-defense. The .22 Winchester Magnum has recently taken center stage in self-defense, with several manufacturers developing a load for the rimfire cartridge for their top-of-the-line self-defense lines.
In 2021, two ammunition manufacturers, Federal and Winchester, introduced a .22 LR cartridge specifically designed for self-defense applications. These two containers have different approaches to how they work. The Federal Punch .22 LR is designed to meet the FBI standard of 12" ballistic gelatin penetration from the short barrel length of common concealed handguns.
Instead of the standard .22 rimfire lubricated lead bullet, the Punch cartridge's 29-grain bullet has a nickel jacket over the lead core and has a flat nose bullet profile. The Winchester Silvertip .22 LR uses a metallized segmented hollow point bullet weighing 37 grains. The bullet is designed to break into four pieces on impact, with the three "petals" of the bullet creating an initial wound channel while the base continues to penetrate.
The two .22 LR cartridges introduced for self-defense take different design approaches. The .22 Federal Punch (left) uses a flat nose bullet design with full nickel plating designed for maximum penetration. The Winchester Silvertip .22 LR (right) uses a metallized segmented hollow point, the "petals" of which create an initial wound channel while the base continues to penetrate.
Lr Vs 25 Acp
The Federal Premium Punch .22 LR was designed for penetration. In factory tests, the bullet penetrated 13.75 inches in 10% ballistic gelatin. Photo courtesy of Federal Ammunition.
Both cartridges are optimized to operate at the velocity generated by a short barrel. Federal Claims 1070 f.p.s. in a 2-inch barrel, with the Smith & Wesson Model 43C's 1.875-inch barrel producing an average velocity of 1196 fps. for the trademark. The same revolver gave 1008 fps. of the Silvertip load, just below the factory claimed 1080 fps. speed of a 3.5-inch gun. For accuracy testing, the Smith & Wesson Model 43C revolver produced five-shot groups just under 2" at 7 yards with the Punch and just under 1.5" with the Silvertip.
One of the issues with using the .22 LR for self defense is reliability. As anyone who uses .22LR bulk packs can tell you, sometimes you get misses from rimfire cartridges. Small rimfire cartridges are more fragile - rough handling tends to puncture the cases, bend the bullets or loosen them in their cases. To overcome these weaknesses, Federal says it rigorously tests and monitors Punch .22 LR production for reliability.
The cartridge case is also nickel plated to prevent corrosion from handling defensive ammunition during repeated loading and unloading and to facilitate chambering and extraction. Winchester also claims that the balls fitted to their Silvertips contribute to reliability. During our testing, we averaged about one .22 LR Punch that failed to fire, even after multiple pin hits from different pistols, from each 50-round box. The Silvertips had no setbacks in the
Best 22 Lr Ammo For Self Defense
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