- Joined
- Dec 3, 2000
- Messages
- 3,002
If you're grabbing a rifle to run off to the deep woods forever, and ever they by all means, yes...a .22 LR is the obvious answer.
Personally though, I'm not at all inclined to discount the air rifle. While it's clearly lacking the range and power of the .22 LR, it does have it's assets. It's been a long time since I've posted in any forums so bear with me and my poor writing, but...
An air rifle is compact. a person can pick up a decent RWS 34, Benji, etc. fill a shoe box full of pellets and have a life time supply of ammo. If you find a gun that shoots it, Crosman Premier pellets are still about $8.00 per 500 rounds. (hint- the RWS Diana 48,52,54,56 generally love them)
The limited range of the air rifle in the country can become your best friend in the suburbs. There could very well be opportunities for small game present, but you don't want to worry about launching a projectile into a neighborhood, road, or whatever 300 yards away.
How much power do you think you really need for small game? When I was a kid I killed enough small game with a Daisy 880 to keep the local soup kitchen going for a year. I've also killed more than enough in my adult life with different airguns. squirrel, rabbit, opossum, ptarmigan, etc. all killed with an airgun that usually had only 6-8 FPE, and rarely more than 14. When I can shoot rabbits, and watch them just drop instantly- not even a movement or a twitch, I have a hard time believing I need that much more power.
Though airguns aren't always whisper quiet, many PCP's are, with the addition of a shrouded bbl. or a LDC. Even though most springers still make a bit of noise, it's still more of a mechanical noise, that's not always instantly recnognized as gunfire, by people or animals, or especially animals that are weary of people.
Even here in the "Last Frontier" There's places that you can not hunt with a firearm, but you CAN hunt with a non-firearm aka Air Rifle or archery.
the term "survival" means different things to different folks. I most often consider events of ethnic cleansing, natural disaster, or a long term depression when I hear the term. I don't always think survival is to get cammied up and run off to the woods. I often consider it as prospect of getting by on very, very damn little for a long time. Once again, roving bands of looters, roaming thousands of miles of back country, etc. might not be the forte' of the airgun. hanging out at the cabin, house, truck, etc. to take shots of opportunity, or to stay in practice when ammo is hard to get...maybe a good thing.
And in the depression scenario...everybody I know talks about poaching deer, moose, etc. to feed the tribes. My curiosity is...how many deer, caribou, and moose are really out there, six months to a year after something bad goes down. I think alot of what will be left to shoot at is varmints, and small game of opportunity.
If nothing else in this world....once you learn to shoot a springer well, you can pretty much shoot anything. and it's damn convenient and affordable to stay in tune with a decent airgun, and accuracy is relevant no matter what you're shooting.
Personally though, I'm not at all inclined to discount the air rifle. While it's clearly lacking the range and power of the .22 LR, it does have it's assets. It's been a long time since I've posted in any forums so bear with me and my poor writing, but...
An air rifle is compact. a person can pick up a decent RWS 34, Benji, etc. fill a shoe box full of pellets and have a life time supply of ammo. If you find a gun that shoots it, Crosman Premier pellets are still about $8.00 per 500 rounds. (hint- the RWS Diana 48,52,54,56 generally love them)
The limited range of the air rifle in the country can become your best friend in the suburbs. There could very well be opportunities for small game present, but you don't want to worry about launching a projectile into a neighborhood, road, or whatever 300 yards away.
How much power do you think you really need for small game? When I was a kid I killed enough small game with a Daisy 880 to keep the local soup kitchen going for a year. I've also killed more than enough in my adult life with different airguns. squirrel, rabbit, opossum, ptarmigan, etc. all killed with an airgun that usually had only 6-8 FPE, and rarely more than 14. When I can shoot rabbits, and watch them just drop instantly- not even a movement or a twitch, I have a hard time believing I need that much more power.
Though airguns aren't always whisper quiet, many PCP's are, with the addition of a shrouded bbl. or a LDC. Even though most springers still make a bit of noise, it's still more of a mechanical noise, that's not always instantly recnognized as gunfire, by people or animals, or especially animals that are weary of people.
Even here in the "Last Frontier" There's places that you can not hunt with a firearm, but you CAN hunt with a non-firearm aka Air Rifle or archery.
the term "survival" means different things to different folks. I most often consider events of ethnic cleansing, natural disaster, or a long term depression when I hear the term. I don't always think survival is to get cammied up and run off to the woods. I often consider it as prospect of getting by on very, very damn little for a long time. Once again, roving bands of looters, roaming thousands of miles of back country, etc. might not be the forte' of the airgun. hanging out at the cabin, house, truck, etc. to take shots of opportunity, or to stay in practice when ammo is hard to get...maybe a good thing.
And in the depression scenario...everybody I know talks about poaching deer, moose, etc. to feed the tribes. My curiosity is...how many deer, caribou, and moose are really out there, six months to a year after something bad goes down. I think alot of what will be left to shoot at is varmints, and small game of opportunity.
If nothing else in this world....once you learn to shoot a springer well, you can pretty much shoot anything. and it's damn convenient and affordable to stay in tune with a decent airgun, and accuracy is relevant no matter what you're shooting.
just my thought.
and that pup is worth a little scratch now as well. They are getting harder and harder to find anymore. :thumbup: