should i buy a ruger .22 or a .380 for protection and target practice??

Answer 1

.22 is for target, plinking and for small game. It's not for a personal protection handgun.
.380 is still a little small for personal defense however you will find it really doesn't make a good target round.
Get the .22, learn how to shoot and plan on at least a 9mm at some point in the future.

Answer 2

The .22 is not a defensive weapon except as a last resort, weapon of opportunity. It is a great plinker and target shooter. The .380 acp is not really a plinker or target practice gun as the ammo tends to be pricey. It is generally considered the minimum defensive handgun caliber.

So you could buy the .22 first and make do until you can save up for your .380. Option #1: Buy both; Option #2: Consider buying a full-size 9mm (ammo is cheaper than .380 ammo although not as cheap as .22) and the 9mm is a better defensive weapon.

Best.

H

Answer 3

Neither get a 9mm instead, the .22 LR isn't good enough for protection if your life is on the line. The .380 is the minimum for self protection, but the ammo is more expensive than the 9mm rounds and the 9mm has twice the power of the .380.

Answer 4

Neither one is suitable for a protection gun. Both can kill a person but neither has much stopping power. You could conceivably shoot an attacker and still the attacker could get to you and injure or kill you before dying themselves. For personal protection, you need at least 9 mm. My personal preferance is a .45 ACP. Lots of stopping power so an attacker is stopped in his tracks and is unable to continue any attack.

The .380 is practically useless for much of anything. No stopping power and no guns chambered for the .380 that would be considered a target gun. Most don't even have sights.

The .22 is a fun gun and you can get some pretty accurate guns that are chambered for the .22 round. The ammo is cheap and you can get in a lot of target practice for not much money. But, the .22 is not a personal protection round.

If you want a gun that does both, then you ought ot consider either a 9 mm or a .38 Special. Both are accurate enough to be used for target shooting and both have sufficient stopping power to be used for a personal protection gun. While neither is a cheap gun to shoot, both cartridges can be found at farily reasonable prices. Not cheap, just reasonable.

Answer 5

Buy 'em both.

The Ruger .22 is a great plinker and target arm, but lacks power and penetration to be good for defense.

The .380's are generally not accurate enough, due to tiny sights, for target shooting, and is a minimum defensive cartridge.

Even better, get the Ruger .22 and a Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum or .38 SPL for defense.

Doc

Answer 6

properly, you will ultimately finally end up with the two so flow forward and get the .22 first and learn the fundamentals. they are common and low priced to learn on. jointly as i be conscious of why surely everyone likes the Rugers, take a seem on the Brownings besides. There are lots much less annoying to interrupt down and sparkling, are available a great form of fashions and are candy to shoot. jointly as getting to grasp the .22, you will positively meet human beings shooting a great form of pistols to comprise 9mm, .40, .40 5 and others. this might enable you to confirm them, perhaps shoot them and make a greater counseled decision on your first great high quality purchase. surely everyone who shoots needs to have a .22 of their series. And with the cost of ammo the way it relatively is at present, a .22 in basic terms is clever. I own or have owned a great variety of handguns over the years. I had a Colt Woodsman .22lr for years until it became stolen and it became replace by utilising the insurance corporation with a Browing dollar Mark. it relatively is a actual exhilaration to shoot. I at present own and shoot .38, .357, 9mm, .40 5 ACP plus a style of rifle calibers. Taurus, S&W, Colt, Rock Island, Rossi, Ruger, Browning, CZ and a few others i do no longer even remember have all had a house in my risk-free. at present, i'm finding for a sparkling hid carry pistol and function exceptionally lots desperate on the Springfield XD Subcompact. I in basic terms have not desperate on the 9mm or the .40.

Answer 7

Get the .22 for plinking and target practice. A friend who is an EMT tells me that the .380 doesn't reliably stop anyone, but it goes in and bounces and causes a lot of damage. He hates working on anyone shot with one, as they usually need several shots to stop them, and they are, as he describes it, veg-o-matic ed inside. Get something in 9mm or 40 cal for self defense. The Kahr, Rohrbaugh, Kel-Tec, Glock, S&W Mod 99 compact, and such are easily concealed and totally reliable.

Answer 8

can you lot just explain to me when your talking about the 22 do you mean rimfire or centrefire.
I personaly own a ruger hornet and it is far mor caperble than the expectations you all have it down for.
I shot foxs dead at over 250 yards,
and know due to a law change in the uk can now shoot muntjack with it.
Personal i have no idea when you go on about home protection, were not allowed to protect ourselfs by such means, i do know i would not like to be on the reciving end of a hornet

Answer 9

.22 ammo is dirt cheap and will protect you from a squirrel attack. For protection I'd go for the .380.

Answer 10

I would purchase a 9mm. It has the power for personal protection and is the cheapest of the larger caliber weapons to play with. .38 ammo is pretty expensive. I have a Walther .22 for play and a Walther 9mm for personal protection. I chose this as both guns have the same features so that I may practice self defense tactics with the cheaper .22.

You can get 550rds of .22 ammo for about $12 (less than $0.01 per round). 9mm is available at 50rds for $18(around $0.36 per round). .38 ammo is about $24 for 50 rds. (around $0.50 per round).

Just something to consider. The 9mm is much more appropriate for personal protection.