Should You Consider A Rimfire Firearm For Home Defense?

When I was asked to write an article on rimfires for self-­defense, I had to take a minute to reflect on how I got myself into this predicament. I grew up with a .22 constantly in my hands. To say that a rimfire won’t kill larger game animals would likely come from someone who hasn’t tried. As a kid of a South Dakota farmer who raised beef cattle and other critters, I must say the .22 has more uses than for vermin. I say all of this to lead you in the direction of understanding my thought process. Fast forward to the time of my life when I decided to stop driving a tractor and start jumping from airplanes, and you will begin to see the correlation.

Militaries Like ’Em

When I arrived at the U.S. 5th Special Forces Group and caught the next thing smoking to Saudi Arabia, I thought things were going to get real. I was fresh from Arabic language school, and even though I couldn’t communicate with most people who spoke Arabic, I felt like I had accomplished something. I had a fresh Green Beret on my head and plenty of attitude. In reality, I was definitely a “greenhorn” with two cherry stems poking out. When I arrived and received my first assignment, I was not excited to say the least. I would be working as an SF communication man inside of the base station trailer. At this point, I bet you are confused as to what this has to do with rimfires. I was a little confused, too. Then I was asked to go to the range. Immediately, the leadership in 5th Group knew I had one skill that was solid — the ability to shoot. Soon, a few more doors opened up. One happened to be demonstrating a few weapon systems for visiting dignitaries. Two of the weapons I would demonstrate were suppressed  pistols. One was a rimfire and one was a centerfire.

The rimfire pistol was a Ruger Mark II with an integral suppressor. The other pistol was a .38 Special revolver that had been modified to shoot specialized ammunition that had a .22-­caliber projectile. The cartridges had a small, plastic sleeve that would seal the gap between the front of the cylinder and the forcing cone of the barrel. This bad boy was unbelievably quiet. I would find out later that the penetration left a little to be desired, but all in all, it was truly the weapon that makes us think about James Bond and the Mossad, Israel’s Secret Intelligence Service. So, many years have passed, and my days as a Special Operations soldier are over, and still we are talking about rimfires for personal defense. If the United States military’ special forces use these tools and Israeli secret agents use these tools, there may be some merit.

Reasons for Choosing

Why in the world would we choose a .22 for home defense and personal protection? First is the fact that a smaller-­caliber pistol or carbine is just easier to shoot. Second would be the sound. Rimfires are quieter. I say this from the standpoint that most incidents of confrontation will happen without hearing protection. I am sure the point most of you are looking for is the fact that the .22LR is more effective than 9mm or the dinosaur-­dropping .45 ACP. Well, that would be a lie, so I can’t be part of that discussion. The .22 is just another option for those that feel they can more confidently use a small-­caliber pistol or carbine.  Speaking of carbines, why not the .22 carbine for home defense? As an acquaintance of mine said, “I have a carbine with a light and 25 rounds of CCI Stingers. I can use it, my wife can use it and my teenage daughter can use it.” He has a point. If building a home-­defense setup allows everyone in the family to use it, it starts to make more sense. The other point he made was the reference to CCI Stingers, which are advertised as copper-­plated hollowpoints launched at hyper-­velocity. That’s 1,600 feet per second (fps). That is pretty good compared to many that barely make 1,300 fps.

If you have followed my ramblings in the past, you may have heard me state, “If you’re going to carry a gun, carry a gun.” When I made this statement in the past, I definitely wasn’t talking about the .22 rimfire. But what if I were? Would you be disappointed that a dude with a background such as mine chose to carry a .22, or would you laugh at the fact that the tactical dude has lost his marbles? I do on many occasions carry a .22 rimfire pistol in my travels across our property. If I come across an armadillo or a raccoon, they can be dispatched quickly. The .22 allows easy carry and creates less noise than a 9mm. The question inside my brain is this: Would you actually carry a .22LR for self-­defense? Yes! There it is, I said it. If I knew a gunfight was eminent, would I carry a rimfire? Heck no. I would carry the biggest, baddest, high-­capacity, light-­equipped, flame-­throwing accessorized behemoth I could carry. Once again, “If you are going to carry a gun, carry a gun.” The rimfire is a gun, especially the rimfire carbine with 25 rounds of CCI Stinger hollowpoint ammunition. Maybe the better question should be, “Would you like to be shot with a .22LR?” If your answer is “yes,” I have bad news: You, my friend, are indeed stupid.

Defensive Rimfire Drills

Shooting a .22LR isn’t always the same as shooting a full-­size carbine or pistol. If a drill requires recoil management as a key pillar of the drill, then I wouldn’t use the .22 for training on that drill. If the drill requires driving the gun and single shots, this may be a good time to save some money and abuse by using the smallbore to train. If your drill focuses on accuracy, then the .22 shines. Below are three drills that will make you a better shooter when you transition from the .22LR to your full-­power weaponry. Have fun and don’t forget to write down those scores to keep track of your progress.

1. Chaos Drill

With five targets set one foot apart, start shooting from a cone 5 yards from the center target. We shoot this drill from 5 yards to get better at driving the pistol or carbine from target to target. On the start signal, shoot the targets in the following order with one round each: 1-­2-­1-­3-­1-­4-­1-­5-­1-­4-­1-­3-­1-­2-­1. You should see the method. There is no way to cheat when driving the gun since you have to figure out which target and drive the gun to that target. This drill requires 15 rounds. Always lead with your eyes and make good shots. Be in a hurry to drive, but take your time squeezing the trigger.

2. 500-­Point Aggregate

You can either use one target for all shots or separate targets for each string. The target should be scored as marked on your target. I usually shoot this drill from 20 to 25 yards. If you are new to the gun, start at 15 yards. All start positions are from your retention position with both hands on the pistol. The progression is as follows:

• 10 rounds freestyle
• 10 rounds strong hand only
• 10 rounds support hand only
• 10 rounds, timed fire: 30 seconds
• 10 rounds, rapid fire: 15 seconds

3. 100-­Yard Aggregate

This drill uses your .22LR to get better at shooting from various positions. Some like to shorten the distances, and that’s fine, but I prefer to shoot the same distance I would shoot my carbine. We’re working on sight picture and trigger squeeze, so the distance drives home the point. Shooters have 1 minute at each yard line. Start in the standing position for each yard line. Position progression:

• 100 yards 10 rounds prone
• 75 yards 10 rounds sitting
• 50 yards 10 rounds kneeling
• 25 yards 10 rounds standing

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