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lawrnk wrote:

Liko81 wrote:agreed that it is not a defense round, but I read the Ruger MK is very popular with assasins, allegedly.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruger_MK_II

I *might* be able to believe that; silencers work better on smaller rounds, so a .22 handgun would be very quiet. It is also deadly enough with a shot in the eye socket or back of the throat. I'd still use a silenced 9mm if I were a hitman.

Anyway, both the Ruger .22 pistols and the Browning Buckmarks are excellent plinkers. My Buckmark has had a couple of jams (one failure to chamber and one failure to eject in 200 rounds) and .22 is not an incredibly reliable cartridge (the GBs are pretty good; standard Remington "target" loads gave me about 3 duds and a lot of squibs while I've not yet had one with GBs), but for pure cheap fun factor they can't be beat, and a .22 will get you used to gun handling. I still say get a 9mm or larger and become proficient with it if you feel you need a defensive weapon.

fallout wrote:I live in Galveston county.

I looked at .22 semi-automatic pistols and was considering one, just for the economic factor. To practice without stressing about how much money is leaving the gun barrel would be good.

A .22 is a good start, and yes it's very economical (buy a brick of Remington Golden Bullets for $15; it's about 3 cents a round and pretty reliable, decently clean stuff). However, it is NOT a defensive pistol. It is a plinking/target pistol. A .22 is your very last option against a BG; even a 17HMR would be better (assuming you can aim) because of the better penetration characteristics.

I'm not discouraging you from getting one, I'm just making sure you know that you'll want a .380 at the very least, and more likely a 9mm, for personal defense, and your .22 is largely going to stay in its case and not on your hip around the house.

About shotguns as an HD weapon; yes they have a lot of stopping power and are simple point and pull weapons, but the ammunition is, quite literally, ball rounds. Double-aught buckshot contains pellets the same diameter as a 9mm handgun bullet, only these are either lead or steel shot and not designed to expand, so said shot is going to go through your BG and a few layers of drywall behind them. If you live in an apartment or with others this is not the best scenario. Nor is frangible ammunition, which won't go through two layers of insulated drywall, but won't go through the BG either. Get yourself a 9mm or .45, load it with expanders, and keep it handy. The expanding rounds, if they overpenetrate, will be more likely to lodge within a wall behind than a pellet or ball round. They also make bigger holes in the BG.