22 WMR v's 22 LR

[jacobmuller]

Found it whilst browsing G&A, possibly a link into where the idea for the scout rifle came from, but I've a lousey memory. For that matter, it's been so long since I read G&A or anything like it, I didn't even know he was dead until I read the article...

Didn't mention magnum, just "22 pistol". The.308 rifle for game, the pistol for home defence. I know he would vote for bigger bore combat pistols but this wasn't a pistol for combat.

[DouglasCole]

Originally Posted by jacobmuller

Found it whilst browsing G&A, possibly a link into where the idea for the scout rifle came from, but I've a lousey memory. For that matter, it's been so long since I read G&A or anything like it, I didn't even know he was dead until I read the article...

Didn't mention magnum, just "22 pistol". The.308 rifle for game, the pistol for home defence. I know he would vote for bigger bore combat pistols but this wasn't a pistol for combat.

For home defense, you want some of the same aspects as combat though.

By and large, if you have to shoot at someone in your home, you're going to want them just as dead as if you're shooting at them in combat. You ARE in combat.

So, depending on what you're doing:

For random "someone's breaking into my house" home defense, a shotgun or pistol is good. You likely won't be going through ten clips worth of ammo or nothing; one or two defenders vs a small number of attackers (often one) will be the most likely scenario. Any sort of man-stopping pistol would do, and the .22LR and probably even the .22WMR are both not really in that category. Pretty much anything pi- will not be.

The .22WMR at 40gr and 580m/s is 2d+2 pi-. Given soft lead, though, rather than jacketed, it's likely to be worse at armor penetration than usual FMJ type rounds, although less of a spreading bullet than a designed hollow point.

My calcs have the Five-seveN at 2d+1; it's a bit lighter in weight and not appreciably different in velocity.

However, recently I found this website: http://www.eliteammunition.net/catal...14/7701258.htm where some aftermarket guys are loading 45 and 55 grain bullets to 1975 and 1800fps out of the 5-7 PISTOL. That might get you the 2d+3 pi rating; the lighter, faster more than the slower one (you need a certain velocity to fragment), but both if properly designed for fragmentation will be pretty comparable to 9mm or even 10mm in penetration, and equivalent to .45ACP in wounding. Can't ask much more of a pistol with 20 rounds in it...

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by DouglasCole

The .22WMR at 40gr and 580m/s is 2d+2 pi-. Given soft lead, though, rather than jacketed, it's likely to be worse at armor penetration than usual FMJ type rounds, although less of a spreading bullet than a designed hollow point.

You are a champ, DC! For some reason, I kept coming up with 2d+1 for the .22 WMR, and was convincing myself that that was too high :?

[DouglasCole]

Originally Posted by Not another shrubbery

You are a champ, DC! For some reason, I kept coming up with 2d+1 for the .22 WMR, and was convincing myself that that was too high :?

I'll note that in certain regimes, notably small caliber bullets of poor structural integrity moving VERY fast (5.56x45mm, I'm looking at you!) my system tends to overestimate the penetration by a point. For the M193 round (55gr 5.56x45mm at 990m/s) I get 5d+1; for the M855 (62gr at 945m/s) I get 5d+2. I KNOW the 55gr round is defeated by a 1/4" steel plate about 50% of the time, making the real-world penetration 5d exactly. Not sure about the 62gr green-tip.

So it's possible that I'm overstating the penetration of the .22WMR by a point, and that it IS 2d+1. But I think it's likely that the relatively high energy of this bullet puts it more or less where I left it. Note that the 5.7x28mm round is a bit lower because of the light bullet (31gr) and what seems to be a low-power ammo, relatively speaking. The alternate ammo to which I linked (2d+3 pi, maybe, with a 45gr bullet) would definitely be the "Adventurer's Choice," and if I were issued P90s and Five-seveN's as weapons, would likely be the real-world choice as well.