Reading this whole thread has been fascinating.
To give more than a microsecond's thought to the question of "needing" or not needing a .22 revolver may seem like a waste of time, at first glance. And most of us here have special admiration for what a Smith & Wesson handgun is, any model and any caliber, but particularly the older classics which were built to a certain standard.
Some of those happen to be .22s, so they fit into the overall picture for S&W collectors and recreational shooters. So I have a few.
In fact, I think I have more .22 handguns and rifles than anything else. It's a bunch. They're fun to own, study, admire, and occasionally even...well...shoot. When I get tired of chasing center fire cases to reload, I can shoot the .22s. The older I get, the more of that I do.
But there is another factor that everybody here seems to have overlooked. I'm no survivalist kook, but I've lived and travelled in a number of places abroad, some being unstable and run by people who are not very nice. This country is not immune to such destabilizing influences, as Americans are just starting to figure out. Some of the lessons of 911 are already being forgotten, far too soon.
If widespread natural or unnatural calamity should befall us, your life may depend upon just saying "no" and being able to back that up with lethal force.
Expect no operable power grid, and then loss of basics like running water, sanitation, fuel, transportation, police and fire protection, etc., etc. Localized weather disasters have already give us a taste of this. Imagine if it were on a broader scale than that. The possibility is not just something to be fantasized by a bunch of Idaho militia whackos, crawling around in the hills and fighting off ticks.
Our comfortable infrastructure is complex and very vulnerable to rapid collapse. In such case, you would not be going down to Wal-Mart to buy a box of .45 ACP, .38 Special, .223 Remington, .41 Magnum, or the most common centerfire (or rimfire) ammunition.
But...
.22LR ammo is going to be floating around all over the community...in houses, cars, barns, old pants pockets, and who knows where. .22LR is the most widely distributed cartridge in the entire world. It is everywhere. And in unbelievable quantity. It lasts forever, and under pretty adverse storeage conditions.
I tell friends to lay away a few bricks of .22LR...to use or to barter. It may someday be more valuable than gold. No matter what all the "experts" say, it is quite effective for defense, food gathering, and a lot of other things. It is not just a worthless cartridge to shoot at paper targets.
The .22 revolver, especially a high quality S&W model, perhaps made of stainless steel, is more reliable and durable than a semiauto. Expect very little parts breakage, when there may be no new parts available through an infrastructure where lines of distribution no longer exist.
A .22 revolver and a few hundred or thousand rounds of its ammo represent a small, durable, and easily concealed package. Put it away, carefully packaged, along with a good bolt action .22 rifle...perhaps a scoped, super accurate target model with backup iron sights.
Sound silly? Maybe. Or maybe not. But the required effort is negligible.
In future years, we might "need" these .22s, or not "need" them. But if we don't, none of us need be unhappy for having taken an "unnecessary" precaution, which can also provide recreational entertainment in the meantime, if not packed away. Just remember to buy as much ammo as you shoot for fun, to keep a good supply on hand...always. I certainly do.
My personal opinion is that stashing a rugged .22 revolver, rifle, and a few thousand rounds of this ridiculously inexpensive ammo is some of the cheapest insurance any human being can buy. We never buy insurance because we are expecting accidents, and if one does not happen, we are not upset because we bought the policy.
A fine .22 revolver is no different, except that it can be more enjoyable to own in the interim than a piece of paper you get from the insurance company. And a S&W K-22 or 617 will most likely appreciate while giving you free coverage after you buy the initial "policy".
I rest my case.
A prudent and thoughtful person "needs" one...perhaps only after thinking all of this over, though.
) amongst the .32s, .357 and .44 Mag, and I am shooting it about as much as any. The introduction of semi-target ammo in bulk from Federal via Wally World makes it cheaper to shoot this gun than reload even for my .32s! 
