Most people seem to think you need a loud, large-caliber gun for home defense. The reality is this: Armored paramilitary forces won’t be knocking down your door anytime soon.
The fact is that home invasions are done by potential burglars, kidnappers, or rapists. A .22 is perfectly effective against those scenarios.
Just remember that, no matter how many accessories you put on a weapon, you still need to practice and be efficient with your weapon.
What’s the Goal?
The important thing to realize when it comes to home defense is what your intention is. You can’t rely on police interference, because the average response time is around 10 minutes.
That may not seem long, but when your life is threatened it can be an eternity. In a situation that someone breaks into your home, your only goal should be self-defense.
In order to defend yourself or your family, you need to do one of three things: Incapacitate, kill, or scare the intruder away. While the noise of a .45 will put fear in most people, you still want to be able to hit what you aim at.
Remember that the key is defense. You don’t need to chase anyone outside or use your optic, because your only intention should be to get them out of your house or minimize the threat.
Accuracy
The comfort of knowing you can put a round on target consistently is nice, and this is one area where the Ruger 10/22 excels. The .22 is one of the most accurate calibers in existence.
There is little to no recoil when firing a .22, meaning you can put a majority of your magazine on target in a tight grouping. This is important, because you never know how many intruders will be involved.
Also keep in mind that a home invasion scenario means close-range and tight quarters. A .22 from 10 feet will incapacitate as effectively as any caliber, so accuracy is icing on the cake.
Power vs Performance
What the 10/22 lacks in stopping power, it makes up for in the other areas. Ruger is already a solid name in the gun game and the .22 rarely jams, if ever. This is something you want in a situation that your life may depend on.
As mentioned above, the accuracy and rate of fire will deter almost anyone. One shot from a .45 will stop most intruders, but the follow-up might not be there if they have a friend.
With practice, a .22 is just as effective. With accuracy and no recoil to speak of, the Ruger is perfect for handling by any gender and being able to put the round where you want it every time is necessary for home defense.
Storing Your Weapons
While not directly arguing for the Ruger 10/22 to be your home defense weapon of choice, it’s important to note that defending your home means not giving intruders access to use your guns against you.
Having a gun safe, or a lock box for handguns, is extremely useful for homes with multiple firearms. You only have two hands, so you really only need one weapon available.
Keeping your weapons safely hidden behind several inches of steel is a good way to make sure the only people using your weapons are ones that you know and trust. Again, the name of the game is self-defense.
Author Bio:
Richard Douglas is a long-time shooter, outdoor enthusiast and technologist. He is the founder and editor of Scopes Field, and a columnist at The National Interest, Cheaper Than Dirt, Daily Caller and other publications.
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“….With practice, a .22 is just as effective. With accuracy and no recoil to speak of, the Ruger is perfect for handling by ANY GENDER and being able to put the round where you want it every time is necessary for home defense….” ?????? “Any gender”????? Your writing is inaccurate, it would be ,…”either gender.” The word “either” reflects that ONLY 2 choices are possible. The word ,”ANY”, insinuates that more than 2 are possible when referring to genders, when in FACT that would be completely inaccurate and impossible. Not trying to pick an argument, just stating the facts. Great article otherwise
No longer produced in 22 mag but there are some used ones on the market.
Is the 1022 available in 22 mag?
Was, but was discontinued do to reliability issues. Same with the one in 44mag.