If you kept a rifle/carbine for emergencies AWAY from home,.... Please remember, this is NOT a SHTF or Zombie apocolypse thread, but for what suprises you might encounter out in nature when you AREN'T hunting or target shooting, in the real world
The question is pretty "real world" to me, I generally carry a rifle when out walking, which can be about daily. I've carried a Winchester 94 carbine about as much as anything, but have been carrying more potent guns more often since the bears (grizzlies) have been getting more plentiful and frisky. My thoughts are having decent reach, at least 200 yards accurately (300 is better), and reasonable power. I carry a handful of small game loads most of the time in addition to regular full power stuff. Part of my desire is to be able to reliably cover my dogs in case they got into a jam. There is no question about the number of large predators in the area. When I go farther out in the mountains, I take basic stuff, but dont plan on an expedition. If I had to feed myself, I could, on small or larger critters, but the likleyhood of that is very remote. Jerking meat is pretty simple if you had to keep some a while.
There aren't many places that it would take very long to walk out of in the lower 48. If you couldnt walk, that's another story, and things just changed. You do whatever you need to until you can get out. In my case, I wouldn't expect anyone to come looking for me. I'm usually alone, I rarely tell anyone where I'm going, even that I'm going, or when I'll be back, and usually don't know where I'm going until I get there. Cell phones rarely work in the mountains unless you can get way up high on a peak, even then they are iffy. For me, a good centerfire rifle and sixgun, and at some times of the year, a K-22 also. A scoped bolt 308, 30-06, or a Winchester model 71 are what I take most often now. Have to see how the 356 cal 94 works out.
As for "needing" a rifle, mostly I've shot snakes in the lower elevations, a porcupine once, and had a bear want to come into camp, but didnt when the dogs went ballistic barking at it. Probably would have pepper sprayed it if it came in. Had the 45-70 in hand tho. No big deal, that's just life. There's been no time I wished I'd left the rifle behind. "Bear protection" makes for great internet forum threads, usually fillled with comments from people that don't live around them or never interact with bears, but its for real here. That's probably the main reason I always carry a rifle. Despite internet lore, bears arent bullet proof or all that tough to kill most of the time.
A 22 would work for many things, but I just like more power aand reach where I am. I agree that the ar-7's arent the most reliable things going, but as a hunting gun, thats not as much of an issue as for other reasons. They seem to fire OK, they just don't always cycle. I think good hunting guns are far better "survival" guns than anything I've ever seen that wore the name "survival", and far more likely to be in your hand when you need it.
