dlcharles said:
When it comes to 'Mafia type' killings one of the hyped trademarks is a .22 round in the back of the head.
There is absolutely nothing on the North American continent which cannot be taken out with a .22 rifle, up to and including the .22 Hornet, absolutely nothing, and the distance factors are excellent for sniping. It is my favorite weapons choice in the event of a survival factor. One can carry a thousand rounds of ammo without undue fatigue while moving rapidly from place to place.
A single shot from this caliber eludes direction placement, unlike a large caliber. The projectile itself is extremely unlikely to be conducive to ballistic tracing, especially in a head shot, because of disfigurement. From reading your inquiry I would suggest a .22 Contender handgun using a 'dum-dum' (an x cut into the lead with a knife) which 'peels' back on impact and tears flesh apart.
Another thing to consider is whether the killer leaves casings on the ground or picks them up - this is important as to what type of weapon since casings are ejected using a semi, lever action, or a bolt action. I recall seeing professionals attach a 'catch bag' on the side of their rifles/handguns to prevent casing flying away and getting lost in the dirt or leaves. In a time limited situation, or in the dark, it could be very important.
A good marksman under the circumstances you suggest would probably use a single shot weapon or a revolver, being certain of the distance and target point. Place the round and walk away, casing still inside the weapon.
Another excellent option is a slug from a .410 single.
There's nothing that can't be killed with a .22, but there are a lot of things, including a man, that may kill you before it dies. Shooting at anything big and dangerous with a .22 is a stunt, and a damned fool one, at that. I've seen several men shot witn a .22 shot a .22 who refused to die, even with shots that were kill zone hits. I saw one man shot six times with a .22, all in the heart/lung area, and he almost beat the guy who shot him to death before going down himself. It's never about killing first. It's always stop first, kill second.
With dangerous game, including man, killing first just isn't the point. Stopping is the point, and a .22 isn't a sure stopping round, no matter where you place the bullet. Neither is a 9mm. You have to make sure that whatever it is you shoot doesn't kill you before it dies. Stop first, kill second. And while it's techinically correct to say you can kill anything on the North American continent with a .22, you're an idiot if you try it out in the field. Men have survived both solid head and heart shots from a .22, a .32, a 9mm, and on rare occasions, even larger rounds. And there are two spots on a grizzly where a .22 has any real chance of penetrating deep enough for a kill, and both are about the size of a nickel. It isn't even smart to shoot a a deer with a .22. Even if you kill it, which you might, it may run a mile before it dies, even if shotthorugh the heart.
A .410 slug isn't even considered adequate for deer, or for routine self-defense. It's a poor choice, anyway, because if you're going to use a .410 slug, you may as well be smart and use something with higher velocity, more stopping power, and much better accuaracy.
As for ejected casings, this isn't nearly as big a worry as most believe. It's only a worry for amateurs and TV shows. Rather than going with a single shot, another stunt, or with trying to rig something fancy to catch the brass, the professional way with a planned kill is to not use a weapon registered to you, and simply discard it after the kill.
If you do have to use a weapon registered to you, which you should only have to do in an emergency, then use the best weapon for the job, load the weapon while wearing gloves, and leave the brass wherever it falls. It takes about five minutes to change the firing pin and the ejector, and that spent brass will never be connected to you or your weapon. Professionals only worry about ejected brass on TV and in the movies.
Even ballistics isn't much of a concern for a professional. If the weapon isn't regitered to you, you discard it, and who cares about ballistics. If it is registered to you, it's as easy to change ballistics as it is to change the firing pin and the ejector.
And if you really want to kill a man from sixty yards on in, and you can use any weapon you want, the best choice by far is a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with either double ought buck, or #1 buck. Nothing is better for killing at close range than a 12 gauge shotgun with a proper load. And if you want absolutely dead certain stopping and killing power, along with very good accuracy out to about 160 yards, a 12 gauge sabot round is the best choice. A hit anywhere in the torso gives a 96% chance of a one shot kill, the highest there is, and a hit in a vital zone gives a 100% chance of a one shot kill.
A .22 is great to have for survival uses, but only if those survival uses do not include self-defense. A ,22 is a lot better than throwing rocks, but if you can have any weapon you want. the only advantage to a .22 is that it doesn't weigh much, and takes up less space.
But out in the real world, if you ever have to shoot something dangerous with it, be prepared to get eaten or clubbed to death before whatever you shoot dies.
