Why Every Outdoorsman Needs a .22 Pistol
As an everyday, year-round, general-purpose problem solver, plinker, and personal-protection piece, you can't beat a .22 handgun

BY RICHARD MANN | PUBLISHED MAY 9, 2022 6:01 PM


Browning's 1911-22 Compact .22 pistol makes a great little trail gun. Richard Mann

When most of us think of outdoorsy guns not singularly focused on hunting, we think of trail guns, truck guns, or survival guns. Guns like a big-bore pistol to fight off a grizzly, or a truck gun in case you’re accosted by a biker gang, or a survival rifle that’ll help you make it through the imminent apocalypse. But the truth is, few of us hike in griz country, attacks from biker gangs are exceedingly rare, and even given the wretched state of both our national and international politics, the apocalypse may yet be a long way off. I’m not saying you don’t a need a gun, of course. (You should know me better than that by now.) I’m just saying that the gun you probably need more than any of the ones mentioned above is a .22 pistol.

I once hunted with an old Montana rancher who lived his life outside. He had lines on his face that seemed as deep as the washes on his ranch, and he owned a well-worn Ruger Single Six that he kept in a leather holster on the dashboard of that truck. Anytime—every time—he got out of his truck, he’d shove the gun, holster and all, in his waistband. When I asked about it, he said he’d used it to finish off antelope wounded by hunters, to kill enough snakes to piss off Medusa, and to put a few rabbits in the pot. He also said, “When I get bored, I just take the damn thing out and shoot rocks.”


This .22 revolver lived on the dashboard of a Montana rancher’s pickup. It was his always-handy problem solver. Richard Mann

It was a classic example of general-purpose firearm, similar to what Jeff Cooper envisioned with his Scout Rifle concept, except that Cooper wanted a rifle capable of fulfilling the do-anything role anywhere on Earth. He offered it as a gun that could put meat on the table and protect your life from the muzzle out to 400 yards. No doubt there’s a place for that kind of firearm, but for everyday, year-round, general-purpose application, a .22 pistol will serve most of us better—and get used a lot more—than will a 6-pound .308 Winchester rifle.

Why a .22 Pistol Makes a Great Trail Gun

Evening walks along the river and summertime strolls in the timber can put you in the proximity of problems. When we had a camp along the New River Gorge, I never went anywhere without a .22 pistol. I carried it mostly for close encounters with copperheads, which were thicker than ticks. But that wasn’t the only threat. A bite from a rabid dog or raccoon is something you want to avoid, (if you get rabies and clinical symptoms appear, it’s 100-percent fatal), and .22 pistol can help prevent that. At 85 percent the size of Colt’s 1911 Commander, the little Browning 1911-22 Compact is a perfect example of a trail gun. It weighs less than a pound, has a 10-round capacity, and is compact enough to shove in your back pocket.

Why a .22 Pistol Is a Perfect Truck Gun

Where legal, a truck gun is a good idea. Depending on your locale, a truck gun in the form of a centerfire rifle or a short-barreled shotgun might be a necessity. A good friend who runs the Kodiak Baptist Mission in Alaska is smack in the middle of bear country and had to shoot one in self-defense. Of course, a .22 pistol won’t work for that, but it’s about the handiest truck gun to have for most of us. You might hit a deer with your truck and need to put it out of its misery. You might need to fend off a feral critter. Or, in the worst case, you could have to defend yourself from a human threat. Smith & Wesson’s little Model 63 double-action revolver fills this truck-gun general-purpose role well. This all-stainless J-frame revolver has a 3-inch barrel, and it’s double-action design is perfect for fast-action shooting. And, in the single-action mode, you can place bullets with more precision if need be.

Why a Rimfire Is Right for Survival

From venomous snakes to rabid foxes, there are lots of things a .22 pistol can help you deal with. However, the most common survival situation a .22 pistol can help you overcome is hunger. Whether you’re stuck in the wilderness trying to live off the land, or just wanting to cook up a mess of squirrels, a .22 pistol is hard to beat. And while I’d not want to shoot a menacing cougar with a .22 pistol, I’d rather do that than throw rocks at it. Ruger’s Single Six Convertible is ideal for this role. This is partly because of its ruggedness and dependability, but also because it comes with an extra cylinder for .22 Magnum, which is substantially more effective on the larger game. There are 11 variations, with barrel lengths ranging from 4.62 inches up to a surprisingly long 9.5 inches. There’s even an all-stainless 7.5-inch version that comes with integral scope mounts.

Don’t Forget the Fun You Can Have with a .22 Pistol

Firearms are serious tools used for serious purposes, and because of this we often forget that one of the greatest things that a firearm can offer is fun. Shooting is enjoyable. An impromptu competition at hunting camp or a family evening on the range is a blast, and few guns deliver smiles like .22 pistols. Just the other day, a friend and my son and I had a little shooting contest on a 4-inch steel plate with a .22 pistol as we increased the distance by one step with every hit. We ended up at 48 yards, and my son walked away with bragging rights. And I’m sure I won’t hear the end of it—until I beat next time.

With a .22 pistol on your side or in your truck, you’ll always be within arm’s reach of a problem solver or fun little plinker. And that’s exactly what the general-purpose appeal of a .22 pistol is all about, and it’s why every outdoorsman needs one.

https://www.fieldandstream.com/guns/22-pistol-benefits/

An old trope:

I've had more bad rounds out of a single box of bulk 22 than all my factory centerfire rounds combined. Other than that, I wouldn't say no.

Skeeter Skelton

I prefer .38s over 22s for trail use as well

For some reason, when I hear talk about an everyday general purpose .22 I always think of a revolver, not a semi-auto.  And I'm a semi-auto guy.

Same

Absolutely false. The most useful firearm on our farm is a Ruger American bolt gun in .17hmr

It does everything. 22lr can do but better. I can't think of a single situation where I thought man I really wish I had a .22lr pistol instead.

I’ve been carrying this one quite a bit while outdoors. The first round is snakeshot followed by 7 rounds of Federal Punch.
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I wonder what he would think of .32H&R (I've read that .327 can be blasty). I guess my trail gun is a Glock 48; I haven't shot anything with it but it's what I end up carrying while hiking.

This is my glock 44. This is my problem solver right here.

I agree..

My Bug Out bag has a Ruger 10/22 Takedown  and an SR22 handgun. If I'm staying home, a bigger caliber is better, but if I'm going mobile a .22 should handle most situations.

I just really dont care for 22 anymore

Do you carry that rifle with you all the time?

Kind of a stupid article. I go with the philosophy of pants on gun on.
I'll stick with my EDC Glock 43X + spare mag.

Makes little sense to carry a 22 Pistol in a vehicle. Plenty of room in a vehicle for a rifle or shotgun or both.
Far easier to kill Squirrels with a shotgun if you're hungry in this fantasy survival situation.


Killed this one chewing on my deck a few weeks ago.
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Mostly true.  A suppressed 22 pistol is good for pests in confined spaces.  Had to get a raccoon out of a crawl space one time.

I used to feel that way, and still love my .22 revolvers, but my suppressed MkIV has completely taken over that role.

If you live in the real world you’re going to encounter a critter that needs to be either put down as a pest or put out of its misery. Nothing more suitable than a .22 pistol.

I carried my g19 a lot in the woods. 9mm really does just fine. Sitting next to a fire at night listening to the coyotes and owls a revolver just fits better.

I do carry a 22 Walther around our farm, because it is easy and light.  Most of the time, I need a bigger gun to get the job done.  It would be nice to have a full size, light weight, single stack 9mm or 380.  Maybe I'll look at that Browning BDA.  Something like that would be perfect.

Yep.

My Smith 34 is light and cycles anything I can stuff in a chamber. Best $200 I ever spent.

I'm with Skeeter as well.

When you've got a big problem a 22 handgun is the last thing you want. The only advantage a 22 has is it weighs less. Big animals and self defense from any predator, including humans, require more killing power.

The writer's story is lame.  

This article is literally just content filler for Field and Stream's website.

While I cherish my Single-Six, I don't get a warm fuzzy feeling carrying it in the land of the griz.

It's actually better than 90% of his videos. YOU SHOULD FEEL BLESSED TO READ HIS WORDS!!

I carry my Sig 10mm and if I wanna plink, I'll throw the .22 conversion slide and can in my backpack.

same.  not sure why I think this other than assumption but snake loads probably don't feed well in a semi-auto.

Or use 9mm.

I like my .22 revolver but I don't see why I'd choose it over my EDC Glock 19.

The article feels rehashed from similar articles I've read through the 80s and 90s. The concept of a .22 pistol as a trail gun is a poorly thought out concept that quickly falls apart once you venture outside a well maintained Connecticut city park. At no point in my backwoods travels while hunting and fly fishing around my beautiful state of North Carolina or my slightly less fetching neighboring southern states am I out of danger of attack from bears, methbillies, psycho killers, angry social justice warriors or rapists. In any of  those scenarios, a .22 pistol makes a very poor substitute for a 4" .357 magnum or at the bare minimum a SIG P365 type 9mm. Carrying a .22 pistol necessitates the carrying of a larger more powerful center-fire rifle to stand in for actual protection. So then where is the weight savings? A .22 makes a great target pistol and that's where it should stay, at the range.

I am awaiting my new toy.... a 1969/1970 vintage M31-1 in .32 S&W long.  It’s for enjoyment and giggles but a hard cast 100 grain WFP at a little over book maximums (top break revolver load level reasons)  would be better than a .22 lr.  

I have a 63 kit gun and this will be another six shot j frame 4”

Besides people a coyote is likely the largest nuisance expected.  Black bears here run the other way.   I have had a black bear visit my home once in 9 years.

I usually only think of a Ruger 10/22 which is what we had out on the farm for pest duties. (mostly feral cats and blacks birds) I guess we did have a .22 revolver growing up to but that was always out on one of the tractors for taking care of pocket gophers in the fields.

A four inch sized standard barrel mark 2 Ruger would be as good.  Of course I own a longer heavy barrel government model.

"Anytime—every time—he got out of his truck, he’d shove the gun, holster and all, in his waistband."

Why not wear a belt?

Probably was wearing sweatpants and crocs.

You only said rapist once.

The article is a bit lame, but I do like to pack around my buckmark with trail-lite barrel around the woods.  The 9mm and 38 are, in my view, town rounds.  It would be a bit tough to pop a squirrel with the P365.  

I think I a PMR-30 might be a reasonable compromise.

Hairy middle aged guys only get so much action in the deep woods.

I disagree with a lot of his points, yet, I still want a .22 pistol

What is the best "go to" semi auto, easily suppress-able .22 pistol?

I'd have to say the Ruger MkIV Lite.

As much as I enjoy reloading, sometimes its nice to shoot and not worry about where the brass went.  I'm still grabbing boxes of bulk 22lr for when the kids get old enough and want to spend a Saturday morning plinking.

.22LR is best rimfire cartridge.

Whatever variety of threaded Ruger MKIV you prefer.  Available in two group angles and multiple barrel length and weight combinations.

I envy people who can carry a centerfire pistol on public land outside of big game seasons. In SC, a .22 Ruger Super Single Six works for me and the game wardens.

Boogie approved.

TX22!

Agree

I was thinking one of them new Rugers in 327 federal would be super handy.

Are you saying it would be illegal to posses your normal CCW on public land?

Same here. My Ruger LCRX 3" carries nicely all day.