Single-shot .22 rifles

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.