Lower 48 Pilot's Rifle

Winchester Trapper in .30-30 or .44 Magnum. 16" barrel. Either one will take about anything in the lower 48. Or if you're not committed on a rifle, any good 12 ga. pump shotgun with an 18" barrel. Slugs or buckshot for large animal defense. Birdshot for small game. As you suggest in your post, other things are probably more important than weaponry in most places - water, food, GPS, maps, extra clothes, medical grade first aid kit, sleeping bag, shelter. Most important of all, some knowledge of wilderness survival skills and a good mind set.

I would chk and see if someone makes a .22-30/30 ou survival rifle.

the new Savage Model 42, a .22 LR over .410 shotgun would probably fill the bill, or an older Model 24 Combination Gun. A ..22 LR Barrel over a 20 gauge would be a great choice.

I think a lever gun or bolt gun in .22 mag would be a pretty ideal lower 48 pilot's rifle.

Cant do much better than a 12ga pump.

For defense as well as survival, the 12 pump seems to be a better choice. from small game, to birds, to defense against two or legged critters, it is hard to beat

A take down 10/22 would be my choice but I wouldn't bother with a rifle when I could just pack emergency food instead.

12g pump would be my choice,i'm not a pilot but I used to spend a lot of time in very remote places for work and if I only took one firearm it was my 870,i worked in some very anti gun states so the 870 was great since it was legal anywhere I went and powerful enough for anything I might run into,2 legged or 4.

im not a pilot but i would pick a 12ga pump

A Ruger 10/22 Takedown in it's case with 100 rounds of ammo + 6 BIC lighters for starting a signal fire would be my choice.

Save the excess weight of shotguns and shotgun shells in the aircraft.
And apply it to bottled water, shelter, fire starting equipment, and first aid supplies.

If you crash in the mountains, being eaten by a bear or cougar is the very least, least of your worries.

A .22 might get you a partridge or rabbit to eat while you are suffering from injury, cold, and thirst.
If not, you can shoot pine cones with it to pass the time until you die of hypothermia!!

rc

Big fan of a shotgun for an all around survival situation. Lower 48 I would do a 20ga instead of a 12. 20ga slugs are enough to take down anything in the lower 48 (predator or prey) out to 50-75yards or there abouts, and then game loads for smaller critters. A 20ga is a little lighter, and add in a top folder stock and it won't take up to much room.

Would also mention that the average person hunting with a .22 on small game misses a lot. A shotgun gives you a much better margin for error.....

For you non-pilots there are a couple other things that we pilots must consider. WEIGHT and SPACE. .....

.AND in some cases down in the lower 48 states, concealment of the fact you have a firearm while loading and unloading the plane may be a big factor.

A survival firearm is just that, for survival, generally it is not an ideal hunting firearm.... In such a case it does not really matter how legal the action or cartridge might be for a particular state.

IF THERE IS SOMEBODY CLOSE ENOUGH TO ARREST YOU BECAUSE YOU HAVE A CENTER FIRE CARTRIDGE OR SEMI AUTO ACTION, THEY ARE ALSO CLOSE ENOUGH TO GIVE YOU A RIDE INTO TOWN.

While an Remington 870 or 1100 shot gun with an assortment of slugs, 000 buck and bird shot are hard to beat. They do not lend themselves to the weight and space consideration. Plus the ammo is heavy and space consuming. You can carry 5 or 6 freeze dried meals which will weigh less than a box of 12 gauge birdshot.

The same can be said for many lever guns. (which by the way have more parts than almost any other action and they usually take tools to disassemble. )

I have a little marlin Papoose 22 that I modified. It works fine out to 50 yards on small edible critters.

For self defense, even here in Alaska you are in more danger from two legged a-holes/weirdoes than you are from a grizzly or black bear. As a result I stopped carrying my 44 magnum revolver and started carrying a Glock 20 10mm with 200 grain FMJ warm hand-loads. (1,200 fps) along with a couple magazines it is easy to hide in a flight bag.

Granted, during active hunting seasons I will carry a regular lightweight bolt action rifle in the plane.


IF, you can find a Savage model 24C (camp) take-down over-under in 20 gauge /30-30 you will be a happy camper.

There ya go!!

That was what I was trying to say in post #11.

Small airplanes can't haul around as much shotgun shells as .22 shells, and still do the work they are intended for, without crashing more often from high wing loading!!

And there are many more items worth trading the weight for in order to survive after a crash then worrying about the harmless wildlife that isn't going to eat you!!

rc

My plan is to shoot some sort of protected critter so the Moose and Goose cop will jump out of the bushes and take me to a nice warm jail.

By the way, that little Marlin 22 will zap a bunny in the head at 50 yards. At 25 yards it shoots groups smaller than a human eyeball.

I've always thought that a nice M1 Carbine in a paratrooper stock would be a handy thing. It is. Light, compact, easy to shoot, not scary looking and with softpoint ammo, powerful enough.

Float Pilot said:

My plan is to shoot some sort of protected critter so the Moose and Goose cop will jump out of the bushes and take me to a nice warm jail.

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We have two options here.
1. You really live in the Florida keys, and have never been to Alaska?
2. You really are an Alaskan bush pilot, and really do know what it really takes to survive a light aircraft crash in the bush.

I'm going with #2!!

I am neither #1 or #2, but I do know light weight heat, shelter, first aid, and water would ride in my little airplane before I even considered bringing along a bear shotgun or rifle & heavy ammo for protection.

rc

float pilot...love the mag lanyard! great idea!

For you non-pilots there are a couple other things that we pilots must consider. WEIGHT and SPACE. .....

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My plane survival gear is exactly the same as my sheep hunt gear[including food.] The only thing I add is a Browning challenger .22.

If I were forced down in a truly desolate place and I considered it an emergency, I would flip the ELT on and camp by the aircraft. We had a new kid at work that dropped an armed ELT off of a table. 10 minutes later, we get a call from the FAA saying that Russia called and wanted them to know that they were picking up a ELT signal at our coordinates and asked that we make it stop. LOL!

Anyway, assuming that the ELT is inop or out of the question, I wouldn't mind having a 10/22 takedown with a few hundred rounds of assorted ammo.

Also, before someone points out how quickly help would arrive in most places in the lower 48, let me concede that you're mostly right. However, there are plenty of truly wild and desolate places in the lower 48 where help could be long in coming.

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I would flip the ELT on and camp by the aircraft.

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While staying with the plane is generally considered a good idea, I’d never assume that help would necessarily be quick to arrive following a crash in the lower 48, even in relatively populated areas. Some plane crashes in the lower 48 are not found for days, weeks, months or even years. Steve Fossett’s plane was missing in Nevada for 1 year. A Lear jet that crashed in New Hampshire was missing for 3 years.

10 or 15 years ago, another pilot and I discovered a crash site in well populated farm country. The plane had been missing for 5 days. The ELT battery was so weak by that time that the signal could only be received for ½ mile in any direction. Both occupants had survived the initial crash but one died after the first day. The plane crashed into a small woods at night while flying VFR, and was not in contact with ATC at the time of the crash.

As far as a survival gun is concerned, I have a Super Comanche 45LC/410 single shot pistol that I think is ideal for the purpose. In locations where possessing a handgun is an issue a single shot 20 ga shotgun makes a very good choice. I would go with the smallest, lightest, break down, single shot that I could find. If you choose a 12 ga you could use it as a flare gun as well....

Even though I have a wide variety of firearms to choose from the most used gun on my farm is a H&R single shot 12 ga. shotgun. It is lightweight, very simple to operate and arguably has the most rugged and reliable action. It can be disassembled in two pieces for storage and the barrel length could even be cut back for more size and weight savings. A mix of shotshells, say for example a few slugs for big game such as deer, #6's for upland birds and waterfowl and birdshot for small game would just about cover every situation.