22lr lcr defense?

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RandyP

Bearcat
Joined
Mar 18, 2008
Messages
91
"just the ability to present a fore arm is an advantage most times.":

I 100% support the Right to bare arms - lol
 

JStacy

Blackhawk
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south Texas
If you go to gel test you will find the CCI Velociter gave the most expansion and penetration of any 22 LR tested. The new Winchester hi velocity rounds, 1430FPS with 40 grain bullet may be a good round for a last ditch defense gun. However most punks will not take the time to look at your gun and say ? Is that a 22? I bet that wont hurt me much ! Generally they will leave quickly and go look for an "easier" victim that is less likely to hurt them. For a bear? Carry pepper spray and you will be better defended than shooting them with a 22! If you can find a 3-4" lightweight 22 you will get a little more velocity than the 1 3/4" barreled guns. I think Ruger makes a LCR 3" with adjustable sights in a 22LR ? That would be worthwhile to all you to place your shots better.
BTW I worked in a hospital for 42 years and saw more people die from gun shots with a 22LR than any other weapon.
 

grobin

Blackhawk
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Mar 8, 2016
Messages
846
JStacy said:
If you go to gel test you will find the CCI Velociter gave the most expansion and penetration of any 22 LR tested. The new Winchester hi velocity rounds, 1430FPS with 40 grain bullet may be a good round for a last ditch defense gun. However most punks will not take the time to look at your gun and say ? Is that a 22? I bet that wont hurt me much ! Generally they will leave quickly and go look for an "easier" victim that is less likely to hurt them. For a bear? Carry pepper spray and you will be better defended than shooting them with a 22! If you can find a 3-4" lightweight 22 you will get a little more velocity than the 1 3/4" barreled guns. I think Ruger makes a LCR 3" with adjustable sights in a 22LR ? That would be worthwhile to all you to place your shots better.
BTW I worked in a hospital for 42 years and saw more people die from gun shots with a 22LR than any other weapon.

I agree, but don't consider a revolver! I've have arthritis & while a full sized gun is fine a small one is not and revolvers are harder on my hands than a semi auto. Get a full sized mark IV (or a 22/45) that feels comfortable in the hand. The only 22 ammo I've had problems with is subsonic. Regular LR is no problem to clear. You aren't in a gun fight so accuracy is far more important than rate of fire. Bystanders and property will suffer from badly placed shots!

BTW pepper spray only works in light wind :roll: Most critters will take off on hearing a shot-feral dogs and hogs are a possible exception.
 

GunnyGene

Hawkeye
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Nov 23, 2013
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Monroe County, MS
blume357 said:
mojo said:
Is there anything that can be done about the heavy trigger pull on the LCD 22 mag?


I would think any good gun smith could fix the heavy trigger pull on a revolver with out much trouble.

You'd have to install a lighter weight hammer spring on the LCR.22mag, which would result in light primer strikes - no bang.
 

pisgah

Buckeye
Joined
Apr 17, 2006
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1,633
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Upstate SC
blume357 said:
mojo said:
Is there anything that can be done about the heavy trigger pull on the LCD 22 mag?


I would think any good gun smith could fix the heavy trigger pull on a revolver with out much trouble.

Actually, any small, lightweight revolver, especially when chambered for a rimfire cartridge, is one of the harder firearms to modify for a light trigger action while still maintaining reliable ignition, and this is because of both the nature of the ammo and the nature of the gun itself.

There are a couple of reasons why the centerfire cartridge became the standard for most ammunition. First, centerfire cartridges are easier to load; second, centerfire cartridges are easier to fire. A centerfire primer , by varying the sensitivity of the priming compound and the thickness of the metal forming the primer body, can be made very easy to ignite. A rimfire cartridge, on the other hand, is limited by the fact that the hammer blow must be sufficient to not just dent the thin metal of a primer but crush the folded rim of the rimfire case. This takes a comparatively heavier hammer blow.

As to the gun itself -- well, think of forging a piece of steel. Sufficiently heated and beaten on a heavy steel anvil with a heavy steel hammer, the steel can be shaped to any form without much trouble. But try the same operation with the same piece of steel at the same temperature, but using an aluminum anvil and hammer, and the difficulty becomes magnified. This is the situation you have with a small, lightweight revolver; not only is the hammer smaller and lighter, and the hammer throw shorter, but the frame against which the hammer works, the "anvil", is smaller and lighter, as well. Thus, a significantly heavier spring is needed to accomplish reliable ignition.

About the only sure-fire way to make a better trigger action in a small, lightweight rimfire revolver is to smooth it up as much as possible -- which can usually be done to some degree -- but actually lightening the action up is courting problems. With the small flyweight centerfire guns, there is a bit more leeway to fiddle with springs, but even with them smoothing things up is still the better route to take any time reliability is the main concern, as it should always be with a defensive firearm.
 
Joined
Dec 17, 2015
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Reading, Pa
I don't like the phrase "better trigger", that can mean different things to different people. I like a smooth trigger that I know when it's going to break and resets quickly, stock Ruger springs give me exactly that. I despise light trigger pulls with no feel, if you don't have the strength to accurately fire a gun and you require a light trigger pull that's fine but a light trigger is not necessarily a better trigger, it's just easier to pull. YMMV.
 
Joined
Dec 25, 2007
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10,129
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missouri
My thoughts:
A 22 is better than a cane (or nothing at all).
No one really wants to get shot even if it's "only a 22".
Hopefully, the two prior comments solve the problem-BUT
If it comes down to actually shooting, most folks find they're not as accurate as they thought they were.
If you shoot someone with a 22 and find it didn't stop them, you now have an even bigger problem cause now they're really souped up and want you even more than before.
Next you have the problem of lack of stopping power coupled with the likelihood that your accuracy will be degraded by stress or being drug around like a mop.
I carry a 22 sometimes but I consider it more of a noise maker than a REAL defensive weapon(that category starts at about the.380 level)and if I have to use it, I'm going to use all the ammo ASAP. Better to get 4-5 hits right off the bat so the little bullets can start working early in the game(plus, if Mr. Badguy takes my pistol, he won't be able to shoot ME with my own gun).
 

capecuddy

Bearcat
Joined
Mar 27, 2013
Messages
24
JStacy said:
If you go to gel test you will find the CCI Velociter gave the most expansion and penetration of any 22 LR tested. The new Winchester hi velocity rounds, 1430FPS with 40 grain bullet may be a good round for a last ditch defense gun. However most punks will not take the time to look at your gun and say ? Is that a 22? I bet that wont hurt me much ! Generally they will leave quickly and go look for an "easier" victim that is less likely to hurt them. For a bear? Carry pepper spray and you will be better defended than shooting them with a 22! If you can find a 3-4" lightweight 22 you will get a little more velocity than the 1 3/4" barreled guns. I think Ruger makes a LCR 3" with adjustable sights in a 22LR ? That would be worthwhile to all you to place your shots better.
BTW I worked in a hospital for 42 years and saw more people die from gun shots with a 22LR than any other weapon.

Just for effectiveness planning, where did you see most fatal .22lr shots? I assume face/head?
 

toysoldier

Hunter
Joined
Aug 23, 2006
Messages
3,332
Location
Hutchinson, KS USA
Most of the .22 revolvers available today are far too heavy. The LCR isn't, but it is double-action only. The 9-shot High Standard Sentinel, with aluminum frame and 4" barrel, makes a pretty good concealed-carry piece for someone limited to .22 recoil levels in a lightweight gun. Good luck finding one. Mine isn't for sale.
 

teuthis

Single-Sixer
Joined
Dec 16, 2008
Messages
168
Location
Wisconsin
I have a Ruger LCR-X which I do not hesitate to carry in the field. A .22 LR with 8 shots is more potent than you might realize. I cannot remember the last time I had a .22 rimfire misfire. That was once an issue but I think misfires are not an issue with modern, high-quality ammo. Revolvers are reliable. If the .22 LR is what one can shoot then it is enough.
 

rugerguy211

Single-Sixer
Joined
Dec 15, 2013
Messages
401
Pat-inCO said:
Have your friend look at the Ruger SR22P. Weight is similar but ten
rounds in the mag and reload is MUCH faster. :D

I'm not familiar with the SR22P, but if it is a version of the SR22 check out the Tandemkross Wingman +5 magazine bumper. For $11 it adds 5 rounds to the standard 10 round SR22 mag for a total of 15.
 
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