Who carries the .22 short mini for defense?

[stantheman86]

Just a random question, how many people actually would trust the .22 short to stop an attacker?

   

   I like the .22 Short mini just as a neat little "toy" but I do carry my .22 LR Mini for deep concealment. The .22 LR model isn't much longer than the .22 short and offers more punch and there are actually defensive .22 LR rounds being marketed.

   

   I have fired .22 short through some of the older pocket revolvers I used to collect, and it doesn't seem like something I would actually see hurting a threat.

[louiethelump]

Smith & Wesson invented the 22 short and it was originally marketed in a 7 shot single action revolver with a spur trigger and a tip UP barrel.  Many were carried by troops in the Civil War (known in my part of the country as "the War of Northern Aggression") on both sides, but primarily from the north as that was where S&W is and was located.

   

   That said, the 22 short of today is more powerful and much more reliable, but still very low powered for a defense gun.  It is not likely to "stop" anyone not wanting to stop with anything short of a face or brain shot.  However, most common thugs, purse snatchers, and general ruffians do not want to be shot with ANYTHING (neither do I) and will cease and desist with very little resistance.  It is this type of attacker where the 22 short may be of benefit.  There are not nearly as many drug crazed homicidal maniacs running about as you would think from watching TV and reading gun magazines.

   

   If you already have a 22 lr, why get a short?  it is only a little shorter, but it sure it cute, isn't it?  Sounds like the second one you need is a larger gun, not a smaller one.

   

   Just my two cents

   

   Louie

[stantheman86]

I think I want the short just because it's the world's smallest production revolver=)  And I always wanted one of those old Colt open top .22 short revolvers but they are too expensive and fragile to shoot. I also want to complete the "set" , and get the 1 1/8" Short and WMR to go with my .22 LR and then just use them as occasional backyard plinkers.   I think I will settle on a PUG as my deep concealment piece, I like the sights, the larger "magnum frame" grip and the WMR chambering. Once I get my PUG and .32 ACP Guardian, I will have a pretty "hot setup" for deep concealment pieces!=)

[heyjoe]

i have carried the NAA 22 short as my only firearm from time to time in the past. This is in NYC, including the Bronx, Brooklyn and Harlem. Lately ive been carrying a .380 there but i wasnt concerned carrying just the 22 short. I still carry the 22 short or 22 magnum in the area i live in, if i run out for something in running shorts.

   I never carry two guns.

[lowready]

I have carried one for a long time. There was a little discussion about it  

   here ./discus/messages/2/43930.html?1343437448

[keith44]

I have to lean to the side that says if you can carry and shoot a larger do so.  Yes the short will kill, and as Louie said it would stop most if you can get a solid brain shot.  But I believe under that much stress center of mass torso hits would be more common, since you will be relying on gross motor skills and the primitive part of your brain

[gunfixer]

I've heard that all these guys do...

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   (The chick carries one of these revolvers though..)

   

   

   

   Sorry, just a "'Lil" funnin'..! ;)

[grayelky]

I do not (yet) own a short. I did read an article about a motel night clerk who, after becoming aware of a robber/attacker working in her area (in S.C.) got a short and secured it in her bra. Several days later, the (former) bad guy attempted to rape her. She was able to retrieve her NAA .22 short and, from a distance of less than an inch, place one shot into his ear. Problem solved. From a distance much further than that, I would not trust the short. Yes, it will do as needed. My Dad used to tell me of killing 400 pound hogs with a 22 short in a rifle. The hogs were eating, and at piece with the world at the time of the shot.

   

   I have been carrying a .22 LR since 1977, up until about 2 years ago. I have since learned a 1 5/8 Mag will carry just as easy (for me) in my normal shorts, jeans, slacks, etc. Even around the house, when wearing the elastic waist band shorts sold cheaply at Wally World, the Mag is just as easy to carry as the LR. I also have a 1 1/8 Black Jack in Magnum, and I can tell no difference in carrying the 2 little revolvers.

   

   I strongly suggest you pick up a couple more NAA mini revolvers, so you can conduct your own experimentation, and determine if my findings work for you, or can you tell a difference. There is no other way for you to know.

   

   Oh, by the way, this "addiction" some refer to is a myth. There is no addiction to one of the finest made handguns on the market. I know. I only have 12 or so (well, I do have 2 Sidewinders on order, but since I don't have them yet, they don't count). It does seem that by buying one, you open up a

   

[antares_b]

I sometimes carry the Short when only the deepest of deep concealment will do. My concern lies less with the potency of the round than with the difficulty of holding onto the gun. If you use one hand to shoot it (as I always do because my support hand gets stung when I try using two hands), you've got just one finger wrapped around the grip. If I use a "death grip" with that one finger, accuracy is not bad--but under stress, who knows.

[timkel]

Any gun is better then no gun.  

   Any NAA 22cal can be a CCW piece.  

   Obviously the 22mag the most powerful. But even the 22short can deter, harm or kill an attacker.

   In the warmer weather the NAA in any caliber is the best way to CCW.

   My personal preference is the 22lr.

[stantheman86]

I bought a box of CCI Stingers today, and I test fired 10 of them in my backyard......I am impressed by these! I shot point blank into a 2x4, and penetration was deep with the Stinger. With standard Remington Thunderbolt .22, you can still see the heel of the bullet in the hole in the wood. With the Stingers, the bullet is in there so deep you can't even see it. The Stingers seemed much hotter than the CCI Mini Mags.   I can't wait to get my hands on some of the CCI? or Speer? Quik Shok .22 LR, to see how that performs for the "milk jug full of water" test.    

   

   Yes, these Minis are a can of worms!  I already want at least 4 more of them, a local shop has the same .22 LR 1 1/8" model I have, with the XS Tritium sight instead of the blade (is this a "pre PUG" model??. I also want a PUG, a standard 1 1/8" .22 WMR model, and the Short to complete my "set" of the standard models. I wouldn't mind getting the ported 1 5/8" LR and WMR either, I just kind of like the looks of them, and also the bead sight.  Yes, I can see this getting addictive!

   

   I will eventually step up to a PUG .22 WMR for my deep concealment "out and about" gun, but even this gun seems larger than the .22 LR, especially with the slip on rubber grips.  IMO, the small grip frame of the .22 LR is it's main advantage, over the .22 WMR. Some people advised me to use a larger grip on my .22 LR mini, but if I'm doing that, I might as well carry a WMR. For "plinking" or playing around, using super large grips on a Mini could be fun, but for deep concealment, I have decided to stick with the rosewood panels on my .22 LR. When I get my PUG, I will probably still use my .22 LR for times when I can't conceal the PUG.

   

   My "main" carry gun is a SP101 .38 Special, along with a 2 3/4" Speed Six .357 for when I am able to carry a larger framed gun. Both are in "beater" condition (perfect for carry!) but are 100% reliable. I don't carry minty guns.

[grayelky]

Word of caution: Once get a mag frame, and carry it some times, you will discover it is as easy to carry as a LR. There will be very few times you will need to switch to the LR due to size considerations. I have almost quit carrying my LR I have had since 1977, and have had it fully engraved. The mag is just as easy to carry, and the I can find no difference in the 1 1/8 vs the 1 5/8 barrel. Louie seems to really like the 2 1/2 barreled Sheriff, and says it is just as easy to carry, yet gives a little more barrel for velocity, sight radius, etc. I have not tried one of those yet, so I can't comment pro or con. Don't tell him I mentioned it, but he may be right.

   

   I have a couple of S&W 3" mod. 65s I really like, they are just too heavy for me to carry. I have just recently taken a blued Speed Six 2 3/4 in on trade, and will very likely let it follow me home one day soon.  

[bflying]

I've gone to a Micro Compact .45 for my EDC, but still often throw in the .22LR.  I know it's not the short, but very little difference in size and carry-ability.  I suspect what others have said about the Magnum being just as easy to carry is true.  I want a mag, just have not picked one up YET.  Really want a PUG, but last purchase a few weeks ago was over $1200, so I need to let my wife simmer down a bit.  Although, I will say that it was my wife's suggestion to go pick up a new 1911 .45 for my b-day.  Totally loving it, but still have had the mini with me also almost every day since.

[bud]

A couple of days ago I took the Mag. cylinder out of my Pug [timing seems ok] and put it in my Black widow. Size not much difference in my jeans pocket.

   I really like the Black Widow!!

[stantheman86]

I'm looking at a PUG with the .22 WMR and LR cylinder right now......I'm sure not many people do it, but if someone really liked .22 LR for carry, you could always just make the PUG into a .22 LR piece and carry it loaded with Stingers or Quik Shoks.

   

   I myself, already have a .22 WMR auto pistol and am familiar with the power of .22 WMR, and I want to carry this caliber in my PUG when I get it.  People talk down on the .22 WMR but I would NOT want to take one center mass at point blank range........people who say .22 Magnum is a pop gun have never fired one.

[Dinadan]

Stantheman86 - The Pug with both cylinders is my favorite gun. Regarding carrying  

   LR in a Pug instead of WMR: with the Pug, and only with the Pug, I do not think that  

   there is a big difference. I think that because the LR  

   cartridge is about 3/8" shorter that the WMR cartridge, that means that in effect the  

   LR round is fired from a longer barrel: 37% (more or less) longer. Recently I tested CCI  

   LR Velocitor and CCI WMR Gold Dot and there was no real difference in penetration from my  

   Pug. I am thinking that the extra barrel length which the WMR cylinder gives for LR  

   rounds is the reason for the obviously weaker LR round performing nearly as well as the WRM.  

   

   If you step up the the two inch barrel of the Black Widow, the cartridge/chamber  

   length ratio provides only about a 18% boost in barrel length for the LR, and the WMR  

   is way superior.

   

   Here is a link to an interesting test.

   

   http://naaminis.blogspot.com/2010/08/north-american-arms-pug-ballistics.html">http://naaminis.blogspot.com/2010/08/north-american-arms-pug-ballistics.html

   

   Sorry about the threaddrift.

[top dog]

Stan,

   In reading the above posts,it seems to me that you have a very good amount of fine advice,but the bottom line is that basically nothing hand held is going to guarantee a one shot stop.

   

   I have seen 1,000 lb bulls put down with a 22 short from a rifle and also Vietcong almost cut in two still fighting so each circumstance is totally different.

   

   I will say from experience,that bad guys are cowards and the least resistance from their intended victim usually has them on the run.

   

   Just the other week,a little old lady in her jewelry store (I think) sent five armed robbers running out of her store with her in hot pursuit with her little handgun (unknown make/model).

   

   To repeat the old rule,first rule of a gunfight is to have a gun.

                         Top Dog

[tocsn40]

I have not often  but went down town the other night and had shorts that would have fallen off with any other gun

[heyjoe]

tocsn so you go downtown with shorts you want to come off easily? is there a story to this?

[blitzkrieger]

LOL

[keith44]

so how did we get from .22 short to shorts falling off??

[Uncle_Lee]

Thread drift!!!

   We are good at that.....

[weasel]

I carry my 22 mag Black Widow every day. It is easy to carry no matter how I dress. It fits in my cargo shorts front pocket real nice. If I am wearing a jacket it fits right in my pocket and dosen't weight it down. First shot up is a 22 may shot shell and next 4 are Hornady v-max. The only thing I would consider replacing my Black Widow would be a sidewinder because reloads should be faster. Will have to handle one first

[lohman446]

This game is no fun.

   

   People who carry a .45 scoff at anyone who would settle for a .40.

   

   People who carry a .40 scoff at the "incredibly underpowered" 9MM

   

   People who carry a 9MM question why anyone would carry a .38

   

   People who carry a .38 question why anyone would carry a .380

   

   People who carry a .380 wonder why anyone would carry a .32.

   

   People who carry a .32 wonder why anyone would settle for a .22 MAG.

   

   People who carry a .22 MAG wonder why settle for a .22LR

   

   Now we have advocates of the .22LR questioning the use of the .22 short.

   

   When you compare defensive handguns to each other and expand the chart to include other categories of guns (ie rifles) you will find that defensive handguns, from the .22 to the .45 are FAR more similiar to each other than different in terms of energy.  

   

   I'm still laughing though.  Perhaps there is a need to feel superior that can be found when worrying that other people are not carrying a large enough gun.  I'm surprised it is happening here and in this context

[trotterlg]

I carry a Short daily, they are really quite a lot smaller than a LR gun.  Thing about a Short is that, if you can't carry it, then there is no other gun you could carry, so you will have it with you more than anyting else you can find.  Larry