I ran into a surgeon from South Africa while in Viet Nam. He told me a story which impressed me (and I'm pretty hard to impress).
It seems that an older lady lived on a farm in Kenya during the Mau-Mau days. There were heavy-duty weapons around the place but she preferred her .22lr revolver. She practiced every day until she could shoot the (insert anatomical term) off a Tse-Tse fly.
One day, while her husband and brother were away, the farm was attacked. She was able to kill ten machete-wielding thugs with multiple shots to the head from her .22.
I suppose that proves that .22's can kill, but also that steady nerves and lots of practice are the answer to self defense.
Buzz (cockerpoodle)