22 lr ammo for self defense/survival

[wm]

First of all I would not consider my self a 'prepper' in the commonly used manner it is applied today. But on the other hand I've always been interested in being prepared for the worst. To that end I've been reevaluating my BOB & weapons/ammo choices.

Among the weapons I will take is a Ruger 10/22 that I have set up with a folding stock, weapons light, multiple BX-25 mags because it can be both a quiet (with some creative help) small game gun and could be pressed into service as a self defense weapon with a volume of fire. My question is do I use solid points or hollow points.......I'm thinking it is a no brainer to go with solids for penetration, I think solids tend to be more accurate over all in rimfire ammo, and they feed more reliably.

I use a large plastic peanut butter jar, well cleaned out of course, with some kitty litter in the bottom with a cardboard patch on top of that as a desiccant and put the 22lr ammo in side. In the plastic box ready for 'grab and get' the peanut butter jar blends right in so if searched it would not obviously look like ammo, I applied a yellow label to the outside to make it look like some home canning.

Anyone see anything I missed? Any thoughts on ammo choice? I know the 22lr does not get a lot of respect from some folks for serious work but I believe it is like the 38 spl.....jack of all trades and master of none........and that versatility is what I prize.

[Panzercat]

I mean as long as you are wiling to accept the fact that only vitals hits will achieve drt, I guess you're OK. I do know from experience that some folding stocks for the 1022 actually weigh more than the synthetic oem non folding one. Consider the weight penalty.

If the folding stock is there just to save space, consider a keltec su22 instead. Folds in half on a hinge and is super light.

[BrentD]

Personally, I would prefer much simpler rifles flat-spring, single-shot or double-barreled, cartridge guns and muzzleloaders if I was thinking about long-term prepping stuff. They are much easier to repair, more reliable, easier to feed. But I'm not a prepper.

Putting .22 ammo in air tight cans and the like seems like drastic overkill, as ammo I have from my grandfather, some 50-60 yrs old shoots just fine.

I think you should concentrate on extra springs and firing pins and scopes or whatever it takes to keep those 10-22s running.

[Mescalero]

One of my 10-22's has got to be over 30 years old and shot lots of ammo, works just like it did when I first got it.

[gamekeeper]

To me, the most important thing about the humble .22 is the vast amount of ammo you can carry if you are on foot.
I'd rather face a threat with a fully loaded rimfire than an empty cannon.

[Streetstar]

The 22 is great for headshots on small game--- i would think a small flambeau or plano type box would hold all you need, but as far as walking around --- 2 or 3 of those bx 25 mags is 50-75 rounds - thats a lot of shootin' if you are talking about trying to live off the land for a bit----
--- and with thousands more back at the house/base camp/ vehicle or whatever -- well, you get the idea

I have one of the takedown 10-22's i bought with thoughts like this on the brain. ---- not really for "buggin out" so much as just a real cool camp gun (most of my camping trips revolve around mountain biking expeditions, not hunting--- but i always have a .22 on hand and a self defense oriented pistol or two

[jnyork]

I live under a rock, what the heck is a "BOB"?

[Mescalero]

" bug out bag "
Somebody had to come up with a name for what us Geezers have kept with us all these years.

[JerryB]

Mescalero reckon that is what carries an extra knife and a bunch of rounds, matches and such like you said. Ain't these young folks sumpin?

[AJMD429]

One of the best high-intensity 'spotlights' I have has a small accessory light on it that is very dim (like an old 2-cell penlight), but it suffices for many of the mundane tasks that you'd waste the larger light on if it were all you had.

I can see a person might want the option of a high-power weapon for sure, but it would be great to have the low-power option of a 22 LR for all the 'mundane' stuff, which would actually include much of what passes for 'defense'.

Three logical options come to mind:

• a) two guns - a 22 LR rifle and a powerful handgun - 10/22 and 1911 for instance
  b) two guns - a 22 LR handgun and a powerful rifle - Mk-III/45 and AR-15 or M1A for instance
  c) a combination gun - AR-15 with 22 LR adapter or 22 LR attached to under-barrel rail

Of course like usual - it all depends on WHAT you are intending to 'survive'; a three-day urban power outage is quite different than a three-year social collapse...

[Rusty]

I've always felt a .22 LR was much more potent then a lot of people give it credit for. I knew an old fellow that killed every wild hog he ever shot with a .22. He pop 'em 6,7,8, times right in the boiler and collect him hams.
Just the other night I was watching a youtube video by a guy named .22 plinkster where he showed a .22 into a car windshield, then hitting a gel block behind the glass. I have to admit, I was surprised.

[Tycer]

Find the ammo that your gun likes best then buy as much as you can and get great with it.

[vancelw]

I've got a BX-25 mag. Works great but it's HEAVY. It's easier to carry 3, 10-round mags and they weigh less loaded than the loaded BX-25 does. And you can carry 3 different loads if you desire.

[2LT Van Cott]

I'd approach it this way. 10-22 most reliable with the high speed stuff, best HS stuff is CCI Mini-mag or Winchester PP. Mini-mags solid and HP. Availability is the only problem.

[piller]

I have one of the Ciener conversion kits for my 1911. The .22lr conversion is as accurate as I can possibly shoot, and is easy to put on or take off the frame. That is my bugout gun and extra.

[1894c]

as far as a .22cal rifle goes I really like the Henry's, instead of a Ruger 10/22...you can shoot shorts, longs, and long rifle... just my opinion, nothing more... :)

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[MrMurphy]

The .22 kills more people every year than most rounds. Because people underestimate it.

If you have correct shot placement and penetration, it will certainly do the job.


The Mossad hit team that avenged the Munich massacre used Beretta .22 pistols, because they were quiet, small and light. They always shot twice, at close range. Because they weren't worried about 'dead right now' they were worried about 'dead....period." Since it was usually two guys, the target took 4-8 hits in a hurry and they walked away.

I wouldn't choose a .22 for defense, but if you're going to have one stashed away for survival type situations, stock up on lube, spare parts, and it can certainly function as a spare/second gun well enough for defense. In a Katrina type situation, having a .22 to hand off to any random friend etc who happens to be "there" when it occurs and does not have a gun....it's still an extra shooter with a gun.

A .22 in the gut or lung will definitely make just about any rioter want to be somewhere else in a hurry. Might not be a .700 ThermonuclearbuttstompinguberMagnum killing a Cape Buffalo from 3,000 yards with a near miss, but it's definitely better than throwing rocks out to about 100 yards.

[mikld]

I'm surprised someone hasn't brought up the "sure the .22 lr will kill, but when?" argument. I think that if I were in a situation to shoot somebody, I would want to stop the fight ASAP!

I've had a Ruger 10-22 for mebbe30 years (off and on) and I have never had a misfire/misfeed with standard velocity 40 gr. solids. Several years ago, I tried some Remington rimfire ammo (Viper and Thunderbolt and a standard velocity round, don't memmer the name?) and that was the only ammo that was not 100% reliable in my 10-22s, especially the hi-velocity stuff.

I have a few .22s, rifles and handguns and yep, they have their use, but I don't see one as a "one size fits everything" type gun. If I were to imagine a EOTWAWKI situation, a rimfire would be kept in my truck, but I'd be carrying a 1911 and/or my .44 mag levergun...

[Tycer]

With an upgraded extractor and a tiny bit of polishing, standard velocity ammo will function flawlessly. I recommend the bolt release mod. and a solid peep sight. If you want to use the regular sights with the scope mount installed, the leupold scope base is channeled to facilitate this.

[7.62 Precision]

as far as a .22cal rifle goes I really like the Henry's, instead of a Ruger 10/22...you can shoot shorts, longs, and long rifle... just my opinion, nothing more...

Yeah, a little lever or pump gives you a lot of ammo flexibility. We used to shoot pump 22s in my college hallway with CB longs. We posted a guard outside the door at one end of the hallway, cleared all the rooms, and all took turns shooting from the other end. It was very quite, and the hallway was underground on one side, rooms on the other, so no one ever knew, outside of the guys living on that hall.

[AJMD429]

as far as a .22cal rifle goes I really like the Henry's, instead of a Ruger 10/22...you can shoot shorts, longs, and long rifle... just my opinion, nothing more...

Yeah, a little lever or pump gives you a lot of ammo flexibility. We used to shoot pump 22s in my college hallway with CB longs. We posted a guard outside the door at one end of the hallway, cleared all the rooms, and all took turns shooting from the other end. It was very quite, and the hallway was underground on one side, rooms on the other, so no one ever knew, outside of the guys living on that hall.

True. Since I put an integrally suppressed barrel on my Ruger 96/22 it might be the one to make the cut, as it is a bit more tolerant of different ammo as far as feeding, and is so quiet that shooting a snow bank 150 yards away the loudest thing you hear is the bullet impact. That could be advantageous in many survival situations. You could probably shoot a dozen birds before disturbing the flock.

[Streetstar]

sometimes , in a defensive situation --- the mere act of having A gun is a healthy deterrent ----- if thats not enough, then there are 25 rounds in those bx magazines -

[mikld]

as far as a .22cal rifle goes I really like the Henry's, instead of a Ruger 10/22...you can shoot shorts, longs, and long rifle... just my opinion, nothing more...

Yep, I agree, but I haven't seen a 22 short or 22 long in quite a few years (never saw a 22 Long in a store, ever)...

BTW; yer opinion counts.

[BigSky56]

talked to a rancher on the Blackfeet Rez that was attacked by a grizz at about 30 ft 10 shots from a 10-22 stopped the bear. Theres a book by the name of " The First Ranger" Frank Liebig for the glacier forest reserve area and what would be the Bob Marshall, appointed by TR, he carried a stevens favorite single shot rifle in 22 had to shoot 2 big grizzlies each took one shot to the ear pics in the book. learn to shoot and hit a 22 will get it done, man or beast. danny

[Trailboss]

I would see a difference between a survival situation and an EOTWAWKI situation. I also see a different need depending on geographic location.

Alaska survival: a big bore rifle for bear/elk and a S&W K-22 for small game.
Washington/Oregon survival near a city: a suppressed Savage Mk-II 22 rifle and threaded 22/45 pistol.
Washington/Oregon survival away from the city: Winchester model 61 pump 22, S&W K-22.

EOTWAWKI: Sig 556 unsuppressed, Colt 45 auto unsuppressed, 22/45 pistol suppressed.