Best small caliber "farm" gun

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Speedogomer

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I'm looking to buy my father a new gun for Christmas. He wants a small caliber gun to use around the farm. My family has a dairy farm with about 500 acres, and he wants something reliable, cheap, and durable, as well as being accurate. He wants something able to take out the various critters around the property like pigeons, woodchucks, or what have you.

He has individual guns for any and all animals on the farm, but really wants one all purpose gun he can keep in the farm truck.

I have a Remington 597, a semi auto .22 and find it reasonably accurate. He though has talked about stepping up to a more powerful cartridge like a .17 hmr. He's concerned a .22, especially a seem auto .22 wouldn't be accurate enough for his taste, but he really would enjoy almost any well rounded gun.

What is everyone's opinion, any favorites? I'm leaning towards a 597 or possibly a Savage 93 in .17hmr.
 
I have a .17HMR Savage 93, and I can say it's definitely accurate enough for anything that might need shooting. It's a little heavy, but I think they make a sporter-weight barreled version.

It'd probably be great with a 1-4x scope or similar for farm duties. Mine's strictly a target gun though, so it's got a hefty fixed 10x.
 
17's are great but a .204 or 22 hornet would have more oomph to get the job done quick. Neither have any recoil to speak of and around the farm he probably wouldn't be burning to ammo very quick so price shouldn't be much concern.
 
Ill tell you what i told my friends, go for a 22mag, the extra weight of the bullet it a huge advantage, i own a mossberg 817, the bare bones 17HMR is crazy accurate, but I've missed a lot of shots do to wind, plus the 22mag is almost as accurate, ammo is a lil cheaper, more types of ammo, and a lil more power, i use my 17 out to 200yards, my friend took his 22mag to the same distance, on a calm day, i have tighter groups, with a slight breeze, his way out performs
 
I'll second the .22 Hornet suggestion. One of the best all around little cartridges out there, without the blast and report of the hotter rounds.
 
I'll third the .22 Hornet. There's a sweetness to shooting a well built one that has surprised 100% of folk that have gone shooting with us.

Aside from not generally carrying butt-loads of the caliber, it is always - every time - the first caliber to run out.

Accurate, relatively quiet, arrives with surprising authority, an aesthetically beautiful round. What's not to like?

You know... Can a fella get a .22 Hornet .410 combo gun these days? There ya go. Farm gun like ya read about.
 
What about a bolt action 223? Cheap/readily available ammo,and powerful enough for anything up to deer size. Savage,mossberg,and others make nice,affordable rifles.
 
I'd look at that new Savage 42 combo gun in 22WMR over .410. A little pricey for sure, but...twice the fun. :D
 
CZ452. Accurate .22LR ammo is on par with .17HMR price-wise. Plus, you can buy the cheap stuff for plinking. Win/win in my book.
 
22lr's tend to be a bit fussy with ammo, 22WMRs and the 17 rimfires are expensive but the 17Ms are deadly. 22Hornets also tend to be fussy with ammo but once a load is found they sing and are very accurate and put down most small game well.
For a fun gun you might try a Marlin 1894c in 357mag. can use 38s and 357 in it and able to put down any thing you can see well. I like a Marbles tang sight but many recommend a Skinner rear peep.
 
I love my old Savage 24 in .22WMR over .410, but good luck finding one! I agree with others here that a Hornet or .22WMR would be good.
 
I have a .17 HMR, .22lr & .22 magnum, all on the CZ452 platform. For the suggested pests, I would recommend the .17 HMR.
 
I keep a .410 shotgun with me while on the tractor but there are times when a rifle would be more handy. I tend to go long with those who are suggesting a combination gun. 22 hornet over .410 or 20 gauge would be ideal. 22mag over .410 would work well also. Springfield once sold a M6 in 22 hornet over .410 -those things could be tossed just about anywhere without worry of being damaged. They were cheap at one time but have become a bit spendy in recent years.


Paul
 
I would suggest a CZ, Ruger, or Marlin in 22 Mag for his all purpose rifle. It shoud be powerful enough for most everything around the farm in the varmint catagory. Experiment with different ammo, choose your favorite and sight it in at 100 yds. He should be good to go.
 
Speedogomer said:
I'm looking to buy my father a new gun for Christmas. He wants a small caliber gun to use around the farm. My family has a dairy farm with about 500 acres, and he wants something reliable, cheap, and durable, as well as being accurate. He wants something able to take out the various critters around the property like pigeons, woodchucks, or what have you.

He has individual guns for any and all animals on the farm, but really wants one all purpose gun he can keep in the farm truck.

I have a Remington 597, a semi auto .22 and find it reasonably accurate. He though has talked about stepping up to a more powerful cartridge like a .17 hmr. He's concerned a .22, especially a seem auto .22 wouldn't be accurate enough for his taste, but he really would enjoy almost any well rounded gun.

What is everyone's opinion, any favorites? I'm leaning towards a 597 or possibly a Savage 93 in .17hmr.
Click to expand...
You didn't mention pistol or rifle, although you did mention the remington rifle.

I have a couple of unconventional possibilities. Check out the Kel-tec PMR-30 semi auto pistol in .22mag. 30 rounds, light, durable, accurate.

If you are looking for a rifle, check out the Kel-tec sub 2000 in 9mm. Accurate to 100 yards. Folds in half and stores in like 17" space when folded.

The biggest problem you'll have is finding either one because they are in high demand. If they ever release it there is a rifle version of that .22mag pistol on the way.

If you are good with a .22lr, you can't do better than the Ruger 10/22. There is a new takedown version that is too sweet. Again, hard to find one available but worth the look. It holds it's zero even after takedown and reassembly. Stainless barrel and synthetic stock. Comes with a nice bag to store and tote. If you can live with 22lr, it would be difficult to do better for an accurate piece that breaks in half easily.

Good Luck. You're a good son.
 
Thanks for all the replies, I don't post often, but the advice on this site always impresses me. The majority seems to like the 22mag, .17 hmr, or .22 hornet.

He has a bolt action savage .223 (not sure of the model), also has a Savage 114 in 25-06 (which was my Christmas present to him 2 years ago). So he has good varmint/game guns. Really he wants just an all purpose gun, which can take some abuse, as it will be kept in his work truck, and really used more as a tool than a typical firearm.

Some good suggestions, I've never shot a 22 hornet, but it sounds like a really strong round, although I'm not sure of the selections of cheaper firearms chambered in it. Its on the upper end of power from what he needs, as his .223 or 25-06 can be used if he needs to.

The .17 hmr sounds great for him too, and I've had friends who swear by the .17. Its a good step up from a .22 like the Remington 597, but our farm can get windy as much of it is across hillside, and the performance under windy conditions deters me some.

The .22 mag may fit the bill. I'll have to do some more research on the firearms out there, he's a Savage man at heart, so I like to find him a savage when I can.

Any other suggestions, based more on durability and reliability for the firearm itself, and not just the ammunition?
 
When I was a young'n (a long, long time ago), I remember using a sweet little .22 Hornet to dispatch farm pests. I forget the make and model, but it was a slick little thing.
 
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