Have .22 kit/trail guns become passe'?

In the past fifteen-twenty years STURM RUGER & COMPANY has been making Bearcats by the boxcar full. You do not think it's just city boys buying them do you ? Matter of fact I am amazed at the ' city boys ' shooting on our new indoor range who have never EVER held in the hand any sort of revolving pistol and are AMAZED that they're still being made. This includes a COL at the base who was speechless that I was taking the center out of all my targets with several SA sixguns of various makes and calibers. His M9 was not doing nearly as well.
What has become passe, though , is the very essense of " The Trail".
And then we now see S&W re-introducing their excellent 3" lightweight KITGUN.
And so it goes...
 
Case Trapper and Swiss Army pocket knives are rare now too. They're both still fine products. But we've got more options now.
 
What has become passe, though , is the very essense of " The Trail".
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Yep, there ya go. You just don't hear about folks getting out and exploring the woods or walking the perimeter of of a lake or large pond to see what there is to see. What a shame. Most city kids have never walked the fields or woods and looked in the trees for a squirrel to shoot for food. Even if they killed it they don't have any idea what to do with it to turn it into a meal.

It seems like an entire era has passed and damned if I know where it went.:(
 
My Swiss army is in my pocket right now. Kinda big but I misplaced my Kershaw chive.
Botb are excellent knives. I prefer the chive when I am nicely dressed.

Love the Swiss army when I am on the boat or in tbe woods.
 
I have a S&W Model 63 .22 "Kit" gun that I've had for many years. I was looking for one at a gun show but the guns I found seemed over-priced for their condition. I went back to a local gun shop and bought the new one I had been wanting. It is a very nice gun. I've never carried it around in a "kit" or a holster. I've only shot it a few times - many years ago. I didn't realize until now how valuable it is.
 
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You just don't hear about folks getting out and exploring the woods or walking the perimeter of of a lake or large pond to see what there is to see.
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I think you're wrong about that. People's love of the outdoors hasn't changed, just what they are doing. Instead of hunting and fishing, today it's jogging and mountain biking, walking the dog, etc. Every time I go out, I see other people.

Another thing to consider is that life is much faster paced today than it was in the past. Many people have to work more than 40 hours a week and don't have the time or energy to go out to a local rec area or preserve and hike around on top of recovering from work and getting house chores done.

On the subject of "kit guns" it's possible that they simply were replaced, or made into, what we now refer as "everyday carry guns." This is probably for the best, because in my opinion, a gun that's rattling around in your tackle box or day pack is just asking to be stolen as soon as you turn your back to it. I think we've had a few discussions on here about the folly of having a "truck gun." It's a similar sort of thing. It may have been fine in the past, but in today's world, many do not want their expensive, dangerous, possessions unsecured so they carry them, or leave them locked up.
 
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Nate maybe you are right. That was my point though that people have a different mindset. And the joggers are on well marked trails. No real deep woods exploring for them. Mountain bikes don't do well unless there is a path to follow.

I fly RC model planes. I used to fly at a school yard at the end of my block. I would see kids walking down the road and they would look up at my plane and then go back to looking at their cell phones. And I would think to myself, come over here and I will let you have a turn on the controls. Not one single kid ever stopped to ask about my plane. This was about 2004. It has just gotten worse.

When I was a kid in the 1960s and 1970s we would run over each other to see a model plane. But like I said. Maybe you right. People like to hug trees they just don't want to hunt in them.
 
Maybe the changing times or perhaps the changing mindset is leading to the lack of "kit guns" being used. Their primary purpose being defense against snakes and collecting food. Now people are more concerned about defense against two legged varmits. I own a beautiful S&W model 34, perhaps the prime example of a kit gun. Light, its almost forgettable on the belt and reasonably accurate. Its primary role is as a trainer for my wife and grandson and for plinking. When I head for the woods or waterways it stays home. Instead a 3" barrel adjustable sighted S&W model 60 goes with me. Just as easy to carry but far more potent. Shot loads give me greater hit probability on snakes and .38/.357 loads have a broader range of defensive applications that the .22 LR while a moderate velocity .38 SWC can still put meat in the pot.
 
I prefer a gun to do double duty, or even triple duty. Hence I take my 3 inch 'Canadian' Ruger GP100 .357 here in Texas.

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Bird shot for snakes, .357s for two and four legged critters.

And with OC now in Texas, I can hike with that rig and NO APPOLIGIES!

Deaf
 
I gotta say, I really like that 3" snubby Ruger, ... and wheelguns aren't normally my thing. Very nice set-up. :cool:
 
I have a wonderful 8-shot stainless S&W kit gun. But I still carry my old reliable NAA Black Widow in the swamps. One reason is the .22 Magnum snake shot is better than the .22lr snake shot.
 
Case Trapper and Swiss Army pocket knives are rare now too. They're both still fine products. But we've got more options now.
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We've had more options for many years now. The biggest selling knives in the world are Victorinox Swiss Army Knives (SAKs). The Case Trapper or the Trapper pattern in general was very popular through the 1980's. More folks are either carrying a SAK, or a modern folder, than a traditional such as a Trapper. Also fewer people are hunting these days and the pattern was designed as a hunting knife. How many carry a muskrat pattern? (Almost zero.) There ARE generally more choices of knives these days as compared to 50 years ago. However, many are moving back to carrying traditional knives as they have discovered that they work just fine for 99% of all the cutting chores that you have in the woods.

As to the original question, carrying a 22 in the woods is not passe at all. A 22 is still my preferred woods carry gun regardless of any real or imagined threats. I'm not talking about Alaska where larger bears are more common.

Many people now are hung up on self defense and carry a larger caliber because of supposed people threats primarily, but also an exaggerated sense of security when it comes to animals like Black Bears and the danger they represent.
 
I gotta say, I really like that 3" snubby Ruger, ... and wheelguns aren't normally my thing. Very nice set-up.
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Thanks.

But you really ought to see my Speed Six! I've retrofitted the spur hammer to my Canadian to!

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Deaf
 

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I'm in the boonies all the time, I live there. If I am going to carry a pistol, it's
going to be one worth carrying. I don't need anything bigger than a 22, for
this duty. Don't worry about 2 legged varmints , a 22hp will make them deathly
sick. I have carried a m34 S&W Kit Gun for years, 4" barrel. I do a lot of Wade
Fishing, due to a mishap of ending up on my back in 3' of water, and dunking
my Kit gun, I bought a 422 S&W. 4". It's light, flat, and accurate.
 
I bought a 317 Smith for my fishing gun, it weighs nothing and is very handy, but is a bit spendy. In bear country I carry a hot loaded .44 spec.
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I have a 317, the three inch adjustable sight version. Everytime I go afield it goes with me. I carry it in a nylon holster butt forward on my left hip. In my right front pocket is my S&W Model 637 Airweight .38 snub. The only predators that inhabit this area coyotes and bobcats.

The only exception to this mode of carry is during gun deer season. Then my .45 caliber Ruger Blackhawk goes on my left hip and the .22 caliber 317 goes into my right front pocket.
 
Maybe the changing times or perhaps the changing mindset is leading to the lack of "kit guns" being used. Their primary purpose being defense against snakes and collecting food. Now people are more concerned about defense against two legged varmits.
-tlm225
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This. In today's world, people are generally a much greater potential threat than most animals. People hunt small critters less, and unless you're in big bear country, there isn't much out there that one's EDC for 2-legged threats can't handle as well as or better than a 22.
 
I have a buckmark that goes in my fishing or hunting pack. It gets broken out of the fishing is slow or for the occasional grouse and squirrels
 
for most people carrying one gun is too much trouble let alone carrying two. so when people go out and about in the woods etc.... theyre more likely to carry a regular defensive gun rather than a pea shooter. a .38 revolver can be loaded with adequate defensive loads as well as "snake shot". this sort of negates the .22lr "kit gun" niche.
 
So how many of us have run into a 2 legged varmint while in the woods rather than mother natures variety? I'm 57 and spent many hours checking fences, looking for calves, etc.... and never encountered another human. Snakes and hogs are at the top of my list as far as undesirables I have encountered. I've carried everything from a 22 to a 45Colt over the years. Worst encounter was a 6' rattle snake, a 22magnum AutoMag ended his day, and some more of my hearing.:(
 
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