Molf,

I have been a shooter for the last 30+ years. The only way a .22 is a self defense gun is if you can hit your adversary in the brain stem. This would work in an ambush situation where you know where the person is going to be and you have a gun set up that is accurate enough to hit the brain stem.

A .22 is not going to stop someone quick enough to prevent them from harming you. Most people that have been shooting for some time like to have at least a .40 S&W or .357 mag. for personal protection. A handgun only has a 25% probability of killing someone.

If your adversary is agitated, or on drugs, your ability to stop them with a firearm goes way down. To stop them you have to damage the central nervous system or cause a rapid loss of blood pressure. A .22 is not up to the job.