Single-shot .22 rifles
I recently picked up the book Snaring for Survival by Newt Sterling. He briefly mentions firearms as being useful for dispatching animals that you captured but are still alive. Some of them are large enough to be a threat to life and limb. Others, like raccoons, can deliver painful bites and are potential carriers of rabies.
"A .22 rimfire rifle is an excellent survival tool
There are plenty of affordable, rugged single-shot bolt action rifles and the smaller, kid's models are short, light, and easy to carry and store. Bolt actions are the most dependable and easiest to maintain in rough situations....In my opinion, there is no need for a scope because you will be shooting at close range...
Rifles are much more accurate than handguns."
For example, the Savage Rascal is on sale now at Sportsman's Warehouse for $149. That price is comparable to the cost of the very cheapest Hi-Point handgun. It weighs 44 ounces, is 30.6" long has adjustable iron-sights and two attachment points for a sling. Even though it is marketed as a "kid's gun", it is a competent weapon in the hands of somebody who knows what they are doing.
I remember one night, around 1957 or so, when the dogs bayed a wild hog in the corner of our front yard. Our mother told me and my brother that if we could kill that hog, the family could eat for a week. I vividly remember the terror I felt as my brother rested the single-shot .22 against a porch support and aimed at that raging hog. He killed it with one shot. I don't know how long that hog fed us, but I do know we spent the rest of the night cleaning it. -Junior Doughty
...one of the largest grizzlies ever recorded was killed in 1953 with a single shot from a .22 rifle wielded by a tiny Canadian Cree grandmother named Bella Twin. Source
The dainty size means that you can pack it in a kayak or canoe or squirrel it away in the rafters of a garden shed. Pro-tip, put a piece of masking tape over the muzzle to keep dirt and bugs out of the barrel. The bolt-action and lack of a magazine means that you can fire "quiet" ammo like CB and .22 shorts and low-velocity .22LR with absolute reliability.
Even though the rifle is offered with stocks molded in many bright, vivid colors, the matte-black is less likely to attract attention.
There are other single-shot, bolt action rifles on the market. The Cricket is notable for offering a stainless steel barrel at almost exactly the same price-point and there are various used models on the market.
Hey ERJ, I don't think the article is finished. Look at the end paragraph.
ReplyDeleteIt is a good thing that I am not a surgeon. I didn't get that last artery tied-off.
DeleteSavage Rascal: got one, beyond impressed with it. Yeah, single shot. Deal with it, if you're impatient. Really comically small stock, but it's a 'youth gun'. Son 3D printed a stock extension, perfect. Scope mounting a pain, it'll do a Weaver, or a single slot Pictanny, like a red dot (gah!) but you need a scope for accuracy, and the barrel is accurate enough. Got a Konus 4x32 off the 'zon which is /excellent. But it takes a Pic rail so I had to buy one. Listen closely: spend up a few $$ and GET THE THREADED BARREL! Seriously. Spin on a can, subsonic round, guaranteed you won't be disturbing the neighbors. Not that I would ever do anything like that. (grin) Even spicier .22LR, it's pretty darn quiet. Obviously, I'm v. pleased with mine.
ReplyDeleteAlan E.
Looks like it has Accu-trigger in the photos.
DeleteThat is pretty cool.
I have a Gamo .22 pellet rifle that I use for varmint hunting and teaching family the basics of shooting. It isn't as powerful as a .22LR, but it's cheaper and handles smaller critters like squirrels and pigeons just fine.
ReplyDeleteBoth the .177 and .22 pellet guns are decent alternatives to .22 rifles in many instances. Ammo stacks even tighter, and the Gamo silenced un its are pretty quiet. For dispatching small critters, or hunting squirrels and rabbits they are a great choice.
DeleteThe nitrogen piston airgun can be very quiet the springer airgun not so much.
DeleteMuzzle sound can be suppressed but the springer sound is not quiet.
Still waiting for someone to fit a PCP air rifle in say 9mm caliber with a suppresser.
Michael the anonymous
I can't speak to the bolt guns but a word of caution for pumps and autoloaders. CB's and shorts can leave a carbon/unburned powder buildup that makes chambering a .22 LR a little difficult until the firearm is cleaned.
ReplyDeletewes
wtdb
I've got a Savage and a 10/22. Shoot them both regularly. Good training, and yes, they can stop just about anything IF you're a good enough shot.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a Crickett but own it's predecessor, the Rogue River Chipmunk. Also own a Brno 468 Garden rifle. Both have sights which are rather hard to use if your face is 'mature'. My eyes are hard to line up with their irons
ReplyDeleteBut if you can use them, they are extremely easy to carry in the woods. The Chipmunk can be stored in a pistol grip shotgun case
Our family of trappers used 22 revolvers shooting 22 short to preserve the hide. One shot through the eye worked up through the biggest bobcats. Lions got a long rifle. I was never that good a shot, but they all were pros and a miss was very expensive.
ReplyDeleteI believe that record bear was with longs, not long rifle!
ReplyDeleteI suggest that if you can get a threaded muzzle included at a reasonable price point, do so.
ReplyDeleteAlso sight upgrades to an aperture sight, or a ghost ring, and some type of non electronic light gathering addition like a fiber optic rod.
I have ann old single shot .22 youth rifle that I loved plinking with. So light, easy to shoot, accurate, and if you practice, you can get relatively quick with it. It was also a great beginners rifle.
ReplyDeleteSouthern and
I have a Savage Rascal I bought to start the Grandkids shooting, it came with peep sight irons, and a very smooth trigger, it's very accurate. When they outgrew it, I got a stock extension for it on eBay.
ReplyDeleteA fair amount of the moose shot by Cree hunters in Alberta and BC are jacklighted using .22 or .22 magnums. They thought we were crazy for taking a pack string back in the mountains.
ReplyDeleteNot to talk you out of buying a rifle, but most trappers around here us a steel catch pole to garrot smaller mammals. No noise to wake the neighbors.
https://www.southernsnares.com/products/48-steel-catch-pole
If I were looking for a compact rifle, I would look hard at the recently discontinued CZ 452 Scout. Supplied with a single shot tray, it will also accept 5 and 10 round factory magazines. About 4 1/2" pounds, 33" o.a. length w/ 16 1/2" barrel length.
ReplyDeleteCareful with the finish on those guns. The kids have newer B22 models by savage and the blueing is pretty worthless! It’ll rust while you watch it…
ReplyDelete