Survival Caliber Rifle

RTLOF18918B

RTLOF18918B

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Survival Caliber Rifle

If you had to live out in the sticks with no way of preserving game, such as freezing or refridgeration, and had to live day by day, which caliber of rifle would you choose for survival? I know which I would choose, but I'll save it for later. I want your thoughts. Day by day survival only.

I'm curious to the responses on this one.

Tony
 
Would depend entirely on where "the sticks" were, what kind of game you might encounter, and if you had access to reloading supplies.

As just a very general stab (and for survival only) I'd pick a .22LR, or a .22mag.
 
as stated already
What state?
if its in ny where i am now
id say a .22 lr and a fishing rod
and my long bow
if alaska im gonna say 357 mag MINIMUM i wouldnt wanna encounter a Grizzly with it but id rather had a 357 than a .22 lr aginst a griz lol
 
The key word is (survival) so I would pick a wepon that could take care of any critter in my area.It would be overpowered for some critters but just right for survival for the big critters. so my pick from my gun safe would be 300win mag.
 
Something else to think of, I can carry 500 rds of 22lr easy, 500 rounds of 300 win mag would be much more of a chore. I would have to go with the 22.
 
I think a good .22 mag bolt action rifle would be ideal survival rifle. For day to day substenance, it could take squirrels, grouse, rabbits, and if a deer was within a given range it would be in trouble aswell. It would be light and easily carried all day and ammo is also light and easy to pack alot of it. Of course there is no reloading, so depending how long you were survivng for you would need a fair bit of ammo. In that survival mode each shot would count, may be the difference between eating and starving. Rimfire ammo is also easy to pull the bullet from and use the gun powder as a fire starter in emegency's.
 
I think that Colonel Cooper would have advocated the .308 Winchester (7.62x51), which is what his "scout" rifle was chambered in.

When I think of "survival gun," I think of something that can ward off angry beasts if need be. So something in a heavier caliber (.30 and up) would suit my own personal needs.
 
20ga/22lr over and under. I would have a whole lot of 22lr shells, a dozen slugs, and a box or two of bird shot. Covered from grouse to grizzly.
 
When someone mentions a "survival" rifle, I start thinking of the need to have or obtain ammunition, a caliber that will put the animal down without tearing up the meat and reliability.

A bolt action .22 LR or .22 mag would be good choices as long as loaded ammo can be found. Both are very capable rounds in the hands of a decent shot.

My personal "survival" rifle though is a .25 cal Benjamin Marauder Precharged pneumatic...I don't need to worry about "loaded" ammunition but there are other trade off items such as needing an air pump to charge it up with 3000PSI air that gives about 20 full power shots but the ammo is cheap and easy to obtain. In a pinch, just about any lead you can mold into the right diameter will do.
 
As much as I hate to admit it, I'd have to go with an AR in .223 NATO.
Easy to get ammo, lightweight, powerful enough to take most anything a guy would encounter in North America in a survival situation. Just be sure you're in a good defensive position before trying it out on that PO'ed griz. Remember shot placement is key.
 
In the sticks of VA, 22LR will kill anything that lives here with a well placed shot. Easy on meat, quiet, easy to carry ammo, and easy to store. Squirrels to black bear and deer, head shots will drop them. Fish on the water surface, sitting grouse, turkey head shots. With a good set of camo and good stalking skills, it would be like a buffet
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. If I had to go to the hills, I'll reach past everything in my stock and grab a couple of bricks of 22 shells, some ziplock bags, a good knife, and my 10/22. The AR and deer rifles and shotguns and muzzleloaders will likely be left behind due to excessive weight and being too specialized.
 
I don't plan on being out anywhere where the need for extended survival is required for when you have houses every 1/2 mile or so as you do in my area it just ain't gonna be needed. Now if you're talking about "wanting" to get lost and go on a walk'a'bout then you have a different matter. And for one gun/cartridge a .22 is gonna be bottom of the list for me. Yes, I know it will kill deer, hogs, etc and you can carry a butt load of ammo but the last thing I want to do is depend on it for my life. Tired, cold and hungry does not lead to good shooting and the last thing I want to do is do much tracking. Your range is also very limited.

For me any short action centerfire round would be fine. I lean towards the .22-250, .243 and the .260 but anything from .22 hornet upto .308 should work. A shotgun also has lots of merit as with various loads you can kill anything that walks the U.S. but again you are limited in effective range.

But whats all this talk about one gun? If I'm going to get "lost" or HAVE TO hunt for food because my bank account is empty I'll have 2 guns just like I do when I go hunting today. When I pack a .22 rifle I also have a centerfire handgun for "bigger" things if the need arises and if I'm packing a centerfire rifle or shotguns I also have a .22lr handgun for finishing and smaller things that allow a shot.

So my answer is....drum roll.............

Pack a rifle or shotgun with no more than 50 rounds of ammo and a .22lr handgun with a bunch of ammo. Use the .22 when you can and the rifle/shotgun when you can't.

If you do choose a .22 rimfire do yourself a favor and pack a centerfire handgun too.

CB
 
Originally Posted By: NM LeonWould depend entirely on where "the sticks" were, what kind of game you might encounter, and if you had access to reloading supplies.

I agree with Leon.

What sticks are we talking about?

In general, I would lean toward a lightweight 223. Something about the size/weight of a Rem 700 mountain rifle.....
 
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