22LR or 22 WMR

B

beyondmyken

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Dec 23, 2000
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More and more as I am out in the woods or even on my own semirural property I am encountering stray/semi-wild dogs, coyotes, and coy-dogs. These critters are getting more bold. Rifle/shotgun is not handy for me. Looking for a revolver pistol that is easy to carry and reliable. Looking at these smaller calibers so my wife can learn to shoot and handle them (she has small hands and doesn't react well to a large bang). Any suggetions on this matter? Guess I will throw in the possiblity of a 2 legged varmit as well. Thanks in advance.
 
beyondmyken,
I don't have a lot if experience in the handgun area of firearmms but I do know that the .22LR will not work for your purposes. It is not near strong enough to stop any of the critters that you have mentioned. Definately of those two .22WMR but maybe even something bigger ie. .38. Hope this helps. BTW what is a coy-dog?
MNU
 
The 22 MAG from a RIFLE would work on coyotes, but from a handgun, it's no more powerful than a .22 fired from a rifle. It's a rifle cartridge and loses it's "oomph" from a pistol length barrel. Anything bigger than your average coyote might be insulted if shot with a .22 MAG. Not good. Also, the .22 MAG fired from a pistol is incredibly LOUD, like a .357!

A .38 158g semi-wadcutter fired from a 4" barrel would be your best bet. Not much recoil, relatively little "bang", and much more effective than a 22. It's also pretty cheap to shoot, so you can practice, practice, practice which is ABSOLUTELY the only way to become proficient with a handgun. Hear me? Practice, practice, practice. :D

Why are rifles out of the question? I understand if it would upset the neighbors, but if you have the privacy you need, something like a Marlin 1894 in .357 Mag would be IDEAL. Much easier to become proficient with than a revolver, no recoil, and much less "bang" than a revolver. BUT, you gain 400 f.p.s. and some serious muzzle energy from a .357 fired in a rifle. Marlin has a .357 levergun with a 16" tube and something like 32" OAL, would be pretty handy.
 
RF has a pretty good summation going up there. I would add, however, that if you want your wife to be comfortable with it, you should consider a .357 mag with a 4" heavy barrel, and let her shoot .38's in it. That will REALLY tame recoil, and still give you the option for hotter/heavier loads. Gotta watch sight regulation, though, if you're gonna swap loads like that; I'd go for adjustables.
 
I would get a .22 LR revolver – for practice, not for the wild dogs. For large dogs I would want at least a .38 and preferably a .357. A .357 is nice since it will also shoot .38’s. For rifles I would consider the .22 Mag. as a bare minimum for dogs, a semi-auto such a Marlin Camp carbine in .45 or 9mm or one of Marlin’s lever actions in .357 or .44 Mag., should work well as should a .30 cal. M1 carbine or a .223 or 7.62x39 mm. semi-auto. A 20 or preferably, a 12 gage gas auto loaded with buck shot should also work well up close.


- Frank
 
Originally posted by Rainmaker870
If you want your wife to be comfortable with it, you should consider a .357 mag with a 4" heavy barrel, and let her shoot .38's in it. That will REALLY tame recoil, and still give you the option for hotter/heavier loads.
Click to expand...

I gotta second that! The property I used to lease (before moving to Nicaragua!;) ) had TONS of wild dogs! During dear season, it was easy, because many guys carried rifles. However, I primarily hunt with Longbow and they are not know for "stopping power" on a wild dog!:p I have been attacked twice by dogs when I did not have sufficient firepower . . . never again!
First time, I only had my longbow. I was still hunting when a line of eleven dogs came by. It was my intention to let them pass but, when they caught my scent, they charged in. I was able to pin the lead three dogs to the ground (less than 20 feet) and the others scattered. It scared me to death and I swore, in spite of the fact that it is illegal to carry a firearm during bowseason in GA, that I would never enter the woods without a firearm again.
Dummy me :confused: went in the woods squirrel hunting later that year with ONLY a Remington 597 .22 LR. While hunting, I had a Rottwieler looking mixed breed charge me. I tried yelling and throwing stuff but it kept coming. At about 10 feet, I unloaded the 10 shot clip into it's head and shoulder area rapid fire. (Rifle was scoped so I rolled it to the side and sighted along the barrel.) I did not stop the dog! I had to turn and run with the dog in pursuit (Slinging blood EVERYWHERE!) while trying to reload the clip. Once reloaded, I turned and shot the dog four more times before he fell!:eek:
Now, needless to say, I carry more firepower. My usual carry is an inexpensive Rossi .357 magnum snub-nose. It is ONLY intended for close range protection and is an accurate shooter with good heft but easily fits in my fanny pack. My wife is very comfortable shooting it with .38s and, with a premium load like hydra-shocks, it should be plenty to stop a dog.
Don't take the risk of making a wild dog wilder with insufficient knock-down power!
 
Beyondmyken,

You can have the best of both worlds with the Ruger Single-Six. True, it is a single action but it is convertable between these two calibers.

I have carried one of these for years as a backpacking, trapline gun and it is superb for small game hunting. You have the option of firing any rimfire ammo made from CB caps to the very latest .22 WMR offering.

When you convert it from .22 lr to magnum it really is like having a whole different gun. My one and only "defensive gun use" involved my holstered RSS in .22 mag. I was jumped by two guys on a solo backpacking trip. They FROZE when I turned to face them with that Ruger on my hip.

If you are really feel you need a gun for defense primarily I would go with a three or four inch .357 magnum. You can download it with .38 wadcutters for small game. I would feel much better with my 2.5 inch model 19 than the RSS for defense. A snub .38 is pretty easy to carry as a close range defense gun on a rural property. But for small game hunting the RSS can't be beat. Mac
 
If you'll watch your local pawn shop, you can pick up some decent older S&W .38's pretty cheap. I saw a couple here a while back for $175 each. They had been carried and showed some wear, but hadn't been shot much.

In answer to whoever asked what a coy-dog was, it is a cross between a coyote and a dog. You see them sometimes where wild dogs have interbred with coyotes, and they are nasty varmints, more intelligent and larger than coyotes without the coyote's innate fear of man.

I'd want more than a .22 if a determined one was after me.
 
Feral dogs and cross breeds can certainly be dangerous, but are you sure the coyotes are dangerous to adult humans? As a professional nature photographer, I've spent a lot of time in close proximity (under 25 feet) to coyotes which were bold enough to let me stay close. Sometimes I trot behind them for 1/2 mile or so, until we get to a good background for the shot. Most of the time that I'm photographing coyotes, I even sit down (to get pictures from the animals' eye level). Sometimes they come close, but none of the coyotes I've met have ever shown any sign of aggresion toward me.

--Mike
 
Get a 4 or 6" barreled .38, filled with 148 gr. Lead wadcutters. If she can handle +p power levels, make your reloads hotter.

Which pistol?

"All the power you can handle, well."

Try shooting some pistols without ear protection, and then tell me you don't want a plain-Jane .45acp.

My .38 revolver is much more ear-splitting than my .45 Auto Rimmed revolver.

Cheers
 
When I go out into the woods I usually carry my Ruger 44 mag
or my 45 acp 1911

Heck with the dogs I have bear in my woods

Knifesmith
 
Get a good .357 and use .38's in it most of the time. But you'll have the .357 if you ever want/need to bump up the power level.

As to matching it with a lever gun, it's a GREAT IDEA! You may even want to check out H&R/NEF single shots if you want a long gun under $200.

I have a pair for the purposes you state and then some. However, my pair is a 4" barreled .44magnum Ruger Redhawk and a Marlin 1894S in .44. I carry the handgun almost daily as a CCW piece and the lever gun often rides around as a 'truck gun.'

Good luck!
 
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