quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
A much bigger problem than power or bullet design with .22LR is reliability of ignition. Even with good brands you get more duds than with centerfire. Neither will do any good if the cartridge doesn't fire to start with.

My concern with .22s is feeding reliability.

The nickel plating might help reduce deformed bullets but that rim is still a potential problem.

I picked up a pocket Beretta years ago and I chose the .25 ACP over .22 LR for those reasons.

Hey, if it was good enough for 007...

Found Punch at a Mpls, MN LGS for $8.95/50
Picked up two for my Beretta 21a in hopes it will be everything I've read and seen.

Next week to the range.

Tried out a couple mags in the 21a and they shot and cycled nice - great report. They have a casing about 1/8" longer that a standard 22lr - More Powder and Less bullet. Punched a nice clean hole in my paper plates. I'm Sold.

May I ask what LGS here, been interested to try this out. Feel free to email me directly if you want.

I just checked the Federal web-sight and they are available today. You can buy direct from Federal.

It seems like the attributes of .22LR Punch seem to be 1070 fps from a 2" barrel (1,650 fps out of 24-inch rifle barrels) and penetration of 10% ballistic gel to 13.75" in a relatively straight line because of its truncated flat nose design.

Wouldn't it be interesting to compare it to something similar, possibly slower and heavier from 2" and rifle length barrels:

"
Bullet Weight: 36
Muzzle Velocity: 1410
Plated truncated cone bullets pack plenty of bite for small game of all types and fast-paced .22 excitement of every sort. These hyper-velocity loads are ideal for small-game and hold their own at the target board as well. For fast-striking, 22 performance, Viper® can't be beat."


https://www.remington.com/rimfire/29-21288.html

Just bought a box of the Federals and hope to try them out this weekend. They were $12 a box.

I participated in an event where one thing we did was test a large number of rounds in gel, including punch and some others. The clear winner for a defensive round in 22 ( if there can be such a thing) was CCI velocitor. It retains the full 40 grain weight of a traditional long rifle cartridge with more velocity than any other 40 grain bullet load. Penetration into the vicinity of 15”
My go down to the mail box gun is a 2” J frame 22 loaded with velocitor

This article reviews several 22lr cartridges, including Punch.

.22 LR For Self Defense: Ammunition Test & Comparison
by JEREMIAH KNUPP posted on January 8, 2022

It’s a question those of us in the gun writing business often get asked. “What’s the best caliber for a self-defense handgun?” Those expecting a one-to-three digit answer from me will be disappointed. I respond to their simple question with a complex one. “What is the most powerful cartridge that you can shoot accurately and proficiently that comes in a handgun which is comfortable enough to carry that you’ll carry it all the time?” Depending on the person asking, the answer will vary. For some, it’s a full-sized .357 Mag. or 10 mm Auto. For others, it’s one of the current .380 ACPs offered in a 9 mm-sized handgun. And in certain cases, it’s the .22 LR...

Complete article:

https://www.americanrifleman.org/22selfdefense