Originally Posted by
Mackay Sagebrush
I worked as a criminal investigator for years. Investigated a fair number of shootings. Suicides, homicides, robberies, etc. A number of them involved .22s. Sometimes .22s worked (eventually). Sometimes they didn't. Lots of anecdotal stories out there. Very few of those stories are based in facts instead of tall tales.
Part of my job as a criminal investigator was attending autopsies, and I participated them pretty regularly. Very, very rarely was a .22 actually lethal by itself. One in particular I recall the victim was ambushed, shot in the face/neck area with a .22 rifle, with the bullet lodging against his spine. It actually did not do any substantial damage. He fought with his ambusher, but ended up being stabbed repeatedly and died from internal bleeding. His lungs filled with blood. Getting shot at point blank with a .22 rifle did not really slow the guy down. He ended up walking blocks down the street before he collapsed at another address.
With the exception of CNS shots, where the bullet actually reaches something vital to the CNS system, .22 rimfire wounds are rarely fatal.
Would I use a .22 to defend myself? Absolutely, if that is all that was all that was available. Do I think it is a good choice as a primary weapon? No.
Too many people rely on "Hope" as their strategy. Hopefully the bad guys will be scared by the mere sight of a gun. Hopefully they will be incompetent. Hopefully I don't have to shoot this underpowered gun. etc, etc.
To each their own.