SMALL CALIBER GUNS FOR SELF-DEFENSE
For years guns have been produced in the twenty-some-odd caliber size for self-defense. While most of the shooting community views these calibers as "probably ineffective", no one that I know would volunteer to get shot with one.
I have heard it said that more people die from .22 gunshot wounds than any other caliber. Having not found anything that verifies that data, I know that the .22 caliber round can be and has been deadly.
That being said it's effectiveness is about half of what you get from .380 + calibers.
So Why Bother?
One nice thing about small caliber guns is...they can be manufactured smaller than .38, 9mm, .40, .45, and the like. And as Mark Moritz is said to have said, "The first rule in a gunfight is to have a gun." And we know, oftentimes, just the presence of a gun can scare off an attack.
The point of concern for most of us in the gun community is: What if I actually have to use it? Will it work? How likely is it that it will stop an attacker?
Just the facts ma'am
For the sake of comparison, here are the "One Shot Stop" percentages listed in Sanow and Marshall's most recent publication, Stopping Power: (Keep in mind that this is using the best performing ammo.) This data represents what percentage of the time, in actual shootings, one round to the torso area, ceased an attack.
.22 Long Rifle 40% Quik Shok HP (a frangible)
.25 ACP 27% Winchester Expanding Point
.32 ACP 66% Winchester ST (Silvertip)
.380 ACP 70% Federal Hydra-Shok
.38 Spec. 2" 67% Winchester 158 gr. lead HP +P
.38 Spec. 4" 80% Corbon 115 gr. +P+
9mm Compact 87% Remington 115 gr. +P+ JHP
9mm 90% Federal 115 gr. JHP +P+
.357 Mag 96% Federal 125 gr. JHP
.357 Sig 92% Federal 125 gr. JHP
10mm 90% Corbon 150 gr. JHP
.40 Compact 89% Remington 165 gr. GS (Golden Sabre)
.40 94% Remington 165 gr. GS
.41 Mag 90% Winchester 170 gr. ST
.44 Spec. 76% Winchester ST
.44 Mag 92% Winchester 201 gr. ST
.45 Colt 51% Federal lead HP
.45 ACP Compact 90% Remington 185 gr. GS
.45 ACP 96% Federal 230 gr. HS
NOTE: This data was published in 2001. There have been a lot of ammo developments since then. No other empirical studies on the subject have been done since then, that I know of. Even though that is the case, this study still gives us a realistic picture of how ammo/caliber performed in actual shootings.
The 22 Magnum and the 5.7
One of the many calibers not included in the above study (probably for lack of an adequate sample), is .22 magnum. Also the 5.7 is too new to be included.
Recently Kel-Tec came out with a 30 round .22 magnum semi-automatic pistol. What it lacks in bullet diameter, it may make up for in velocity and firepower (number of rounds available).
About seven years ago FN came out with the 5.7 x 28 mm semi-auto. It was intended as a military handgun designed to push rounds into the 2500 fps range. Not getting any huge military contracts, FN manufactured it anyway for the civilian market. With legal Hornady V-Max ammo (sub-2000 fps, wont penetrate body armor) it may be perceived as a good defensive system.
The Kel-Tec holds 30 rounds in it's standard magazine while the FN holds 20. The velocity of the FN is a few hundred fps faster (about 1700 versus about 1300 fps). Bullet diameter and bullet weight is close to the same.
Gun Tests compared the two in their November 2011 issue. After reading the article, I wanted both!
Those Cute Lil' Guns
It seems that the North American Arms pocket rockets are as popular now as they ever have been. I have little confidence in such a small gun. Those teeny-weeny five-shot revolvers are a bit cumbersome to load and unload. BUT...that little gun fulfills the #1 rule of a gunfight, "Have a gun." And...I'd rather have one of those itty-bitty guns than no gun at all.
North American Arms has a new "Top Break" model that makes loading and unloading quite a bit easier.
Rimfire vs. Centerfire
One of the problems with cheap .22 rimfire rounds is that they are not very dependable. This is due to the fact that an air-bubble (or a lack of primer material) can exist within the rim. That's why we tend to see a lot of misfires with .22 ammo.
So you have to spend a little more to get a more reliable shooting cartridge. If you have a .22 that you keep around for self-defense, go splurge on ammo. That "click" sound, when you're expecting a "bang", isn't so bad on the range, but in a defensive critical incident.....eeek!
.22LR Semi-auto vs. .22LR Revolver
With ammo un-reliability being a possibility, the likelihood of having to do the tap-rack-bang drill increases. And some of those little .22 semi-autos are just plain hard to rack. With a revolver, if you experience a misfire, you just cock and fire again. (a real plus for wheel-guns!)
Summary
There is no doubt in my mind that for self-defense, the .22 LR is an inferior round, when compared to center-fire cartridges. And the best performing .22 LR, the Quik Shok is harder to find than the next closest performer (at about 38%), the .22 LR CCI Stinger.
The .38 Special out of a 2" barrel has demonstrated a 150% increase in effectiveness over the .22 LR. So if I'm choosing one over the other, for me, the 38 snubbie wins!
But, if for some reason I couldn't make anything other than a .22 mouse-gun work, I'd stuff as many in my pockets as I could get. With reloading being a formidable issue in many of the little guns, a "New York reload" may be the only way to go. (New York reload = spare gun)
There, in my opinion, are some applications for the micro-guns, limited as they may be. If you've got one that you're going to use for self-defense, learn to fight with it and pick good ammo!
Don
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