.22LR revolver for self defense

For many who want to carry a small, reliable firearm for self defense, don't overlook the .22LR revolver.

Advantages:
No recoil
Easy to shoot very fast
Extremely lethal, especially in trained/skilled hands
The least expensive ammo by far
Higher capacity, typically 8 or 9 rounds (vice 5)
Can train more because of less recoil and ammo cost
No complicated malfunction drills to learn
Less complicated than semiauto
Easier to clean than semiauto

Disadvantages:
Bullet may not penetrate enough to 'stop' bad guy
Wound channel is exceptionally small
Rim fire ammo typically a little less reliable than center primer
Triggers on .22 revolvers are generally harder to pull than others


Is it possible to lighten/replace the trigger on an LCR?

Are there any compact .22 revolvers with a better/lighter trigger than LCR?


Related article, but about .357/38 revolvers: http://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/best-j-frame-smith-wesson-model-640-pro-series/

I have no data to support these thoughts. But my very best guess is that, perhaps unlike many here, the vast majority of defensive handgun buyers won't make 10 trips with their handgun to a range in their lifetime. Might not make five. More than a few won't make any. And if I'm right about that? Then all other considerations aside that may follow, I think this "typical" individual is far better off with a revolver. For simplicity and reliability, well before any other considerations relating to defensive stress, the platform has never been equaled IMO.

Obviously not the best situation or reality in what I describe above. Chambering and the whole discussion of the virtues of the terminal ballistics of handgun cartridges becomes secondary. Studies indicate that they're not actually as wide as many might think. Wouldn't personally choose a .22, but I'd darned sure prefer a .22 revolver to having nothing at all.

I agree that the average gun owner rarely goes to the range. And because of this would likely be better served with a revolver. But when they do, I believe shooting a .22LR without recoil makes the experience more palatable and much less expensive, therefore they are more likely to do it more often.

There's a lot of data and debate around the efficacy of using a .22LR for self defense, we've covered a lot of that territory here in these forums, I'm not trying to go back to those discussions. I just wanted to recap some of the important pros/cons and ask the question about lighter triggers.

I understand manufactures intentionally make stronger triggers in rim fired guns (.22LR), because they are trying to have the hammer strike the rim harder to reduce the chance of a misfire. Most new shooters I work with, especially younger, older, and some women seem to have the same three issues:

@ Working the slide- technique helps, but revolver solves it.

@ Managing recoil- bigger/heavier guns help, technique, but .22LR solves it.

@ Pulling a heavy trigger- most non DAO semiautos are good to go. Hoping there is a .22LR + revolver solution.

Yeah, heavy mainsprings and rimfires and the corresponding heavier trigger pull go hand in hand. That considered, I've shot 22lr revolvers with triggers ranging from surprisingly good to flat out god awful, with most in the latter group. The best 22lr trigger I've ever shot was a friend's Colt Diamondback, but they're astronomically priced especially in 22 if you can find one today. Could kick myself for not buying one in 22lr back when I could have. Smith's K22 is decent also. But neither is/was what I'd call light. Ruger touts their LCR trigger and is more of a "defensive" offering but I've never shot one myself.

The A&E TV show had an episode with a violent meth head breaking into an elderly man's home. The show is based on actual 911 calls. As it became apparent the intruder was beating his way through the front door, despite a warning the police had been called, the elderly home owner headed to his upstairs bedroom and locked himself in with his .22 pistol. The attacker then steadily broke his way into the bedroom. Once the intruder was in, the elderly man fired several well-placed shots from his .22 semi-auto pistol until the man dropped and eventually bled out. I was impressed to see that it was able to take down an amped-up, violent drug user. Particularly if a defensive firearms owner is not the best shot, quick and repeated follow-up shots might prove more effective than an inexperienced defender firing, missing, and struggling to get back on target. Arguably, practice is the better option. Lacking practice or an interest in training (reluctant family member?), the .22 could be a good choice.

Well, the Rohm .22 Revolver used during the Reagan assassination attempt did a helluva lot of damage. Reagan almost died from a "ricocheted" 22 round.

So, the .22 is better than nothing IMHO. That said, MY preferred caliber for a revolver would be .38 SPL. A .38 can be a recoil problem if it's
a snub nose carry gun. For a home defense revolver I'd recommend an all steel gun with a 6" barrel such as a S&W 686 or a Ruger SP 101.

I would prefer a revolver in .22mag rather than .22lr for SD. You get all the benefits of .22lr (except for the price of course) and much better penetration. There are platforms that come with 2 cylinders, a .22lr, and a .22mag. Best of both worlds.

However, a centerfire round is prefered in general for SD because of the increased ignition reliability.

BigT5g said:

I would prefer a revolver in .22mag rather than .22lr for SD. You get all the benefits of .22lr (except for the price of course) and much better penetration. There are platforms that come with 2 cylinders, a .22lr, and a .22mag. Best of both worlds.

However, a centerfire round is prefered in general for SD because of the increased ignition reliability.

Click to expand...

^^^Good point^^^ If you want to stick with a .22 , go with a .22 Magnum.

American Rifleman did an article on the .22 Magnum for defense:
http://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2015/6/8/the-22-magnum-for-self-defense/

I would not carry .22 . I will go to .380 for pocket carry but i don't do it often .

Not for any negative reasons just a preference for me .

Blacksmith101 said:

American Rifleman did an article on the .22 Magnum for defense:
http://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2015/6/8/the-22-magnum-for-self-defense/

Click to expand...

Thanks for the article, I agree that 22WMR (magnum) has slightly higher velocities than the highest .22LR; but the upper end of LR and the lower end of WMR are very close. The price difference is not close. The average .22WMR round is very similar in price to the average 9mm. But the .22LR is typically 1/3 to 1/4 the price. Meaning you can train at least twice as much with .22LR than you can with .22WMR, 9mm, or certainly any other cartridge.

Thanks again for the article:



Good question, would you rather have 5 rounds of .38spl, 6 rounds of 22WMR, or 8 rounds of 22LR in your cylinder?

Also, there is virtually no perceived recoil from a .22LR, and there is some (very little from a .22WMR). That tiny bit, and extra muzzle blast may affect the average shooters ability to keep a small defensive gun on target during rapid fire.

The primary point of my creating this thread was not to rehash the caliber discussion, but to ask the question about lowering trigger squeeze.

If all things were equal, I'd take a .22LR over a .22WMR - here's my reasoning:

Lower cost of ammo. Firearms in .22LR are typically cheaper to buy. Better availability (in my area) of LR vs. WMR. And if anyone's fired WMR indoors, it's got a bark for a rimfire.

I don't think many altercations will allow you the chance to say "Hey, do you mind if I put some ear-pro in, this little bastard hurts the ears..."

BradMacc82 said:

If all things were equal, I'd take a .22LR over a .22WMR - here's my reasoning:

Lower cost of ammo. Firearms in .22LR are typically cheaper to buy. Better availability (in my area) of LR vs. WMR. And if anyone's fired WMR indoors, it's got a bark for a rimfire.

I don't think many altercations will allow you the chance to say "Hey, do you mind if I put some ear-pro in, this little bastard hurts the ears..."

Click to expand...

22WMR has a ridiculously sharp report and muzzle blast even from my 6.5" barrel revolver. I wouldn't want to shoot a 22WMR from a short barrel revolver even in an open space without ear-pro anymore than I'd want to shoot a 357mag. Stingers are not as loud as low end 22WMR and will give you near the same effect, although I do have some Hornady critical defense 22WMR that haven't seen a gun yet so maybe they're a little softer. Mouse gun with a big bark and light show might scare someone away.

In an article alluding to the fact that the vast majority of people don't practice regularly, as OP stated, but more would practice with a .22 because of ammo price and low recoil, Col Jeff Cooper said
"A well placed shot to a tear duct is much more effective than a .45 that can't be shot with any accuracy".

Agreed about the incredibly loud & muzzle blast of WMR out of a pistol. This is also true for 5.7, .357, and a few other caliber a that were designed to burn up its powder in a longer barrel. So I see the slightly weaker .22LR having another advantage for a pocket revolver.

I created this thread primarily to discuss options to have a lighter trigger on a .22LR revolver. I've found I'm not the only one that has noticed this issue, the Ruger LCR in 38/357 is great right out of the box, but the .22 version is intentionally stronger.

Discussed here:

http://www.majorpandemic.com/2012/02/ruger-lcr-357-lcr-22-review.html?m=1

Here: http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2012/04/steven-visser/gun-review-ruger-lcr-22/

Oh, and here: https://www.northwestfirearms.com/threads/trigger-job-on-22-revolver.96070/

Minuteman said:

Agreed about the incredibly loud & muzzle blast of WMR out of a pistol. This is also true for 5.7, .357, and a few other caliber a that were designed to burn up its powder in a longer barrel. So I see the slightly weaker .22LR having another advantage for a pocket revolver.

I created this thread primarily to discuss options to have a lighter trigger on a .22LR revolver. I've found I'm not the only one that has noticed this issue, the Ruger LCR in 38/357 is great right out of the box, but the .22 version is intentionally stronger.

Discussed here:

http://www.majorpandemic.com/2012/02/ruger-lcr-357-lcr-22-review.html?m=1

Here: http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2012/04/steven-visser/gun-review-ruger-lcr-22/

Oh, and here: https://www.northwestfirearms.com/threads/trigger-job-on-22-revolver.96070/

Click to expand...

The trigger on my LCR22 feels nicer after a few thousand pulls.

This is actually 2.5 different conversations in one.

I am well known here and in real life for being a fan of revolvers, and not just as a crutch for inexperienced and ignorent.

Rimfire ctgs need a forceful impact for reliable ignition. This becomes an excabriaated issue for trigger pulls in lightweight per se , and compct per se , DA revolvers. Alum and scandinum, etc make it worse. Colt D Frame, S&W K Frame , and other medimum and larger revolvers. Have geater mechnical dvantages built in. Trigger pulls on .22lr K Frames overlap those of stock cf K Frames.

The ( more or less legit ) rguements in favor of .22lr for certain SD applications on purpose center around inexpensive ammo , ease of accurate and easily controled fire. Aka minimal recoil as major component thereof.


In order to maximize the advantages , that calls for a full size gun , not a small frame snubbie. The snubbies will be hard to get precise hits because of heavy triggers , small grips, and tiny sights , even with minimal recoil. Leaving you with the worst of both worlds.*IF* you're going to go .22lr , you need to maximize its strengths.

As long as you are going to step far outside the box of conventional wisdom , take one more step. SA revolver. The heavy hammer insures reliable ignition even with light trigger. Very good natural pointing qualities. Ready availability with dual cylnders.

Yes , in Derringers , mini revolvers , and snubs the .22WMR mainly just gives more muzzle blast. A WMR from a mini revolver give about the same vel +/- as .22lr from a 4in revolver. BUT when the WMR is fired from a 4in or longer you generate serious power. As in 40gr at 1300's up to 1400fps ( chrono'ed by me ). [Insert discussion of that level compared to other pocket pistol and snub loadings]

One assumption invoked by MM was about a subset of owners and potential owners who would practice a whole bunch with .22lr , but would practice little or none with nything else. I see that group as being small. If a large % of the population lived where they could step out the back door and plink with .22lr , then yeah that would be valid. But when even .22lr requires traveling to a range , paying range fees/ club dues , the fixed costs are substantial ( plus travel time, plus waiting for available range) , and the net difference of cheaper ammo are small percentage.

Historically .32 revolvers filled a niche of low recoil in absolute sense , and more power than .22lr. .32Mag should have thrived in this niche, but in the accident of timing was born during the death throes of the revolver era. And as long as we ( at least I ) were speaking of normal sized revolvers to maximize control and precise hits , a medimum frame .38spl with either wadcutters , or the various CAS loads has minimal recoil and blast in the absolute sense.

And I know this whole thread focused on revolver , and I like and advocate revolvers , but ... If you are not going to persue the dual cylnder option , then one may also substitute a .22lr semiauto with 4in-ish bbl of the type suitable for plinking or squirels for the same advantages of easy shooting and good control.

Am I going to advocate .22lr for defense on purpose in general ? Nope. However I have set up Senior Citizens with physicl issues with .22WMR SA revolvers as the best options for them.

22WMR would however be pretty intimidating coming from a pistol rather than its intended rifle barrel, with a 2-ft fireball.

mranaya said:

22WMR would however be pretty intimidating coming from a pistol rather than its intended rifle barrel, with a 2-ft fireball.

Click to expand...

people that have shot my single six in 22WMR comment on the fireball

from a derringer it must look like a flame thrower

Lots of wasted energy.



As to Bigfoot44's comment about SA 22WMR; that was on my short list for a handgun in my house for my wife. At the time money was extremely tight so the Heritage SA convertible for under $200 final price was very attractive and simple to use while giving effective WMR power from a longer barrel. Ultimately I bought an LCR22 for about twice the cost but my wife quite liked it despite the heavy trigger and higher price. She was an absolute gun virgin and would not touch my rifles/shotgun. Nothing beats the simplicity of DAO point and shoot.

A few years ago maximizing range time vs overall cost was a big deciding factor for us so even saving 10 cents a round mattered when you were going to be throwing thousands of rounds down range, and my wife did exactly that. 22LR cost versus 22WMR or 9mm saved us many hundreds $ which was used for subsequent purchases and range membership. That was before 22lr demand sky rocketed. Monetarily things improved and the wife and I bought more 22's as well as bigger calibers which are now our go to guns.

Evolution of a gun owner.