Ruger LCR 22mag

tone59

They have Ruger 22 magnum LCRs on sale at my local store($368.99).

I have read the 22mag has about the same energy as a 38spc.
Is this true?
And do the numbers change much when fired from a snubbie?
I would like to hear opinions on the 22mag as a defensive round.

Also any comments plus or minus regarding the LCR.
thank you

11b6r

Fired from a rifle, possibly.

Yes, you drop a LOT in a snubby. .22 Mag was designed to use the length of a rifle barrel.

Great site called "Ballistics by the inch".

From a snubby-
.38 Special- maxes at about 226 ft lbs
.22 Mag- maxes at about 78 ft lbs
.22 LR- maxes at about 63 ft lbs

If I had to chose between a .22 mag and a ring of keys for self defense, I would take the mag. Otherwise, no. But from a snubby you DO get a heck of a fireball- you might set opponent on fire.... [:p]

62fuelie

AND out of a snubbie the muzzle blast is incredible!!

rsnyder55

I used to have a S&W revolver in 22mag with an 8 3/8" barrel and it was the most painful on the ears pistol I ever shot. Even with hearing protection it was unpleasant.

I have a 22LR/22mag Ruger Single Six that I very rarely use due to the muzzle blast and the cost of ammunition. Last I looked, 50 rounds of 22mag hollow points was running over $16.00 per box and still difficult to get.

I cannot imagine using the 22mag for self defense in a short barreled revolver where you won't have the luxury of any hearing protection.

tone59

Thanks guys for your comments.

beantownshootah

quote:>>I have read the 22mag has about the same energy as a 38spc.
Is this true?

From a RIFLE, yes, *BUT* the numbers are a bit deceiving. Since kinetic energy reflects the square of velocity, small lightweight bullets tend to have disproportionate amounts of KE. All *else* being equal, the round with more KE is "better" but bullet weight and diameter still matter.

quote:>>And do the numbers change much when fired from a snubbie
Yes, again. .22 mag ballistics go right down the toilet from a snubbie. .22 magnum is a RIFLE round, requiring a long barrel for the powder to burn and the bullet to achieve its nice high velocity.

From a short (ie 2") or less pocket pistol barrel, what happens is that the bullet quickly leaves the barrel with most of the powder unburned. Once the bullet is out of the barrel, that powder doesn't help accelerate the bullet at all, but it does burn outside the barrel making a nice bright fireball to help blind the shooter at night (it can also be helpful for setting things on fire).

Because of the short-barrel effect, .22 magnum really doesn't start to perform ballistically better than .22LR until you get to a 3" bbl or longer, and even then it only does about 10% better than .22LR.

EG a typical 40 grain .22 magnum will get about 880 FPS from a 2" pistol barrel. A typical 40 grain .22 LR will get about 860 fps.

In my opinion that's simply not enough ballistics advantage to choose .22 magnum over .22LR from a snubnose or small pocket auto platform, especially given increased cost of .22 magnum, decreased variety of available ammo, and the flash issue mentioned above.

quote:>>I would like to hear opinions on the 22mag as a defensive round.

While I wouldn't call it "worthless" (ie I'd rather have one of these than the proverbial pointed stick), IMO .22 magnum from a short barreled pistol is an overall lousy performer and one of the worst small caliber defensive rounds out there. I'd go so far as to say I can't recommend a .22 mag snubnose to anyone (for anything . . .ever).

Many people who buy these do so because they're suckered by the word "magnum", not realizing that there is no "magnum" effect from a pocket pistol.

IMO, if you're going to carry something as large as an LCR, you should simply get a .38, which offers substantially better terminal ballistics. if you can't handle the recoil of a .38, then the next best option is to switch to low recoil .38s, which should still significantly outperform .22 magnum from a snubnose platform.

tone59

All comments make good sense.
I plan to buy a DAO revolver as a practical weapon to be fired from within a pocket/purse.

My father left me a SW 651 2 incher along with a good amount of 22mag ammo.
Never fired the LN 651.
I considered the LCR when the DAO 22mag came on sale at what seemed a good price.
I will be passing on this LCR as it now seems a poor 2in choice.

As for a DAO 38spc it will be a SW 442 or 642.

EDIT:
An LCR in 22LR with 8 vs 6 capacity and less muzzle flash makes a little more sense.

Thanks again guys for sharing your knowledge.