Bird
Rest in Peace
.22 is not the prefered tool of choice unless you are a VERY skilled and practiced marksman
Yep, but .22 rifles and 12 gauge shotguns were the only guns in the family when I was 12 years old. And my own single shot r**** and double barrel 12 gauge were never brought into the house loaded. However, my Dad's .22 bolt action r**** was kept with the magazine loaded in the closet in his and Mother's bedroom. We lived right at the top of a hill and I just happened to be in the house when I saw those two dogs go trotting by on the dirt road in front of the house. So by the time I could go grab Dad's r**** and get out in the road (vegetation blocked the view until I was completely out in the road), and get a shell into the chamber, it was quite a long shot for a .22 with two dogs trotting directly away from me. And of course, I really have no idea how severely that dog was wounded. When she was hit, she yelped and spun around in a circle a couple of times, and I was running down the road to get closer while putting another shell in the chamber, and the two dogs turned and ran into the woods. I found several drops of blood, but then lost the trail. Maybe she died, maybe she recovered, but I never saw her again after that.
At a range of maybe half that distance, I killed two smaller dogs that were dumped on us, and of course that was with a .22. The .22 caliber pistols and rifles are quite adequate at short range. My dad, and others, routinely used a .22 to kill hogs and calves to slaughter for meat. And of course, as a police officer, I've seen a number of people that were killed with .22 pistols.