How would a 22 rifle do for Home Defense ?


I

indyyy

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This wouldn't be the first thing I would reach for if I had a home invasion - I have a 357 magnum revolver and 17 round 9mm pistol to go through first.

But I'm curious - I know many say 22lr handguns don't have enough stopping power, how about a Marlin 795 22lr rifle ? They're on sale right now for $159 up the street (heck a decent BB gun costs more). And I hear they're very accurate, good quality rifles. It comes with a 10 round mag and can get a 35 round mag for shooting fun. If nothing else, it would probably be fun to shoot and I could always hunt rabbits if i get real hungry.

Just wondering - how would the 795 do as a last resort home defense gun until I find a nice shotgun on sale ?
 

Use whatever means available. If all you had was a slingshot, then by god use a slingshot.

Someone getting shot won't know what caliber they're getting shot with. They just know they got shot.

Stopping power is for the attacker who is either on a drug or is extremely determined.
 
A home invasion in my old home town involved the home owner defending his family with a .22 rifle. I don't know if that was the only gun he had or if that was the first gun he could get his hands on. Either way things turned out ok (for him). Out of the three invaders two are taking dirt naps and the other one was arrested. One perp died on the scene the other two ran out of the house to a car and quickly sped away. About 30 minutes someone dumped a dead body at the emergency room drop off at a local hospital. Police got the tag number from the security camera and tied him to the home invasion. He was arrested and charged with the deaths of his two buddies.

Bottom line is that a .22 can kill with proper shot placement. It might not be the ideal self defense weapon and it would not be my first go-to caliber but if that is all you have then it is what it is and make your shots count. You said you already have a .357 and a 9mm. Both of those guns would be a much better choice for home defense than a .22 but few survive a close encounter with a 12 gauge. In a CQ environment a shotgun is hard to beat. If you are debating your next purchase, go for the shotgun.
 
you can get a cheap 12 ga. for under $200, IMHO a wiser purchase than a .22 rifle for home defense
 
The Walther or Ruger 22lr semi auto pistol would not be a bad choice. Just make sure the ammo you use will cycle correctly. Some 22's don't like lead round nose and will prove it at an inopportune time. The nice thing about the 22 is you are back on target instantly. You could probably squeeze off a 10 round mag quicker than you could fire 3 rounds on target from a 380 or bigger. It was a 22lr that killed Robert Kennedy and almost killed Reagan.
 
Would a .22 rifle be a viable option for home defense? Sure. Is it anywhere near the best option? IMHO, no. Your 9mm has much better stopping power, and at typical home defense distances, accuracy is not a problem. One of the best long guns for home defense is a pump action shotgun, and you can get a BRAND NEW one for $Link Removed+ $20 transfer fee = the exact same amount you're paying for the Marlin 795.

It sounds like you want the 795 for other reasons, and are trying to use the home defense as a justification to buy it. If you want the gun, hey, it's $150, get the damn gun! But just realize that if home defense is your primary reason for getting it, there's better options for the same price.
 
My son took down a violent home invader when he was 16 years old. Used a Ruger 10/22. 40 grain solid point rounds punched right through the bad guy's sternum. He was down and dead in seven paces.

A .22 RIFLE is great for home defense. Not so the case with a .22 pistol...so said the homicide detectives I had to deal with. Also, solid point ammo, not hollow points.

My only concern is reliability. As long as the rifle / magazine combination is totally reliable, then a 22 will certainly do the job. (though I still prefer a 9mm carbine)
 
you can get a cheap 12 ga. for under $200, IMHO a wiser purchase than a .22 rifle for home defense
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yes, my friend suggests Mossberg 500 combo that has interchangeable 18 and 26 in barrels for SD and hunting. I'm not much of a hunter tho, and can find Mossberg 500 18" for around $275 online. Locally it's around $340.

Go with a shotgun, at least you can find ammo for it.
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i talked with them a couple weeks ago and they had 100 round box of 22lr and the guy said he could only sell it to someone who bought the rifle lol. Maybe that's why they're on sale
 
I had a HiPoint 40sw carbine before I traded it in for an AR15 and I can tell you that the HP carbine can do some serious damage. An AR15 223 is considered safer to use in the house than the pistol/pistol cal carbine and the shotgun but you have to have the right ammo for the job.
 
I used to think a 22LR platform would be a bad choice. But a buddy of mine bought one of these M&P AR clones and outfitted it with an inexpensive laser/flashlight pressure switch kit (about $45) and I'll be danged if that thing is not pretty darn impressive.

35 rd mags loaded with high quality high velocity CCI mini mags and Velocitors ... fast as you can pull the trigger it is dead bang accurate at 50 meters.

It's all he could afford ... it's dang impressive for what it is. My first try I was able to put about 25 of 35 shots in a pie plate at 50 meters at dusk inside of ten seconds using the laser.

Indoors in the dark I imagine it might be just the ticket on a tight budget.

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scrooster said:
I used to think a 22LR platform would be a bad choice. But a buddy of mine bought one of these M&P AR clones and outfitted it with an inexpensive laser/flashlight pressure switch kit (about $45) and I'll be danged if that thing is not pretty darn impressive.

35 rd mags loaded with high quality high velocity CCI mini mags and Velocitors ... fast as you can pull the trigger it is dead bang accurate at 50 meters.

It's all he could afford ... it's dang impressive for what it is. My first try I was able to put about 25 of 35 shots in a pie plate at 50 meters at dusk inside of ten seconds using the laser.

Indoors in the dark I imagine it might be just the ticket on a tight budget.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk
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From a rifle they hit roughly like a .380. If you have it handy, then why not... but, a handgun is going to be typically easier to get from being properly stored and anything after a .380 will hit harder.
 
aacx22 said:
From a rifle they hit roughly like a .380. If you have it handy, then why not... but, a handgun is going to be typically easier to get from being properly stored and anything after a .380 will hit harder.
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The subject line begs the question how would a 22 RIFLE do for home defense.

Not a .380 pistol.

There is no parallel to be drawn between the two.

The rifle is more accurate, has a magazine capacity considerably higher, is typically more functional and reliable ... especially in the hands of a novice.

Additionally, .380 is five times the price of 22LR ... when either can be found. Thus the 22LR lends itself to more practice.

I stand by my assertion above about what a great little rig the M&P 22LR AR clone is for the entry level homeowner/novice shooter.

.380 ACP outta anything is the last thing I would personally recommend to any novice shooter looking for an entry level platform with which to defend their home.

IMHO a good shotgun should be the first choice. But the OP asked specifically about a 22 rifle ... so I answered him honestly and succinctly.



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scrooster said:
The subject line begs the question how would a 22 RIFLE do for home defense.

Not a .380 pistol.

There is no parallel to be drawn between the two.

The rifle is more accurate, has a magazine capacity considerably higher, is typically more functional and reliable ... especially in the hands of a novice.

Additionally, .380 is five times the price of 22LR ... when either can be found. Thus the 22LR lends itself to more practice.

I stand by my assertion above about what a great little rig the M&P 22LR AR clone is for the entry level homeowner/novice shooter.

.380 ACP outta anything is the last thing I would personally recommend to any novice shooter looking for an entry level platform with which to defend their home.

IMHO a good shotgun should be the first choice. But the OP asked specifically about a 22 rifle ... so I answered him honestly and succinctly.



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What I said was "From a rifle they hit roughly like a .380" and here is my reference:

Ballistics by the inch
Best .380 energy with a 2" barrel about 170 ft lbs

Ballistics by the inch
Best .22lr energy with a 18" barrel about 170 ft lbs

Certainly there are more things that come into play like price and practice... but I added the actual force that the bullets hit with, and that handguns are typically easier to store and get to, to the conversation.
 
Better than a sharp stick I suppose but like others have said and I agree, get a 12/20ga shotgun for home defense however a 22 rifle should be in every gun owner's collection because they are just plain fun to shoot and cheap too.
 
You guys are forgetting he's got a 357 and a 9mm for HD. IIRC it was reported that more BGs died from 22s than the popular pistol calibers because more folks have 22s and used them.

By the way my AR15 is a 22 cal. :sarcastic:
 
Thanks for the posts guys. They were selling a bucket of ammo with 1400 rounds of 22lr @ 8 cents per round at a gun show I went to on Friday - not as good a price as it used to be, but seemed fair to me with the shortage of supply these days. So, I got the bucket and then the Marlin 795 rifle along with the 25 round pro mag magazine for it.

I got this for my wife who is 60 yo, has arthritis and fibromyalgia. She's only shot a handgun once when her x had her shoot one and says the recoil hurt her hand after firing it just once and she stopped shooting. So, I wanted to start her on the 22 rifle because I knew it's kick would be almost negligible. And if she didn't like it, I could use it at the range for target practice.

We went to the range yesterday, she shot about 55 rounds though the rifle and had a blast - it didn't hurt her hand or shoulder at all.

I think a shotgun might hurt her shoulder to shoot, but plan on getting one for myself and will let her try shooting it if she wants.

Since she was able to handle the Marlin rifle with no problem, I think I will let her work with it through the winter and in spring find a little larger caliber rifle for her to work with. A 38 or larger caliber handgun would probably hurt her hand, but since rifles absorb much more of the shock and are pushed snug against the shoulder they're probably the best way to go for her.

I've gotten fairly familiar with the different calibers for handguns, but rifles are new to me, so if any of you want to offer tips on them, I'd appreciate it. Do 9mm rifles shoot the same ammo as 9mm luger pistols, or are they a different length or something? And as far as caliber goes, what are the different calibers that are fired through rifles? Since she would use it in the home for SD, what are some of the shorter length, lighter weight rifles (again talking larger than 22 now) And any other info you feel might be worth knowing.
 
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