Just my .02 cents worth of opinion.

I had to take a class for obtaining my Concealed Carry permit...about 12 years ago, Virginia. The range I went to was offering the class. It was pretty awesome: Firearms safety instruction, shooting stances, conceal carry techniques, a session with a prosecuting attorney, plus a shooting exam, all of which was a three week class...met Saturday evenings. But the coolest part was a session in home defense.

- No FMJ: Too much penetration; you want something that will stop inside a body and cause as much tissue damage as possible. Shotgun was best for high stress.
- Anything is better than nothing.
- Situational awareness first. Always gather family members to a single point. think phone, exit points.
- Situational awareness: Aim for the center of mass and empty the magazine. No sniper one-shot-one kill stuff. Lawyers will eat you up.
- With muzzle rise, stomach shots become chest shots become throat, spine, and face shots. Think of all the vitals and soft tissue.

In my humble opinion in as far as using .22, most perps are cowards looking to exploit someone's weakness, either physical and/or tactical; unless you’re in bad with some mafia types . But I will submit that at the first sound of gun fire there'll be asses and elbows, and with twenty-five rounds of .22 LR from an M&P 15-22 to the stomach, chest, throat and face, you will send a very, very strong message to the perp that you mean business.

Next time at the range, take some hard targets…not just paper. Coconuts, coffee cans filled with water, watermelons, plywood, drywall, 2x6’s, old laptop computer (my favorite ), etc…a blast of .22LR can wreak havoc. If this is all you have, I personally would not want to be on the receiving end of 1,000 grains of hot, pointy lead. (Think I did the math right, 40 grain x 25 rounds)??

Again, just my .02 cents worth of opinion. Use what you have available...but be proficient, and have an exit strategy.

Regards, Mike