The utility rifle

[Armored farmer]

I understand how it could happen. My dad had an AD in his pickup. Nice clean hole right through the drivers door.

Can you hear me now?

Well, maybe I should quickly relate the story because it wasn't an AD that I shot my mirror......
You must remember that Harvest is payday for us. We take dry ground and fair weather very seriously.
,..we were finishing the field behind my house when I spotted a coyote snaking around the ever dwindling standing corn. Soon I spotted the coyote carrying a limp rabbit. ...Well, that's what coyotes are supposed to do, so despite my AR leaning in the corner of the cab, I decided to live and let live.......(If I stop the combine, then the auger cart has to stop, then the semi driver etc, etc.)

.....I soon spotted what I believed to be the very same coyote burying a rabbit.......he was expecting to catch another......

...now you must know that coyotes are cool around machinery, until you stop.

I pulled the hydro into neutral, grabbed my AR, flung the door open and stepped onto the platform and rested the rifle on the top of the door.

The coyote went from 0-60 in a moment and ran towards the standing corn with me firing at him. I knew I was getting close to the mirror but I squeezed off one last round......that pierced the mirror mount and severed the flasher wire.

I didn't know whether I had hit him or not, but my son carried me high for shooting the mirror mount. He insisted on taking my pic.

About a week later we were working the stalks and found this....

..so I guess the old man got the last laugh.

 

[someguy2800]

For me its usually one of these two or an old Browning BPS pump

 

[bassjam]

I have 3, a 10/22, a Marlin 60, and my favorite which is an old Remington 510 single shot .22.

 

[Crowman]

For ridge walking, I carry lever carbines.

16" barrel stainless Rossi R92 in .357 Magnum in Spring /Summer.
16" barrel stainless Rossi R92 in .44 Magnum in Fall / Winter.

Both are fast handling, light weight and easy carrying. I put Skinner barrel mount peep / ghost ring rear sights on both, and then different color leather lever wraps so I can tell them apart quickly. I carry them as companions to whichever side arm I'm wearing that's in the same caliber.

 

[Coyote3855]

I have a H&R Sportster in .17 HMR with a 3.5x10 Leupold in the truck, mostly for ground squirrels and feral cats. If I'm bumming around on foot, it's probably an old school Remington Model 241 .22 LR with irons.

 

[Saddlebag Preacher]

Older Rossi Model 92 in .45 colt. Used it for years as my saddle gun. But now my old mare is gone and I don't sit a saddle as well as I use to, so I've retired to my PU or my Jeep on the farm here. Although I own several rifles, including 2 AR's, I still prefer the handy little carbine.

 

[DM~]

Most used firearm here, is my Henry lever 22. It goes out with me every day and get's fired three or four days a week...

Second most used, is a Rem. 870 20ga., that gets fired weekly if not more often...

DM

 

[Varminterror]

My "possibles" firearm is - always has been and I believe always will be - a handgun. Generally used to be a 7.5" SBH, since replaced by a 5.5" SRH as the first one for which I reach, whenever something larger may be in order, but for general bumming, which is about 10x more common for me, is a Ruger Mark II. Hundreds of miles I have walked with it on my hip.

 

[Capt. Benteen]

On our property the most likely varmits encountered are hogs, bad dogs bothering cattle, and coyotes. The lightest rifle reasonable for the task at hand is .223 loaded with hunting bullets. We use 62 grain powered by almost a max load of Varget.

 

[plbour]

Mine is an AR pistol in 300 blkout. Very handy and the 10.5" barrel slung a hornady 135g fast enough to drop a deer last season. Figure it will work for just about anything else. I've got an aimpoint comp m4 on it that gets me good groups at 100+ yards.

 

[JD Pinardi]

I can't disagree with any of these options.....how about an AK-47....I always carry a handgun, but this fills a lot of nicks.....aka....just in case?

JD

 

[chicharrones]

My Zastava in .22 WMR (top of photo) would be the closest thing to a utility rifle I have right now. View attachment 761440