(Mods feel free to move this, I was not sure where to put it as I am asking questions about both rifles and shotguns)
As I am an Englishman I do not have access to guns very easily, nor have I ever been involved in a 'survival' situation. Since being introduced to the L&P part of this forum (you have MicroBalrog to blame - good luck on Sunday btw) something has started that is possibly unhealthy. I think about guns every now and again.
So this story begins on Tuesday. The girlfriend has gotten very sick with gastroenteritis (she is on the mend now) so I have spent some long nights looking after her. At about 3am I got to thinking about a survival gun. When I say survival I mean not necessarily SHTF but more a 'kill to eat/kill to live' situation. Say a road trip goes wrong and you break down miles from anywhere, basically I don't need to feed the imagination for such things around here it seems.
So I got to thinking, what does this weapon for this situation need? It is for American trips more than British ones so keep that in mind. Light weight, light ammo, enough hitting power for small to medium game (assuming that bears are not an issue), enough for cougars if that becomes an issue (was thinking that even a small bullet and a small slug would cause a cougar to rethink)
Many state they would choose a .22lr. So I looked around on the internet and had some pipedreams and an O/U rifle over shotgun combo seems best for me (at least it is what I would want). Savage do one http://www.beartoothbullets.com/tech_notes/archive_tech_notes.htm/1 There is also this concept http://www.ar-7.com/ Both are interesting, but the design ideas where light weight is concerned are especially interesting with the AR-7, both weighing in at 2 and a half pounds. The savage shows lots of interesting combos. You can have .22LR/.410 or .223 Rem/20 Gauge or even 30-30/12 Gauge
I did some reading up on the .410 briefly. Read about a guy who takes deer with slugs from one at ranges up to 35yds, http://home.freeuk.com/4-10/mwslug.html Through choice this worries me, but when you need to eat hunting ethics are something of a side issue, if you can kill it then you get to eat as opposed to not eat. What about 28 gauge?
So I was thinking a break action job with a polymer stock, possibly not as extreme as http://www.ar-7.com/images/ar20.jpg, but something lightweight. The rifle allows for small game at some range and the shotgun allows for closer work and possibly deer (assuming using a small bore for less weight and using slugs through it)
Pretty ignorant aren't I? Post up some suggestions, existing rifles etc. What about sights/sighting issues with the O/U arrangement? Is a combo more useful than a single shot rifle? I'm not thinking of something pretty, more something that serves a potential purpose when loaded up with your camping gear or slung in a canoe.
As I am an Englishman I do not have access to guns very easily, nor have I ever been involved in a 'survival' situation. Since being introduced to the L&P part of this forum (you have MicroBalrog to blame - good luck on Sunday btw) something has started that is possibly unhealthy. I think about guns every now and again.
So this story begins on Tuesday. The girlfriend has gotten very sick with gastroenteritis (she is on the mend now) so I have spent some long nights looking after her. At about 3am I got to thinking about a survival gun. When I say survival I mean not necessarily SHTF but more a 'kill to eat/kill to live' situation. Say a road trip goes wrong and you break down miles from anywhere, basically I don't need to feed the imagination for such things around here it seems.
So I got to thinking, what does this weapon for this situation need? It is for American trips more than British ones so keep that in mind. Light weight, light ammo, enough hitting power for small to medium game (assuming that bears are not an issue), enough for cougars if that becomes an issue (was thinking that even a small bullet and a small slug would cause a cougar to rethink)
Many state they would choose a .22lr. So I looked around on the internet and had some pipedreams and an O/U rifle over shotgun combo seems best for me (at least it is what I would want). Savage do one http://www.beartoothbullets.com/tech_notes/archive_tech_notes.htm/1 There is also this concept http://www.ar-7.com/ Both are interesting, but the design ideas where light weight is concerned are especially interesting with the AR-7, both weighing in at 2 and a half pounds. The savage shows lots of interesting combos. You can have .22LR/.410 or .223 Rem/20 Gauge or even 30-30/12 Gauge
I did some reading up on the .410 briefly. Read about a guy who takes deer with slugs from one at ranges up to 35yds, http://home.freeuk.com/4-10/mwslug.html Through choice this worries me, but when you need to eat hunting ethics are something of a side issue, if you can kill it then you get to eat as opposed to not eat. What about 28 gauge?
So I was thinking a break action job with a polymer stock, possibly not as extreme as http://www.ar-7.com/images/ar20.jpg, but something lightweight. The rifle allows for small game at some range and the shotgun allows for closer work and possibly deer (assuming using a small bore for less weight and using slugs through it)
Pretty ignorant aren't I? Post up some suggestions, existing rifles etc. What about sights/sighting issues with the O/U arrangement? Is a combo more useful than a single shot rifle? I'm not thinking of something pretty, more something that serves a potential purpose when loaded up with your camping gear or slung in a canoe.