[jbee]

Would a .22 LR bullet be fatal at 30 yards when applied to the head of a human?

I know police that shot a pit bull/mastiff mix point blank as in two feet away to the head with a .38. All it did was flip the dog over and make him madder to come back for more, which he did a few times.

So, I don't plan on using it for pit bull hunting

Would a .22 LR bullet be fatal at 30 yards when applied to the head of a deer?

I am considering loading up a 10/22 or a AR .22 conversion type with all the toys including a night scope. The appeal is I can easily carry 2,000 rounds and it is cheap to buy and practice with in and outdoors. The other main appeal is avoiding excessive penetration of a neighbor's wall with a miss if defending the property and the .22 rifles seem well suited to a situation where you want to hit something 1" big < 100 feet away.

If I want to kill a neighbor by accident I will use the 147g 7.62x54r steel core at 2800 fps or a 12g slug

I was just wondering about using it as a EOTW all around reliable rifle, that could be used in a pinch to take a deer. Any rifle barrel will probably be 16", if that matters.

 

[zb338]

Poachers in this neck of the woods have been shooting deer with
.22 rifles for a long, long time.

Zeke

 

[Old Grump]

You just told everybody you want to poach in an area surrounded by houses. That rates real high on the ten dumbest things you can post on the internet. I would suggest deleting your thread and go away till you mature a little.

 

[jbee]

> I would suggest deleting your thread and go away till you mature a little.

I suggest you read English a bit better.

I was asking about the effectiveness of the weapon at 100 feet.

" I was just wondering about using it as a EOTW all around reliable rifle, that could be used in a pinch to take a deer."

BTW: If I was going to poach I would do it silently and use one of my compound bows like the PSE Quantum or G Force. I know those would be much more effective at 90 feet then a .22 and leave a bigger wound channel.

Maybe you mistook the word pinch for poach.

 

[Pawpaw Tony]

yes ive used a 22 to put car hit deer,, dn..but theres better things to use for deer..
a 22 velocitor will kill most critters around here in n.c. ..
depends as much does,, on shot placement..then most hv lr will do the job..jmo
ps m betting that policemans bullet hit at an angle.. but a pit bull mastiff cross,, could weigh a hundred lbs. or more with a thick skull.

 

[broom_jm]

Whenever someone asks this question, which seems to be about once every 3 months, I just want to ask them, "Have you never shot a full can of soda with a 22LR?" Yes, a 22LR will kill a deer or a human or, more appropriately used, a squirrel, at 30 yards. In an EOTW scenario, or any other, I'm not carrying around 2,000 rounds of anything.

 

[bsn]

a .177 pellet rifle is deadly well beyond 30 yards, its all about shot placement. In inexperienced hands hunting deer with a .22 rimfire is foolish and iresponsable. Many states have minimum caliber laws because of that.

 

[MikeG]

I've shot pigs in traps with .22s and that works fine (behind the ear). Their skulls are pretty thick from the front though with a lot of muscle. Point being, the angle the bullet impacts is pretty important if you want it to go through on very light calibers.

A deer skull is a lot thinner and less muscle but bet the bullet would skip if the angle was shallow enough.

 

[Perferator]

Would a .22 LR bullet be fatal at 30 yards when applied to the head of a human?

Yes, if you believe everything in the movie "Shooter".

 

[Old Grump]

I am considering loading up a 10/22 or a AR .22 conversion type with all the toys including a night scope. The appeal is I can easily carry 2,000 rounds and it is cheap to buy and practice with in and outdoors. The other main appeal is avoiding excessive penetration of a neighbor's wall with a miss

Read that cold and tell me what kind of conclusion you would reach. Sounds like a mall ninja getting ready to do some night stalking in his neighborhood for critters.

 

[pisgah]

As a poacher's gun, or a survival tool, the .22 lr can serve admirably. Deer are easy pickin's for the hunter who can be quiet and get glose with an accurate gun. When it comes to using the .22 for defense, I will say that it can do the job -- with major reservations.

It can certainly be dramatically fatal at ranges well beyond 100'; but at any range, it's effect will be hugely dependent on where the bullet hits. The .22 lr is inherently accurate and easy to shoot -- but, have you ever tried to make a split-second, precise shot under combat conditions? It can be done, but it is not much to bet on. A .223 that hits 3" from POA may well still be incapacitating; a .22 lr hitting in the same spot might not even be noticed.

Of course, you can fire a swarm of them really fast if you have a semiauto, and just like buckshot, several small .22 bullets hitting very rapidly can act as a force-multiplier. And don't ever disregard the psychological effect of being shot, or even just shot at, with ANY gun. Many an assailant has fled after one non-fatal hit, or a near miss, or even at the sight of a gun.

But overall, I would never recommend the .22 for self defense unless there were no other reasonable, available options.

 

[Darin115]

They will kill a deer but they will also just wound them and you will never find them.
My grand mother had a 22LR pistol years ago. She kept it for personal defense. She tried to scare a dog one time out of her trash by just shooting close to it. Well, she shot close alright. She hit it and it died.

If I had other choices of weapons I would go with something a little larger. Most personal defense shots are much closer than 100 feet. I think it is around 20 feet. (I could be wrong)

I personally use a 12 gauge with # 6 shot for intruders. I also keep 1 buck handy as well.
But I really doubt I will be out in the yard shooting intruders. You would have a hard time explaning self defense at 100 feet out in your yard.

If you are going to shoot deer in your neighborhood just shoot them with a bow. I currently hunt in a well to do neighborhood that is overran with deer. The neighbors allow me to come in and kill them. I hunt out of the guys building on the 2nd floor over his garden.
Neighborhoods are a grat place to kill deer. Just do it safetly so you don't have to worry about shooting into your neighbors house. I am using a crossbow this year but in years past I have used a bow.

Darin

 

[BarkBuster20]

Have you considered a .22 mag?

 

[SmithDeanJ]

OK I don't know if it's been said yet but here's my 2 Lincolns. I've been hunting with a .22 LR for as long as I can remember and the biggest thing you have to understand is the external ballistics of the round in question. A standard velocity 40gr bullet, that's about 1070fps, drops like a rock after about 75-80 yards. beyond that, I'd use something a little faster, CCI mini-mags, maybe even CCI Blazers, they both run a little over 1200fps, and you can get them with lighter HP bullets rather than the standard round nose. Which do far more damage, using a HP high velocity .22 for squirrel you better make a head shot or you won't have much to eat. The next biggest thing you need to understand is Bullet placement, this, actually, is probably the most important part, if you're good and your rifle is better than average, you should be able to punch a dime sized hole at about 35-40 yards. That being said, it's not impossible to get within that range of most game around here, upstate SC. For deer or hogs, a HV 36 or 40gr bullet placed right under and just to the inside of either eye will be definite kill shot. So to answer you question, Yes, at 30 yards a .22 LR can be and is fatal. Just for the sake of saying it, if you don't have a rifle with a match barrel the CCI Stingers or the Aguila Interceptor both are "hyper-velocity" rounds, that is a 30 or 32gr bullet pushed to around 1700fps, but on these the cases are longer than the standard .22 LR case so they cannot be used in match barrel rifles. God Bless

 

[SmithDeanJ]

Yes, if you believe everything in the movie "Shooter".

The bolt action rifle that he shot that guy in the head with from the boat in "Shooter" was actually a 22-250, much higher velocities

 

[jbee]

> ps m betting that policemans bullet hit at an angle..
> but a pit bull mastiff cross,, could weigh a hundred lbs

Yes, he was standing outside a window shooting, to prevent the dog from coming out. They weren't normal 35-50 pound pit bulls. Everyone called them pit bulls, but, they were probably a mixed breed being so big.

> And don't ever disregard the psychological effect of being shot,

That is the main purpose of buying it, to deter. Plus, it would mainly be for my wife. Out of ten neighbors on my dead end, only the one next door to me has guns, and no one takes the stockpiling of food seriously. There is no need, Krogers is right down the street I have been told ...

When the gas shortage hit, I was the one with a trailer and a bunch of 5 gallon cans that filled up before the price went up to $4.50 and the stations ran out. Kept my wife going to work with cheap gas.

My wife can't use the shotgun, shoulder issues, but, she is pretty steady with the BB gun. She dislikes guns, so I figure the lighter .22 recoil would be perfect.

> Have you considered a .22 mag?

Yes, too powerful. I really am looking for barely acceptable with good shot placement.

The ammo is much more expensive too. If I am forced to shoot a small animal, I would like something left to eat too

Plus, if I "loan" a gun to a neighbor in need, I don't want them shooting through my window and then all the interior walls by accident as a return favor.

I don't think Henry makes the AR-7 survival rifle in anything other then the 22lr and I would like to have a Henry in every vehicle with some ammo. Plus, in knapsacks ready to go with the compass, binoculars, and MRE.

You know what is super cool? I found LED 9v battery flashlights at Calebas. I have 8 smoke detectors, so instead of wasting 8 batteries every 6 months, I keep them for the flashlights. Excellent for a backpack and they are much nicer then the snap on top LEDs. I have them in the cars. They have an always on glow so they are easy to find in the dark if you drop them.

> using a HP high velocity .22 for squirrel you better make a head shot or you won't have much to eat

I have a BB gun for that and zeroed my red dot to 40 feet. It is what I am getting the kids to practice with and I stocked up on 12g cartridges and BBs. My local dealer has a cute little pink bolt action .22 for $100 I will probably get for my youngest girls.

> You would have a hard time explaning self defense at 100 feet out in your yard.

If it turns into Katrina and a MS-13 gang of which we have many here, are kicking in my neighbor's door, my neighbor probably will not complain and there will not be police to care.

> If you are going to shoot deer in your neighborhood just shoot them with a bow.

No deer as far as I know. Though you make a good point, they do allow bow hunting in cities around here that do have deer where they do not allow even black powder.

> you should be able to punch a dime sized hole at about 35-40 yards.

I am trying. I am now looking for an outdoor range so I can get better beyond 120 feet.


Thank you everyone for the answers, I just wanted to confirm what I thought was probably true. Just planning for the worse and hoping for the best.

 

[mgrace]

A 22LR would kill a deer.

Living on a farm and helping on several others when younger I have seen the following animals shot with a 22LR at up to 35 yards or so, sheep, goats, pigs up to around 400 pounds, cows up to whatever a large Brahma bull weighs.

Even 22LR in a pistol will be deadly, a friends brother was murdered 6-7 years ago by a shot to the head from a 22 pistol. The 3 guys that killed him, when asked why they did it replied "We wanted to see what it felt like to kill someone". Well now they are all 3 getting to see what 25 to life feels like.

Michael Grace

 

[bsn]

A .22 for a survival makes sense, a .22 as a defensive gun for a SHTF situation makes no sense when there are so many better choices.
Ammo cost is a concern to you, yet you are willing to buy a weapon for each vehicle? What is better to have in your possesion 100 rounds in a caliber that is effective the first shot or 2000 rounds of ammo that will not penetrate heavy clothing. People in a SHTF situation are desperate and willing to take chances, in a high stress situation you won't have the time to place a carefully aimed shot and certainly won't have much time for follow up shots. If your wife or child who is not proficient were to attempt to use a .22 in self defense against someone who is desperate the chances are very good that it will be used against them. A .22 mag would be underpowered for a defensive arm, using proper bullets and shot placement any caliber can be used on small game. In a life or death situation the 12 gauge shot gun would be a much better choice bad shoulder or not. A 20 gauge or .410 in a semi-auto would have very mild recoil-recoil that will not be noticed in a high stress situation. If you feel the need to loan a firearm to a neighbor in need and are worried about shot placement entering your house your window isn't going to stop a .22 bullet from killing a family memeber. Once again a shotgun loaded with heavy birdshot is a quick stopper up close yet loses energy very fast at moderate distances making it the only sutable choice for someone not proficient in firearms.

A natural disaster or terrorist event could happen at any time and most Americans are not physically or mentally prepared for an event, so it is good to be prepared for the worst. Personally I would rather have a firearm that I know will do a job, than one that might do the job.

 

[jbee]

> Ammo cost is a concern to you, yet you are willing to buy a weapon for each vehicle?

Yes, especially if I rotate the ammo out every six months to make sure it stays fresh. I had considered a cheap High Point .40 , but, 1,000 rounds of OEM is $400 and 20 boxes of .40 takes up a bit of room. The cheapest 9 mm I could find was still .20 per round. 3x more then nice .22lr.

After reading about the problems people have with the cheap high points in 9mm/.40 here and other boards, I decided a nice .22 that works is better then a flaky .40.

 

[Country]

Yes it could kill a person at 30 yards if the bullet did not hit a rib and deflect away from the heart . If it hit a lung then you would possibly survive if you got medical help quick . If you were wearing heavy clothing then that could reduce the bullets penertration as would a very fat person .
If it hit you in the brain part of the head straight on you would be dead. If it hit your skull at an angle then there have been casese of a rimfire deflecting off and the person surviving .
It's a very iffy thing with low power projectiles. However one between the eyes at 30 yards and its all over.