[.45&TKD]

What's a good and cost effective "Living off the Land" .22 rifle?

A Ruger 10/22?

Or, or a bolt action?

Or, something else?

[willyjixx]

living off the land huh?

well i would want reliability!
highly accurate for 1 stop shots!
least amount of moving parts!
an durability against weather!


a bolt action .22 in a synthetic stock would be my choice.
probably a marlin too

[TrapperReady]

CZ-452 Lux. Bolt action. Very accurate and has some excellent iron sights which are adjustable out to an indicated 200 yards. I've used them with good effect out to 100 without much problem (at least in low wind conditions).

It even comes with sling swivels installed.

[Hkmp5sd]

An AR-15 with .22LR conversion kit. Lets you use the .22 and if you happen to run across something that requires a little more power, you have the .223 readily available.

[4v50 Gary]

With all due respects, the conversion kits work well, but the .223 bbl is a bit big for the .221 caliber size 22 LR bullet. It kinda tumbles down the bore and is notoriously inaccurate. I bought a dedicated 22 upper from one of our members here and using my Ciener kit, had a great time at the range.

Haven't shot the Czech 22 LR so I can't compare it. I like my M-2 Springfield, but that's a range gun and I'll take that Chinese Mauser 98 look-a-like out to the field first (good trigger and accurate).

[Hkmp5sd]

4v50 Gary,

Yea, I know. Does have it's drawback, but since I use my conversion in a M16, not that big of one for me. :)

How much of an improvement did you get with the .22 upper? I've been thinking of getting one along with getting a 9mm upper.

[ACP230]

My vote goes to a synthetic stocked Ruger 10/22.
Even the wood stocked early one I had was quite accurate once I got used to the trigger. Once I had the trigger worked on a little it was even easier to shoot well. A good synthetic stock would make them lighter and tougher.

Later, I put a Midway stainless .920 barrel and a Fajen laminated stock on my original 10/22, plus a 4-10 power scope. It is heavier now but shoots even better.

Another advantage of the Ruger is that it takes a 10 round mag as standard and, since it is a rotary mag, it doesn't protrude below the stock. That makes it nice for carrying.

Sunday I would have said a Remington 541T HB would have been a good candidate. Then while I was shooting an e-mail benchrest .22 match on Monday, the Remington's plastic magazine started losing its grip on the bullets and they jumped out of the top of the action when I worked the bolt. Not a good thing.

[Dave Markowitz]

IMO, pretty much any reliable .22 repeater that is accurate would do well. I wouldn't want a single shot because handling .22s with gloved hands won't be easy. And it I'm living off the land I want to be able to fire a quick follow up shot.

I would prefer a detachable box magazine, but could live with a tubular mag., e.g. if I was using my Winchester 9422 levergun.

I'd want a good scope with backup irons as well.

A synthetic or laminated stock would be a good idea to enhance the rifle's ruggedness. Plus, it would make the gun resistant to a changing zero due to a warped stock.

Being made of stainless steel or having a modern corrosion-resistant finish would be a plus.

I'd give serious consideration to a rifle in .22 Magnum for this role. While not normally thought of as a round for edible game, it can be used with FMJs or the lower-powered .22 WRF ammo (if you can find some) for small game, while JHPs would make it better on somewhat larger species. Should you need to rely on the gun for defense, a .22 Mag is better than a .22 LR in that regard.

Of the guns I own I'd probably use my 10/22 which has a Weaver 4x28mm .22 scope on it. Ammo would be Winchester Power Points. Second choice would be my Winchester 9422 with a tang sight as backup, and with the same Weaver which I'd migrate from the Ruger.

If I could find a southpaw boltgun in .22 Mag, that might be my choice though.

[Sir Galahad]

The CZ 452 Lux hands down. The adjustable sights are precision accurate. Fully adjustable; even the front sight is adjustable. You have a choice of 5 and 10 round mags. You will score meat for the skillet and pot every shot with this article.

[bad_dad_brad]

Bolt or lever action. Stainless barrel, and preferably synthetic or laminated furniture. Winchesters, Marlins, Rugers, CZs - all good.

Although I love my 10/22 Ruger, if you are going to live off the land, bolt or lever actions rarely cause problems and need little maintenance.

And I would equip the rifle with quality iron peep sights, like Ashleys. No scopes.

[Cosmoline]

CZ 452 lux
CZ 452 lux and, ideally,
the CZ 452 lux

See a trend :D

[Sir Galahad]

Got CZ 452 Lux?:D :D

[goon]

CZ-452. Mine is like a laser. Whatever the crosshairs hit disintegrate. I only take 10 rounds with me when I hunt anymore, because I know I will only need one per squirrel. If you need a gun to make every shot count, the CZ is it.

[MacPelto]

Savage 24, .22 over 20ga. It's simple, rugged, good for almost all small game, and kind of cheating; but it's what I'd take.

[TNT]

CZ Special or Lux
Winchester 94/22 - It holds 15 rounds and fast follow up shots

[Crimper-D]

The Remington Nylon 66! :cool: :D
If you look around the auctions, you can even find variations
of this design in bolt or leveraction if that's what turns your crank:p These things are virtually indestructable and are plenty accurate to"live off the Land" :neener:

[gun-fucious]

living off the land?
Remington 870 12 gauge
and a CZ 452
:)

[goon]

The real question is, what rifle do I need to live off the refridgerator?
That Mac & Cheese has some wicked mold growing on it. I swear it blinked at me yesterday.:scrutiny:

[Combat-wombat]

How 'bout a .223? Like an AR or a Kel-tec SU-16 or a Mini-14? More expensive ammo, but better for hunting/living off the land than a .22 LR

[Cosmoline]

I'm increasingly of the opinion that 90% of what needs doing, even up here in Alaska, can be done just fine with a good .22 rifle. I was knocking over bowling pins at 100 meters with my CZ this evening. And ammo is so darn cheap! And portable!

[Sir Galahad]

Living off the land will often mean small to medium game most of the time. That's prime .22LR shooting. Rabbits, squirrels, racoons, opossoms, and other fine critters good dredged in corn meal and deep-fried with a side platter of fried green tomatoes. A man with a .22 who knows how to use it, plenty of ammo, a couple good knives, a hatchet, some flint and steel----why, if that man goes hungry, it's his own damned fault. The CZ 452 Lux makes it much easier for that man to garner that meal. Is there a free lunch? Close. The price of one .22LR cartridge for a man with a good .22LR. Even bigger game can be downed with head shots, but this is survival situation meat-makin' we're talking about there. The .22 doesn't destroy meat or pelt. That's the beauty. Man can't afford to be missing much meat with some critters. Every small game critter I ever saw taken for meat (well, that the inside of my belly saw) was taken with a .22 rifle. I've never taken small game with anything but a .22LR. A man could easily pack enough .22 ammo into a backpack to make meat for hisself for probably nigh onto a year or longer. If he shot hisself a rabbit every day for a solid evening meal, that's 365 rounds in a year. Hell, he ain't even gone through a brick yet!:D

[Handy]

A bolt or single shot .22 Centerfire with a rifling pitch around 1 in 12 and a couple of .22LR chamber adapters. So you'd have .22 Hornet to .223 power for bigger stuff, and adequate accuracy with the .22LR, in one gun.

(I really don't the think the .001 bore diameter thing is actually going to affect accuracy. Usually bad accuracy comes from the incompatible rifling.)

[Andy Stedman]

Sure, you could shoot a rabbit every day, but watch out for "rabbit starvation." Google it. Gotta eat something with fat in it, too.

[Sir Galahad]

Yes, I am aware of that. Which is why I said "evening meal". Morning is best time to surprise waterfowl which are loaded with fat and oil.:D

[yesterdaysyouth]

maybe it's just the rabbits around here, but one 22 lr to the head means, start running now and see how far you can bury yourself in the brush..... it usually takes 2-3 shots from my 10/22 stop a rabbit dead.... i say go with some type of ak or sks if you can find one accurate enough... i've never shot a rabbit more than one time with my sks, and no it doesn't destroy the meat, just a nice clean hole all the way through


fmj for small game, sp or hp for anything bigger.... 50rnd mag for anything bigger than that, i don't want to know what though...

[goon]

What in the hell do you guys feed the rabbits down there?:scrutiny:
I have found that rabbits are pretty frail in comparison to something like a squirrel or a porcupine.
You are probably seeing the nerve action of all those jumbled electrical signals running through that rabbit. I have seen this with other animals as well. I have seen animals run up to 50 yards with a solid hit in them, even a head shot. I once watched a rabbit that I had just shot through the head jump into the air several times and continue jumping until I finished him with a knife. (Single shot .22. Just try reloading with that going on in front of you.)
I saw a deer jump to its feet after being hit through the spine at the base of the skull, and jump straight into the air four times before it stayed put.
The key is to wait until the animal exhales to fire. This is easy during our hunting season as all you have to do is wait to see its breath. As long as it has a breath of air, it doesn't need a heart or a brain to run like hell.
I would bet that the reason your SKS works better is that the force takes it off its feet right away. Once they are down, they stay down.
Well, usually. :what:

[Leaky Waders]

I've slain many rabbits w/ my standard model ruger mark 2...one shot...they go down...they may kick a little but they're not running away or charging me or anything. :)

As for the thread - I prefer the winchester 9422 as well. I have the ruger 10/22, a 9422, have owned several marlins. I have not used a cz.

The 9422 can use short, long, or long rifle cartridges. It's a nice accurate gun w/ iron sites - a scope makes it deadly. My father owns the marlin 22 lever action - it is a nice rifle as well. You couldn't go wrong w/ either.

Marlin used to make a papoose - a collapsable .22 long rifle - that is nice too.

But...all in all I favor the 9422...my two cents.

LW

[CB900F]

My vote goes to the Ruger 77/22 stainless with sights. If your scope goes away, the open sights are there. However, my sympathy goes with the Savage .22/20 guage also. If I were going to do this fer real fer real, that'd be my choice. If somebody said I couldn't have it, well are they armed or not? If they are, the Ruger. If not, I get to carry two kinds of ammuntion.
See, there's a hailstone in every silver cloud.
900F

[Cosmoline]

The 94-22 is a great levergun--probably the best lever action .22. But what really makes me mad are the CRAPPY iron sights Marlin puts on it. The riser FALLS OUT if you lift the sight too far! One day with the awesome tangent sights of a CZ 452 and you'll never go back, I promise.

Why does Ruger make such a beautiful, well-built rifle and then cap it with the cheapest sights they can? Who knows. :banghead:

[DAL]

Andy Stedman, so that's what is meant by the old quote I heard years ago that is stuck my brain, "you can starve to death on a belly full of jackrabbit."
DAL

[CB900F]

Cosmoline;

Uh, are you sure that Marlin put the sights on Winchester's gun?
900F

[digex]

I'm going to say the Ruger 77/22. You might want to look at 22 mag though just for it's added versatility. You can also get the 10/22 magnum. At any rate, Ruger makes a quality firearm that you can't go wrong with. Anyways, have fun and enjoy whichever you get.
Tommy

[Handy]

How about a Savage Predator? .22 over 12 guage.

The Springfield Scout is like that, too, but is hard to shoot well.

[Cosmoline]

My bad. Of course, I meant the Marchester 94-22.

[Dave Markowitz]

Here is an intersting take on this question:

http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/v-shrake/m6.html

This guy really put a lot of thought into it, IMO.

[Cueball]

CZ-452. Mine is like a laser. Whatever the crosshairs hit disintegrate. I only take 10 rounds with me when I hunt anymore, because I know I will only need one per squirrel. If you need a gun to make every shot count, the CZ is it.

+1 CZ 452

IF you go with the Special/Trainer you can use the iron sights or scope it. Either way you won't go hungry.

[Brian Williams]

I will put my Marlin 39A Mountie in the mix, with a Lyman 66 peep and a Merit adjustable peep disc, Short, accurate, take down, 15 rounds of 22lr, fast shooting, cons slow reloading.

[mustanger98]

Here's another vote for the Marlin and Winchester leverguns. Reciever sight- Lyman #66 or Williams FP/TK- on the Marlin, or Lyman #2 tang sight on the 9422.

I also list the old J.C. Higgins single shot crankbolt as one of my preferences since I learned on one. However, I again go to the project rifle I have in mind which is aperture sighted and pillar bedded. That said, I see nothing wrong with Savage's and Marlin's box mag crankbolts although a trigger job- Rifle Basics drop-in unit- probably wouldn't hurt.

I agree that scopes have their place, but I just don't usually lean that way.

[RandyB]

I liked my 10/22 and my Marlin 39M. I have heard very good things about the CZ guns as well. If I was looking at a live off the land, the 22 with 12 or 20 ga. savages would have to be looked at real hard for me.

[rockstar.esq]

TULA!
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=139975&highlight=Tula

I've had mine for nearly a year and it regularly reminds me of why it's my favorite rifle!

[Pilot]

I have a Marlin bolt action in .22 Mag. Cheap, accurate reliable. For small to medium size game the 22 Mag is hard to beat. A lot more versatile than the .22LR, but the ammo is more expensive.

The CZ452 is a darn file rifle as is the Ruger 77/22 with the synthetic stock.

I have an accurized 10/22 that has had every part replaced except the receiver and bolt. Its extrememly accurate, but if I was living off the alnd I'd take my Marlin bolt gun first.

[Sactown]

CZ452 Lux. Excuse me, I have to go beat my dead horse now.

[cslinger]

Anybody mention the CZ452 yet??? :D

Any of the ones with iron sights.

[jefnvk]

The only gun that comes close to the M1 as my favorite, the CZ452.

I just wish their synthetic/stainless gun came with sights.

[Mannlicher]

The 'survival' .22 I like best is my old Remington 521T. This is an old target rifle, and I have a 4 X Weaver on it. Its the most accurate .22 I have ever shot.
I don't want a semi auto for a subsistance rifle. Single shots, taken at short or long ranges, with a rifle / ammo combination that I know and trust. Thats what this kind of rifle means to me.

[eab]

My Ruger 10/22 thank you very much, as for being reliable, I think it is as reliable as any bolt .22 out there. I got mine used, at the tender age of 12. I then proceeded to shoot countless boxes of the cheapest ammo you can buy out of that gun for the next 5 years or so with out cleaning it ONCE. Not even a bore snake or patch down the barrel. When I was 17, I started reading about guns and getting into them and stuff and deiced I should probably clean it. I will probably clean it again in a few years.

[wickedsprint]

Ruger 10/22 stainless synthetic..pretty cheap to buy and feed..and dead accurate.

[english kanigit]

Alrighty.... I'll bite. ;)



I've held a CZ 452. The gunshop employee had to pry it from my grasp so that the drool wouldn't damage the finish!

What's a rough NIB price on these beautiful guns?

[Cpl Punishment]

I'd pick a manually-operated tube-fed gun. Reason? Semi autos and magazine-fed rifles will only shoot .22 LR. With the manual, tube-feeders, you can shoot shorts, longs, and long rifles.

My favorite would be the Marlin 39A.

[Davo]

Granted with experience living off the land, other actions would do, but in an emergency, fast followup shots may be needed. Mistakes happen, and an auto takes one more variable out of the equation. They can also fxn as single shots for shorts.

[Jhaislet]

Get a bolt action. They just plain work. I've got an old Mossberg bolt action .22LR and it's a work-horse. Holds ~18rds in a tube under the barrel.

[Rupestris]

The Remington Nylon 66! :cool: :D
If you look around the auctions, you can even find variations
of this design in bolt or leveraction if that's what turns your crank:p These things are virtually indestructable and are plenty accurate to"live off the Land" :neener:


+1

lightweight as well.