That said, I do occasionally carry a 9mm pistol and quite often a .22 pistol. But while they are both definitely options in a survival situation, I don't specifically carry them as survival gear. The 9mm is my concealed carry weapon and the .22 is for plinking.
While plinking isn’t a survival goal, self-defense sure as hell is. The goal of defending yourself is to survive, isn’t it?
I certainly don't think there is an ideal survival weapon.
Oh, there are ideal weapons for certain survival situations, such as self-defense, but there is no
blanket weapon that serves ideally for everything. (The shotgun comes close, and would be ideal if only small enough to carry everywhere.) Your weapon of choice is just like any other piece of gear… it should be suited to the situation(s) you have evaluated and find most probably of putting you in danger. The choice of proper gear always starts with a risk assessment.