“Carry a .25 if it makes you feel good, but do not ever load it. If you load it, you may shoot it. If you shoot it, you may hit somebody, and if you hit somebody, and he finds out about it, he may be very angry with you." – Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper.
Why would anyone dare to disagree with the founder of Gunsite Academy, one of the most legendary firearms training institutes in the country, and the man who literally wrote the book on the Modern Technique of the Pistol?
In a word? Progress.
There have been a lot of developments in firearms and ammunition, and there are a lot more people buying firearms for the express purpose of personal protection than in the past.
This could probably be its own series, tracing the progression of defensive firearm ownership across the cultural, societal and political evolution of the country, so I’m going to focus on the highlights and touch on the most common myths and criticisms.
Reliability
Invariably, whenever the discussion of .22 LR for self-defense comes up, one of the first things mentioned is that “everybody knows” that rimfire ammunition is so much less reliable than centerfire.
Well…kind of.
That is what my 5th grade English teacher would call “a good wrong answer.”
The fact of the matter is that the statement is partially correct, but it’s also incomplete.
Since .22 has primarily been little more than a recreational range caliber for decades, and a major part of its appeal has been affordability, manufacturers simply didn’t put the same care and attention into ensuring consistent ignition in range ammunition. Match, hunting, and defensive ammo is more expensive in part because they’re expected to have a much lower failure rate.
When you do an actual apples-to-apples comparison of quality rimfire ammo, like Federal Punch or CCI Velocitor, you tend to see much more reliable ignition. And even range ammunition has improved dramatically in terms of ignition reliability. I’ve been running Aguila .22 LR 40-grain High Velocity for Steel Challenge over the last year, as well as using it to introduce new shooters to marksmanship fundamentals, and across more than 1,000 rounds, I can’t recall a single failure to fire.
Ultimately, you’re going to see less reliability out of bulk-pack ammo vs performance ammo, regardless of whether or not it’s bulk centerfire 9 mm Luger or the “bucket o’ bullets” .22 LR. If you’re seeking defensive-level performance from your ammunition, then invest in quality defensive ammunition.
Performance
This was at the heart of Cooper’s quip about the .25 ACP, and honestly, I can’t argue with it. Eight out of 15 .22 LR offerings Lucky Gunner tested failed to even reach the minimum 12-inch penetration depth required by the FBI. Compare that to only two out of 52 defensive 9 mm loads.
This actually highlights the two biggest challenges surrounding the use of .22 for personal protection:
- Fewer choices overall
- Dramatically smaller pool of quality options to pick from
So if you’re playing the odds, yes, you’re far better off picking randomly from the pool of 9 mm defensive ammo. To my mind, the only purpose-built defensive .22 LR cartridge on the market is Federal Punch. The other well-performing loads from CCI and Winchester were already on the market, so the fact that they meet FBI criteria for penetration is more of a happy side effect than the result of any intentional design.
But who goes out, covers their eyes, and randomly grabs a box off the shelf at the local gun shop? Especially when it comes to defensive ammo? As with everything else, some research ahead of time will ensure that you likely end up with ammunition that will serve your purposes.
The other element to consider here, as with almost everything, is context. Are we talking about ammunition for concealed carry or home defense? Sure, it’s more challenging to get effective terminal ballistics out of the short barrels that most CCW-suitable .22 pistols have, but consider the fact that legendary lawman Chuck Haggard has repeatedly observed that every shooting he ever responded to as a Kansas lawman that involved a .22 rifle was a homicide. The platform you’re using matters.
That brings us to arguably the most compelling reason that someone would opt for a .22 in a defensive role:
Shootability
This should be pretty obvious. Why does EVERYONE like shooting .22s? What makes it so fun? It’s easy! It’s user-friendly! What’s another word for that?
Accessibility.
If someone has physical limitations, sensory issues or is just outright intimidated by guns because they didn’t grow up in an environment where they were commonplace, .22s are a fantastic gateway.
I’ve had a couple of instances where a student came to me, interested in taking a more active role in their own safety and wanting to explore the idea of a defensive firearm.
I took them to the range and allowed them to experience every demo pistol I have, which includes an LCP .22, LCR22, Gen 1 S&W Shield, .38 J-Frame, Glock 19, Beretta 92, and a 4-inch .38 Smith & Wesson.
I made a point of providing as little input as possible to avoid biasing their experience. Towards the end, I did strongly encourage them to shoot the bigger “duty-size” guns, because they were initially intimidated by the size and weight of them.
One woman was not only most confident but most effective with the .22 caliber LCR. In fact, she was consistently parking rounds in a 3x5 card at 5 yards.
Would she be better served by getting pressured into a handgun with a less-intuitive manual of arms chambered for a bigger cartridge that she struggles to make hits with? Or is she able to better protect herself with a firearm that she can effectively use while understanding the limitations of her choice?
John Helms of LAPD SWAT is quoted as saying, “I need sights I can see, a trigger I can manage and reliability… Other than that, I don’t really care.”
As with the revolver, a U-Shaped Utility Curve (a concept first introduced by Caleb Giddings back in 2018) seems to emerge for the use of .22 as a defensive cartridge.
I say that because there are several wildly accomplished instructors with established credentials that have been known to carry .22s, including Claude Werner, Darryl Bolke, Bill Rogers and Greg Ellifritz, to name a few.
All things being equal, it’s certainly not the optimal defensive option, but once the factors of life are accounted for, it can certainly be a practical choice, especially for someone who either can’t or won’t commit to becoming a lifelong student of the gun.
At the end of the day, there’s no cover-charge for self-defense. There’s no “You must carry at least [Insert cartridge choice here] to ride.”
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