A sensible answer to the "SHTF rifle" question?

[MeekandMild]

Marko, in answer to your original question, I either do or don't have one of those Savages, depending upon if you count having one in my gun safe while Little Meek is off at college.

BUT, it is a great gun. You would be surprised just how after maybe 20 or 30 thousand rounds it still shoots the exact 5/8 inch to the right at 25 yards it did 40+ years ago. I keep promising myself that one day I'm going to work on the sights, but after the first couple of boxes of ammo you get used to aiming to the left.

One problem is that for 40 years I've grouped just a little bit to the left on every other new gun I've shot, until I mentally 'adjusted' the aim. Takes about 50 shots per gun.

About the shotgun barrel, I've never been a great shotgunner, preferring a modified or improved over full choke, but Little Meek has an aptitude for skeet and the Saveage really blasts the clay pigeons.

 

[Onslaught]

Grump - Do you know my father-in-law or something? He's fallen for every one of those disasters...

BTW, while visiting my parents tonight, I mentioned this thread to Dad. First off, he's very upset that Savage discontinued the 24V (wood stock) and only has the 24F now. But he said he loves his, especially the original one, a 22 Magnum over 20 gauge, and would recommend them to anyone.

For survival though, he mentioned that Savage used to make a "Camp" model that was .357 Magnum/20 gauge. He's got a picture of one from a VERY old Savage catalog. He says he wishes he had that one too. It appears to have been "pistol grip only", but I'm sure the regular stocks would fit.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I have to say this -- after all the dust settled, I got a very good price on a generator from a guy who bought one for Y2K.

 

[Marshall]

Here's a cheap, lightweight way to go

.22LR/410 GA
Barrel 18 1/4", 1:15 RH
Rifle Barrel: Six-groove barrel
Shotgun Barrel: Full choke, smooth bore, 3" chamber
Sight Radius: 16 1/8"
Size: 36 ozs. 32" long
MSRP: $215

 

[shoobe01]

A drilling is a three-barrel gun. A screw-with-the-foreign-language thing. Drei (or thereabouts) is three in german.

The most common is two shotguns with an extra rifle up top, or sometimes, below. Like this:

The thought was that you wander about your land with a conventional double, shooting birds as they flush, but are not sad when that trophy buck appears on the horizon. Or, I suppose, you are charged by a boar. Usually rather larger calibers.

Here's one place that makes them in several configurations. Not cheap, typically either:
http://www.krieghoff.de/english/models/optima.htm

 

[Tamara]

The thought was that you wander about your land with a conventional double, shooting birds as they flush, but are not sad when that trophy buck appears on the horizon. Or, I suppose, you are charged by a boar. Usually rather larger calibers.

In much of Europe, hunting (usually referred to as "shooting", since "hunting" involves hounds and horses) is the preserve of the nobility. A Drilling or even a Vierling is a good thing to have as you sit in your stand, since you never know what the line of beaters is going to drive out of the woods. Boar, bird, or buck, with a combination gun, you'd be ready for it.



Back to the original post, though... I've always had a soft spot for both the Savages and the little Springfield Scouts. Interestingly, a friend who has one of the Scouts had the upper barrel reamed to .22 Magnum and the thing would just absolutely drive tacks. He reasoned that .22LR wasn't enough, but the other chambering offered (.22 Hornet) was too much, so .22 Mag was just right. Worked good on squirrels for him, once he stopped shooting them in the body with CCI Maxi Mags with the TNT bullet.

 

[Kurt S.]

I got one! I got one!

I was at the HGCA show at Reliant Center last weekend- I thought I was there to pick up a Yugo SKS but this one small table had a 24F, .223 over 12 ga. topped with a Leupold 2.5X on see-through mount. I went bythe table at least 4 times, fondling the gun longingly and finally bought it. I'll be trying it out tomorrow or Monday. I think I'm relly going to like this gun.

 

[GADeputy]

Hi everyone. I was lurking around here and stumbled across this thread. My dad bought me a Savage 24C Camper's Model back when I was 15 (25 years ago). It's got a .22LR over 20ga. It also has the ammo compartment in the stock and the soft carry case that the gun stores in when it's broken down. I've only shot it 5 or 6 times so it's still in pristine condition.

Here's a few pics....

 

[7.62FullMetalJacket]

Now that fits the bill. Nice gun.

 

[SteelyDan]

Darn it, darn it, I am pathologically compelled to respond to any thread that has "SHTF" in the title.

What you, old and cranky sir , have described is a perfect "survival" gun. Once you introduce SHTF into the equation, however, you're talking about the possibility of armed bad guys shooting back at you, maybe from a distance, and maybe with high-cap magazines. It reminds me of an old Rockford episode where Jim is trying to hold off the Jersey mobsters with a BB gun. In other words, it's an excellent choice for those less confrontational or food-gathering situations, but for SHTF you're gonna want something more.