Woods-Bumming combo rifle...

ROCK6

ROCK6

Joined
Feb 8, 2004
Messages
4,199
Well, unfortunately the M6 Scout is out of production and the older Savage model 24 Camper (.22LR/20 GA) is hard to find, I would really like to find a nice combo rifle/shotgun and wish somebody would fill this niche for me. a short barreled O/U in .22 LR over a 20 GA with an 18" barrel at about 5-6 lbs would be ideal; the ability to break it down would be a big plus. Outside of the light and niftly Rossi single-shot matched pairs, there's no makers out there that have tried to fill this niche other than Savage. A .410 would be a good alternative, but I feel the 20 GA gives you more options. I'll still search for a Scout, but I would like the 20 GA option. Is it just me or do any of you have a secret desire for a lightweight O/U combo such as that?

ROCK6
 
Remington makes a 22/410 and 223/12g combo rifle the SPR94. Maybe an encore would fit the bill as well.

I have a 22/20g rifle at our lakehouse as an all around snake gun. I'm not sure of the make of rifle and have yet to shoot it but i have wanted to for a while.
 
orrey45 said:
Remington makes a 22/410 and 223/12g combo rifle the SPR94. Maybe an encore would fit the bill as well.

I have a 22/20g rifle at our lakehouse as an all around snake gun. I'm not sure of the make of rifle and have yet to shoot it but i have wanted to for a while.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think the Remington was a import shift of the Baikal combo guns. They are nice, but very big...if Remington made a "camper" or "backpack" version with a shorter barrel (and lighter) it would be a good option, thanks.

ROCK6
 
I'm hoping to spend a week in the mountains of PA this fall during small game season and want a .22/.410 combo real bad. I might go with a Rossi if I can't find anything else. The Rossi is very inexpensive. Mac
 
Honestly not a whole lot of good things to say about the Savage. The sights on mine came loose and it grouped poorly. Not to mention it was heavy as heck. Now I just carry a ruger Mk II with a Pac Lite barrel and a ruger scout rifle in .308. It's a combo that serves me well in the woods.
 
Personally I have never owned a combo rifle/shotgun that was worth a dern. Either the shotgun was great or the rifle was great but never both. I suspect that I never spent the required amount of money to get a decent combo gun as they are difficult to make properly.
I had a
Savage .22 LR over a 20 ga. and I kept it the longest of all. The shotgun barrel was full choked and it would put 11 number 6 shot in the skull and spine of a regulation turkey target at 25 yards. The .22 barrel, on the other hand, shot 4 inches to the left and 3 inches high of the aiming point because you had to use the same sights. I killed a few turkeys and a bunch of tree rats with the gun until I got tired of packing the dead weight of a basically useless .22 barrel.

Woods bumming guns have two uses IMHO.

1. Self Defense
2. Camp Meat


For self defense from two legged varmints or large toothy critters pack my 4 5/8" Ruger Black Hawk stoked with 270 grain Keith style Lead Head SWC's. Plenty good enough for defense against or hunting any big game that walks this land.

As for camp meat I find a scoped Savage .22 bolt action to be ideal. Tree rats, turtles, rabbits, sitting birds :eek: or even something larger If I am sure of the shot
 
I picked up a used Stevens .22/410 at a gun show, it is nice and light and shoots wel . I think it is pre savage 24 era.
 
Riddleofsteel pretty much nailed my thoughts, too. If it's purely for defense, a simple handgun is likely to do everything you need a be a lot lighter. Whether or not you find the main trouble to be two or four legged will dictate your choice after that.

For food, either a .22 or a shotgun would be king. Both should be pretty light, and rugged.

If I want a long gun, I either take a Mossberg 12GA w/ 5 shot tube, or a savage .22.

I've never had good luck with combo rifles, they usually end up being the Tracker-knife of the gun world, IMO.
 
I had a Savage over under in .22 mag / 20 gauge many years ago. I mounted a low power scope on it, and used it primarily for squirrels. Even with a gritty trigger it would shoot into an inch at 50 yards. I started with hollow points but found them way too destructive for body shots. The rifle was accurate enough for 50 yard head shots if the shooter did his part. Solids were good for body shoots without excess meat damage. I eventually sold it to a farmer who had a groundhog problem. I would get the same rifle today in .22 LR / 20 gauge and mount a durable scope or dot sight on it. Maybe look for a good used one. It is hard to shoot out a .22 rimfire barrel :-)
 
I always wanted a combo gun...but they seem heavy for what you get a rossi youth matched pair with a 20g and a .22 barrel that interchanges and comes ijn a little case seems like a good bet..I'm thinking of getting one myself.
 
riddleofsteel said:
Personally I have never owned a combo rifle/shotgun that was worth a dern. Either the shotgun was great or the rifle was great but never both.
Click to expand...

I figured as much:grumpy: I was thinking about getting a low power scope with see thru mounts...use the scope for the .22LR and the see-thru iron sights for the shotgun. Compromises always are less than what most want, but you would think this wouldn't be such a difficult task!

ROCK6
 
I tried mounting a regular tip off .22 scope on the .22 barrel of my .22/20 ga. It was the only way to get the barrel to shoot center. With the scope it shot "minute of tree rat." Problem was that if you shot the shotgun barrel with the scope in place it would knock the tip off scope mount lose and ruin the zero. It was also impossible to shoot the shotgun using the open sights with the scope in place.
I guess the best of both worlds would have been a quick disconnect scope mount for the .22 barrel if someone made one. I discussed all this with a gunsmith he told me the gun was not worth the trouble and expense.
 
I wish someone would by the MFG.rights to the M6 scout,I bet there would be a strong market for it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top