CCI’s Ammunition’s Uppercut is a specialized .22 LR self-defense round featuring a unique jacketed hollow point (JHP) instead of standard copper plating. It is specifically optimized for semi-automatic pistols with short barrels (2.5 to 4 inches). When I saw the announcement, I thought back to a handful of customers who had been in my concealed carry classes who really needed to carry a .22 for their everyday carry gun. But of course I wouldn’t encourage it. “Not enough gun!” I’d tell them as I continued trying to help them rack the slide and manage the recoil on a 9mm or .380. This ammo seemed like it might be an answer. It has several things going for it not previously found in .22 ammo.

• Expansion: Uppercut advertises consistent expansion in ballistic gelatin and soft targets, typically reaching 0.35″ to 0.40″ in diameter. The thick copper jacket allows for uniform “mushrooming” that traditional .22 LR rounds rarely achieve.
• Penetration: Uppercut generally achieves 8 to 10 inches of penetration in ballistic gel.
• Velocity: It averages roughly 950 fps from a 2.5-inch barrel ensuring it remains subsonic in most handguns while still having enough energy to expand the JHP. 

To see how reliable the Uppercut cartridges would be in a self-defense situation, I put it to work in several guns that might be used as EDC guns.

The first gun I tried is one that if it worked would make an ideal summer carry or backup carry, the Ruger Lite Rack LCP II. Forget it. Uppercut failed to cycle in my Lite Rack Ruger. I might get two shots out of five off, but this is just not a good match. The main culprit seems to be the length of the Uppercut cartridges which is slightly longer than most .22s.

The next pistol I tried with the Uppercut was a Taurus TX-22. I tested it with a suppressor simply because I have a suppressor on my TX-22. The Taurus performed flawlessly with the Uppercut ammo, and it was the most accurate of all the guns I tested.

The next two were pistols I’ve been generally pleased with and which I felt would make good defensive handguns because they look almost exactly like their 9mm counterparts. One is the Sig P322 and the other a Glock 44. Neither of these guns performed perfectly on the first or second magazine, but I figured out quickly what it was they needed. I had picked the guns up right out of the safe as they were, no cleaning, no lubrication. It turns out they needed both. After cleaning and with a small amount of oil on the feed ramp and critical contact points within the action, they both cycled the ammo just fine and the target results were impressive.

The last pistol I tested was the KelTec P17. It turns out this would be my choice for a .22 carry pistol with CCI Uppercut ammo. It’s a 17-round, 14-ounce pistol, no longer than a dollar bill that is an absolute delight to shoot. It grouped the shots tighter than any of the other pistols. You can just bang away with it shot after shot, and since there is no recoil and the trigger is smooth and light, there is nothing to pull the pistol off target.

Would I recommend this package as a primary defensive gun? In some cases, yes. It would certainly be better than no gun, and with the Uppercut ammunition, a significant weapon. Remember, it is where you hit an opponent that is actually more important than what you hit him with.