Is anyone out there how uses .22 rimfire for selfdefence or has some experience with this caliber on this issue?

I know there´ll be better solutions for combat but I like my .22 for it´s weight, silencer performance, survival hunting capabilities, worldwide ammo availablity and so on.

Can you give some hints and suggestions to me?

I see people here that catch birds with snares and fish hooks, so my guess is yes, your rifle, whatever caliber it is, will help you catch animals to survive... *sigh*.

Trauma surgeons consider the .22 the worst wound to work with. Aside from a very small tearing wound channel the external lubricant introduces all manner of nasties.
The inherent accuracy and ease of shooting also make it a prime tool. A handgun's role is to stop the assailant from stopping you: not kill ,maim or introduce nasty wound channels for doctors. There are documented shootings where the .22 worked: and there are others where full magazines or chambers of .45acp and .44magnums DID NOT. So there literaly is no 'magic bullet' If this is what you have, practice and be as good as you can be.

A self defense firearm should stop an assailant and should stop quickly. A 22 can work, but a .45 can too and will work quicker...most of the time. You will not find a large body of experimental evidence on using 22 for self defense since there are so many better choices. You will find a lot of anecdotal evidence of 22 being used both sucessfully and unsucessfully.

Bullet selection doesn't really matter at such low velocity and the difference between HP and solids isn't a really big deal when talking about 22's.

The key is shot placement, and with a 22, you want headshots, not chest/center of mass shots, to get the most reliable "stop" IMO.

YMMV.

As others have stated, a .22 is capable of being used in self-defense, but probably not the best choice. However, the old saying is that the 22 in your pocket is better than the 45 that you left at home. So if because of size/weight, you decide that the 22 is the best that you will carry, then carry it happily. The .22 will also have some benefits as far as also being able to take small game without destroying all of the meat, so it is a true multi-purpose device.

Chris: The reason that trauma surgeons don' tlike .22 is because that is what they see. .22 victims go to the ER. .45 victims go to the coroner <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Results may be like the stories of the guys who stopped a Grizz with a 22 rifle. You don't hear about the ones who tried .... and got eaten.
You'll hear a lot of commentary about the 22 being an inadequate choice for a defense pistol, (and I believe it is). On the other hand, imagine what it's like being HIT with one (or several).
As the previous post said, it's better than not having one.

There is nothing so frightening as ignorance in action.

I have a very small .22 pocket gun that I carry at times. I feel good about having it, in that it is better than not having one at all. It would cause a perpetrator to turn me loose, for example. While it isn't a .45, I can carry it places I couldn't carry a .45. So it has its place. I suppose my point would be there is no perfect gun. As a previous writer said, be a good shot with what you have. Police use larger calibers, but are notoriously poor shots, and they spend much time on the range. Laser grips might be a consideration, too, if your model gun and/or budget allow. They markedly improve accuracy, and can be a formidable deterrent in and of themselves.

Bee, are you a vegitarian? I'm justing asking.

Vegans already graze. We'll eat them after the cows.

Yep... .22 or .25... go for the Italian lobotomy, field proven by La Cosa Nostra time and time again <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Troy

AMEN, Brother <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Troy