Best .22lr Pistols - Is the .22 LR a good choice for concealed carry? Most of the time probably not. But in some cases, a .22 that you can shoot well and can afford to feed definitely beats the alternatives. In Part 7 of our Pocket Pistol series, I offer some specific recommendations for .22 LR and small handguns for self-defense (and some to avoid). The focus is on the best of the smallest and lightest .22s available, but I've also covered a few models in the compact category.
Watch the video below for all the details, or just scroll down and read the full transcript.
Best .22lr Pistols
In parts 4 and 5 of our pocket pistol series, I discussed the pros and cons of relying on the humble .22 LR for self-defense. This cartridge has below average ballistic performance, and feed and fire failures are far more common than target ammo. But .22 LR ammunition also offers the unique advantages of extremely low recoil and low cost. For some people, this means they are more likely to practice, building both skill and confidence, if their concealed carry pistol is a .22.
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Since the reliability issues of the .22 caliber are a very real concern, careful selection of the rifle to carry is even more important with this caliber than usual. I'll make some recommendations based on my experience, and since this is part of our pocket pistol series, I'll start with the smallest pistols and then talk about some slightly larger .22s at the end.
If you're going to carry a small .22, a double-action pistol with a breast muzzle is probably the way to go to avoid most of these reliability issues. They're not perfect, especially if you don't keep them clean, but for the most part, the worst you'll encounter is the occasional light primer hit. In that case, just press the trigger again and continue shooting.
I can recommend two lightweight .22 LR models: the Smith & Wesson 43 C and the Ruger LCR 22. I've been playing with the 43 C a lot lately and I have to say: I'm really having fun with this thing. It weighs just 11.5 ounces empty and 12.3 ounces fully loaded with eight bullets. That's about the same weight as a loaded .380 Ruger LCP and lighter than any other double-action pistol I know of.
The 43 C comes standard with an XS front white dot sight and a large U-shaped notch in the top strap for the rear sight. To me, these sights are a huge improvement over the traditional J-arm front sight with a square notch in the rear. I can get a more decent sight picture for that important first shot from the holster.
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Like most J-frames, the trigger on the 43 C is less than stellar and like most .22 pistols, it is heavier than its centerfire counterparts. Even after being thoroughly hacked, it weighs about 12 pounds and isn't particularly smooth. But there is a silver lining to this. A lightweight 22 shot like this is a great way to learn how to operate a tight double action trigger. If you can learn to consistently press the 12-pound trigger straight into the rear of a 12-ounce pistol without blocking the sight or pointing the muzzle off target, you can pick up any .38 or .357 and pull the trigger with no problem.
If a heavy trigger pulls too much and you don't mind a gun that's a few ounces heavier, you might prefer the Ruger LCR 22. The trigger is still a bit heavier than the Centerfire LCR, but most people will find it a big improvement over the 43 C. The LCR 22 has Also an 8 shot cylinder and weighs 15.5 ounces fully loaded, which is about 3 ounces more than the 43 C.
It's been a while since I've run one, but I reviewed the LCR 22 for our blog a few years ago. Like all the other LCRs I've tried, I was pretty impressed with it and wouldn't hesitate to recommend one.
If you want to learn more about the basic differences between the Ruger LCR and Smith & Wesson J-frames, be sure to check out the comparison video I made last week.
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Smith & Wesson and Roger also make .22 Magnum versions of these pistols. I will talk about these and the .22 Magnum cartridge in general in the next installment of our pocket pistol series.
Ok, let's talk .22 semi-autos for concealed carry. In part four I noted that there are only two .22 semi-autos in current production that are truly pocket sized. I wouldn't call either of them ideal options for personal defense, but a much better one is the Beretta 21A Bobcat.
This gun has an upper barrel like the Beretta 950 I talked about a few weeks ago. This allows you to load the chamber without moving the slide. Also, like the 950, it has a manual safety, a release magnet on the left side of the grip, and small, almost useless mirrors. Unlike the 950, it's a double/single action pistol, and at least for my hands, it's a much more ergonomic design, mainly because it's a bit bigger.
The double trigger on this gun is quite heavy and very long. But the single action is nice and has an extremely short reset. Thanks to that and the slight recoil, even if I throw one of these things as fast as my finger can squeeze the trigger, I can usually still keep it reasonably on target.
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This gun is an older used model, so it's not necessarily the best example to judge the reliability of the 21A in general. I had a few minor primer hits and feed failures with it while shooting CCI Mini-Mags and Stingers. This gun performs much better with standard velocity .22 ammo, which is what the owner's manual recommends.
This little guy is much smaller than a muzzleloader, but other than that it has no real advantages. Loaded, it's about an ounce heavier than the 43 C. Capacity is the same. For the first shot, the trigger is no better. The scenes are much worse. It is much more sensitive to ammo. And if you need to troubleshoot, getting a good grip on this little slide is no easy task.
I don't mean to be anti-gun on a semi-auto tangent, but I just want to make it clear that there are some serious trade-offs associated with carrying a .22 semi-auto pocket pistol.
Speaking of compromises, the other choice you have for a .22 pocket pistol is the Taurus PT-22. I've also had a few people ask me about other small budget .22 pistols that I wouldn't consider small enough to be pocket sized like the Phoenix Arms HP22 and the Bersa Thunder 22. I understand that some examples of these guns work great, but they are budget pistols for a reason , not because the people making them are trying to be altruistic. Carrying a .22 is already a big compromise. Carrying a small .22 semi-auto is an even bigger compromise. Unless you have no other choice, do you really think it's wise to push your luck even further by trusting your life to a .22 that was designed to be as cheap to manufacture as humanly possible?
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If I were limited to carrying a 22 compact, but it doesn't have to be as small as a pocket gun, I'd go with the Smith & Wesson M&P 22 Compact. I picked one up when they first came out a few years ago and have put it through thousands of rounds with no problems since. It feeds any type of ammo I put in it.
On top of that it has a nice single action style trigger and a really well designed manual safety. The factory sights are decent and there are some aftermarket options if you want to change them. I can't guarantee that all of these guns perform as well as mine, but I haven't heard many complaints from other M&P .22 Compact owners either.
That's all relative, though, as it still has all the drawbacks that come with any .22 pistol. If you like the .22 more for the reduced recoil than the cheap ammo, there are probably better options for self defense. For example, the .380 M&P Shield EZ is very similar to the M&P .22 Compact, but equipped with a cartridge that is much more suitable for a combat pistol. I'll talk about this a little later in our series when we review the .380s, but I wanted to go ahead and put the plug
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