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.22 LR vs. .22 WMR 2" revolver

utbrowningmanutbrowningman Member Posts: 2,767 ✭✭✭
edited November 2013 in Ask the Experts
I'd like to get my wife a Ruger LCR for protection. She does not like larger calibers and getting the .22 in her hand will be a job to start. The .22 Ruger LCR comes LR or WMR. I've heard that in short-barreled revolvers, the ballistic advantage of the WMR over the LR is negligible. The LR comes with 8 shots as opposed to 6 in the WMR and the LR ammo is "cheaper."
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Comments

  • charliemeyer007charliemeyer007 Member Posts: 6,572 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    A gun she will carry and actually shoot enough to become proficient with gets my vote. 8 vs. 6, I'd lean towards the 8. Myself I consider a 38 Special as a minimum, but a 25 ACP has been known to get the job done. Can you get her to a range that rents them for her to try?
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  • rufe-snowrufe-snow Member Posts: 18,650 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    If she's gun shy a 22 WMR from a 2" barrel is going to ruin her day. Between the muzzle blast and flash, she is not going to be a happy camper. I had one of the .22 mag High Standard Derringers, years back. Shooting it at a indoor range, caused every person shooting on the line to pucker up.

    Get her the 8 shot in 22 LR. Load it with the Aguila 60 grain Super Sniper cartridges. They have low velocity, but a lot of penetration and tumble. Probably the best bet from a short barreled .22 revolver.
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  • 11b6r11b6r Member Posts: 16,584 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The .22 LR actually maxes out in about 12 inches of barrel- the .22 mag, different powder, maxes out at about 16" of barrel- which means at 2-3 inches of barrel, is still burning powder after bullet has left the building- uh, the barrel. You MIGHT get another 100 fps over the .22 LR, if that, and, as said right up there, a LOT of muzzle flash. Ammo will be significantly more expensive. Me, I'd go with .22 LR if you really want a .22 caliber.

    But a steel framed .38 revolver loaded with wadcutters has moderate recoil and a lot more authority.
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  • mango tangomango tango Member Posts: 3,833 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    My gun instructor recommended that you never use a 22 for a carry firearm, 22's are more prone to malfunction than a center fire cartridge. I've had many 22 malfunctions in my 40 years of shooting! How many times have you had a 22 that didn't fire, then put the same bullet back in, and it fired, that's a quality issue in the priming process, and it happens quite often, not something I would put my life on!
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  • MobuckMobuck Member Posts: 14,124 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I'm not a 22WMR fan and I have found the 22lr from a 2" barrel "unimpressive". That said, I can understand your reasoning and intentions. My Daughter has RA and simply doesn't have the hand strength to handle much recoil. I got her a Taurus 94 2" in 22lr which she can manipulate well enough. Four inch would be better and not much harder to conceal. The 2" of extra barrel makes it easier to shoot and adds a tiny margin in performance. My tests indicate the best bullet performance with 2" barrel was from CCI "Velocitor". It penetrated two water filled milk jugs and showed some expansion.
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  • nmyersnmyers Member Posts: 16,890 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have steered my women to a .38 spec S&W J-frame with a Woolf spring kit (installed by a gunsmith who will also smooth the action) & rubber grips, AND given them .38 spec target wadcutters.

    Neal
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  • gunnut505gunnut505 Member Posts: 10,290 ✭
    edited November -1
    This again?!
    When deciding between 22lr and 22wmrf, it's best to consider which one of these "underpowered" rounds you would prefer to get hit with (assuming you can imagine what that's like); it really doesn't matter which platform it gets shot from, as the terminal effects will be very similar (at typical 7-20 foot ranges encountered in most self defense scenarios).
    At close ranges like that; I'd take a Grendel over a revolver.
    Still waiting for the suggestion to carry a 10-22 tucked in your hip pocket.
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  • beantownshootahbeantownshootah Member Posts: 12,776 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Stipulating that there are better calibers out there than ANY .22, IMO .22 magnum from a short barreled gun provides negligible ballistic advantage over a .22LR, with real disadvantages of increased muzzle flash, noise, and expense.

    Given the choice you propose, I'd go with the .22LR.
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  • bigoutsidebigoutside Member Posts: 19,443 ✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by beantownshootah
    Stipulating that there are better calibers out there than ANY .22, IMO .22 magnum from a short barreled gun provides negligible ballistic advantage over a .22LR, with real disadvantages of increased muzzle flash, noise, and expense.

    Given the choice you propose, I'd go with the .22LR.


    Yep.
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  • Riomouse911Riomouse911 Member Posts: 3,492 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Check out the ballistics by google searching "Ballistics by the inch". That site shows real world velocities for these two rounds from a 2" barrel on up.
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