Lethality of the 22 LR standard velocity round

Discussion in 'Firearms' started by E.L., Apr 5, 2008.


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  1. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    My little brother was killed by a .22, single shot to the head. My ex-wife's brother was killed by a .22, single shot to the kidney. They will kill.
     
  2. RevBushmaster

    RevBushmaster When in doubt use more C4

    Note...Seacowboys Sorry to hear of your tragedy I hope that homicidal righteous justice came to those that harmed your loved ones .....

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    I like the .22 round espicially for a 'survival' round. Age and the trappings life has a way of making me forgetting things I thought I had learned. like how the simple things are the very best things. And that money cant by happiness or love concerning love or Guns, or things. It takes something else, it takes a kind of spirituality for me, a 'nostalgic spirituality' so to speak.

    One thing is how much I had 'forgot' that I like the .22 round and rim fire weapons. I started to sell my last rim fire rifle to finish paying for a drum mag for the bushmaster. I reached into a the unlit dark corner of the closet in the unused bedroom and groped until I felt the unmistakable feel of cold tubular gun steel pulling the Remington 550-4 out of its almost lonely hiding place. It is a handsome weapon, it has a bit longer barrel than the typical marlins and standard fare at wally world. I read the words .22 short long or long rifle crisply stamped into the thick barrel, and read it was the first american .22 auto loader that accepted all three rounds. (I read that while looking for pricing info on the net)

    It has a quality leather sling and adjustable sights, I kind of thought as a food animal that had somehow against my best intentions become almost a pet. There was a time that I would take a rifle like this one to the woods and have endless hours of fun plinking for a few dollars of ammo. My aim getting so good that I could cut a golden rod grass stem in half as far away as I could see it, with the wind blowing...ok, it might of took a few shots if the wind was really up (or had a hawk in it my grandfather would say about a brisk cold fast wind).

    I found myself thinking about getting a quality scope for it, before I knew it I was sitting on the bed with a silicon cloth rubbing it down and admiring the condition it was in...well you know the rest of the story don't ya? It now sits with my other rifles, proudly even. I may even buy a couple hundred rounds and take er' to the range next weekend. All this really happened early this week, so I found this article at a good time!

    Thanks everyone, your comments have assured the Remington a respected place with my other weapons. Maybe that drum mag will just have to wait a few more weeks....

    ; }>
     
    kellory likes this.
  3. Tackleberry

    Tackleberry Krieg Hündchen

    .22 LR is perfect for taking game and for plinking. I wouldn't really want to use it for self defense, but it will do the job if the round is well placed. Oh, and the rounds are very economical too!

    The Israelis found out it was quite lethal when they employed their 'hush-pupies'. Gosh, I wished I could own a supressed weapon in our state.
     
  4. Minuteman

    Minuteman Chaplain Moderator Founding Member

    I don't have any sources for it but I remember reading that the OSS/CIA used supressed .22's as covert asassins weapons.
     
  5. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    The High Standard HD-military in .22 with silencer was the issue weapon for the OSS.
    <center>[​IMG]</center> The special purpose High Standard H.D. suppressed .22 caliber pistol (top) and a .45 Caliber MEU(SOC) pistol, courtesy of 1st Force Reconnaissance Company. The High Standard HD's origins are in the WWII-era OSS, and its effective suppressor permits quiet shots at very close range. [SIZE=-1](Suggested by a thread on the old Prodigy Sports.Rec BB… R.I.P.)[/SIZE]
     
  6. E.L.

    E.L. Moderator of Lead Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Growing up a .22 and a .410 were what we shot all year long. Deer season was for the bigger calibers, and dove for the 20 or 12 gauge, but the rest of the year was pretty much .22 time. My very first gun, a Rossi pump. My first handgun, a High Standard .22 auto, then shortly afterwards my pop gave me a Ruger Single-Six with dual 22/.22Magnum cylinders. When I turned about 10 or 12 my cousin and I started a rabbit killing (yes I said killing not hunting) tradition with the wonderful plastic Nylon 66 .22s. We would spotlight jacks and jokers (cotton-tails) and shoot them all night long on their 7,000 acre ranch. What wondeful times. We had a marlin and winchester lever action .22, and two Nylon 66's. We sent thousands of rounds downrange, and went through brick after brick. We continued the tradition over the next 20+ years, meeting during Christmas vacation to thin the heard. His family raises sheep, goats, and cows, and the rabbits were always thicker than flies. I want to say the formula was something like 10 rabbits ate as much as a goat/sheep. My God those were good times. Of course like clockwork at about 0200 or 0300 his dad/my uncle would come out looking for us, it doesn't matter if we were 15 or 35. I have had more fun during those hunts than can be imagined. I am surprised we don't have lead poisoning from all of the bullets we loaded. During our mid 20's the Nylon 66's wore flat out, and we replaced them with Ruger 10/22s. It is easier to load up 20+ mags during the evening while visiting with the family, then in the middle of the pasture with the pickup light. Of course we end up having to do that anyway as the mags run empty in a short time. On a really good night we will kill hundreds. Most of the time, probably 50-75. Because of us living so far apart, and not being around during Christmas we haven't gotten together the last couple of years. We need to resume the tradition. I am sure the rabbits enjoyed the break.
     
  7. MbRodge

    MbRodge Monkey+++

    Back in High School me and a few of my buddies were paid in steak dinners to visit some west Texas rancher's spreads and plink prairie dogs all day. We would have paid them for the privilege, but they always fed us a steak dinner by way of thanks. Those were some great times.
     
    kellory likes this.
  8. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member


    Well if the stuff makes it through your legislature this seccion you just may be able to go get your stam and have one. From what I understand its in the legislature over there now to allow you all to get clas 3 toys so long as you jump through the ATF hoops. Still waiting for us to get the silencers allowed here, we can get the SBRs and autos (with the stamps) but cant have the silencers and I want one for my .22s so can go plink includeing at night without bothering the neighbors.

    I know I grew up going out camping along the river most weekends and would always take along a couple of .22s and at least a brick of ammo and spend the majority of my time plinkig away, mostly with a little 9 shot revolver or my dads old single shot 5.4mm German mauser that was built to the size and weight and all of the K98 to train the youth in shooting with. Most acurate rifle I think I have shot, just gotta remember the glasses since, as many likely caught, its a 5.4mm bore and .22s are about 5.5mm, it shoots .22s great but increases the chamber pressures from a normal .22 and gives a gun that shoots TOTALY flat even a ways past 400 yards BUT part of the time also splits the brass and sends burning powder back through the bolt and stings the cheek. Loads of fun though.
     
  9. BAT1

    BAT1 Cowboys know no fear

    My CZ 452 Trainer will put a .40 gr bullet through a two by four at 100 yds. It may take more shots which you may not have time for, but for small game it is great.
     
  10. Quigley_Sharps

    Quigley_Sharps The Badministrator Administrator Founding Member

  11. RaymondPeter

    RaymondPeter Simple Man

  12. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    Yup! Me too.

    [beer]
     
  13. Hispeedal2

    Hispeedal2 Nay Sayer

    Turkey could possibly be the worst test bed for lethality if comparing to larger game. Hollow bones, thin skin... not anywhere close to a human or big game animal.

    I wouldn't hesitate to use it in a pinch.

    Too hit or miss....
     
  14. Hispeedal2

    Hispeedal2 Nay Sayer

    Monkeyman is right. I think this is the real value of the .22LR. I am surprised that the .22 didn't receive more praise in the "all around best" survival firearm thread. For the weight and space of ammo, one can eat all year. I think shotgun won out but the weight of ammo (and bulk for that matter) is a real disadvantage. It's not like survival foraging is sporting... shoot ducks on the water. For a comparative example, load 500 rds of 12 ga and 500 rds of .22LR into a ruck and see which is more feasible.
     
    D2wing likes this.
  15. fortunateson

    fortunateson I hate Illinois Nazis!

    This got me thinking. I plan to hunt coyote this spring and summer.
    I was going to try to mount a scope on my dad's old .222 but am not very eager to mess with that.
    That leaves me with a choice between an AK - (dicey over 100 yds) or 10/22.
    I may give the 10/22 a go after all...


    BTW, forgot to add: Here in NC, there is no limitations on caliber. You can legally hunt deer with .22lr (or short for that matter). This I find really strange, because you pretty much need a lawyer to decipher the reg book.
     
  16. alaskaoneday

    alaskaoneday Monkey+++

    Great post E.L. and very informative. I myself have always viewed the 22 as an excellent round for survival and would not hesitate to use it for everything other than a head to head standoff with someone packing a larger caliber.
     
  17. Snake Plisken

    Snake Plisken Monkey+

    There is absolutly no doubt that that the 22LR can be lethal. As with any round the situational variables will determine the individual outcome. Even the size/weight of the individual will play a significant role. I have killed many animals with my Ruger 10/22 including a coyote on my property last week. I used a CCI Stinger and the hit was directly behind it's right shoulder. It ran approx. 10 ft. and dropped. Does this make the 22LR the best choice for two legged animals? probably not. But it can do the job in a pinch. When contemplating the best round for a job, I usually refer to these simple rules:

    Snakes Rules of Terminal Ballistics
    1) There ain't no magic bullets!
    2) Only center hits count
    3) Make the biggest diameter hole you can to let blood out, air in, and destroy as much stuff as you can with each hit
    4) Small bullets may expand, but big bullets never shrink.
    5) Make the deepest hole you can to insure that vital organs and nerve centers can be reached and destroyed from all impact angles.
    6) "Service" your threat until it is no longer a threat.
    7) No small arm can guarantee 100% instant incapacitation of a determined adversary--man or beast.
    8) Don't believe manufacturer's claims.
    9) Inconsequential increments are meaningless.
    10) Most gun writers are pathological liars.


    Call me Snake.
     
    kellory likes this.
  18. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    Welcome Snake!
     
  19. Snake Plisken

    Snake Plisken Monkey+

    Thanks Melbo![winkthumb]
     
  20. tacmotusn

    tacmotusn RIP 1/13/21

    I have 40,000 rounds of 22lr. About half and half solids and hollow points. Over the years I have killed thousands of groundhogs at up to 200 yards.
    .
    The 22lr is not my primary go to gun for much of anything except plinking and minor varmits right now.
    .
    But, and this is a mighty big BUT... if and when the crap hits the wind mover.... after all my other stocks of ammo, and they are considerable, are depleted without any forseeable resupply.... I will still have a crap load of 22lr to fall back on. Hell, I may put another 20,000 rounds in the vault. They will be worth gold if things truly go south.
     
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