Interesting how many small and underpowered cartridges have been used over the years

[tazman]

Interesting how many small and underpowered cartridges have been used over the years. Anything from 22 caliber and 30 caliber through 32 and 38 short.
Many of these were the favored tools of assassins and in some cases, the military. Many more for self defense.
Certainly these cartridges are, for the most part, obsolete and have been replaced by more powerful rounds, but they were still capable of taking life.
You can't disrespect an old weak(by today's standards) cartridge because it can still kill.
Just as knives and spears, bows and arrows are still capable weapons in the right hands.

[Froogal]

Shooting my Ruger SR22 a few days ago. The target was a defunct pressure tank from the well. The first round made a mark on the tank. If I concentrated, eventually I could put a second round right on top of the first, which made a slightly deeper dent, and the third round made it all the way through. Under powered? Compared to a .38 special, maybe, but I still have no desire to ever be in the way of a .22.

[Winger Ed.]

[QUOTE=tazman;Many of these were the favored tools of assassins .[/QUOTE]

As easy as humans are to kill at short distances, it doesn't take much gun to do it.

Back in the 'Saturday Night Special' days, and folks were all concerned about ballistics on recovered projectiles-
it wasn't uncommon to see people murdered with a $25. RG-22 (short) used that had the barrel unscrewed.

Contacting the frame on the victims body made a decent suppressor, and no ballistics to trace.

[Texas by God]

A funny thing is that the same people who say a .25 ACP is useless for defense won"t volunteer to be shot by one to prove it.....

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[26Charlie]

My favorite story was a pawn broker(?) victimized by two thugs. He pulled out his .25 ACP and shot both in the heart at a range of about 6 inches. Both DRT.

[elmacgyver0]

I absolutely love small underpowered cartridges, almost as much as I like the big ones!

[tazman]

As easy as humans are to kill at short distances, it doesn't take much gun to do it.

Back in the 'Saturday Night Special' days, and folks were all concerned about ballistics on recovered projectiles-
it wasn't uncommon to see people murdered with a $25. RG-22 (short) used that had the barrel unscrewed.

Contacting the frame on the victims body made a decent suppressor, and no ballistics to trace.

I hadn't heard about that one. It would certainly work.

I absolutely love small underpowered cartridges, almost as much as I like the big ones!

I like them also. The biggest problem seems to be getting a quality firearm in those smaller calibers with the exception of the 22LR.

[Hickory]

Had a guy one time come to work with a big bandage over the bridge of his nose. I asked him what happened, he said he got mugged the night before and the mugger shot him between the eyes.
I thought he pulling my leg, but later in the shift someone said his nose began to bleed and when he blow his nose to clear it and a .22 bullet came out, which made the bleeding worse.

[Winger Ed.]

I hadn't heard about that one. It would certainly work.

My Mom was a ER Supervisor nurse. See told me one time they removed a .22 bullet
from someone that didn't have the usual rifling marks.
It caught her eye that there were powder burns from a gunshot, but no rifling marks on the slug.

A few years later, I was talking to a cop buddy and mentioned it to him.
He explained how it was done, and said they saw cases like that on occasion in the inner city.

[Mk42gunner]

I've said it before, but it bears repeating-- Many of these small caliber rounds were developed before antibiotics, and infection from even a small wound could kill a person.

Robert

[charlie b]

People use .22 rimfire to kill deer and people. Just put it in the right spot from the right range.

OTOH, I knew of some kids who decided to play russian roulette. The one that shot himself in the head with the .22 revolver was out of the hospital in a few days. The bullet skidded around the skull under the skin and came out on the other side of the head. He had a slight concussion and loss of blood but no other damage.

And no I would not want to be shot with one, but, I don't want to be shot by a BB gun (again) either

When carrying a pistol I'd rather know it has enough power to do what I need it to do and not have to fire at a very small spot from a very specific angle to ensure penetration to a vital organ.

[Don Purcell]

A funny thing is that the same people who say a .25 ACP is useless for defense won"t volunteer to be shot by one to prove it.....

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I would also not like to have anyone shoot me with a slingshot either.

[jcren]

My wife is an RN. She was woorking a small town hospital when they had a guy come in that had been gut shot with a .22 pocket pistol during a drug deal. Thought he was tough and has his girl friend drive him around for an hour looking for the shooter before he went to the hospital. They medi-flighted him to the best hospital in the state and he died the next day. One round nosed slug from a 2" barreled, cheapo pistol.

[M-Tecs]

Hundreds of million head of cattle and pigs have been slaughtered with a 22 rimfire.

[stubshaft]

Both Garfield and McKinley were assassinated with .32 S&W shorts.

[edp2k]

Many people confuse killing with stopping an attack.
For example, dysentary can kill you, and kills may people around the world,
but infecting an attacker with it wont stop the attack.

A small caliber round can kill you, but odds are that death will occur 2 weeks later from
infection/complications.
Do you want to bet you life on that kind of defense?

[rintinglen]

What we are discussing are relatively slow, round-nosed projectiles that have minimal penetrative capabilities. My ex-wife’s Uncle John Smith shot a German Soldier with his Enfield 38 and the bullet barely penetrated the heavy overcoat and thick uniform clothing to inflict a minor wound that a Corpsman repaired by popping out the bullet from the wounded German’s chest, dusting the wound with sulfa and applying a bandage.
However, despite the insignificant injury, the gun and cartridge worked. Realizing he had been shot, unaware of the extent of his injuries and fearing the worst, he dropped his rifle clutched his chest and shouted “Kamerad.” The psychological effect of being shot destroyed his will to fight.
Uncle John had an abysmally low regard for handguns as a result.

[pworley1]

Shot placement is still more important than power and always will be.

[charlie b]

Yes, it is. Just with the smaller calibers there are fewer places where a shot will be immediately lethal.

[rfd]

Yes, it is. Just with the smaller calibers there are fewer places where a shot will be immediately lethal.

aye, and there's the rub. if defending with a .22lr, that means a head shot is the better target, and probably/maybe it will stop a threat.

in a civilian immediate life threatening situation, the crux of the matter is the defense weapon operator and their ability to quickly retrieve said weapon and make an accurate shot in or about 2 seconds. choose a firearm and cartridge carefully, and commit to regular practice with it. then there's the matter of how one can defensive firearm practice. unfortunately, i do believe that most ranges will not allow tactical weapon handling, use, and varied firing situations.