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Its so hard to find a 22. pistol that doesn't just LOVE to jam alot. I've owned several from jennings to silverados. If anyone could tell me a small 22. pistol that doesn't jam after the 4th shot please do haha

The Taurus PT22 seemed to do well as did the Beretta Bobcat. Ruger22 may be the small .22 expert.

One step up in size are the Walther P22 and the Ruger SR22. I've had both and prefer the Ruger. The Ruger is a better quality pistol, I can shoot it more accurately and the brass doesn't hit you in the face.

The secret is quality. - You generally get what you pay for.

greener wrote:The Taurus PT22 seemed to do well as did the Beretta Bobcat. Ruger22 may be the small .22 expert.

One step up in size are the Walther P22 and the Ruger SR22. I've had both and prefer the Ruger. The Ruger is a better quality pistol, I can shoot it more accurately and the brass doesn't hit you in the face.

Really? I appreciate that.

I had experience with 4 Beretta Bobcats, two blued and two Inox. Nothing I tried would make them dependable. Polishing, cutting mainsprings, modifying magazine lips, a dozen kinds of ammo. The best they would do was maybe 90% with Velocitors. Some Beretta Forum members swore by Stingers in Bobcats; I just swore at them.

They aren't small, but it's hard to beat any of the Ruger Mark pistols. You could rate them at just under 100%, and they'll eat most any HV ammo without much difference in function. Accuracy does tend to vary by brand, though.

So far as small .22 pistols, I hear good about the Taurus PT-22, even though it is a clone of the Bobcat. The newer poly frame PT-22 supposedly does better still. It is DAO, and both have a magazine safety to put up with.

My small handgun solution is a LCR-22. Rimfire revolvers always function better than pistols, and any ammo that fits the chamber will go "Bang!".

I was thinking about a snubnosed 22. if I go with a revolver, I need something to fit in my pocket as I work from 5pm to 5am and I go into a poorly lit parking lot. I've got a nightstick for now but what if they have a gun? I need something not to accurate, low on recoil for follow up shots and cheap on ammo because I need to get used to it. The best way to survive is to be prepared

A .22 is better than nothing for self defense, just like a moped is better than no motorcycle at all.

Having said that, note that I'm a Harley rider and I consider the 9mm as a bare minimum for effective defense.

It's just like deer hunting, you want them DRT (Dead right there) if you have to pull a gun in order to defend yourself. Dead men don't tell tales, sue you, lie to the police, etc..

If you don't really need the gun though, don't pull it in the first place. Never show a gun unless you intend to use it. Never show it off or talk about carrying it, even to a friend.

What they don't know won't hurt you.

S&W 317 or Ruger LCR22. Would do what you want.

I think accuracy is the key to how well the round works. A well-placed .22 probably works very well. A .40 that is not center of mass probably doesn't work as well.

You might get what you are looking for in a small .380, 9mm or snubnose .38.

I have the Taurus .380 and the S&W airweight. I like both for carry and accuracy. The Airweight (442) does have a bit of recoil if you fire hot loads. I have a shooting acquaintance who has worn a Taurus 850 out both by shooting and pocket carry. Nice little gun. You can shoot these accurately with a little practice. The small 9's do well, but I've not fired one of them. I have an LC9. It does well, but is not exactly a pocket carry firearm.

Well the reason I say I want a 22. is because I've fired like 1 REALmans pistol before and only 4 times.I've always shot 22.s and I need something thats not gonna break my wrist, Haha I'm not as savy with handguns as you guys.

A good deal of recoil management is grip (hand and arm position) in addition to the mass of the pistol. The lighter the firearm the more recoil you could feel. The good thing about .22's is they don't have much recoil. The downside is that you can get really relaxed when it comes to recoil management.

Try the higher calibers (.380, 9mm, .38/.357) and concentrate on correct grip and arm control. You should be absorbing the recoil at the shoulder, not at the hand and wrist. Also, try to shoot target loads, they are generally lighter than defensive rounds.

If I was limited to one caliber, it would be .22.

I have my LCR .22LR for cheap practice, and fun.

My carry is an LCR-357, in which I load Hornady .38 Special 125 grain hollow points for carry. Less recoil than a full 158 grain round. My practice rounds are 130 grain FMJ. I'll never shoot .357s in it, bought the .357 for the stainless frame and extra weight, over the aluminum frame LCR .38 model. The few extra ounces help reduce recoil further.

I've owned more large calibers in the past, but these days the LCR is my only non-.22. No need for a big caliber just shooting range targets.

I agree with greener, if I could only have one caliber, it would be .22.

What about a taurus .410? My freind wants to sell me his ... Seems a bit much tho

definitely a short range SD revolver. Shoots the whole range of .410 and .45 colt. I know some folks that have them and like them. They haven't excited me enough to get one.

If I could only have one caliber pistol, it would be a 4" .357 magnum revolver with adjustable sights. - I say this despite the fact that I generally prefer automatics over revolvers.

No automatic though is as versatile as a .357 magnum revolver. So if I'm going to have just one, that's what I would get.

About the 4" barrel... Still concealable but reasonably accurate and powerful.

You can shoot .38 special semi-wadcutter lead bullet loads for low-recoil, accurate fun and practice.
You can shoot 125 grain hollowpoint .357 loads that are famous as the most reliable one-shot man stopper.
You can load up 158 grain flat-point .357 loads for hunting animals up to deer size within 75 yards or so.

You can load up shot rounds to kill rats, and snakes.

The list of handguns that can do all of these things is very short, and the 4" .357 magnum revolver stands at the top.

You can get a 4" .357 mag revolver in a variety of styles, to suit your preference. - My favorites are the Ruger Blackhawk, and the Ruger GP-100 but I would definitely go for a good deal on a Smith&Wesson or a Colt in good condition.

Recommended accessories would be a Lee Loader, and a box of several hundred 158 grain semi-wadcutter lead bullets for inexpensive, fun shooting at lower velocities.

During the ammo shortage (which now seems to be easing up) I have noticed that .22lr can be awfully hard to find - but I have always been able to find reloading components.

Anyway, that's just me. - If I could only have one, it would be a 4" .357 magnum revolver with adjustable sights.

Charles,

You make a pretty good case for the 4" .357. I certainly like them.

Akkar wrote:Its so hard to find a 22. pistol that doesn't just LOVE to jam alot. I've owned several from jennings to silverados. If anyone could tell me a small 22. pistol that doesn't jam after the 4th shot please do haha

I got a ruger 22/45 mk 3 target in January. Ive fired 2000 rounds (some of it crap) through it . I have had zero issues with jams, ftf, fte, or stove pipes, not one!

of course I am retired and a little ocd, so it gets cleaned every time it gets shot, but thats just me.