When mulling over the query of what’s the very best caliber for self-defense, the .22 LR shouldn’t be on the high of anybody’s listing. Nevertheless, carrying a .22 for self-defense isn’t unreasonable for some shooters and a few circumstances—and ammo makers have responded to that want.
The Federal Punch line of ammo spans many main self-defense calibers from 200-grain 10mm Auto on right down to the 29-grain .22 LR, which was launched in 2021.
In centerfire handgun calibers (.380 Auto and up) the Punch hundreds jacketed hole level bullets, however within the rimfire configuration it makes use of a nickel-plated flat nostril design. The printed muzzle velocity from a 4-inch barrel is 1080 fps and per Federal’s product specs the bullets are designed to realize deep penetration from short-barreled handguns, which might be the everyday configuration for somebody carrying a .22 LR for private safety.
After I purchased my first carry weapons again within the Nineteen Eighties, I added a Beretta Mannequin 21A as a backup possibility. It was by no means very dependable—at the least with the ammo I put by it—so it spent the vast majority of its time in my secure besides for infrequent journeys to the vary. It had an inclination to misfeed and I additionally didn’t take care of the micro-sized security, which I discovered awkward to govern. I don’t know what number of occasions I truly carried it, nevertheless it wasn’t typically. I simply didn’t trust in it, and when in comparison with my totally dependable .40 S&W Glock 23, I may by no means deliver myself to depend on the little .22 LR if carrying the .40 was an possibility.
However occasions have modified. We now have higher firearms and higher ammunition, so I used to be curious to judge the .22 LR Punch with an open thoughts to see if my age-old bias in opposition to the .22 LR for self-defense nonetheless had benefit or was a relic of outdated considering.
- Caliber: .22 LR
- Bullet: 29-grain nickel plated flat nostril
- Muzzle Velocity: 1080 fps
- Muzzle Power: 75 foot-pounds
- 50-Yard Velocity: 951 fps
- 50-Yard Power: 58 foot-pounds
To assist check the ammo, I reached out to Jeff Hoffman at Black Hills Ammunition. He agreed to do some gel testing with the .22 LR Punch utilizing quite a lot of firearms, whereas I frolicked on the vary evaluating it beneath sensible capturing circumstances.
.22 LR For Self-Protection: Who’s It For?
The traditional reply to this query is that it’s suited to girls and those that are recoil delicate. I discover this evaluation unsatisfactory. Even my aged mother can deal with a .380 Auto and a well-balanced .38 Spl. wouldn’t give her any points. She doesn’t have any particular handgun dealing with expertise that elevate her above the common shooter.
I feel the true reply is that there are legions of people that have .22s and may not personal another handgun, or who don’t have a larger-caliber handgun that’s appropriate for all their carry wants. They could have a full-framed obligation pistol that isn’t handy to hold or have a compact pistol that they’ve issue concealing when sporting lighter clothes.
Then there’s the difficulty of ammo. Everyone knows that common coaching with any firearm is essential and particularly so with defensive handguns. Not everybody has the price range to buy a sub-compact auto or revolver and provide it with sufficient ammunition to maintain their capturing method sharp. For these shooters—and there are a whole lot of them—a .22LR for self-defense is smart. It’s additionally price noting that Federal simply expanded the Punch line to incorporate a .22 WMR providing as properly, which shoots a 45-grain jacketed hole level at 1000 fps.
Two .22 LR Revolvers for Private Safety
For this analysis I used two 8-shot revolvers, a Ruger LCR and a Smith & Wesson Mannequin 43 C.
The Ruger ideas the scales at 14.4 ounces empty and comes with a generously sized Hogue grip. The Smith is extra svelte, weighing 11.4 ounces. Each revolvers are constructed on aluminum frames, however the Ruger’s body is bulkier and has a metal cylinder whereas the Smith 43 C’s cylinder is fabricated from aluminum. That, together with the Smith’s smaller grip account for the burden distinction.
Each are nice to shoot, nonetheless, and simple to manage. With their hammers hid inside the body, each are double-action solely. By way of set off management, the Ruger is the smoother of the 2—although the Smith’s isn’t unhealthy by any stretch. The LCR’s hearth management system incorporates what Ruger calls a “friction lowering cam” and it offers the revolver a constant and even stack because the set off is pulled to the rear. When operating the Smith, in distinction, you get suggestions from the timing mechanism by the set off. The general pull is clean, however that tactile suggestions is current, whereas you don’t get something of the like with the Ruger.
Federal .22 LR Punch on the Vary
Virtually talking, each revolvers ran the .22 LR Punch equally properly. Each have notched rear sights with a entrance put up marked in white. The 43 C’s rear notch is U-shaped with a big spherical white bead up entrance, and the Ruger has a sq. notch with a square-sided entrance ramp sight emblazoned with white.
I did a sequence of drills on paper and metal at 3, 7, and 15 yards. Each shot quick and precisely, and I feel most shooters will be capable of get a number of hits on course shortly with a little bit of apply. Recoil is negligible and so long as a shooter has a strong base of handgun capturing fundamentals their hit share needs to be wonderful even when operating the weapons at pace.
Ballistic Gel Testing
Hoffman does a whole lot of bullet testing in ballistic gel. Lots of his prospects are army and LE and require documentation on how the bullets and ammunition they’re contemplating performs. Achieved accurately, the gel is calibrated to provide apples-to-apples knowledge so you’ll be able to evaluate one bullet’s outcomes to others with confidence. (The calibration is finished by capturing a BB at a set velocity and measuring its penetration within the gel. If the BB penetrates too far, or not sufficient, that signifies the gel wasn’t correctly ready.)
Ballistic gel is supposed to imitate the density of human tissue, so the depth of bullet penetration in gel is indicative of how the bullet will carry out in opposition to an individual. In fact, components like clothes, capturing by boundaries, putting bone, and others will impact a bullet’s real-world outcomes (and which is why the total FBI testing protocol—the trade normal for defensive ammunition efficiency—requires knowledge on extra than simply plain gel) however the normal expectation is for a self-defense load to penetrate between 12 and 18 inches.
Now gel offers as lot extra data than most penetration depth. The bullets create a wound channel within the gel that give a really feel for its terminal ballistics. Hoffman measures that wound channel, wanting on the cavity created by the bullet because it traverses the gelatin block. He information the place the cavity is at its widest, the place the cavity begins, and the size of the cavity.
Federal .22 LR Punch within the Lab
Hoffman ran the Federal .22 LR Punch by three firearms with totally different barrel lengths. They included a short-barreled (2.4 inch) Beretta Mannequin 21, a Ruger Mark IV with a 4.4-inch barrel, and a Ruger 10/22 with an 18.5-inch barrel.
| Gun | Ammunition | Bullet | MV (fps) | Penetration Depth | Cavity Diameter | Cavity Size | Retained Bullet Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beretta 21 | Fed. .22LR Punch | 29-gr. Flat Nostril | 1,018 | 13.5 in. | 1 in. | 10.5 in. | 100% |
| Ruger Mk IV | Fed. .22LR Punch | 29-gr. Flat Nostril | 1,277 | 14.5 in. | 1.5 in. | 9.5 in. | 100% |
| Ruger 10/22 | Fed. .22LR Punch | 29-gr. Flat Nostril | 1,591 | 8.75 in. | 2.75 in. | 6 in. | 100% |
| Kahr Mk 9 | BHA 9mm+P JHP | 124-gr. JHP | 1,065 | 12 in. | 3.25 in. | 4.25 in. | 98 % |
“I used to be fairly impressed,” stated Hoffman. “Each the .22 pistols penetrated greater than 12 inches, which is the brink that the FBI likes to see. They need from 12 to 18 inches of penetration and this bullet achieved that.”
The chart consists of outcomes from a 9mm +P defensive load as properly, capturing a Hornady 124-grain Jacketed Hole Level at 1065 fps from a 3-inch barreled pistol. The numbers present how the 9mm outperforms the .22 LR, however the distinction is lower than I might have thought.
With 8 rounds on faucet that may be fired shortly and precisely in an easy-to-carry and conceal revolver with purpose-built ammo, you’ll be able to see how a .22 LR for self-defense turns into a viable possibility.
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Is a .22 going to displace my compact carry 9mms or my 5-shot J-Body as an on a regular basis carry possibility? In all probability not. However I received’t look down my nostril the identical method at somebody who opts to make use of a .22 LR for private safety.
One of the best gun to have in a combat is the one which’s with you—and in case your circumstance dictates that it’s a .22 LR, there’s no want so that you can really feel under-gunned when you’ve gotten one thing like Federal’s .22 LR Punch loaded within the journal or cylinder.
