David. You really wish to go this far out on the limb for a .22 mag?
I don't think it is going out on a limb at all. BTW, my preference is for the .22LR, not the Mag.
Seriously, try your duece duece on something more substantial than a tabby tree climber and see if the response is something you would trust on an enraged human.
Personally I don't trust much less than a 12-gauge on an enraged human. However, that is not and was not the thrust of this thread. The guy asked about using the .22 NAA for self defense.
Research the author Wiley Clapp. He has shot many wild animals on his farm and thinks very little of this caliber or weapon.
I've read lots of Wiley's stuff, he is a knowledgable and interesting writer. As for farm animals, I've shot several hundred of them myself, and the .22 was the weapon of choice in the slaughter pen. Don't remember having to shoot many of them more than once.
I respect your freedom to carry whatever weapon you choose, just know you are going against conventional wisdom.
You know, carrying a 1911-style .45 ACP cocked and locked would probably be going against conventional wisdom also. But again, I'm not aware of the thread being "what is the conventional wisdom"? It is if a particualr gun will handle some CCW duty. It will. That is the only thing I'm really pushing here. Is it the best choice? No, probably not. But he didn't ask for the best choice either.
I have also won 2 PPC matches in Columbus, GA and have killed a few deer in my time, so I would appreciate you not insinuating my accuracy or gamesmanship are in question.
I'm not insinuating anything. I'm saying that nobody who knows what they are doing should have any trouble killing a downed deer with 3 shots of .22. You apparently were unable to accomplish that task. Given the nature of that task, I doubt that the caliber was the issue. I'm not sure what that has to do with accuracy or gamesmanship, as neither should have been an issue. Maybe you don't know how to deliver a coup de grace shot. I don't know what the problem was, I just know I owuldn't blame it on the gun. As Doug083 said, "How could you miss that shot at point blank? Also, why not shoot somewhere else? Not much vital in the back of the neck. Been hunting since I was 8, no shots to back of the neck. Head, yes. Throat, yes. Back of neck, not so much." I agree. Back of the neck is a lousy place to shoot. I doubt that a .38 or a .45 would have made much difference.
Good luck to you with this or any other gun you select to defend yourself.
Personally I tend to go with a Glock 19 or an S&W 642, but I don't feel particularly handicapped with a Beretta Mdl 21.