What gun for carrying on ranch/farm?
- Thread starter texas chase
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joeyabc123
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- Feb 7, 2013
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jstein650
Member
Didn't go through all the posts, but I had about a 60 acre old farm/woods back in IN and although I had many guns to choose from, I found I rarely walked about w/o my Ruger M77 .223 Not terribly loud, would hit anything from about any distance with authority! Groundhogs, opossum, hedgeapples! Couldn't beat it.
Deer_Freak
Member.
I carry a Ruger Blackhawk with a 6.5" barrel chambered in 357 mag. If I am in hog country I load it with Double Tap 180 gr cast ammo. If deer season is open I load the blackhawk with 125 gr JSP Fiocchi ammo. Fiocchi 357 ammo is a great bargain. It is very close to Double Tap ammo in velocity at half the price. In a chronograph test Fiochi 125 gr ammo clocked at 1740 FPS from my Ruger Blackhawk. Faster than the 1650 fps fiocchi advertises.
dcarch
Member
For me, Dan Wesson Model 15 and a Remington 870 of some pattern. For a rifle, I actually really like my converted Saiga... go figure. Not very "traditional", but she gets the job done.
Hunter125
Member
If I'm not mistaken, most factory .357 is tested with 4" barrels. Could be wrong, but I think that's accurate. Might account for the extra fps.
Pointshoot
Member
One thing about a working farm/ranch is that you might actually have to use a firearm for any number of tasks from dispatching some critter, to running off coyotes, putting down livestock, or whatever. Usually youre working and don't have your hands free to carry around a long arm. For that reason I like to carry a revolver in a holster. You may not (in an emergency or quickly moving situation) be able to put on ear protection, so I prefer a lower pressure round with less muzzle blast. 45 Colt, 44 Special, or 38 Special work just fine. If off working on a far corner of the place, its also nice to have a rifle in the truck. A lever gun in 30-30 or an SKS are good truck guns for ranch work.
Those are good points Pointshoot. I like my .44 magnum in a shoulder holster for carrying around with me. It's basically a cross draw setup so I can pull it quick and fire it. Mine has a long enough barrel that it isn't an ear buster compared to my .45's. It's loud of course but for an emergency a person has to make a choice. I'd rather be deaf than bear droppings if you get my drift. And bear have become a real problem around my farm. I saw where at least half a dozen were bedding down on top of the hill on the farm. I saw one there too. Stupid me thought it was someone wearing a heavy coat running just on the other side of the ridge line especially after it stood up and looked at me. It was about 300 yards away and my eyes aren't so good any more. Then I noticed it had on pants the same color as the coat. Hmmm... Hey wait! That's a bear! 
I had a 30.06 in my hand at the time. I could have popped that sucker dead in it's tracks most likely but it was about 400 feet higher up the hill than I was and about 300 yards away. I probably could have hit it but without practicing shooting up hill like that I wouldn't take the chance. I wouldn't even have ended up with scope nose either because I took the scope off that rifle just because of the bears. That same rifle nailed me once on the forehead shooting up that same hill one time a long time ago. I won't be forgetting that soon. I have that nice "C" on my forehead to remind me of it.
I had a 30.06 in my hand at the time. I could have popped that sucker dead in it's tracks most likely but it was about 400 feet higher up the hill than I was and about 300 yards away. I probably could have hit it but without practicing shooting up hill like that I wouldn't take the chance. I wouldn't even have ended up with scope nose either because I took the scope off that rifle just because of the bears. That same rifle nailed me once on the forehead shooting up that same hill one time a long time ago. I won't be forgetting that soon. I have that nice "C" on my forehead to remind me of it. Pointshoot
Member
CeeZee - great story ! I love that - - - 'guy' wearing same color coat as pants. Are you up in Alaska, or maybe Idaho, Montana or Wyoming ?
If in griz country its 'reassuring' (kinda) to have the .45-70 Marlin stuffed with stout loads.
Regards, -
If in griz country its 'reassuring' (kinda) to have the .45-70 Marlin stuffed with stout loads.
Regards, -
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I'm in the great state of Kentucky or at least my farm is. A few years back the state turned loose 500 bears in a state park not more than a mile from my farm. But they established themselves in the whole area at the time. I lived across the river in Ohio for 25 years and they invaded me there too. It was pretty cool most of the time really except when I disrupted their dinner. I had a nice little face off at night of course with the bear about 20 yards away. I eventually scared it away but they have been hanging around my yard for years. They would eat the dog's food until I had to start feeding him inside. I'm surprised they didn't try to eat the dog to be honest because he was tied up for a long time.
Ultrastick
Member
Out & About On The Farm
I do occasional work on my sister in law's farm, and I've often felt I needed to carry along a little extra comfort.
So, next time I plan to carry along my Hi Point 9mm carbine and my Glock 23 on my hip. Should be enough comfort.
After the madness subsides I plan to look at 9mm handguns, mebbe a GLock 17, or 19 so as to carry just one ammo.
I do occasional work on my sister in law's farm, and I've often felt I needed to carry along a little extra comfort.
So, next time I plan to carry along my Hi Point 9mm carbine and my Glock 23 on my hip. Should be enough comfort.
After the madness subsides I plan to look at 9mm handguns, mebbe a GLock 17, or 19 so as to carry just one ammo.
On the farm in Alabama I have a Hi-Point 9mm in the truck at all times with a box of 9mm ratshot for snakes that are dumb enough to just lay there. I keep a Rem 700 in 243 caliber most of the time and sometimes an AK-74 under the rear seat. Plus whatever carry gun I have. I am actually more worried about meth heads now than any other critters.
In Montana on the ranch I carry the same basic weapons but don't have an AK-74 so an old beat up AR-15 is in the back. Winchester Model 70 .243 works on anything from prairie dogs to coyotes to 2 legged creatures, which I have never had to shoot , fortunately.
In Montana on the ranch I carry the same basic weapons but don't have an AK-74 so an old beat up AR-15 is in the back. Winchester Model 70 .243 works on anything from prairie dogs to coyotes to 2 legged creatures, which I have never had to shoot , fortunately.
mr.t7024
Member
mini 14 580 series, in .223,can not go wrong Cliff
CliffGuysModel94
Member
The same gun we/they have carried for about a hundred years, Winchester Model 94, in 30-30.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
I might have already said it 80 posts ago??
But my old late daddy ran a farm & cattle ranch in Kansas all his life with a single-shot 12 ga, and a Winchester Model 06 .22 pump.
Only later in life after he was mostly retired did I finally get him a Winchester 94 30-30.
And he thought it was too powerful.
rc
But my old late daddy ran a farm & cattle ranch in Kansas all his life with a single-shot 12 ga, and a Winchester Model 06 .22 pump.
Only later in life after he was mostly retired did I finally get him a Winchester 94 30-30.
And he thought it was too powerful.
rc
krupparms
Member
When out around house I carry my 1911A1/.45acp. If out in woods or on property I carry a. 357 mag. & a para model SKS. I also use a 2A1/ .308 . It has had most of the wood &metal taken off the front of it. Will be putting a scope on it soon. Wish I had bought more of the 2A1s as they were $100 ea.! I did get 3. They are great shooting rifles!
Armored farmer
Member
I know I posted earlier on this thread, but my upraded old Ruger MKII deserves mention in this category. The old MKII has always been very accurate, but now with its new red dot multi-reticule reflex sight that I just installed, and new M ad Dog Kydex holster, it is better than ever. The reflex sight is incredible on this pistol, put the dot on the target....and put a bullet where the dot is....almost too easy.
The MKII is well suited for truck gun/farm gun because of its ability to go from deadly close-range varmit control to small game hunting to cheap plinker. All this is a small easy to carry package.
The MKII is well suited for truck gun/farm gun because of its ability to go from deadly close-range varmit control to small game hunting to cheap plinker. All this is a small easy to carry package.
Cee Zee:
That's a dandy lookin' Hoveround! Seems you're a little young to need one, but I like the way you have it upgraded! My brother uses one of those "Tactical Hoverounds" to hunt too. Of course, it calls it an "ATV". Whatever. That's his story, and he's sticking to it. Heck of it is, he's a young man, only 53, and doesn't even walk with a hitch-in-his-gtitalong, but he sure favors using a Tactical Hoveround.
OP:
Wow, for a ranch/farm, take your pic. Anything from a .22LR to a .300WM would fit the bill. When I think ranch rifle, or farm rifle, I think of something that would fit on the tractor with me while I was working the fields. My cousins, in those situations, carry whatever they carry, but always a bolt-action. A .22-250 Rem is a definite favorite.
For me, if I were still driving the tractor around the fields (wow I miss that), I would likely go with my Weatherby Vanguard Varmint Special in .223, or my Mossberg MVP 5.56. On either one, I'd be tempted to mount my Trijicon AccuPoint 1-4 optic. Both rifles are superbly accurate, and that optic is great from sun-up, to high-noon, to sun-setting.
This is a great thread! Thanks for starting it!
Geno
That's a dandy lookin' Hoveround! Seems you're a little young to need one, but I like the way you have it upgraded! My brother uses one of those "Tactical Hoverounds" to hunt too. Of course, it calls it an "ATV". Whatever. That's his story, and he's sticking to it.
Heck of it is, he's a young man, only 53, and doesn't even walk with a hitch-in-his-gtitalong, but he sure favors using a Tactical Hoveround.OP:
Wow, for a ranch/farm, take your pic. Anything from a .22LR to a .300WM would fit the bill. When I think ranch rifle, or farm rifle, I think of something that would fit on the tractor with me while I was working the fields. My cousins, in those situations, carry whatever they carry, but always a bolt-action. A .22-250 Rem is a definite favorite.
For me, if I were still driving the tractor around the fields (wow I miss that), I would likely go with my Weatherby Vanguard Varmint Special in .223, or my Mossberg MVP 5.56. On either one, I'd be tempted to mount my Trijicon AccuPoint 1-4 optic. Both rifles are superbly accurate, and that optic is great from sun-up, to high-noon, to sun-setting.
This is a great thread! Thanks for starting it!
Geno
Hey the only modification I did to that Hoveround was to add a Diet Pepsi holding bungee cord. I wish I had it back right about now because my Cowasaki just took a break to go chew it's cud for a while.
Image shamefully linked from http://www.naute.com/pictures/cowasaki.phtml
I wish I had it back right about now because my Cowasaki just took a break to go chew it's cud for a while.
Image shamefully linked from http://www.naute.com/pictures/cowasaki.phtml
MCgunner
Member
One of my "ranch" carry choices....
PorkChopsMmm
Member
I love reflecting on this question. We live on 20 mostly wooded acres and I recently was able to pick up my 2 "ideal" farm/ranch/land guns -- a Dan Wesson 15-2 357 revolver and a Rossi 92 16" 357 lever gun. I plan to do what has been mentioned before -- primarily use low pressure 38 special rounds so if I do have to use the guns in haste I am not blowing out my ear drums. That being said, I can always load up some hot 357 loads and take advantage of them in either gun.
An AR or other magazine fed rifle just doesn't carry like the 92 lever action. It balances so well in the hand and it's like carrying a small stick around.
An AR or other magazine fed rifle just doesn't carry like the 92 lever action. It balances so well in the hand and it's like carrying a small stick around.
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