Qualified Arguments
Now that we've gone from the sublime to the ridiculous and taken the topic
from the question of what each of us is comfortable with to how good or bad
a given bullet style is...
No...I wouldn't *choose* to hunt wild boar with a .22 but if I was in the woods after squirrels, and a boar charged...and all I HAD was a .22...and I couldn't get up a tree, you betcha I'd use it. Many domestic pigs have fallen to a well-placed .22 short on the noggin. Shot placement wins over trick bullets every time. Even Cape Buffalo and Elephant have been stopped with
the 7X57 Mauser...a round that falls short of the .308's energy.
Neither would I *choose* to hunt Whitetail deer with a pistol stoked with hardball...but if I was on a hiking trail and a ruttin' buck took umbrage at my
being in his neck of the woods and came at me with his head down...and all I HAD was a Commander and ball...I'd take the shot(s) until one of us lost the fight. Shot placement wins again. Lack of same probably loses.
If I KNEW that I would have to fight for my life at high noon, I wouldn't choose ANY pistol, no matter which ammo I had on hand.
Ball ammo in any caliber isn't as effective as a good hollowpoint in the same caliber. No argument there...but well-placed ball is perfectly capable of shutting an attacker down and getting you home to wife and kids. Not defending ball because I happen to carry it sometimes...just stating a fact.
As for ball being "ultra reliable in any gun"...No, it's not. I've had more than a few pistols on my bench that would feed hollowpoints and choke on ball. I've seen some that wouldn't go through a whole magazineful of factory ball without a failure to feed and/or return to battery. Ball is no guarantor of reliability, just like no hollowpoint guarantees the end of the fight with one hit.
But...Back on topic. I'm as comfortable with ball in my carry gun as any hollowpoint because I know that in the final analysis, it's mostly up to me.
If I place the shot(s) well, I'll probably go home alive. If I shoot badly, I may not...no matter which round I'm using...unless the attacker is one of those
people who go into shock over a stubbed toe. In that case, even a .22 would do.
Cheers!