.22 rifle for survival

J

jackknife

Joined
Oct 2, 2004
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17,489
How many folks out there use or have used a .22 rifle for general and survival use?

I'm thinking about the small space for a large supply of ammo, quiet enough it won't spook other critters around, and you see more small game around than big.
 
I have one... a charter arms ar-7 .22 rimfire. its got the breakdown barrel and trigger assembly which all fits neatly inside the stock so that its small enough to fit in a get out bag. its definetely not the most accurate rifle I've ever fired but it is good for its intended purpose. and I can take small game with it out to about 30 yards without a scope... not bad for a gun that has a barrel that detaches in all of 5 seconds and floats as well.

best yet, it cost less than $200 with 100 rounds of stinger .22 lr ammo.
 
Charter arms is pretty much junk. I had one many years back and it's great if you want a rifle, but you only have space for a pistol. The 16 inch barrell tends not to give you the best accuracy and I constantly had misfeeds which chewed up the rounds. I would suggest a 10/22 if you're going to use it regularly, or a czech bolt action (pretty cheap nowadays) if you're trying to survive, ammo is going to be scarce...
 
I use this.
fb0b593b.jpg


It`s a Norinco JW-20. A copy of the Browning 22.auto.
I now have an BSA 4 power scope mounted on it and it`s a fine rifle (the scope is attatced to the barrel), but not as accurate as the 22. bolt rifles. But the take down is the reason I bought it. Easy to stove in a backpack.
It`s not particulary strong built however :( .
As you can see I have a surpressor for it, but I seldom use it. It`s of limited use with an auto.
 
MelancholyMutt said:
Charter arms is pretty much junk. I had one many years back and it's great if you want a rifle, but you only have space for a pistol. The 16 inch barrell tends not to give you the best accuracy and I constantly had misfeeds which chewed up the rounds. I would suggest a 10/22 if you're going to use it regularly, or a czech bolt action (pretty cheap nowadays) if you're trying to survive, ammo is going to be scarce...
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oh, don't get me wrong... it's definetely not my first choice in weaponry and definetely not particularly useful for everyday use. but, in a survival situation, if space is an option it is a decent tool to fill the job. otherwise, I'd take one of those under over guns in .22 lr and 12 ga. even if you only get a single shot of each. you just can't miss in that case.
 
actually, I dislike the charter arms so much (in terms of quality and accuracy) that given a choice between the two, I would prefer an unscoped Ruger 22 pistol. A good Ruger with a long bull barrel will give you better reliability and accuracy. Add a scope and you're better off by a mile.
 
I have to agree with the Mutt, I have had to replace about half the parts on my Charter Arms AR-7. It actually works pretty good now with AR-7 Industries parts in it but it wouldn't be my first choice for a long term survival rifle. My Springfield M6 stores in about an 18" space when disassembled (pull one pin) and is a simple, light, rugged design that also gives you the option of .410 shotgun. I also have a Chipmunk .22 rifle, single shot, bolt action, peep sights, 29" long and 2 1/2 lbs.
Gene :)
 
I have a Ruger 10/22.
I have had it since I was kid, and it has never let me down. I added a folding stock to it and its a nice compact little rifle. However I have my eye on one of those M6 22/410 survival rifles. ;)
 
I just spent a week up in Alaska popping spruce grouse and ptarmigan with a .22 revolver. A .22 will suppliment your food supply if you do your part. It really depends on where you plan to attempt to live off the land and how much skill you have.

If you have never attempted to live off wild game you should try to during a hunting season or two. It will be a real weight loss plan I assure you. I have done two eight day trips in which we lived off the land for most of our food. The one was in Canada without firearms, I lost 17 pounds. One week later I was still 10 lbs under my normal weight. The other trip was in PA and we shot game with a 12 ga. Until we shot and consumed a small deer we were very hungry. On both trips we did a lot of fishing as well. In Canada without a firearm our only source of protein was fish, clams, and crawfish.

Based on my experience I want to be able to take both large and small game. The small game will stave off starvation until you can kill and preserve a big game animal, provided you can kill one. Mac
 
Really a .22 or.25 Break-barrel air rifle (not junk like Daisy, the Euro models with Walther match barrels) with about 25ft/lbs would probably be your best bet. You can also cast your own ammo and 500 rnds takes up about the same space as an egg.

elm-001.jpg


This one goes to 40ft/lbs but you would need a pump to recharge it (Bike pump is fine)

r2_001.jpg


Pic above has a rotating magazine and is recoiless.
 
I was thinking of small game when I made this post. I don't know how much calories the run of the mill bunny or squirel has but I think alot of poachers use a .22 rifle for deer.

We ain't talking sportsmenship here, more like if you had one gun and ammo, and NO re-supply of ammo, just what you can carry with your other gear. I guess I'm drawn by the compact ammo, quiet report, and good accurite shooting.
 
Hey, if we're talking air rifles as well, I really like the Benjamin Sheridan in 22. I've taken down small game with them.
 
I use a CZ 452 Varmint model. It's a short heavy barrel on a very good bolt action. It's compact, light VERY acurate, and the most ruged I've ever tryed. Mine is backed up with a Ruger MKII. If you want some good reading about 22 caliber for survival use try to find some of "Ragnar Benson" 's books. ;)
here is a link!
http://www.czusa.com/product.detail.php?id=2
 
The best way to test survival weapons is to just go hunting with them. Put them to use in the hunting fields. It is deeply mistaken to think that weapons that are unworkable(for you) in hunting situations will suddenly start working in a survival situation.

So, I hunt with my M6 Scout in .22 Hornet/.410 bore. For small edible game at shorter, .22 rimfire distances, I just use small charges of pistol powder, and any old 45 grain jacketed bullet.

.22 rimfire? Sure. Go (small game) hunting with it, and see if it works for you. Just don't plug any big game with it. :)
 
Actually, I heard of people hunting small deer with .22 headshots... true or not, I don't know. Anyone actually do it?
 
yep! My Dad was "forest guard" and have seen many cases where some guys took Deers with head shots on unlegals hunts at night. They use very powerfull lights to imobilize them and then 22 for head shots. Scary but it work...
 
MelancholyMutt said:
Actually, I heard of people hunting small deer with .22 headshots... true or not, I don't know. Anyone actually do it?
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I've never done it, but I know several conservation officers who say that the .22 is the favored weapon of spotlighters.
 
As mentioned in an earlier post, from my earliest memories, most farmhouses in SC had two firearms (some had more, of course ;) ); a bolt-action .22 rifle and a top-break single-shot shotgun. These items fed the family, routed chicken-chasing varmints, and deterred any evildoers (although there seemed to be a lot fewer evildoers in those days . . . :( ).

My dad was one of the top riflemen in his unit, and accredited it to growing up during the Great Depression. Then, as now, .22 cartridges were a lot cheaper than were shotgun rounds, and destroyed a lot less meat. He and his brothers hunted small game for the pot, 'cause that was likely the only meat available! A missed shot was bot a waste of ammo (and limited finances made that exrtremely undesirable) and no meat.

I'd have trusted my father to survive in such a situation just fine, with nothing more than the old Remington M514 (single-shot, iron sighted bolt-action) that I learned to shoot on. For subsistence hunting, he only NEEDED one shot.

Off-topic, but Dad never fully understood when my brother and I would expend box after box of shells on dove shoots. He could never figure out why anyone would shoot at a bird while it was flying! Wait till it lights, and knock its head off with a .22 bullet; less fuss, more economical and no birdshot to break a tooth on!
 
http://guns.connect.fi/gow/wildlife.html

This only proves that .22 LR rifles will kill deer. In normal times, it is particularly illegal for everyday hunters to kill deer with .22's, but this guy has some actual, legal, hands-on knowledge which we ought to at least be aware of.

Everyone, please note his marksmanship standards. Bad shots need not apply.

CHEERS
 
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