How lethal is the 22lr?

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ArizonaTea123

ArizonaTea123

Johnny Walker Double Black please
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I got my first 22 rifle when I was 12. A Winchester bolt action. A Christmas gift from my dad.
For me at the time I just thought it was a much more powerful pellet rifle. My dad never explained to me how much more dangerous it was.

I shot squirrels and rabbits with it. Lots of target practice on trees and pine cones.

I know that the mob (Mafia) liked the 22lr for obvious reasons, and to some degree the CIA liked it as well.

How lethal is the 22lr compared to other calibers?
 
1968. robert kennedy sr was assasinated by sir-han-sir-han....with a 22 revolver.
 

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We all know that more power can be beneficial in it's uses as a weapon. BUT,, as noted,, if a .22 is all you have,, then it's not to be dismissed.
Proper bullet placement can be quite lethal, with just one round.

Many poachers, poachers, CIA, Tunnel Rats, OSS, assassins, & so many others have used them quite effectively over the many decades.
 
The most iconic, historic .22 LR "kill shot" is widely considered to be Bella Twin's 1953 killing of a massive grizzly bear in Alberta, Canada, with a single shot from a Cooey Ace #1 .22 rifle, which was at close range. For modern long-range target shooting, hits are recorded beyond 1,000 yards (roughly 0.57 miles)
 
Quite deadly.

Not a great stopper if shot is placed poorly.

Much better than nothing at all.

Don’t know why these threads get so much traction. If all you can shoot well or have to carry is a .22 then by all means carry that.

But the key to a threat response is stop the threat. While a .22 can do that and might make whomever it is who’s threatening you immediately make other choices it might not.

A major caliber or even better a rifle or shotgun increases one’s chances of stopping a threat when shooting in a dynamic environment under pressure.
 
Since most of the comments are hypothetical or suppositional, there's always the question: How many humans have these 'experts' shot and under what circumstances the shooting occurred?
 
ArizonaTea123 said:
I got my first 22 rifle when I was 12. A Winchester bolt action. A Christmas gift from my dad.
For me at the time I just thought it was a much more powerful pellet rifle. My dad never explained to me how much more dangerous it was.

I shot squirrels and rabbits with it. Lots of target practice on trees and pine cones.

I know that the mob (Mafia) liked the 22lr for obvious reasons, and to some degree the CIA liked it as well.

How lethal is the 22lr compared to other calibers?
Click to expand...
A good friend of mine, who was a MO State Highway Patrolman, was murdered by a man who laid in wait for him, with a Ruger 10-22.
 
What I'm gleaning from this thread is a lot of positive responses regarding .22 as should be. Why? I don't know. When other threads are posted about carrying a .380, or .22lr, they get lambasted for being ill-prepared and pretty much a half-wit for even considering those two. The insinuation and backlash are like, "you aren't a real man and very ill prepared unless it's just short of being a cannon even when you go to church or grocery store. I carry a (fill in the blanks with 9mm and higher) And then a good old fashion flame war breaks out.
 
19drivermaker46 said:
What I'm gleaning from this thread is a lot of positive responses regarding .22 as should be. Why? I don't know. When other threads are posted about carrying a .380, or .22lr, they get lambasted for being ill-prepared and pretty much a half-wit for even considering those two. The insinuation and backlash are like, "you aren't a real man and very ill prepared unless it's just short of being a cannon even when you go to church or grocery store. I carry a (fill in the blanks with 9mm and higher) And then a good old fashion flame war breaks out.
Click to expand...
That's what we do here................ :ninja:

J.
 
Johnnu2 said:
That's what we do here................ :ninja:

J.
Click to expand...
Oh, I certainly know! Not to speak of the so-called hierarchy that sets the unspoken rules until the 'wrong' thing is said. Then look out. Makes you want to hire a bodyguard for the size of weaponry needed with worst case scenarios that could occur in a moment's notice.

If a .22lr is worthless according to some, then a knife must be even more worthless. Or is that not true?
https://www.cvpsd.org/post/understanding-the-reality-of-knife-attacks-in-the-united-states
 
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ArizonaTea123 said:
I got my first 22 rifle when I was 12. A Winchester bolt action. A Christmas gift from my dad.
For me at the time I just thought it was a much more powerful pellet rifle. My dad never explained to me how much more dangerous it was.

I shot squirrels and rabbits with it. Lots of target practice on trees and pine cones.

I know that the mob (Mafia) liked the 22lr for obvious reasons, and to some degree the CIA liked it as well.

How lethal is the 22lr compared to other calibers?
Click to expand...
Definitely lethal. The old Army test was to penetrate a 1/2" pine board & Iragveteran8888 proved it could out to 400+ yards. Ignition reliability is questionable.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=iraqveteran8888+how+far+will+a+22+kill
 
My wife's uncle had a 1949 Winchester Model 61 with a Weaver C4 scope at his camp in Kokadjo Maine for dispatching red squirrels and other pests. I used it to good effect many times, as well. After he passed in 1988, his wife was alone at the camp for a couple of seasons until she sold it. The last year, she took on a largish black bear breaking into her camp when she was about 82, armed only with the Model 61 and she prevailed! So, technically it's a big game rifle.
IMG_20251228_143524.jpg
IMG_20251228_143546.jpg
 
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Many people throughout the history of firearms have equated lethality with noise (decibels). Some still do. The more noise it makes the more the lethal it is. When firearms were first introduced to primitive natives, they thought the noise is what killed or wounded because they could not see the projectile in flight. And even when they were shown the small round bead, they assumed it had some unknown magical properties to be able to kill a bear or a buffalo or a deer at great distance.
 
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The older we get , usually the smarter we get....Most of us all started off with a 22 and we kind of all went full circle, and a lot of us go back to shooting the "22", and there are a lot of 22 loads out there, but you know.....the 22 deserves respect. A lot of respect....Nobody wants to get hit with one, and Yes it will kill....
.
 
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