Aren't the mini-revolvers single action only? So with them, don't you get a gun that's uncomfortable to hold, difficult to be accurate with, coupled with a slow rate of fire? Doesn't seem desirable in a gun already handicapped by a small/weak caliber.
Not knocking .22 as a BUG, but just saying, if that's gonna be your choice, it should be a gun that one should be able to shoot accurately and quickly. When people debate whether or not a .22 is useful for SD, the folks that think it is, often point out the low recoil of the round allows for fast, accurate follow-up shots. With the mini-revolvers, I think you negate that advantage as you shoot slower and of course it takes longer to reacquire the target between shots as well.
You bring up some valid points. There is a tradeoff with everything. I do carry a NAA mini in .22 lr with a 1 1/8" barrel. I carry it in a holster in my back pocket as a BUG. It is difficult to hold and shoot accurately (but not uncomfortable) beyond a few yards, but it isn't difficult to shoot well enough at interview distances. The rate of fire is slow, but it is a backup gun, not a primary. You forgot to mention that reloads are about as quick as the fossilization process too.
The benefit, however, it is that it is so small that it can be carried quite easily and all the time. It is light enough to be carried in a baseball cap on your head (but I would not suggest that), or in a sock as ankle carry. It costs me nothing to have it as a spare because of the easy of carry and so I see no reason not to carry it. So it is a gun that you can have with you always, although it isn't idea for primary self defense.
As with any other gun, you have to practice with it. Your first shot can be just as quick as your draw which puts the first shot as fast as with any other gun.
With that said, I am also of the mind that if you have to use your BUG, then you are in a situation so desperate that you don't need less firepower, but more. If you have not resolved the issue with the 16 rounds of 9mm, or 8 45 acp, 6 .357 mag or .38 spl, are 5 rounds of .22 going to do the trick? In general, bugs don't provide the same firepower as primary guns because their nature is to be more concealable, hence smaller, which usually means being a smaller caliber, smaller capacity, shorter barrel, and/or a slower rate of fire. So there is a bit of a catch .22 (pun intended).
For your up close and personal.
