Wild Bill, you are far more knowledgeable than I and I see your point and realize it did come across as maligning the cartridge when it has a lot to do with the guns involved that shoot that round. I was going with my own personal experience with several .22 semiautomatics I have tried that were picky about ammo and would have stoppages. In a self defense situation, that would not be a happy moment.WildBill wrote:Welcome to the forum Dragon!
I am not saying that the .22LR is a good defense caliber, but I don't agree with this statement. I have shot tens of thousands of .22LR and had fewer misfires and failures to cycle than with any centerfire cartridge.TexasGal wrote:The main issue with the .22 caliber is it is a rimfire vs a center fire. Rimfire cartridges are less reliable to go bang and cycle the gun every time.
Of course the choice of guns is critical. IMO, many of the .22LR pistols aren't made as good as centerfire pistol. I don't think people are willing to spend as much money on a .22LR pistol as they would on a centerfire pistol. I think that is the problem with the gun rather than the ammunition.
Another option for Dragon is an 8 shot revolver. Unfortunately the choice is limited. I would go for a S&W.
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Return to “Greetings and questions.”
- Fri Feb 21, 2014 4:34 am
- Forum: General Gun, Shooting & Equipment Discussion
- Topic: Greetings and questions.
- Replies: 27
- Views: 3733
Re: Greetings and questions.
- Thu Feb 20, 2014 4:21 am
- Forum: General Gun, Shooting & Equipment Discussion
- Topic: Greetings and questions.
- Replies: 27
- Views: 3733
Re: Greetings and questions.
Welcome! And congratulations on taking action to improve your safety. 
The main issue with the .22 caliber is it is a rimfire vs a center fire. Rimfire cartridges are less reliable to go bang and cycle the gun every time. Your life likely depends on it doing that when you need it to in a self defense situation. As for being an effective round, you will soon see that debate has no end if you search for info on it. The truth is a .22 round to a critically vital area has taken many to their graves but the reliability factor of it being a rimfire is the deal breaker for use as the first choice for defending yourself from an attacker. Just learning to shoot with a .22 is a great idea. The lower recoil helps you to avoid bad habits forming and allows you to concentrate easier. Yes, I am saying a girl can benefit from owning multiple guns.
However, if you can only get one, my personal preference is the .9mm round. It is effective with less recoil than the .40 or .45.
See if you can try out a Smith and Wesson Shield in 9mm at a range if you can find one that has one to rent. I really like mine and the recoil isn't bad at all IMHO. It is a dependable gun with a decent trigger. Locks back on empty. Big enough to have a softer recoil but small enough to carry easily. It does have a thumb safety. This is not the only good choice of course, but it's worth checking out. If your hand is hurting after practicing with a box of ammo in any gun; it can be caused by a grip that needs adjustment, or the gun does not fit your hand, or the gun simply has too much recoil for it's weight/caliber to be "fun" to shoot. If the gun is punishing you to practice with it, it tends to discourage practice. That is not a desirable combination.
Hope some of that helps.
The main issue with the .22 caliber is it is a rimfire vs a center fire. Rimfire cartridges are less reliable to go bang and cycle the gun every time. Your life likely depends on it doing that when you need it to in a self defense situation. As for being an effective round, you will soon see that debate has no end if you search for info on it. The truth is a .22 round to a critically vital area has taken many to their graves but the reliability factor of it being a rimfire is the deal breaker for use as the first choice for defending yourself from an attacker. Just learning to shoot with a .22 is a great idea. The lower recoil helps you to avoid bad habits forming and allows you to concentrate easier. Yes, I am saying a girl can benefit from owning multiple guns.
However, if you can only get one, my personal preference is the .9mm round. It is effective with less recoil than the .40 or .45. See if you can try out a Smith and Wesson Shield in 9mm at a range if you can find one that has one to rent. I really like mine and the recoil isn't bad at all IMHO. It is a dependable gun with a decent trigger. Locks back on empty. Big enough to have a softer recoil but small enough to carry easily. It does have a thumb safety. This is not the only good choice of course, but it's worth checking out. If your hand is hurting after practicing with a box of ammo in any gun; it can be caused by a grip that needs adjustment, or the gun does not fit your hand, or the gun simply has too much recoil for it's weight/caliber to be "fun" to shoot. If the gun is punishing you to practice with it, it tends to discourage practice. That is not a desirable combination.
Hope some of that helps.