I happen to carry a 22
I happen to carry a “22 Baretta”. With the proper ammunition, it can be just as powerful as your 38 special, or Colt 45..
Agreed — although I have no need to carry and don't.
The FBI specifies a bullet from a handgun should deliver at least 12 inches of penetration to be considered suitable for use by their field agents. The CCI 40-grain Velocitor hollow-point , even with a handgun with a 2.4- barrel, can achieve 12" or greater.
Plus a 22 handgun can be small, light and most importantly, almost zero recoil. do not underestimate how important the recoil factor is. I remember in boot camp, at the range, the drill instructor called out the guy in our company with the highest range score. Gave him a full 20 round clip for his M16 (M16 is similar to AR15 but can also be automatic). The M16 has very little recoil (drill instructor put stock on his chin and fired a round to prove the point). anyway M16 was set to auto and told the guy to fire while standing, at target at 50 yards. Piece of cake right — a body profile target at 50 yds with a rifle.
Anyway 1st round went in the center, 2nd round way high but still on target and remaining 18 rounds missed!
Point is just pointing a pistol at someone, 22 or not gets their undivided attention giving them incentive to stop whatever you want them to stop doing.
If you have to shoot, if the 1st round doesn't stop them, almost zero recoil will allow you to place more rounds on target.
Yeah, if you are being charged by a 400 pound bear you might want a higher caliber round.
FWIW, when I used to hunt deer (the 4 legged kind) I used a 35 caliber, lever action rifle with 220 grain round. Each kill required 1 shot that knocked deer off its feet and by the time it managed to get up it took only a couple of steps before it fell for good. Never had to fire a 2nd round and never had to chase a wounded animal thru the woods.
MOD: I won't post anymore in this thread about this topic.
If others want to post, perhaps another thread can be opened.
