I spent ten years as a LEO in two city and one state agency. I started as a Patrolman in 1978 in a medium sized city that had rural, suburban and inner city areas. I mainly worked the public housing/inner city area. I saw a good many shootings, stabbings, cuttings, beatings, suicides and etc. While there and at another agency, I was on scene at three offcer involved shootings. All involved the issued S&W M10 or 64 using 158gr LSWCHP +P .38 Spl ammo. Two of thośe involved one shot to the torso and almost instant incapacitation. The other involved four officers firing several shouts to the chest, abdomen and arm of a very large, very fat, very psychotic woman who had just fatally stabbed a man in a small townhouse living room...She exhibited no reaction and had to be subdued by officers using MACE and batons. She survived to stand trial and be sentenced to a state psychiatric institution.
What I learned from all this is that the "What I would do..." and "I think/believe/know if that happens..." and all other conjecture is worthless when a lethal encounter is at hand. Perhaps, if one is a SEAL, those ideas may be valid but there is always the unexpected and random...One of the helicopters crashed during the raid on Bin Laden. I don't think that was expected...When you add fear and adrenaline and physical exertion as wells as mood state and health issues and other factors, what will occur with the best firearms and training/practice is unpredictable.
I coming up n on 65 and grew up reading the works of the old writers. Some of it was entertaining and useful and some proved to be pedestrian drivel. None of those guys knew everything. Nobody does. Time and personal experiences color all of our perspectives. In purely objective terms, I don't know what "wicked" as applied to a firearm or cartridge means. He doesn't expound much on what it means. That he was a excellent shot under certain circumstances seems to be undeniable. How well that held up under combat conditions is unknown. I knew an officer who was quite muscular and had studied advanced martial arts for years and was an instructor but when he got a call for a fight in a biker bar, he lost his nerve and refused to get out of his car...He resigned the next day.
I have had numerous .22 RF and .22 Mags in rifle and pistol formats. My conclusion is they make fine small game, target and plinking guns. I could chose to carry one for dedicated self-defense purposes and it might be enough but I know I don't know everything and so I rely on what those with more knowledge and experience have learned. NO police or military or top tier security agency issues .22 Mags to their officers/agents. I never worked for or knew of an agency that authorized .22 Mag for OD/BUG except maybe for undercover work...So, this has been an interesting discussion. I will stick to my G27 and S&W 337 AirLite ti for most of my EDC needs. I shoot them as well as any rimfire but they are capable of more ability to quickly end a fight with less than opitmal shot placement. All the cops around here carry .40 or .357 Sig and .38 Spl for BUG in a small revolver. That's good enough for me
