Outdoors: Would a .22 handgun be sufficient for personal protection?

Last summer, I spoke at a fishing club in Naperville. I met a young lady who was a member and was unfortunately car-jacked in July. She had since taken a concealed carry class using a .22-caliber handgun. She asked me if the small handgun would be enough to defend her.

First of all, I asked her if it was a semi-automatic or a revolver. She explained that is was a revolver, which is what I prefer for a number of reasons.

Many times, a semi-auto is prone to certain ammo. Not only that, it has to be kept clean to function reliably. Not so with a revolver. However, one will need to practice with the gun you will be carrying. The .22 revolver may only weigh a little more than a pound. The less strain on one’s muscles, the better you will shoot. I told her that practice was always required.

There are many types of ammo for the .22 handgun. The list is as follows: Federal Punch, Winchester Silvertip, Browning BPR, Winchester PowerPoint and CCI Velocitor. All are good defense cartridges for a revolver. In addition, most of the .22 ammo is available in most gun shops. Other ammo has been hard to get and very expensive today.

Again, practice is needed no matter what firearm you select, and the cost is a lot better with a smaller caliber.

In addition, some .22 ammo has a longer case length. This can affect some rifles but usually has no effect on a revolver. Still, try different types of ammo to see how well you shoot during practice, and by all means wear hearing protection. Handguns have a tendency to be very loud, and the smallest can have a small recoil.

I haven’t heard back from her, so I guess no news is good news. If I encountered even a small female with a handgun, I would not continue to pursue, and hopefully others would follow suit.

Fishing and boating show

Bedford Sales and Outdoors in Morris will host its annual Open House on Friday through Sunday. Times are Friday and Saturday 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m.-5 pm. See all the new model boats and tackle.

Refreshments will be available as well as the new electronics with advisors. The facility is located right on Route 6 just inside of the city limits. I never miss this one, so I hope to see you there.

Hunting report

Hunting for Canada geese is limited to crop fields now, as most waterways are frozen. Still, most hunters are taking birds. As before, squirrel hunting remains very good.

Fishing report

Hopefully the weather will moderate and get some of the ice off the rivers. There has been no fishing activity for the past few days because of ice. Area ponds have ice, but it is not safe yet. When that becomes safe, check the thickness with a spud before venturing out.

Fish the deep water of a pond or lake, as this is where most of the fish will winter.

• Fred Krause is a Shaw Media correspondent.