In the 1960's I was sure that more families were fed with the use of a 22 using longs and long rifles. Rabbits, squirrels and even deer were harvested with them. Some people used them to hunt jackrabbits that were then sold, to mink farms, and other food items bought in that manner providing for the family. Nearly every family that I knew grew a garden and canned food from it as well as had fresh vegetables during the season. In the 1970's things seemed to change, or maybe I just changed my location and wasn't exposed to it as much, but it seemed that people stopped raising a garden and more people started buying more food from the grocery stores, people started shooting more center fire cartridges, the 222, 223 and other rounds started being more popular. Then for a while the people I was exposed to got into the bigger the better line of thought and a lot of them got magnums that kicked as hard on the back end as they did at the muzzle. At this time, I am noticing a resurgence of smaller calibers becoming popular again. As long as shot placement and choosing when to and when not to shoot is well thought out I personally don't see where it is a problem. I have taken a few animals that were shot in the wrong place or at too long of a range for the power and or caliber. I got asked to help a guy skin and cut up his first deer one time, as I started skinning it I had to tell him his deer was not worth skinning any farther and it wasn't worth trying to eat it as it had a large abscess on its hind quarter, from a 22 round nose 36 grain bullet when I dug it out. Probably from someone chasing it out of their yard or some such thing. I've seen a lot of coyotes with a leg missing, flopping and skinned several with bullets in them from 22 long rifles or shot guns. I've seen a lot of game animals in the same conditions. As long as we take the time to learn what our limits are and what the limit of our equipment is and respect these things along with a little bit of common sense the trend for smaller calibers will be okay, in the 50's and 60's smaller calibers were used because that is what was readily available and cost effective to the average American beside the surplus military weapons. You could buy 22 short, long and long rifle rounds in most grocery stores for 25 cents a box of fifty. If you were going to get paid 25 cents to replace your ammo, you better be able to show that you hadn't just wasted your ammo, If you were sent out to get rid of prairie dogs or ground squirrels you needed 50 tails to show for your efforts so if you missed one you better be able to figure out how to get one to replace the one you missed. It doesn't take you carrying a bucket of water from the creek to a hole and flooding an animal out to figure you need to be sure of your shot.