My parents farm has used a .22 short to butcher cattle for generations and it usually brings the cow down on one shot. I have killed whitetail deer with a .22 hornet (minimum legal caliber in WV and first deer hunting rifle dad bought me when I was a kid). So I think it is quite possible to take down animals larger than a rabbit with a .22. The .22 hornet I have is a sawp for a shotghun barrel where you have to take out a screw and pull the barrel of and replace the other barrel with it and screw it back on. Kind of a PITA for a "survival" rifle. I still prefer my semi auto .22, If the first shot wouldn't take something down I could fill it full of 17 more. Gun and ammo are both lightweight compared to something like dads 30-06, I carried it for a day one deer season and was quite sore from the weight.