Odd situation

I have been a Concealed Carry Instructor for over 25 years and have always had a handgun available for self-defense if needed. I am not a regular handgun shooter but shoot .40's 10mm and .45 L/C every once in a while, to stay ready. At 78 I have developed arthritis in my hands and my ability to handle recoil and shoot accurately has left me. I have started carrying a Ruger Mark 2 .22 in my truck and left the big bores at home. I feel I can confidently I can control my shots and get several shots off on target at self-defense ranges. The gun does not fire reliably with hollow points but does well with round nose copper jacketed ammo.
Under the circumstances what is the general opinion of the stopping power?

My General Opinion: Well, lots of people and deer have been killed by a .22 L.R. Several shots is a plus and adds to the probability of a stop. Better than a sharp stick. Definitely not a .45.

DG

Shot placement is key if it is needed. Better than a rape whistle, or stunning them with a bikini photo of Hillary (present day)!

I also carry a Ruger Mk 2 in my car, along with a .38 snubbie. For what it’s worth, mine likes Federal ammo above all else - so you might try different makes before declaring HP’s to be nonfunctional.

As you well know, these pistols are very accurate so several shots in rapid succession would likely stop anyone who wasn’t wearing body armor, and even if they were, you would be able to aim for the throat or eyes with a great chance of scoring hits.

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Originally Posted by jednorris

I have been a Concealed Carry Instructor for over 25 years and have always had a handgun available for self-defense if needed. I am not a regular handgun shooter but shoot .40's 10mm and .45 L/C every once in a while, to stay ready. At 78 I have developed arthritis in my hands and my ability to handle recoil and shoot accurately has left me. I have started carrying a Ruger Mark 2 .22 in my truck and left the big bores at home. I feel I can confidently I can control my shots and get several shots off on target at self-defense ranges. The gun does not fire reliably with hollow points but does well with round nose copper jacketed ammo.
Under the circumstances what is the general opinion of the stopping power?

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One or two pills to the brain pan seams to take all the fight out of all a perp ???
I carry a .22 mag, hits where I am pointing, reliably, every time...
Try different brands and see what the gun likes ???

I'd try a box or two of CCI mini-mags or Stingers.
For .22 LR, they're about as hot as it gets.

It might not be a one shot stopper but 10 well placed rounds should take care of most situations.

Im 70, and while I am still able to confidently carry a 38 or a 9mm and my hands can do O.K. with the recoil, at some point for all of us as we get older, our bodies begin to go downhill in one way or another. For me, I can't rack some semi-autos like I used to be able to do as my hand strength isn't what it used to be. Thet said, my humble opinion is this . . . .

You are an experienced shooter, a concealed carry instructor, etc. so you are well aware about shot placement, possible situations, etc. - the only thing you don't know is how you will react if you ever get in a situation that you must use your firearm - BUT, nobody does regardless if you are the best trained LEO, former military or just a plain old person with a carry permit - SD situations occur in seconds and you can't plan ahead.

Forget about the arguments about "which caliber is best" - carry what you are able to physically handle. Forget about the arguments on the reliability of rimfire - If you are recoil sensitive to all but a 22 - then carry the 22. I'm familiar with the MK series - you have 10 round magazine and I have a feeling that if you needed to defend yourself, you would be able to empty that magazine quickly and make each shot count - thus the need to practice regularly. I would much rather see someone make 4 hits out of 10 with a 22 than someone make 0 or 1 hit out of 8 with a 9mm - the male bravado of a guy with a 9mm bragging "if I ever have to use my pistol, I'm going to . . . . . " be damned.

When I was in college, I worked ambulance and I also was a firefighter and worked fire rescue for a number of years. I saw the results of more than I care to remember of the results of gunshot wounds - accidental discharges, gunfights, homocides and self inflicted - all with a wide range of calibers from 22 to 45. I just keep my mouth shut and shake my head when I hear someone spout off that a 22 is worthless for anything but gophers and tree rats because I am very much aware of what one 22 round is capable of if it is a well placed shot and how quickly it can take a human life. By the same token, I can remember on call where a big guy attempted to rob a liquor store at knife point and the owner pulled a 22 revolver from under the counter and put 5 rounds into the robber - thigh, hip, two in the upper arm and one in the shoulder - none of them life threatening but the store owner told the responding officers that the guy went down like a rock. When we arrived on the scene, he was crying like a baby and in a world of hurt, but none of us were very sympathetic to him when they double cuffed him to the gurney before we transported him to the ER. I guess the moral to that incident was don't bring a knife to a gunfight.

Good luck to you sir - carry your MKII with confidence with good reliable ammo that you know it handles well and be safe. With God's blessing may you never be called on to have to use it.

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Originally Posted by bedbugbilly

Im 70, and while I am still able to confidently carry a 38 or a 9mm and my hands can do O.K. with the recoil, at some point for all of us as we get older, our bodies begin to go downhill in one way or another. For me, I can't rack some semi-autos like I used to be able to do as my hand strength isn't what it used to be..

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That's me, too. These striker-fired types like Glock have to have heavy recoil springs because they have to cock the striker on the way back to battery. My bedside 9mm therefor is a Walther P1, which doesn't have that problem, (and it has a real safety!).

Living as rural as I do, I have no need to carry (yet), but if I ever do it will be a .38 snubbie. Not confident that I could do the precision shot placement that a .22 requires when under the pressure of an altercation.

We will all be in that same boat some day, good lord willing, I agree with what the others have said. I would practice and become as proficient as possible. I recently bought a Ruger Mk4, I have been surprised by how accurate this pistol really is. I would not feel helpless if that’s what I was armed with. I don’t know about y’all but I wouldn’t want want to be shot with one!

You'll bleed out from a .22 hole in the rite place just like you will from a .45 hole, just slower. Keep in mind that a large number of handgun wounds are not fatal, no matter the caliber.

Depending on "well placed" is living in a fool's paradise. Parroted by those justifying small calibers and, often, by folks who cannot put well placed hits on a stationary target that is not trying to harm them. Stress does not help accuracy.

If a .22 is all you can handle then it is better than nothing. How good are you with the gun at 7 yards on paper firing rapid fire? You will answer your question wrt how effective you might be.

I am getting "there" as well. I stopped carrying the .40's and now down to 9mm. I score better with the 9mm under stress. No issues with them. As I get older, I might drop down to a .38 and if I cannot rack the slide, will use a revolver.

On your .22, try different ammunition, maybe slightly polish the front of the barrel and try different magazines. But the gun must be reliable. If not, get another one.

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Originally Posted by jednorris

I have been a Concealed Carry Instructor for over 25 years and have always had a handgun available for self-defense if needed. I am not a regular handgun shooter but shoot .40's 10mm and .45 L/C every once in a while, to stay ready. At 78 I have developed arthritis in my hands and my ability to handle recoil and shoot accurately has left me. I have started carrying a Ruger Mark 2 .22 in my truck and left the big bores at home. I feel I can confidently I can control my shots and get several shots off on target at self-defense ranges. The gun does not fire reliably with hollow points but does well with round nose copper jacketed ammo.
Under the circumstances what is the general opinion of the stopping power?

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As a 75-yr.-old (or, "three-quarters of a century", as my sister puts it ;)) I have heard a zillion or so discussions on this very topic! To sum them all together, for me, is that a .22 is very much as deadly as, say, your .45 Colt! The major difference being mostly the time from which target receives the bullet until (s)he expires! I recall a sage LEO voicing, "yes -- a .22 short will kill anyone, but generally takes longer so to do than my .357 magnum" to a class I taught.
Shot placement becomes the most important criteria, which is a good one, as your .22 should provide pin-point accuracy compared to perhaps that which you might experience with a big-bore having your arthritic condition.
One .22 in each knee-cap might have more "stopping power" than, say, a .40 S&W targeted to a shoulder? Just a guessed thought -- but for any target shooting now, I am pretty confident I can still get pretty much ALL shots on a pie-sized paper plate, off hand, at 50 feet with my .22 revolver. With, say, a .45 Colt? I don't even dare ;) suggesting an answer...
Summary? Practice and practice with your .22; and, God willing it will never be needed, but................
geo

Ill preface this by saying I have never really looked at the actual stopping power of this cartridge. But maybe take a look at pistols in 22TCM.

Ive fired a few of them and the recoil seemed next to nothing to me. The recoil spring in the pistols are light and its easy to rack them too. And if youre a 1911 fan you would be able to easily find a pistol for a decent price in this caliber.

If anything the noise and fireball from the gun will deter just about anything. One of the times shooting this cartridge at an indoor range the guy in the stall next to me said "Let me know the next time youre bringing artillery to the range so I can double up my hearing protection."

I was thinking along those lines but for my gf for home defense. She has a S&W 38, but I think something like the Walther WMP in 22mag would be better. I have a case of 22 mag so no problem with ammo.. I cannot shoot revolvers due to nerve damage that causes the grip to twist on me. I have to get the houge grips to even shoot them. Good luck.
Ron

I too have heard all the arguments and pay little attention too them. I carry what suits me for my situation as best as I can. I will stress this, doesn't matter what you carry it must be as dependable as possible.

That said, I do like the dependability of center fire ammo and do like a 38 spcl loaded to what I can handle.

I am 71 and my hands are not what they used to be so I understand what is going on, we just have to adapt and keep moving.

I have built several 22/45 Lite Ruger guns for ladies, the slide is easy for them to operate and with a Voquartzen trigger kit, the 4-5" is very handy and accurate. Has a 1911 grip. You could buy the full Voq kit from Brownells for just over $100.
With demand those little guns have almost doubled in price since I built the first one.

Real use: any increase in weight is an increase in penetration, they make a 45 grain, which is a 13% increase in weight and Anguilla makes a 60 grain SSS a 50% increase in weight with a stated 18" penetration. Penetration, not speed, is the terminal effect of a 22 or 25.

I firmly believe that when a person is no longer able to reliably function a larger auto or a revolver, for any reason, then I can help them to create something they can function reliably in order to defend themselves
This is one of hose 22/45 Lite guns I created for the wife of a deployed operator, a gift for his service.

Check out federal Punch 22. Tons of videos on YouTube testing them. Non expanding, flat nose jacketed. Often a bigger wound channel than hp's and always penetrate far better than expanding rounds.

I think Jeff Cooper once wrote something to the effect that on the lower side of stopping power, he ranked the .22 rimfire as better than any form of hand to hand, and his fists as better than a .25 ACP in any platform...LOL

Your adversary will be fatally wounded by the 22LR, but dies later, after he has returned fire & killed you. Sorry.

The adrenaline surge will allow you to fire your larger weapon. Go big.