Rifle .22

[hpdad]

I have been reading people talking about rifle .22 is survival rifle, but I also reading that people saying that rifle .22 is not good for HD/SD weapon. So, what survival are we're talking about when shtf?

[.45 ftw!]

My guess would be taking small game

[b.thomas]

For food gathering only.............I.E. makes a good round for small game(carry lots of ammo).

[rm1911]

Survival. Meaning light weight, easy to pack around, lots of ammo, useful for taking small game to eat, etc. also quiet especially when usin subsonic ammo.

Not combat or SHTF scenario though. Air Force outfitted pilots with ar-7 rifles.

And in a pinch a well aimed shot can be lethal.

[GeeDog]

For putting food on the table, but if you had to shoot someone with it, they'd know they've been shot.

[rimfired]

I have been reading people talking about rifle .22 is survival rifle, but I also reading that people saying that rifle .22 is not good for HD/SD weapon. So, what survival are we're talking about when shtf?

I think a lot of people think of survival as combat, and therefore can't fathom a .22 as a survival firearm. In a survival situation combat is a last resort. Surviving in a SHTF situation is getting away from the dangerous situations and feeding you and your family. Hunting would not be easy and in a SHTF scenario, you'd be competing with everyone else for food. Just think opening day deer season x1000, yeah, taking deer and other large game to feed your family is living in fantasy land. You'd do better with small game like rabbits, squirrels, rats, mice, cats, dogs, fish, birds, etc as those are much more abundant and if you're extremely lucky a larger animal. A .22 will save much more meat on smaller game while still being capable of larger game with proper headshot placement. And if your back is against the wall, well, I still have yet to hear of anyone wanting to test if a .22 bullet is lethal using their body as a target.

Don't get me wrong, I have other caliber firearms that would be better in HD/SD situations, but if I could only take 1 on the way out the door it would be the .22 with a backpack full of ammo.

[Caseless]

I will add that .22LR rimfire is generally less reliable with primer ignition compared to centerfire cartridges. So it's less desirable for SD. The Mossad still favor a suppressed .22LR pistol though.