There are many schools of thought on this subject taking into account the availability, stopping power and other factors. This post is from my own personal opinions and real world situations.
For availability and ease of use, there is nothing better the .22 LR round. It is cheap, easy to find and you can carry a ton load. It can used for hunting small game to personal defense. Now this all depends on the type of .22 LR rounds you are using. CCI carries the Stinger, Segmented hollow Point and Velocitor. These rounds, as all .22 LR rounds do not have the stopping power of larger calibers, but they do have killing power. For small game they are excellent rounds that will take down your small game without the use of larger caliber hunting rounds and as stated earlier, you can carry a lot without the bulk and weight.
For self-defense, the .22 LR is not the best round out there, but the sidearm you carry is most likely a small concealable backup piece. I personally carry a Beretta Bobcat in .22 LR loaded with CCI Stingers or Velocitor rounds. It is small enough that you can carry it in your pocket and not even notice it is there since it weight is negligible. It may not be an intimidating gun, but if I ever had to pull it out I am prepared to fire all six rounds…now it may not kill a threat immediately but I can say that they are not going to be in a fighting mood afterwards and will most likely bleed out due to the fragmentation of the rounds. Again, this is my backup gun as my primary carry is a .40 cal.
For small game it is an ideal round…little recoil, good trajectory and does have the killing power to stop your prey. People will say this round is no good and that it is waste to have, but I differ because I can find .22 LR just about anywhere. The Ruger 10/22 rifle has a proven track record for performance in a lot of styles for every rimfire application. It is ideal for informal target shooting, “plinking,” small game hunting. It can take a beating and keep working…it is truly a workhorse for a .22 LR.
A long time ago I bought a Ruger Mark II target pistol and to this day, it is the most accurate pistol I’ve owned. I absolutely love it! You can stay on target for a controlled pair and the gun never moves…it is not a carry gun, but it can double as a small game pistol, plus it is a great plinking gun. It faults are that they are a major pain to disassemble and reassemble. But it has never jammed regardless of the rounds I’ve put through it. You can shoot all day long and not put a dent in your wallet. It is great because you can practice your firing drills (double tap, controlled pairs and hammer drills) and stances with this pistol and not spend valuable time and money firing rounds on your primary carry.
To sum it up, I love the .22 LR for its availability, cost effectiveness and size of carry if you choose to carry a backup. It may lack the stopping power of a .45, .40, .357 and so on…but in a pinch it is a round and gun that is a must for any survival emergency situation. Anyone in the family can shoot it and it is great way to start out your wife or child on gun safety and target acquisition without scaring them off using a larger caliber round. In a survival situation, any firearm can be deadly in the right hands and the .22 LR is an excellent choice to practice and have on hand for those times since just about any sporting and/or outdoor store will carry this round so for availability it is a must have.
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