I noticed you didn't comment on getting shot before you got that ear protection on... assuming you even had a chance to get them on. BTW the sound picked up in those things is not nearly as acute as your natural ears hearing within a room. Never said five n seven was a traditional LE firearm... read it again.
I'm lol at this moment envisioning someone taking the time to put on ear protection and then maneuvering around their house bumping into walls etc. with those large bulging objects on the sides of their head. That's comical. Are you sure you don't want to put on full body armor too? May as well, every situation encountered in home invasion will allow the time may as well put on a cup of coffee while your at it. Why not, 10ths of seconds don't matter.

Based on your experience with intruders in your home?

Your baseless, research free opinion is appreciated. 

Based on your experience with intruders in your home?

Your baseless, research free opinion is appreciated. 

Yes and far more than that. In case you didn't get it, a 22lr especially a 22lr "sub sonic" fired within a closed room will not deafen your hearing beyond reliability.
Again... try it (at an indoor gun range that is). Get your adrenalin up and listen to what you hear in the head set... try it. At this point you do have all the time you need to figure out what it might be like, why wait till it happens to find out?

I love it, the PPE police are more worried about a little hearing damage than putting down a threat with something that resembles authority.

My grandpa fought in WWII, and fired his 30.06 garand countles times inside buildings, on the field of battle in europe. soldiers didnt wear ear pro back then... He went on to work at united airlines as a jet engine mechanic, back in the days before the "PPE police"  ruled the world... guess what? he lived to the age of 80, and did NOT wear a hearing aid and had pretty good hearing for an old fella.

I find it laughable that hearing damage is even a consideration when choosing a proper tool for self defense.
And that a round that is only suitible for humane kills on rabbits and squirrels is some of you guys' first choice...

Can you kill a man with a .22? yeah you can... you could also do it with a butter knife, but that doesnt mean its a logical choice.

Nice, mds... take a .22 make it heavy, and slow it down to under 950 fps.
The ONLY thing a .22 has going for it at close range is penetration... and by going to a heavy for caliber subsonic round... you just took that away smart guy. I find your advice suspect... perhaps a little dangerous. Sub sonic .22 for home defense... really?

I want to kill the bastard... not piss him off.

And yes, ive fired a mag full of .223 indoors without ear pro, and yes, it makes your ears ring, and yes you hear the world like you just came out a rock concert for an hour or two and yes I may have done some permanent damage to my hearing, but the hearing test I took for the DOT last year didnt show any loss... I certainly wouldnt make a habit of it, but in a limited circumstance it is doable

I find it laughable that hearing damage is even a consideration when choosing a proper tool for self defense.
And that a round that is only suitible for humane kills on rabbits and squirrels is some of you guys' first choice...

Can you kill a man with a .22? yeah you can... you could also do it with a butter knife, but that doesnt mean its a logical choice.

Only a complete idiot would choose a 22lr for home defense when there are other options.

What's worse is those same idiots go and give people advice to do the same thing.

 

I love it, the PPE police are more worried about a little hearing damage than putting down a threat with something that resembles authority.

My grandpa fought in WWII, and fired his 30.06 garand countles times inside buildings, on the field of battle in europe. soldiers didnt wear ear pro back then... He went on to work at united airlines as a jet engine mechanic, back in the days before the "PPE police"  ruled the world... guess what? he lived to the age of 80, and did NOT wear a hearing aid and had pretty good hearing for an old fella.

I find it laughable that hearing damage is even a consideration when choosing a proper tool for self defense.
And that a round that is only suitible for humane kills on rabbits and squirrels is some of you guys' first choice...

Can you kill a man with a .22? yeah you can... you could also do it with a butter knife, but that doesnt mean its a logical choice.

Obviously you didn't notice that it's not about hearing damage, it's about acute hearing recovery time after a round is fired. In a closed room a round is fired, your hearing will become momentarily handicapped and that's hearing you may need to hear other things occurring in the house during the event.

Only a complete idiot would choose a 22lr for home defense when there are other options.

What's worse is those same idiots go and give people advice to do the same thing.

 

And you know all this from what?

And you know all this from what?

2 combat deployments and years of law enforcement experience.

Next question.

2 combat deployments and years of law enforcement experience.

Next question.

Ahh... so then you're aware of how the average person who hasn't been in such a scenario reacts physically and you're aware of collateral damage all within ones home who is slumbering peacefully and who has never seen the action you and I have.  Applying your ready, deployed and aware perspective to the average Joe. Good idea. Good thing I don't subscribe to my cool calm handling under such similar situations and apply it to the average Joe. Any validity to that Kingkeoni? Think about it before answering.
Geared up, seen action and on your way to another situation. Simple as pie for you.

Ahh... so then you're aware of how the average person who hasn't been in such a scenario reacts physically and you're aware of collateral damage all within ones home who is slumbering peacefully and who has never seen the action you and I have.  Applying your ready, deployed and aware perspective to the average Joe. Good idea. Good thing I don't subscribe to my cool calm handling under such similar situations and apply it to the average Joe. Any validity to that Kingkeoni? Think about it before answering.
Geared up, seen action and on your way to another situation. Simple as pie for you.

You're only as good as your training.

The "average Joe" can train to use a firearm properly.

Nobody, trained or not can predict every single scenario but being able to "stop" threats as quickly as possible is in everybody's best interest.

The truth of the matter is that all things being equal, a 22lr is not your best option.

Are you an ammunition sales rep by chance? If not, the marketing plan has worked well on you. I'd recommend doing some study on Human anatomy and get in some more target practice. "Know thy prey". While you're at it think about what happens to you when you get amped up by adrenalin in such a situation. Your whole world will spin so to speak. There's far more to it than ballistics, defense principles and practices and all that will be a forgone issue when your in an actual situation. You can count on that.

First I will wholly agree that .22lr is very deadly.  I have seen if first hand more than once.  I lost a close friend who was shot and killed with a single .22 to the heart.  It was a non survivable wound no matter the caliber.  That does not however mean that a .22lr is an ideal or even a good option for a defensive caliber.  Having said that I don't tend to give out advice on forums when it comes to actual personal defense or tactics and I don't like to upset people or necessarily call them out on line as it is just not my style or worth my time.  However I do draw the line when there are those who are offering advice that could be very counter productive to saving ones own life.  Therefore I will make general statements without getting into detail as I did in my first post.  I can without a doubt say that some of the advice offered in this thread should be highly scrutinized by those who may be reading it.  As for myself and the study and / or application of this topic and getting more target practice, that makes me smile.  There are those who might think I am behind a trigger and devote far too much of my professional and personal life to this topic already.  Again I truly do not wish to offend, but there is information in this thread that is not correct or even close to the best advice.

You're only as good as your training.

The "average Joe" can train to use a firearm properly.

Nobody, trained or not can predict every single scenario but being able to "stop" threats as quickly as possible is in everybody's best interest.

The truth of the matter is that all things being equal, a 22lr is not your best option.

Not who's best option? The person with years and years of firearms handling in combative situations or the average Joe who has never seen any sort of firearms action beyond a target? "All ready on the left... all ready on the right... you may commence firing when your dog target appears." "Gear up gents! We have a date with Hoji in the sand." You and I are ready Kingkeoni but are they? Anyhow, all that put aside, yes you are correct a larger caliber will yield more effective results and I wouldn't argue that aspect but how does experienced field combat compare to sleepy suburban Joes? You must be aware that most persons fire the first round above the targets head in a first time altercation scenario. The same is found to be true on the battle field for first time encounters by most troops. I'd like to say there's whole host of considerations you and I don't consider from our field experience when tossing it into family home situations. 

damn...everone's an expert with a .22 --- anyone got shot with one before?

True, but given the choice dirsh may be better off looking for something along the lines of a usc, etc.  Carbine in a handgun caliber with the capacity beyond what is allowed for handguns.

That USC/UMP conversion I used to have was perfect for Hawaii home defense, it was almost hearing safe with the 16" barrel and recoil made it feel like a paintball gun, and I never had a malfunction of any kind with it.  With 230gr Gold Dots it is about as perfect as can be.  Id love to have that gun again today, but Im not gonna pay $3k for one again.  Probably cheaper getting a Type 7 FFL and get a demo letter for a real UMP.

As for what I have at hand in my present state; a .22 caliber round (5.56x45) is optimal given the weapon platform, ammunition type, noise and concussion mitigating aids, and terrain surrounding my home.

damn...everone's an expert with a .22 --- anyone got shot with one before?

LMAROF, not this dude, thank god. I have seen what it does to the hogs I drop every now and then. I will admit it's not as effective as a "kill" weapon due to little or no hydrostatic shock and or no real surrounding tissue damage but that being said I know it's just as effective at incapacitating a target when striking the appropriate regions. As with most critters through the neck vertebra will incapacitate anything and that's ending the threat or "effective" so to say. Hitting a human neck is ample stopping power with a 22lr and there are also instant kill shots using 22lr each determined by the targets posture/position in relation to the shooter.  This is where knowing anatomy as well as critical areas therein play a significant roll in a 22lr's effectiveness or ineffectiveness. You can be the most crack shot on earth but it wouldn't mean much if you don't know your target and that's an aspect of the issue that many people fail to learn correctly. Unless your sending in a 50 cal to hit the target you may end up getting killed yourself and therein is another problem, many people cannot effectively handle a 50 cal or 45 cal etc.

Are you an ammunition sales rep by chance? If not, the marketing plan has worked well on you. I'd recommend doing some study on Human anatomy and get in some more target practice. "Know thy prey". While you're at it think about what happens to you when you get amped up by adrenalin in such a situation. Your whole world will spin so to speak. There's far more to it than ballistics, defense principles and practices and all that will be a forgone issue when your in an actual situation. You can count on that.

We would all do well to get to know a little about the posters here before assuming things about their experience of what they've been through.  There's a lot of excellent information and experience in the membership here, despite it being a relatively small Hawaii shooting community, and Surf is an excellent resource. I've never met him, but I will say that I respect him and his input/feedback tremendously through interactions on 2A and in other forums.

I have never met you, so I don't know anything about you or whether not not you are speaking from "within your lane". But I can tell you that you are wrong about your assumptions of Surf's. You can count on that.

We would all do well to get to know a little about the posters here before assuming things about their experience of what they've been through.  There's a lot of excellent information and experience in the membership here, despite it being a relatively small Hawaii shooting community, and Surf is an excellent resource. I've never met him, but I will say that I respect him and his input/feedback tremendously through interactions on 2A and in other forums.

I have never met you, so I don't know anything about you or whether not not you are speaking from "within your lane". But I can tell you that you are wrong about your assumptions of Surf's. You can count on that.

OK Drck1000...
      Lets make it simple. You're now sleeping in a major hotel in Honolulu. You have your firearm with you as is said legal by the state of Hawaii for self protection. You have many people surrounding you, above you, below you and around you. Someone breaks in wielding a machete and you fire a few rounds off with a 9mm you have with you. What are the chances that you hit someone else in the hotel? Is that a chance you're willing to take? If you did hit someone else, what would happen to you from a legal aspect and how would it make you feel? So what part of re-evaluation was needed if you opted to take your .22lr with you instead? Will your chances of an unintentional collateral kill decrease if you reduce your caliber and grain load while staying in a hotel, apartment or "ah to bb" housing development? Where and when does responsible gun ownership begin from a common sense aspect? Did you really need a 9mm to provide yourself with protection in that situation?

Since MDS apparently refuses to do any research while demanding that everyone else get educated, I thought he might enjoy some light reading on the topic of auditory exclusion.  The synopsis is that in a high-stress situation (i.e. someone's trying to kill you in your own house), the human brain has a tendency to exclude information that it regards as less important.  (i.e. the second dude swinging a bat at your head)  Maybe you'll have less ringing in your ears after you shoot your 22 than I will with my 12 gauge, but on the other hand, my first guy will be dead or dying after the first volley of buckshot which will allow me to deal with his baseball bat-wielding accomplice one on one.  The guy you shot with a 22 to protect your hearing will be the same guy stabbing you in the back while you try to deal with his friend because the 22 caliber is a piss poor choice for home defense.

For those who are serious, I'd like to point out that a load of 00 buck throws nine pellets with each pull of the trigger, each of which is substantially larger than a 22lr bullet.  Someone was pointing out the hazards of multiple shots and the possibility of having it become a big to-do about excessive force.  I say eliminate the possibility by discharging nearly a pistol mag worth of projectiles with a single pull of the trigger.   

I'm going to make this damn clear to everyone, if someone asks what the best home defense gun is. I'm going to say a Ruger 22 handgun or some other dependable brand. WHY? Because that person has no idea how to handle a firearm if they are asking and for that type of person starting at the beginning and working their way up is a better bet than starting at the top and doing more harm to themselves and others than is necessary. Every damn time I hear this question I see forgetfulness rise from otherwise savvy gun owners. The question is not "What gun is best for your home defense". Give them the beginners tip and let them figure it out the rest of the way for themselves, assuming they ever bother to take it beyond a 22 level. Get it? Responsible gun ownership begins with training, then you establish experience and then you face considering the circumstances of advise you're giving out to others.
 

I'm going to make this damn clear to everyone, if someone asks what the best home defense gun is. I'm going to say a Ruger 22 handgun or some other dependable brand. WHY? Because that person has no idea how to handle a firearm if they are asking and for that type of person starting at the beginning and working their way up is a better bet than starting at the top and doing more harm to themselves and others than is necessary. Every damn time I hear this question I see forgetfulness rise from otherwise savvy gun owners. The question is not "What gun is best for your home defense". Give them the beginners tip and let them figure it out the rest of the way for themselves, assuming they ever bother to take it beyond a 22 level. Get it? Responsible gun ownership begins with training, then you establish experience and then you face considering the circumstances of advise you're giving out to others.

No doubt your intentions are good, but just because someone isn't a 24/7 gun nut doesn't make them a retard.  I use the same policy with people new to guns that I use with anyone else--I answer the question they asked me.  If they're asking what the best gun for home defense is, it's absolute bullshit to give the answer to a different question.  In this case, you've got someone asking "What gun is BEST for home defense?" and you're providing an answer to the question, "What's the best gun for learning to shoot?" 

If someone asks you what's the most economical car to drive, do you tell them to get a Ford Excursion on the assumption that they're retards who can't drive and should be in a big, safe vehicle?