Perfect survival rifle

runningboar

runningboar

Joined
May 27, 2006
Messages
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A while back I posted that the perfect survival gun was a muzzle loading shotgun, well I might have changed my mind.

When I was a kid I always wanted a Bemjamin or Sheridan air rifle, in my adolescent mind they were the epitome of air rifles, well 30 years later I have one.

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It is in .177 I wanted a .20 but couldn't pass this one up, the walnut is beautiful and it is in perfect shape with a williams peep sight. After shooting it a bit I think in a push come to shove situation it would put a lot of small game in the pot, it is short, light, and powerful, it is also very ruggedly built and not prone to breaking. I think with this and a few tins of pellets I could get along very well. A 22 would of course be better but with an air rifle you don't get the negative stigma that comes with a powder burner in a lot of places.

I welcome everyones thoughts, Chris
 
Now you're talkin !!:thumbup: Air rifles don't attract much attention when fired and are very effective. Got three grey squirrels this morning off my bird feeders; yes I eat them, tie flies with the tail hair, and the hides are tough for lots of things.:D
 
I've got a Gamo 1000 .177 that I have used to clean up vermin in the near vicinity of my house (chipmunk, red squirrel, grey squirrel and woodchuck) It is not silent, but also doesn't sound like a gunshot. I definitely see it as an efficient small game getter.

I am sorry to say that we did not eat them. My wife would not tolerate that, and I have to live with her. I shot them when she was away. However, I will not accept a rodent like a squirrell getting into my house, I had too much trouble with them at my mother's house (trapping them and relocating them, which is illegal here) but I've seen the damage they can do.
 
I use my kid's little chipmunk single shot 22 for the same reasons. Lots of fun and with CB caps not much louder probably.
 
I am no tree hugger but i'm surprised you guys shoot squirrels , I mean ya gotta do what ya gotta do , don't get me wrong.

I have read a few articles about the possiblilty of using an airgun as a survival rifle , personally I would go for more firepower. That might be great for target practice and squirrels but it aint going to do jack to man/dog or bear.
I mean no offense :)

Kel-Tec makes a few folding rifles in nice calibers , those I would consider a survival rifle. Folds enough to fit into a pack or under a seat but has the authority to do some damage.
 
This is just a stealthy meat gun that doesn't draw much attention to ones self. Yes I hunt, kill and eat squirrels. Those kel tec fold up guns might be OK for fending off zombies but I am more worried about filling my gut and they ain't worth a damn for hunting. Chris
 
An airgun can't hurt to have around. They're cheap to buy and feed. I have a couple, they're just Daisy and Crosman, but I can hit what I aim at with them at small-game-type ranges.

I began learning to shoot with a Daisy air-rifle; my dad set up a safe range in the basement and hammered safety rules into my head before I ever got my hands on a "real" gun. Soon, my girls will be old enough for me to pass that on to them.
 
I agree Gibson, my first gun was a Red Ryder "It's a Daisy", but I lived in the wild west then and I got into more trouble than I want to talk about. Nobody got hurt, except for a few tweetie birds, and coke bottles, and myself and a couple of friends...nobody lost an eye.
 
To me "survival rifles" fall into different catagories, and a good quality air rifle is a great survival/foraging tool. especially in urban/suburban setting where you want to keep noise of "food collecting" to a minimum.
 
Poor defenseless tree rats. I like the old Stevens & Western Auto .22 bolt single shots with CB caps. Of course, the kids like the Ruger 1022 better. Nothing like squirrel and dumplings, especially when the squirrels are "harvested" by your sharp eyed youngsters. BTW, the leftovers make excellent hand puppets. :D

Codger
 
The ultimate (to me anyway) would be a magazine fed, short barreled, suppressed .22lr with a pistol grip folding stock. Barrel length would be about 10" (threaded) with a short canister suppressor. 4X32 scope.

I'm trying to survive and feed the family. Negitive stigma be damned.

I'd have it if it weren't for two things. One, I'm gun-cash poor. Two, I live in Michigan so even if I did have the coin, its a huge no-no.

So. That said, I can agree on the air rifle and see its merits as a survival tool. In fact, I've been looking at the side lever cocked type lately.
 
Rupestris said:
I'm trying to survive and feed the family. Negitive stigma be damned.
Click to expand...

If a powder burner might get you thrown in the local detention center you might give a damn. I was really talking about now not in a SHTF situation when I mentioned the negative stigma. I can carry and shoot air rifles in a lot of places and not get a second look, if I was carrying your suppressed ninja gun I would be in jail. Chris
 
36? I'm there, I can go back and rework a lot of bad decisions :D

Chris, I understand what you're saying. I can take my Gamo into the nearest city, Plattsburgh, and clean out a lot of flying rats...otherwise known as pidgeons...and nobody will hear me, or pay attention. And pidgeons could be good eating, they don't eat anything bad, unlike seagulls ;) (out here in the sticks, pidgeons are known as rock doves)
 
As a kid i had a BSA meteor air rifle. I used to hunt jack rabbits and patridge (not sure how you spell it). That rifle had about 500ftsec. Now i got a winchster with 800ftsec. Anything up to the jack rabbit size would be an easy fair game with a head shoot. I used to get to within 10meter or less and shoot them in the head. The patridge i used to hunt at night when they would sit on the tree i would stand so the moon would be behind them and shoot them in the head. The funny thing there were tough birds only once did they die from a head shoot. I had to run after them and shoot them again.

Sasha
 
Sasha, that was my experience, especially with the woodchuck. It was a headshot and it put him down but it was not a clean kill. I had to pump two more into him to finish it. I didn't like it, I would have preferred a .22 LR to do the job. I can see a .177 air rifle for taking small game but I think you have to be prepared for nasty kills.
 
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