Tay,
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Tikirocker, again for what you are talking about it is a SHTF/EOTWAWKI situation probably because of a breakdown in society, or maybe you just have removed yourself from it.
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I'm not thinking SHTF or TEOTWAWKI at all ... I'm thinking stranded in the outback - this is a very real situation in Australia when traveling/hiking in remote country. People die from exposure right on the doorstep of where I live when they are only 1/2 a days walk out to a main road. Water is the first thing they usually don't have and don't know how to procure.
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Your points are valid but only in a long term situation. Most people are not going to be lost in the bush long enough to need to take down big game for
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When I think of survival I always think worst case and plan long term - there is no point assuming a short 5-10 days stint in the wilderness when you don't know what you may be facing or how long you'll be there. If you check a map of Australia you will quickly see how vast it is and how almost everything but the coast line is unpopulated, the Outback here is a very real threat.
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Most people in a survival situation might just be lost in the woods or bush for a couple of days to a week at most.
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You know what happens to people where I live who get lost in the bush for more than 3 days? - 99% of the time they die and don't last any longer than 3 days - death by exposure. So while I agree with you that most people won't be in a survival situation for any long period of time - it's usually because they'll be dead in 3 days, not because they walked out in less than a week. This is why I try to look at a long term survival plan for a variety of situations in my environment - hope for the best but plan for the worst.
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In all actuality a good knife will probably serve them just as well as any rifle. Any kind of survival situation really boils down to what you carry between your ears more than what rifle you carry on your back.
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I absolutely concur with those comments ... the question was about guns though and you brought up the issue of the 22LR being better for survival for a variety of reasons. This is why I made mention of a rifle in a heavier cal for the same purpose, because I have already given it much thought in practical survival terms.
I live in the central west of my state and live right on the edge of wilderness - if I plan to do any remote driving or hiking, whether with my wife or solo - I always carry a basic emergency kit as part of my natural travel pack; a good knife is a key feature of that kit. If you had a look at any of the Australian touring car/travel by road books you will see that they are packed with basic emergency survival information just as a basic knowledge base - this is meant for the city resident going on holiday. If you get stuck in the bush in Australia in remote area's you won't get any mobile phone signal and you can be hundreds of miles from any living thing in every direction.
My comments/plans regarding survival are commensurate with the climate and the geography of my country - it is practical and not some SHTF fantasy; they pull hikers bodies out of the bush not less than 2k's away from my house all year round. Don't get me wrong, this is not a chest beating exercise, I just take survival seriously - it's not some fantasy scenario for me but a very practical issue. I'm enjoying the discussion very much though and understand different climates require different solutions.
Cheers, Tiki.