Wilderness survival rifle thoughts?

[Axel Larson]

I was just wondering what would make a good survival rifle. I think 22lr would be to small for defense and large game hunting but cartridges like 308 and 30 06 would take up more room' meaning you can't carry as much ammunition as possible. Now thinking about this I have decided that 44magnum would be a nice middle ground in either a bolt or semi with iron sights and if possible it would be mighty handy in a sbr with say a 12 to 14 inch barrel, since with 44mag your effective range is not much past one hundred yards.
Anyways whats your thoughts on a rifle for hiking, dog sledding, camping etc? sorry for the long post.

 

[Zardaia]

Higher calibers would be fine for a planned trip, but that's not really a "survival" situation. Ideal would depend on the situation, but unless I'm facing a high chance of large predators I'd take a .22. Far more ammo, much better suited to small game and with the right shot placement it will take deer.

 

[BHP FAN]

.357 magnum levergun. You can use .38 for squirrel, and .357 magnum for deer, and defense.

 

[Axel Larson]

Take down with a lever action isn't that fun though (for me anyways). Don't get me wrong they are pretty cool rifles but have a few small parts.

 

[d2wing]

A bolt or semi would be longer than needed for a pistol cartridge, although I think Ruger made a nice .44 Carbine. A good quality lever gun might be handy as they are more compact. Why not just carry a scoped pistol?
I can see a compact bolt for reliability though but then I would consider a rifle cartridge.

 

[Alaska444]

Depends of course on where you are trying to survive. If it is grizzly country, then the .44 magnum would be a minimal survival/defense caliber. In reality, a 12 ga or 20 ga with slugs for defense and birdshot for hunting is about as close to a perfect survival gun you could get for the northern woods in bear country.

 

[rcmodel]

Take down with a lever action isn't that fun though (for me anyways).

Do you mean take-down for detail cleaning?

Or take-down for stowage in a pack??

If the former, get a Marlin.

You take the lever screw out and shake it and the bolt falls out on the bench.

rc

 

[Unistat]

For just general camping with some small game hunting and plinking, I take my M6 Scout (.22LR/.410 O/U) and my S&W Model 13 .357.

Those two plus the right ammo selection cover anything I'm likely to encounter in Michigan.

 

[Gordon]

Car -15 with 30 or 20 round mags worked for me since 1968.

 

[chuckpro]

For a true survival rifle it would have to be a 22mag. It will take down small to deer sized game and you can carry 500 rounds or more in a bug out bag and survive for a long time. While not a wonderful self defense round it is a stay alive round.

 

[Axel Larson]

Don't get me wrong because I love shotguns. But they are too big and weigh too much for a survival tool and you can't carry as much ammunition compared to a rifle.

 

[justice06rr]

For me, it would have to be an intermediate cartridge rifle at least 223Rem or larger that carries suffiecient ammo for hunting and defense from multiple animals (wolves, boars, etc). Something like a Sig556 or AK47 with a folding stock.

Somehow I would not be comfortable with a 22lr rifle like a Ruger 10/22 Takedown because they cannot take down medium-larger sized animals, although that is another good option for hunting small game.

 

[Skyshot]

It's the one you have with you.

 

[jim243]

You may want to consider a Kel-Tec SU-16C, Nice small profile, folding stock and uses 223 or 5.56 rounds. It will accept AR-15 mags and stores nicely in a pack.

Just a thought.
Jim

 

[hueyville]

.223 turn bolt, magazine fed with polymer folding stock. Easy to pack, reliable, versatile from varmints to medium game.

 

[Alaska444]

.223 turn bolt, magazine fed with polymer folding stock. Easy to pack, reliable, versatile from varmints to medium game.

.223 isn't much against the big game we have here in Northern Idaho and I don't believe that you will have much left of your rabbits for stew. Once again, a shotgun gives you eatable food and survivable defense. Can't go wrong with them and most are no heavier than a lot of rifles. A 6.5 pound 20 ga is a go to gun that with slugs can be a great provider and defender. Throw a sling on it and you are set to go.

 

[Nasty]

Agree with Skyshot...in my case, it's likely be a tiny 9 or very small 45.

If you plan it, it's not survival, just an outing.

 

[srtolly]

Too many variables. Small game is more plentiful, .17HMR or .22 Mag..357 or .44 mag as a backup for the odd bear encounter. If you need food on the table caliber isn't what you should be concerned with. Most survival situations are resolved in a few days by rescue.

 

[Buck Kramer]

Ruger makes a .357/.38 bolt gun if you wanted to entertain the idea of that cartridge without the lever action...

 

[jmr40]

This

http://ruger.com/products/1022Takedown/models.html

and a few 25 round mags

 

[Onmilo]

Real Wilderness?
I would want at least three long guns,

Bolt, lever, or semi in at least .308 caliber
12 guage pump gun
.22 rifle

 

[RPRNY]

Wilderness Survival Rifle. I'm hearing surviving in the wild for a while, not Zombie Apocalypse stuff.

So where is this wilderness? The only animals you REALLY HAVE to be armed against are bears. Yes, mountain lions can get you but there hasn't been a wolf attack on a human in NA for a very long time (let, the stories begin). Are you in Grizzly country or not?

If I'm in Grizzly country, my vote is for a 12 ga S/A. I can defend with slugs, take deer with slugs and take squirrel, rabbit and bird with shot. I can effectively deter coyote, wolf or mountain lion with either.

If I'm in black bear country, I kind of like the pistol caliber lever gun. I like the 30-30 even more. 336 with Skinner sights and bullets from 110gr over Trail Boss for small game to 165 gr FTX over LE for heavy stuff.

 

[The_Armed_Therapist]

I like the idea of either:

22LR
357MAG or
Shotgun

 

[d2wing]

To each his own but why a .44 over a 30-30. The 30-30 has more range, and killed everything on the continent , some to near extinction. I'd rather have .22 lr, and a sturdy revolver .357 or better .44 mag.
A lot depends on where you are, what you plan to eat and what to defend yourself against. Also if you are on foot, or stay in one area. Any reliable gun with enough ammo is useful. You might survive with a good pellet gun but you would need a defense. People lived here thousands of years with bows and arrows all homemade with no metal. 200 years ago most of this country was in the Stone Age.

 

[Mike Sr.]

rifle in the wilderness..

For me:

---# 1 a stainless rifle.....
---A rifle with the fewest number of working parts.
---open sights
---77/22
---30-30
---357...77/357
---44..77/44
---308 Frontier 16" medium weight barrel
---M70 30-06, with, 22"
---M70 300WinMag, 22"