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a 22 cal rifle or pistol if SHTF would be my?

  • 22 cal would not be first choice

    Votes: 361 75.8%
  • 22 cal is my first choice

    Votes: 115 24.2%

Will a 22 cal really have any value?

66K views 279 replies 123 participants last post by  Oldguy9 
#1 ·
So I keep hearing this survival advice that if the power goes out, shtf, or any of the other scenarios of doom that a Ruger 10/22 or some other form of 22 pistol or long gun is the best for survival as a must have or first pick gun. You can carry a lot of ammo as it is light and you can still defend yourself and family if need be. And also use it to hunt for small game and even big game if you are a good shot.

Personally I think if the SHTF. Hunting will be useless as I am sure people will kill just about everything alive so fast that that option will be gone in a month or less. Any city deer and other small game will disappear as soon as the first shot goes out. 330 million hungry people have to eat and if they have to I am betting they will eat just about anything. Including each other. Dogs and Cats will become quite valuable. Any local farms with any livestock will be attacked or defended by groups of people and a 22 will get you nowhere. If it goes past 3 weeks I am thinking a 22 will be just about useless. You will need to defend your food,water,shelter and heat.

Sorry but this ability to carry 1000 rounds of 22 rimfire vs a couple hundred rounds of 45 cal or a shotgun with 3 or four pockets full of shells. I am taking the 45 or shotgun.

Am I right or wrong?
 
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#218 ·
In the case of these described disaster scenarios a 22LR wouldn't be my first choice. I prefer my 50 AE's or bare minimum my 357 magnums. If I were put in a position for any reason to shoot some one or anything that can't be replaced might as well hit'm with the kitchen sink.
 
#219 ·
I don't think "right or wrong" really applies.

The fact is, we will ALL move forward with whatever ammo choices we've made should a SHTF situation occur!

The thing is, the .22LR has a "proven" track record of doing far more damage to a human than it's "paper ballistics" would suggest possible.

A .22LR is a VERY deadly round, and just ONE through the HEAD is an instant "one-shot-stop!"

Granted, low velocity .22LR rounds are questionable...yet still quite deadly, but the .22LR fired from rifle barrels tends to be quite the man-stopper!

In handguns, the FNH FiveseveN pushing a 35-40 grain highly frangible bullet to over 2,100 fps is a VERY EFFECTIVE manstopper!

But back to the point....a Walther P22 with suppressor attached becomes the IDEAL concealed carry pistol....
 
#220 ·
Sounds like you've bought into the notion of "human" rounds.

The FACT is, the .22LR CAN kill virtually ANYTHING you are ever likely to face.

People have killed Grizzly bears with the ubiquitous .22LR.

The FACT IS, if the balloon went up tomorrow, and all you have on hand is .22LR ammunition, you're pretty well set!
 
#221 ·
I didn't vote because one size does not fit all. You do not use a hammer to cut a piece of wood and you do not use a hammer a nail. 22s are good for small game. I like long guns and pistols in the same caliber. I have Ruger 10/22s in long and short barrel versions. I also have long and short barrel FN 5.7, .44 magnums , ,357 magnums and I have a.45 Colt in SAA along with a ever action chambered in .45 Colt

Come to think of it I should get a .22 magnum since I already have a 10/22 chambered in .22 magnum.


Back to the original question, a .22 LR will always be good to have but only as part of a collection of guns in other calibers.
 
#222 ·
I didn't vote because one size does not fit all. You do not use a hammer to cut a piece of wood and you do not use a hammer a nail. 22s are good for small game. I like long guns and pistols in the same caliber. I have Ruger 10/22s in long and short barrel versions. I also have long and short barrel FN 5.7, .44 magnums , ,357 magnums and I have a.45 Colt in SAA along with a ever action chambered in .45 Colt

Come to think of it I should get a .22 magnum since I already have a 10/22 chambered in .22 magnum.


Back to the original question, a .22 LR will always be good to have but only as part of a collection of guns in other calibers.

But if you could only carry 1 i guess you could carry a hand axe.
 
#225 ·
A 22lr for self defense?

I'd go with the high speed long rifle rounds. It will bounce off bones inside the body.

Fact, I seen a guy dragged into the er who was gut shot with a 45acp 5 times and live.
 
#226 ·
or .22lr subs with a killer (no pun) silencer. really depends on what you are trying to do.

would i want to be surprised by an attacking bear and all i have is my high velocity 22lr semi pistol with me?? NOPE !

the threats will vary, the needs will vary, hence the caliber of choice must vary.
 
#230 ·
Well for survival purposes a .22 LR isn't a bad choice. Light weight, and you can carry a lot of ammo. if you are out in the wilderness then it is a pretty good choice, especially if you have to walk or hike. But for self defense it may be on the weak side, but people don't want to get shot and the little .22 LR has still accounted for numerous people being shot and dying from it. So if you carry one, it would work.
 
#231 ·
IMOA you have to think outside of the box and be prepared for any SHTF scenario to ensure a .22 is a valued addition to your preparation if you have one. Any .22 weapons and ammo you have may be used for defense and survival to include bartering the weapon or ammo with someone to get a much needed survival item or food.
 
#234 · (Edited)
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If you put luminous sights and a sound suppressor on a good, takedown concealable.22lr auto-loading rifle, have night vision, subsonic ammo, or a barrel short enough to keep normal 22lr ammo subsonic, soft armor and enough sense to stay out of sight during daylight hours, that .22 rifle will be far, far superior to any pistol for shtf. and be somewhat superior to the shotgun, too, if you are skilled and tactically aware.

ask yourself what use you'll have for a 12 ga that's out of ammo. Noise will scare off game and call in your killers, too. So consider having an accurate, suppressed .22lr handgun to go with whatever fighting rifle and centerfire handgun you choose.
 
#235 · (Edited)
]]

If you put luminous sights and a sound suppressor on a good, takedown concealable.22lr auto-loading rifle, have night vision, subsonic ammo, or a barrel short enough to keep normal 22lr ammo subsonic, soft armor and enough sense to stay out of sight during daylight hours, that .22 rifle will be far, far superior to any pistol for shtf. and be somewhat superior to the shotgun, too, if you are skilled and tactically aware.
for the rare few who would have it setup that way, perhaps. for the other 99.9% of the folks, a std 22 rifle is what they will have, some with ok 4x scopes, some w/o scope.

i think under the circumstances provided the only things to measure is sound and ability to hit a target at some distance X. along with whatever stockpile of ammo you may have.

hot barrel issues, moving pounds of ammo from here to there, etc etc, i think will be far more important to the overall outcome.

i think in the end though its kinda like nuke winter, everyone will die eventually, but the game is to see who stays the longest.

Well for survival purposes a .22 LR isn't a bad choice. Light weight, and you can carry a lot of ammo. if you are out in the wilderness then it is a pretty good choice, especially if you have to walk or hike. But for self defense it may be on the weak side, but people don't want to get shot and the little .22 LR has still accounted for numerous people being shot and dying from it. So if you carry one, it would work.
to carry a large # of rounds is not a good metric. some analysis on the order of impact per pound is way more useful info.

if it takes 50 22lr's (8oz) to take down a boar, but one 9mm (2oz) does the same job, the 9mm looks way better to me.
 
#236 ·
If I had to travel with a pack with no firm knowledge that I could resupply then a 22lr with a brick (or 2) would be my choice. Also for a 1st rifle to learn with and hunt small game with I'd suggest the 22.

But assuming you were pulling a cart or had someone along to help share the load I'd go with 5.56 or 300blk. Ammo weight a little more but a more viable choice for hunting larger animals or self defense.

Having said that I believe every home should have a 22 rifle. .308 - 30/06 is almost overkill for most deer and ammo is heavy. I hunt up deer up to 200 yds away and use 300blk.
 
#238 ·
but its more like doomsday scenario, so you wont be "learning", you'll be fighting for survival, etc.

a 3006 with silencer may be useful for a 500-1000 yd shot while keeping shot report down to avoid being detected by all the others doing as you are?
 
#237 ·
How many tools in your toolbox?
Your selection of the proper tool may decide your outcome.
Use the wrong tool and you might just strip a screw, round a head or break something
That said, nobody wants to get shot. If you do have a.22, it might not kill someone outright but consider that a few rounds shot his way should convince someone to go elsewhere to find a victim.
Only our National Guard would remain at your doorstep when fired upon. I’m sure any criminal will look for easier pickings.
 
#240 ·
FWIW, Israeli MOSSAD effectively uses the .22lr.
The Israeli MOSSAD trains obsessively in all manner of weapons. If they were limited to the use of Benjamin pellet guns, the MOSSAD would STILL effectively use them.

It might help the analysis if we knew more about the conditions in which you envision the use of a .22 LR. If you have an AR-15 or Mini-14 in your collection already, then consider getting a .22LR conversion kit for it, rather than another separate firearm. Same with your sidearm(s) in your collection. If you have a bolt action centerfire rifle in .22 caliber, consider buying and using chamber inserts that will allow you to use .22 rimfire ammunition in them.

If you reload your own ammunition for any centerfire revolver, the need for a .22LR pistol is not great, since you may load ammunition for your revolver to which delivers similar on-target effect as the .22LR cartridge.
 
#241 ·
Another plus for the little .22 LR is you don't need to clean the gun very often if any for that matter. The externally lubricated bullets tend to keep the bore protected well. There are examples of people going years without cleaning their 22's. So if you go with a more powerful weapon, you might want to go with a stainless steel barrel or a chrome plated bore.
 
#242 · (Edited)
Thats quite true. I didn't clean my .22LR rifle that often, I'd spray some WD-40 or gun-oil on the bolt and keep on shooting, for a few months. When I did clean it, I stripped it down all the way and cleaned it up like new, however.

I think that its in the make of the .22LR rifle. I bought the new Remington 597 when it first came out, and that rifle was awful at jamming no matter how clean it was or what kind of ammo I was shooting. Rem. Golden bullets were the worst too, and I wont touch them anymore. My 10/22 doesn't like them too much.

Then, one time with the ten round mag, it went full-auto (Nope, I didn't mess with it or bump-fire it.I held the trigger down tight for one shot) and fired off seven rounds before it jammed. I sent it back to Remington for repairs.

When I got it back, it still jammed up all too often, but never went full-auto on me. I sold that P-O-J and bought a Marlin 795. Its a sweet shooter, even better then my 10/22, as far as accuracy goes. Eats whatever I feed it.

I am told that Rem has fixed the issue now, but the only Remington .22LR I would ever buy would be the 552 Speedmaster. Its a real classic work of art.
 
#245 ·
Pick your SHTF---

A canoe trip gone wrong, or a forced landing in a small plane would make a .22 a valuable asset to your kit for hunting for food.

A destructive over abundance of crop eating rabbits is a problem which could be solved with the .22.

Keeping practiced with a .22 would save your cf ammo cache for bigger things.

The light recoil/report of a .22 could be beneficial to non shooters in your family should there be a need for your to arm them in an emergency.

In some places in the world, .22s and sporting shotguns are the only firearms you'd be permitted to possess(maybe even California in the not so far future!)
 
#246 ·
22LR is perfect for wives and kiddos go bags. Light and easy to shoot. Better for the men in your group to carry 9mm and up for defensive purposes. Chiappa makes the little badger folding rifle combine that with a S&W model 317 kit revolver would make a great combination. Shooting super colbris there is no need for silencers.
 
#250 ·
Probably more germane to the dialog here are the nihilistic assumptions of the SHTF folks.
ALL firearms without ammo are worthless unless they can be employed as a club or bayonet holder.
Ergo nearly ALL firearms, in a SHTF scenario, will eventually be worthless.
Unless you can make your own black powder, mold balls and shape flints.
That would make an obsolete flintlock far superior to any AR or AK or even a .22 because you'd actually be able to shoot it.
 
#253 ·
In the early 1800s when percussion rifles came into being the western trappers and mountain men nearly always preferred to keep using flintlocks instead. You could always find flint somewhere, but if you ran out of percussion caps while out in the boonies you were screwed. Probably the best argument for a .22 as a survival firearm is simply the fact that you can store or carry enough ammunition to hopefully last you for the duration. If you're thinking that you're going to have to survive on your own for years on end however no amount of .22 ammo will likely be enough.
 
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