Dave from United States, ID Public Profile

No, the 22 Long Rifle is not a good round for self-defense.
Yes, the gun you have and are confident operating is good for self-defense.
Read up a lot on these before I bought them, and I'm pretty impressed that they're 1,070 fps through 2-inch barrel handguns, 1,650 fps out of 24-inch rifle barrels.
They were designed for defense scenarios using a 22LR handgun with a 2-inch(ish) barrel. I'm not aware of any other 22LR ammo specifically designed for this purpose (CCI Stingers are for 16"+ barrels for optimum performance).
Again, no, 22LR is not a great caliber for self-defense. However, there are a lot of people out there who carry a 22 and/or have one on the nightstand. There are also a lot of people who carry one as a backup gun or backup-backup gun or some sort of super-duper-deep-concealment gun. In that case, you should load that 22 with self-defense rounds, & these were specifically made for that.
The gun you have is the one that saves your life, as they say.
Oh, yeah, and they cycle really well in semi-autos and have reliable accuracy. Haven't put the smackdown on a squirrel with one yet, but I'm sure they'll be up to the job when I do.

These are the same LRN Blazers that have been around forever. Same quality, rare to have a misfire, I'd say less than 1%. They're pretty dirty, and you'll definitely have to clean your gun after you shoot them (not just a boresnake, the action will need love, too). Some semi-autos with tighter tolerances will get finicky about feeding and extracting due to the fouling after a box or so. Other semi-autos eat them up and spit them out without any fuss.
Still, if you're looking for a tried-and-true plinking and target 22LR round, these fit the bill at a low price-per-round.
I've probably gone through 100 bricks or so in the last 3 decades, I trust CCI products and they're made in America!

These are the classic Mini-Mags I grew up plinking & hunting small game with. You really can't go wrong, they cycle well in my semi-autos & pump gun, & do quite nicely in my revolvers and single-shots.
I'm pretty serious about my 22 shooting, & I've tried probably 100 different loads out of 50 or so different guns.
If I see Mini-Mags available, it's a no-brainer to grab up a few boxes.
Only downside of this packaging is that it's not field-handy at all. It's 3 rows of 100-round plastic dividers (common to CCI & other rimfire hard-boxes) in a cardboard box. For the bench that's no problem, but out in the field going after critters means you're going to need a different container (or just throw 50 in your shirt pocket).

Bought a pair of these in regular fit & liked 'em so much I decided to try a pair in slim fit.
First off, they're not painted-on slim, which was what I was afraid of when I ordered them. No offense to hipsters, but that's definitely not the look for this 40-something guy. They fit more snugly than the regulars, but not to the point where they're restrictive.
The stretchy denim is comfortable when you're moving around, so I wore them out in the woods here in Idaho where I don't like baggier pants due to the snag factor. Never felt like they were holding me back in any of my movements, taking big steps, hopping over little creeks, and scrambling up hillsides.
Wore them the whole time I was on a ranch trip in Texas recently & they were never too hot during the day or too cold at night.
The tactical pockets worked just as well outdoors as they do in town. Plenty of room for several boxes of 22LR, knives, flashlight, lip balm, and all that jazz. When I wear them around town or at the office, I still carry my EDC knives & other urban necessities in the tactical pockets, and I carry my EDC snubby 5-shot .38SPL revolver in the right-hand back tactical pocket in an IWB holster plus a speedloader one of the front "watch pockets". I found if I'm driving a lot, I can put my wallet into one of the back-tac pockets and it rides higher so no discomfort or back strain from sitting on it. Same for all of the pockets, I never feel like they're overstuffed or have stuff poking me.
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I've worn some kind of cargo or multi-pocketed pants since I was a wee lad in the '80s, so I've tried a lot of styles over the last 30+ years.
I've never had anything like tactical jeans, & the price was right so I got a pair of these & a pair of the slim fit.
The extra pockets over the regular pockets are nice and roomy. In the front, they're like oversized watch pockets, and they're on both the left and the right sides. I can carry all kinds of EDC stuff in them, knives, flashlights, lighter, lip balm, beard comb, earbuds, etc. Decided to test them out for comfort, loaded them up with all kinds of stuff, including three 5-shot .38SPL speedloaders on the left, and wore them all day in the office, the truck, and a few different stores. There was no pinching or bunching or discomfort at all.
The back tactical pockets are just as useful, located above the normal back pockets of jeans.
My EDC gun is a 5-shot snubby .38SPL revolver, so for funsies, I used an IWB holster to carry it around in the back tactical pocket. I figured it would be uncomfortable, but was pretty amazed that it rode just right for sitting at the desk and actually doesn't print much when I'm bending or stooping. Now that's where it sits every time I wear them. Can't imagine how discreet something like a SIG Micro-Compact would be in these.
The stretchy fabric felt odd at first, but as soon as I kneeled, squatted, or took big uphill steps I realized how useful it is. No fear of tearing out the crotch or s