Lethality of 22lr

I am seriously rethinking whether to get a 22 mag. I think the benefit of 22lr is its cheap, and it's "quiet" - in that you won't bother neighbours past a few hundred yards, or a farm owner if you're helping him rid some varmints.

The 223 is ideal for killing wolves and down, but is noisy.

The 22mag is neither cheap nor quiet, and nor is it ideal for killing wolves/coyotes. So what is it good for?

quotes from another forum (post about 22 wmr and yotes):

Agreed 100%

If you are going to hunt something at least use an ideal caliber. Using a less than ideal caliber is for when you have no other choice as in shtf or whatever you want to call it.

And i also don't quite get the purpose of a .22mag because im not really a varmint hunter, but if i was i'd use a .223. If we are talking shtf then i don't think you can beat the versatility of the .22lr, you can use rounds quieter than a pellet rifle or loads almost as hot as a WMR. It will be as deadly to the same types of game as a wmr just at slightly shorter ranges.
 
sufficient? I said ideal.

I bet to 100 yards, a good 22lr could kill wolves at a good rate. I'm not saying the 22 wmr is a bad round, but the problem with the 22 wmr is that there aren't any good semi-auto options. And by good I mean super-accurate, super-reliable and stainless steel.


Ok. No problem. To each his own :) I imagine it was fine back in the day....times and rules change i guess.


The 22lr is impressive tho!
 
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as much as I really like the .22lr, and agree its really versatile, the WMR has way way more energy. approx. 325lbs/ft at the muzzle of a rifle, whereas even high velocity .22lr is only about 175.

plus its really flat shooting, usually less than 2" drop at a hundred meters.
 
Wasn't 22lr the assassins caliber of choice forever? Walk up behind a guy pop him in the back of the head. "Carry on, nothing to see hear folks." I think I remember that the "Ice man" usually only used 22lr. Something about only penetrating the skull then bouncing around inside the skull. No wait that was a Steve Martin movie. Anyhoo I know first hand of an older fellow that would poach deer in PA with 22 lr run Em down in his field with his big red ATC and pop them a couple times in the head. "I feed them, they can feed me"(old school).
 
For me, i ask myself if a weapon would deter me. I don't care what caliber it is i really don't want to get shot with it and many people and animals have died by .22. Is it lethal, hell yes.
 
I was just thinking of posting the same thing, they use to drill out starter pistols to 22lr and it was the choice of italian hit man for ever and a day.

Wasn't 22lr the assassins caliber of choice forever? Walk up behind a guy pop him in the back of the head. "Carry on, nothing to see hear folks." I think I remember that the "Ice man" usually only used 22lr. Something about only penetrating the skull then bouncing around inside the skull. No wait that was a Steve Martin movie. Anyhoo I know first hand of an older fellow that would poach deer in PA with 22 lr run Em down in his field with his big red ATC and pop them a couple times in the head. "I feed them, they can feed me"(old school).
 
The 22mag is neither cheap nor quiet, and nor is it ideal for killing wolves/coyotes. So what is it good for?

Getting someones attention ;)

When I lived in the lower 48, I had one of the freedom arms 22 mag mini revolvers, 5 shots of single action and out of that short barrel, really loud and quite a bit more power than the 22lr. I carried this gun for 5 years after I was held up at a grocery store at gunpoint, and prior to my AMT 45auto that I carried after. That little gun is fun to shoot, just as long as your target is within 10 feet ;)

http://2.bp.########.com/_l7298LIzt5Q/TT49Q8Al_LI/AAAAAAAADQg/k09dVVkqm1M/s1600/20110123-IMG_0414.jpg
 
Iraqveteran8888 on youtube has a great video about this topic, check his channel out
He proved that .22lr is lethal past 400+yards,
 
I've always wondered why is it that the Israeli Mossad , CIA and the mob have used silenced .22LR's for assassinations for decades, but most gun forums talk about how the .22 is ineffectual for self defense.
 
The reason that the Mossad was using the .22 LR is, that they intended to kill the target, not necessarily stop him, and that the .22 LR can be silenced quite effectively and still be carried concealed without being awkward to bring quickly in action.
They did not care whether it took 3 minutes with a heart shot or 3 seconds with a brain hit for their victim to die.
In self defence the object is to stop the attacker immediately from reaching and damaging you.
A large caliber hit in this case, will get his immediate attention and make him loose interest.
The .22 LR , has very little guarantee to stop a determined attacker and is therefore regarded as marginal for self defence, although a lot better then nothing at all.
 
I had a good friend murdered with a single shot cooey 39. She was shot in the chest at approx 20'. It was fatal. Ballistics in court proved she then stood up. Took another before falling. 2 other shots penetrated her skull at point blank. Yes the 22lr is very lethal
 
I've always wondered why is it that the Israeli Mossad , CIA and the mob have used silenced .22LR's for assassinations for decades, but most gun forums talk about how the .22 is ineffectual for self defense.

Maybe because those situations are largely fixed set piece close range shots rather than spur of the moment snap shots - that being said I wouldn't want to be hit with any rimfire shot.
 
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