Context is important. Historically, it has been used as a combat weapon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.22_Long_RifleThe Israeli military used a suppressed .22 LR rifle in the 1990s for riot control and to "eliminate disturbing dogs prior to operations", though it is now used less often as
it has been shown to be more lethal than previously suspected.[12] Some other examples include the use of suppressed High Standard HDM pistols by the American OSS, which was the predecessor organization of the CIA.[9] Francis Gary Powers was issued a suppressed High Standard for the flight in which he was shot down.
Suppressed Ruger MK II pistols are in current use by the US Navy SEALs.Wermacht Troops also used PPK/L pistols as well during WWII.
http://world.guns.ru/handguns/hg/usa/hi-standard-hdm-silenced-e.htmlDuring the World War 2 American government established an Office of Strategic Services (OSS), an intellegence and special operations agency. Among other things, the OSS sent undercover agents to occupied and enemy countries and supplied friendly resistance forces with equipment and weapons. Many clandestine operations, planned and performed by OSS, required silenced weapons, and a request has been sent to develop such a weapon.
During 1943, a group of engineers at Bell Telephone Labs designed several silenced semiautomatic pistols, based on various small-bore target pistols made by Colt and High Standard. By late 1943, OSS choose the modified .22 caliber Hi-Standard HD pistol, fitted with integral silencer, and issued a contract for production of this weapon to High Standard Manufacturing corporation. During 1944, High Standard produced several thousands of these pistols, officially designated as "model HDM", but better known simply as "OSS pistols".
After the war, Hi-Standard HDM pistols were used by CIA and military special operations personnel during Korean and Vietnam wars, as well as in a number of Cold War operations. It is also possible that few Hi-Standard HDM pistols survived long enough to be used during the Gulf War of 1991. However, probably the most famous user of the Hi-Standard HDM pistol was probably the Francis Gary Powers, an CIA pilot who was shot down in 1960 over the Soviet Union, when conduction spy flight on U2 airplane.
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Two things,
1) a .22lr pistol/rifle is always a good addition to a survival combo package.
2) Rifles would work in combination with additional resistance members of your team as a suppressive fire weapon, allowing larger caliber rds. to be conserved.
The thing about being in a total survival situation is that everyone is playing under the same medical rules. A small wound today is tomorrow's gangrene and tetanus.