22lr rifle starts with 120 ft lbs, normal loads
(from a RIFLE barrel )Stingers start with 160 ft lbs, from a RIFLE. . 22 pistols have significantly less power, penetration, ability to expand a hp . A little pocket 22rl. 2.5" barrel, has just 70 ft lbs of "power". The 22 rifle has lost enough velocity to have only 60 ft lbs remaining at 150 yds. That is the army's "minimum lethality" level of energy, cause it matches the .25 ACP, which is well known to be just barely capable of a lethal blow. The blunt, soft lead bullet of the .22lr sheds velocity quickly, it is not capable of doing harm at more than half a mile. and not much harm at 1/4 mile from a pistol. It would have to be an eyeball hit. The warning on .22lr ammo boxes says "1 mile+" because people are so POOR at just ranges beyond about 1/4 mile. it takes 20 ft lbs to pierce the skin and a rib. So a .177, POINTED pellet, from a rifle, IF it misses the ribs, might well be lethal, to 20 yds or so, on an adult male, if he's not wearing heavy clothing. The same sort of thing applies to .22lr hits, at the longer ranges.
the army's standard for minimum lethal penetration is a ROUGH 1" pine board (ie, not 3/4" finished pine) and NOT a mere 1/2" thick pine board. The .22lr, from a rifle barrel, will not pierce such a 1" board at 200 (measured, not guessed) yds.
