Agree.....primary is still a major caliber that I have carried since age of 16 and for my 26 years of military service. I hit the range once a week still, sometimes twice a week. In the service I had the use of shoot houses to 'create the stress and later as a Deputy Sheriff the training game was simunitions. I learned that greying out , kind of like a fighter pilot does, only ya stay awake, under high G forces was a real concern during gunfights.
We'd tape our tranining scenerios and review afterwards . The instructors would ask why we did this or that and we'd honestly swear on moms grave we didn't do such......the tapes didn't lie. Yet just the pucker factor of training at first would lock up your mind. I would do speed or tactical reloads repetedly like a blithering idgit under fire. The training was so good it created the fear and confusion I experienced later on in my career.
I learned early on that regardless of ones firepower in hand it is friggin useless if you have not the ability and will power to keep thinking and yer noggin in serious swivel mode.
I have seen units in the IDF and Israeli secret service use the little beretta 70 & 71S .22 automatics (not made any more) in such a surgical and precise manner to the right eye left eye, knee cap or hit in the motors agressors to "stop" them.
My selection of a .22 (as a backup) was based on how I had personally seen its use in training with some of those folks. Hits are key IMHO, placement is nice yet not as important as multiple hits, fast and accurate center mass when the threat is close. If the threat is far enough away to allow I'll go to cover everytime vs trying to return fire.
As a retired serviceman and former LEO I have no legal authority . As a civilian I am obligated to avoid, evade and stop the threat of deadly force against me and mine. I have no more free ammo days with uncle sugar or the county taxpayers dime'n time. Thus the closest I get to threat scenerios is participating three gun matches and IDPA. More fun than training per se yet it's trigger time that reinforces past musclematic memory skills and enhances my point shooting skills.
Be it .22 or 45ACP.......training and teaching your mind and body the martial art of shooting under high stress. And I mean sh*t and go blind stress.
Stay safe AD !!....Hope you and yours is well. Always like to read and learn from others experiences. Thanks for sharing with me.