Who the HELL uses a .22 for self defense? That said, who the HELL shoots at a rabbit using DA? I frankly don't care that every DA .22 revolver I've ever fired including Rugers (even center fire Rugers suck out of the box) and Smiths have heavy triggers, even a K22 Masterpiece.
I have a little stainless Rossi 511 Kit Gun and it's a dandy, very accurate, DA sux, big deal, SA is budda. It's a "knock about" gun and even shoots the occasional squirrel, very accurate. If I didn't have the Rossi, I wouldn't hesitate to try the Taurus. I have 3 centerfires that are awesome.
All .22s will misfire occasionally, nature of rimfire. I get much fewer misfires in all my .22s with CCI. Of the ammo I use, Federal Lightening bulk pack is the worst. My Ruger Mk 2 will misfire a couple out of every range trip, have a Ramline Exactor that is fine with CCI and will NOT fire more than 5 out of a mag of 15 of Federal. The Rossi fires 'em pretty reliably, rarely a misfire. My thought is that the rather large, round firing pin tip dents more of the rim on firing and is less apt to hit a dry spot in the priming. My rifles are the same way, some CCI always fires, Federal not so much. But the federal is accurate and CHEAP!
One word of advice that always seems to work for me, my mama always told me this. Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear. If I'd believed all the BBS bashing of Taurus I've read, I'd not have three of the best centerfire revolvers I've ever owned right now. Actually, I could say that about Ruger, Kel Tec, and Rossi just off the cuff. Go over to the autoloader forum and tell 'em you like Ruger P guns or the Kel Tec P11. Sheesh!