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Originally Posted by Metric
How do you think .22lr would do against wolves?
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Depends on the gun as well as the size of the wolf. Folks have successfully hunted coyotes with .22LR Rifles for as long as the cartridge has been around, so obviously a wolf of similar size would go down just as easily.
However, hunting and self-defense are essentially the exact polar opposite to one another, (when hunting, you're the predator, in self-defense, you're the prey) and obviously a .22LR Rifle isn't the best choice for self-defense against wild animals.
Folks most often choose handguns for self-defense because they're much faster to deploy and can be operated one-handed, so if a predatory animal ambushes you, you can draw and fire as quickly as possible.
Obviously, .22LR is going to have substantially lower velocity and energy out of a 3"-6" Barrel of a Handgun than out of a 16"+ Barrel of a rifle.
So generally speaking, you'd be better off carrying a pistol chambered in a centerfire cartridge. In other words, just carry whatever you already carry for 2-Legged Predators. Anything that can stop a man should stop a wolf.
Personally, I'm am of the mindset that one should carry the biggest, most powerful firearm that they can handle proficiently, as well as a smaller backup gun. Better to have it and not need it then need it and not have it.