One of the problems with the .22 is that the best handguns for a .22 rimfire are not exactly the best for carry. Here I'm thinking of a Ruger .22. There are other good .22 rimfires but good and inexpensive don't go together.
Regarding the man shot in the abdomen with a .22, another writer long ago, in writing about handgun cartridge effectiveness, said the more he learned, the less sure he was about anything. But just the same, he had learned a few useful things. For instance, he stated (in so many words) that some cartridges that today most people would say were very ineffective were ones that in his day were the most feared. But more to the point, he also stated that men shot in the abdomen or stomach invariably doubled up in pain. I do know that a good (bad?) blow to your mid-section will knock the breath out of you and will definately stop you--momentarily. It won't knock you out or down like a blow to the head, though.
Do you suppose how accustomed a person is to being hit has anything to do with their reactions to being struck with anything from a bullet to a 2x4? It is said that boxers are sort of like that, glass jaws notwithstanding.
Regarding the man shot in the abdomen with a .22, another writer long ago, in writing about handgun cartridge effectiveness, said the more he learned, the less sure he was about anything. But just the same, he had learned a few useful things. For instance, he stated (in so many words) that some cartridges that today most people would say were very ineffective were ones that in his day were the most feared. But more to the point, he also stated that men shot in the abdomen or stomach invariably doubled up in pain. I do know that a good (bad?) blow to your mid-section will knock the breath out of you and will definately stop you--momentarily. It won't knock you out or down like a blow to the head, though.
Do you suppose how accustomed a person is to being hit has anything to do with their reactions to being struck with anything from a bullet to a 2x4? It is said that boxers are sort of like that, glass jaws notwithstanding.