SHTF Rifle--what about a .22?

[Cosmoline]

Sunday night I heard the familiar chitter of a bushy tailed tree rat, and grabbed my CZ 452 lux. Even in the failing light, I was able to nail it in the head at about 25 yards, and this was a very small squirrel in thick cover. It got me thinking, that .22 is so accurate, light weight and the ammo is so easy to carry--why not use it as a SHTF all-purpose rifle? I know many subsistence folks who prefer the .22LR to centerfire rounds. Yes it's cruel to take a moose with one, but if it has hit the fan this may be a secondary consideration. And the rifle seems to me to have real potential as a sniping weapon. The noise is minimal, and accuracy nearly MOA. So hitting some nogoodnick at range without immediate detection is possible.

 

[R.H. Lee]

My thoughts exactly. With a good semiauto .22, you could pop the goblin many times very quickly.

 

[Brian Williams]

Yes, the 22lr is a great SHTF ammo, but not reloadable. Once you run out of ammo your gun is a club. The nice thing a cuople of thousand rounds fits in a very small place. I think a Ruger 10/22 with a folding stock, 50 round mags and a barrel with a built in supressor would be a great insurgent tool for putting down invaders.

My idea of a SHTF setup is a Marlin 1894c for the rifle and a S&W 586 as a handgun.

 

[Mulliga]

Yes, the 22lr is a great SHTF ammo, but not reloadable. Once you run out of ammo your gun is a club.

I don't quite see your point. After all, once you run out of powder and primer, your gun is a club, too.

 

[Combat-wombat]

Yeah, the .22 would be great in a "typical" SHTF scenario (i.e. wilderness survival), but when I think of "SHTF" I think of blue-helmeted paratroopers invading the homeland. In that case, an AR-15 would be more appropriate.

 

[Barry in IN]

My most-used rifle, and probably the last I would part with, would be my suppressed Ruger 77-22.

But, it would be a close contest with the first AR-15 I ever got.

How about an early, 1-12 twist AR-15, and a .22 conversion kit?
Or an AR15, and about a dozen uppers in various calibers?

Please Lord, don't let it ever come to that.

 

[Harry Tuttle]

do it for the children

http://www.bushmaster.com/shopping/uppers/post-ban/az15846k.asp

Bushmaster now offers a .22 Rimfire “dedicated†Upper Receiver/Barrel Assembly that will fit all Bushmaster Lower Receivers – as well as most all AR15 Type Lower Receivers from other manufacturers (as long as they are “mil. spec.†in measurement). With an Upper specifically designed for .22 Rimfire, you can quickly switch out from your 5.56mm/.223 caliber Upper to hone your shooting skills with the economical .22 Long Rifle ammunition – which is acceptable at most indoor ranges due to its lower power and penetration. In addition to offering the advantages of more frequent training with your AR15 type rifle, the Bushmaster .22LR Upper adds versatility to the weapon system, and is a joy to use for “plinkingâ€. The light weight and low recoil will be appreciated by women and younger shooters.

 

[mustanger98]

Well, about three weeks ago I was busting clay pigeons on the 100yd bank with a wore out squirrel rifle. With a Lyman aperture rear sight and appropriate height front blade, it could very well be accurate to 400yds- there's a club in southern PRK that shoots .22s that far and it's a surprise to a lot of folks. A .22LR having killing power at 400yds is real questionable though.

 

[whm1974]

Come to think of it, a lot of survilist groups before Y2K did advise people to have a few .22 LR guns. They usally cheaper then center fire guns, and ammo is dirt cheap. Fot STHTF or TWWEAWKI a person with a .22 rifle and handgun with 10,000 rounds of ammo will be better prepared then those who do not have guns.

-Bill

 

[c_yeager]

I would define a .22 as more specifically as a "survival rifle" than the more general "SHTF rifle". You can have and carry FAR more ammunition for the 22lr than anything else. And it is "capable" of taking virtually any game in north America. Basically it would be the ultimate put-food-on-the-table rifle.

However wether it would make a good "SHTF rifle" depends on what your particular SHTF fantasy happens to be. It would probably be a poor choice against floods of red chinese troops. But, it would be a fine choice indeed for the "comet collision", "cataclismic earthquake" or "massive EMP" fatasies.

To split the difference if you are expecting Romeroesque Zombies (the slow ones) it would probably make a suitable general purpose weapon/game getter.

For my purposes the .22 rifle is a great and inexpensive plinker that provides endless fun and thats about it.

 

[NMshooter]

It makes a lot of sense to have a .22 rifle or pistol. Good for a lot more than filling the pot too.

 

[Brian Williams]

Are we talking SHTF or TEOTWAWKI
SHTF: I would want a Mid length flat top AR in 6.5 Grendel and a OKO sight with fold down front and rear. A 1911a1 on my hip and a Shotty nearby.
I would also like to have a 10/22 with a folding stock and an internally suppressed barrel, and a bunch of 50 round mags for those times when I do not want to be heard.


For TEOTWAWKI: Give me a 36 cal Muzzle loader flintlock Hawken style and a few molds for round ball and round nose bullets. Black powder could always be made and flints could be knapped. Ideally it would have a matched set of percussion and flint style locks and a screw out flashole that could have a nipple and _______(adapter thingy can not remember the name for it) screwed in for percussion. The percussion lock would be replaced when percussion caps became few and far between.

The Muzzle loader would be my back up for my original setup of a Marlin 1894c and 586.

 

[Dan Forrester]

I know many subsistence folks who prefer the .22LR to centerfire rounds. Yes it's cruel to take a moose with one, but if it has hit the fan this may be a secondary consideration.

Actually I think deer, moose, bear, ect would be taken with 1/16th inch steel cable with locks and drags. Then you finish them off with one .22 or a hammer blow if your really desperate. Rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, could be taken in 110 and 220 conibear traps, or 1.5 double long spring leg holds on drags, with extra swivels placed in the chain and extra flat stock welded on the jaws.

Here’s my SHTF / camping rifle

Dan

 

[Mannlicher]

if all your potential enemies are the size of squirrels, then by all means go with a .22 as your main battle weapon.

 

[Das Pferd]

Trapping is far better then hunting with rifle. You set the trap and leave, come back later. Hunting with a rifle you must sit around or go looking for the game. Trapping does not take as much skill.

 

[cracked butt]

A .22 rifle would be on the very top of my list for the gun I would grab.
People drastically underestimate the potential of a .22.
If you think you are going to go into spray-and-pray mode, then perhaps a .223 or a .30 is better, but a .22 will do just fine if you pick your shots and make them count.

 

[cracked butt]

With a Lyman aperture rear sight and appropriate height front blade, it could very well be accurate to 400yds- there's a club in southern PRK that shoots .22s that far and it's a surprise to a lot of folks. A .22LR having killing power at 400yds is real questionable though

Just for fun one day, I shot at a 12" gong at 300 yards from a prone position with my old bolt action .22. After walking them into the gong, I had no problems hitting it nearly every shot, but you are really lobbing them out there and a little wind makes a huge difference. Not much power left at that range, but its a fun exercise anyhow.

 

[JShirley]

The noise is minimal, and accuracy nearly MOA

...at close range. I've been paying attention to accuracy stats posted in American Rifleman for years, and it's rare to find a non-match .22 LR that's
actually MOA- at 50 yards.

John

 

[seeker_two]

I'm a huge fan of the .22lr, but I'd probably pick a .22mag for my survival gun...

1. 2-3 times more power.

2. Ammo weight not much more than the .22lr.

3. Better bullets loaded in .22mag.

4. Noise not much over .22lr in a rifle (pistols are another story... )


I'd like to build an "urban sniper rifle" w/ supressor from a 10/22M or 597, one day...

 

[mustanger98]

1. 2-3 times more power.

I read that it's actually about 3.5X the power of .22LR. That's why Magnums are overkill on squirrels. Thing is, from what I heard, in a anti-human shooting the bullets will fragment so badly forensics is out of the question. That was supposed to be according to an Atlanta corroner's observations.

I'd like to build an "urban sniper rifle" w/ supressor from a 10/22M or 597, one day...

You know, if you ask around the gun show parts vendors who claim they have everything you need, I've heard it said you can't find parts for anything you have :banghead:, but if you want to build a 10/22 into a fully automatic 1000yd sniper assault rifle you're in luck because they have everything you need.

 

[WhiteKnight]

double post

 

[WhiteKnight]

I've been paying attention to accuracy stats posted in American Rifleman for years, and it's rare to find a non-match .22 LR that's

I'm not sure how you figure that, but most any decent $200+ .22LR will shoot under 1/2 an inch at 50 yards given a decent ammo that it likes. Granted, a $95 Marlin Model 60 or box-stock 10/22 may not deliver MOA with bulk pack ammo, but if you take the time to shoot a variety of brands and choose the best one, then you should be good to go.

 

[LAK]

.22RFs can be tremendously versatile, and everyone should have at least one .22RF rifle and handgun. Potentially very accurate, effective (within limitations) against animal and human; in light, trim and practical form, I see them as the Swiss army knife of the handgun and rifle world respectively.

 

[joab]

My SHTF theory has less to do with clashing with invading horde than extended survival and evasion of domestic goblins. Food will consist more of small game that can be harvested more easily than large game that would take to much time and effort.
This little pump will fit into the side pocket of an alice pack

If you need something a littel more lethal this can be carried with a little more effort

 

[ojibweindian]

For filling your belly when the local Piggly Wiggly has been looted of everything edible, the lowly .22lr is wonderful. For repelling the hungry masses of sheeple, something with more oomph would be wanted, desired, and needed.