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open carry a 22lr?

boomer92266

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2008
Messages
200
Location
Gamaliel, Kentucky, United States
i haven't had a large caliber handgun in a while as some things came up and i had to sell them. i have been carrying my h&r pardner pump protector in my truck, its a 18.5 inch barrel pump i use for home protection. my wife finally talked me into getting a handgun out of the closet that belonged to my father who passed 5 years ago. its a nef r92 22lr with a 4 inch barrel, it shoots really good and accurate, i have a nylon holster for it as well. i know my dad would want me to use it and not put it up in the closet, but its only a 22 and i know its far from being a good defense round. but at this time i have nothing else so it is better than nothing i guess. what do ya'll think? would ya'll carry this 22 if it was all you had or wait till next year to get something bigger? thanks
 

Fuller Malarkey

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2010
Messages
1,020
Location
The Cadre
All joking aside, I'd take the .22 over a rock. I'm not a "stand my ground from the git go" kind of guy. I'm not drawing and firing until that is my last resort. And when it gets to that point, any weapon is better than no weapon, IMO.

Remember, the objective is to keep you and your's alive, not gain universal internet approval. Time, circumstances and your own commitment will determine your hand gun future. Let it play out.

My suggestion would be to put some effort into figuring out where the weapon you have will inflict threat ending damage the fastest.
 

Grapeshot

Legendary Warrior
Joined
May 21, 2006
Messages
35,317
Location
Valhalla
I'd give some thought to selling or trading the shotgun and getting a good defensive caliber handgun and retention holster. A handgun will be closer at hand more often and isn't that the point?
 

flb_78

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2010
Messages
544
Location
Gravel Switch, KY
If you're not carrying a custom built 577 Nitro Express revolver, you might as well be carrying a flyswatter.

6a00d83451b54869e2010536ab4a64970b-400wi
 

09jisaac

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2011
Messages
1,692
Location
Louisa, Kentucky
FLB, stop trolling, OP asked a serious question.

I only trust my life with a custom single shot handgun that shoots a .50bmg cut off at the taper. You have to cast your own bullets, but it is a hell of a gun.


But seriously OP, the .22 is better than nothing. 90% of the times you would need a firearm just having a firearm would end the encounter. The next 7% a shot would probably do the job. The last 3% (all these numbers are made up) are the only ones that you would need to disable a person to end the encounter.

If you can consistently deliver a disabling shot under high stress with your .22 then you would be fine. The only reason to go to more "powerful" round is because the room for error is increased.

Shot placement is King
Penetration is Queen
And the size of the bullet matters little.
 

KYGlockster

Activist Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2010
Messages
1,842
Location
Ashland, KY
If you're not carrying a custom built 577 Nitro Express revolver, you might as well be carrying a flyswatter.

6a00d83451b54869e2010536ab4a64970b-400wi

I think I would have to pay $5 for an AOW tax stamp and place a vertical grip on the barrel before I would ever try to shoot such a beast!
 

self preservation

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2012
Messages
1,036
Location
Owingsville,KY
I myself carry a .40 for EDC. A .357 mag hangs by my front door, but a .22 is what is stashed by the back door. The reason I am ok with the .22 as a "last resort" weapon is because over the last 12 years of my career as an E.M.T. I have seen what the .22 can do. The .22 has a tendency to "bounce" around inside the human body. We once had a guy that took a .22 round to the shoulder and it ended up going down to his lung and ended up in his liver. Another guy that we use to work with took a .45 round to his shoulder and it just stuck there. The first guy I mentioned died about 2 years later. The second guy went out on disability.

The .22 has long been known as the "little brother" of the caliber world, but more than once I have seen little brother hold his own. I can't help to go with "bigger is better" attitude but the key word is better.....not insufficient. In other words, the .22 may not kill a man instantaneously, but from what I have seen 1,2,5,or 8 well placed .22's will stop the threat. Keep in mind that I have seen people shot with all sorts of calibers. Some have suffered a single shot with a small caliber gun and died on scence. Some have taken multiple hit's from a much larger caliber gun and lived.

The human body is resilient as hell and it's a crap shoot each and every time. But as the other's have said, regardless, it's better than a rock.
 

flb_78

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2010
Messages
544
Location
Gravel Switch, KY
That's true about the 22.

When I lived in Illinois, I knew the assistant coroner, who also happened to a city cop and owns a dry cleaning business, and he said the fastest he had ever seen someone bleed out with an amputation was from a 22 derringer. 2 fellas got into a pushing match and 1 pulled the derringer, stuck it in the other fella's shoulder and shot him. The bullet bounced off his collar bone, went through both lungs and out through a kidney.
 

boomer92266

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2008
Messages
200
Location
Gamaliel, Kentucky, United States
I'd give some thought to selling or trading the shotgun and getting a good defensive caliber handgun and retention holster. A handgun will be closer at hand more often and isn't that the point?

i need the shotgun for home protection, while a good 357 is also a good home gun i believe a 12 gauge to be the best in most cases. i also just found out my budget won't be much better next year so the 22 may be it for a while. i will load it with velocitors or stingers, and continue to enjoy open carry. thanks for everyones help, i know my dad is looking down and glad i made the decision to carry it he carried it alot outdoors with him.
 

KYGlockster

Activist Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2010
Messages
1,842
Location
Ashland, KY
i need the shotgun for home protection, while a good 357 is also a good home gun i believe a 12 gauge to be the best in most cases. i also just found out my budget won't be much better next year so the 22 may be it for a while. i will load it with velocitors or stingers, and continue to enjoy open carry. thanks for everyones help, i know my dad is looking down and glad i made the decision to carry it he carried it alot outdoors with him.

I know I would enjoy carrying something my father did just for that reason, and wouldn't worry about the caliber. The .22 L.R. kills more people every year than any other cartridge. As long as you practice enough, and develop your skills so that you can hit an attacker in the vitals everytime you should be fine.

The 12 gauge is excellent for defense, but if you live in an apartment building or somewhere with neighbors close by you might consider keeping the .22 by the bed. I have heard of numerous documented stories where the 12 gauge penetrated numerous walls of a home. A hollow-point .22 round should keep penetration to a minimum, and will do what needs to be done if you do your part.

If neighbors are not an issue then you have made an excellent selection for HD. I keep a Mossberg 500A with collapsible stock and mounted surefire 6PX under my bed every night and I feel exceptionally well armed!
 

MainelyGlock

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2012
Messages
615
Location
Portland, ME
Carry what you're comfortable carrying, and comfortable shooting. Practice practice practice, no matter what caliber your gun is.
 

jdholmes

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2011
Messages
488
Location
Henderson, Nevada
I have always been a .22 advocate...some folks like to hate, I don't care. When the crap hits the fan I can carry thousands of rounds in a backpack and still move easy. I like .22's.
 

MAC702

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
6,331
Location
Nevada
Concur. The .22 is a REAL firearm, ladies and gentlemen. Carry it!

Besides, most of the times that OC saves a life, it never left the holster. Many of those times, the wearer may not even be aware that the gun just did its job. How many perps know what kind you are packing just from the grips? Bad guys don't like gunfights, period.

Seeing two guys that I don't know, one with a .22 SA revolver, the other with a Glock, I will probably put money on a bet that the guy with the .22 is a far better shooter.
 
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WalkingWolf

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
11,930
Location
North Carolina
i need the shotgun for home protection, while a good 357 is also a good home gun i believe a 12 gauge to be the best in most cases. i also just found out my budget won't be much better next year so the 22 may be it for a while. i will load it with velocitors or stingers, and continue to enjoy open carry. thanks for everyones help, i know my dad is looking down and glad i made the decision to carry it he carried it alot outdoors with him.

Go ahead and get your C&R license, it is only $30. Watch the surplus houses and you can find a good deal on a defensive handgun. I bought a PA63 years ago for well under $100, a Star Super A for 130. Prices have gone up, but there are still deals, actually the Nagant revolver is around $100, and can fire 32H&R mag, 7 rounds. There are still Stars out there for $200, Hi-Power clones for under $300, Tokarev for $200, and I believe the CZ82 can be had for less than $250.
 
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