This right here.
The whole idea that pining with unnecessarily thick needle gauges makes you tough, while using thinner gauge needles makes you weak is laughable. No one cares what gauge you pin with. You're only showing your ignorance by using 22 or 23g. Let's see how that goes 5 or 10 years from now with scar tissue buildup. The 1cc 27g 5/8" needles are fantastic, and if you're lean enough (which everyone into this sport should be) you can use 1/2" (12.7mm) and get even thinner gauges, while still being able to get adequate depth into the muscle.