I Need a .22 lr. For Jungle Exploration

M

MP-44

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Well not really. But I was reading the book "Brazilian Adventure" and I wasn't to suprised to see that the little .22 was the most important firearm. My real question is "What .22 rifle would you choose if you had to spend several weeks in the jungle or any other harsh environment"?
 
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Springfield Armory Stainless M6 22LR/.410. Mine is surprisingly accurate once you get used to the funky trigger. It also happens to group very well with CCI Stingers.
 
I wouldn't have a 22rf. I really don't understand why anyone would carry a 22 with them except as a toy if your out in the boonies.

For the SA jungle I think a 308 would be a lot better idea. If you want low power cartridges you can use Alex Auxiliary cartridges to shoot 32 ACP in your 308.

Or if your deadset on using 22's you can use Alex Caps [you start with an auxiliary cartridge with a 22lr HP round in it, then you press Alex cap into the hollowpoint. The cap is the proper diameter for your rifle...say a 25, 270, 7mm, or 30 cal]

Link to Alex Auxiliary Cartridges http://www.mcn.net/~alex/
 
Not sure if he was talking about going to war, defence against predators or simply small game hunting.

What was the application of the firearm in the book?

I'd probably have to go with a stainless 10/22 as well and M6 if it had to be a rifle.
 
I thought more people would have read this book. It is about the one of the expeditions in the 1930s to discover what happened to Col. P.H. Fawcett, who disappered in the brazilian jungle in the 20s. Out of all the firearms the group had the .22 was the most important. While some may say that in todays time one might encounter AK47 armed thugs ( well trained if not by some military then by experience) and would be better off equally equiped, I would beg to differ. If you were traveling alone or with a companion and encountered a group of these thugs, you might take more of them with you with a battle type rifle but the end result would probably be the same as if carrying the little .22. But with the .22 you could feed yourself without letting everyone in the jungle no you were there or they might not pay as much attention the the sound of a .22. IMHO
 
There's a few more advantages to the .22LR as a "survival" weapon besides the relatively quiet report.

The rifles are light and compact and so is the ammo. When your entire life is packed on your back, every gram of weight saved is critical.

The .22LR is also extremely accurate. I'm not well versed enough in ballistics to tell you why, but I've read that it's one of the most accurate cartridges available. I do know that I can put holes in a distant quarter all day with my 10/22.
 
I would choose the Apache Black Remington Nylon 66. Lightweight and no corrosion problems. The thing will shoot as reliably as an AK so cleaning is not a big issue.
 
I've heard this before

Give me a second here. OK, here it is. An article in the 1999 Gun Digest by Carlos Schmidt called "Tropical Pistolas." He's been all over some of the very nasty parts of Central America and makes the point that you cannot win any gunfights down there. Nothing you bring will be enough to deal with banditos armed with AK's. Also, most of the nasty critters you run into will be small. Snakes are a prime example. He recommends an old S&W M39.

Another option might be a .45 Colt, perhaps loaded with shotshells for the snakes.
 
Hmmm....Cooper spent a lot of time down there teaching shooting & self defense skills not to mention spending time hunting & bumming in the boonies. I am fairly certain he would disagree with the "Nothing you bring will be enough to deal with banditos armed with AK's" statement.
 
My point is a .308 isn't going to win any battles, especially since the banditos will know the terrain and will outnumber you several fold. Better to get on their good side, as Schmidt did. Or just stay way out of their way. There may be a *few* people who could pull off a direct confrontation, but for most of us the .22 and liberal use of the stuff between the ears is a better suggestion. Marching in armed for bear with a big US flag on your sleeve is a good way to die.
 
The most common gun I saw down South in the jungles was the single shot 12G or 20G shotgun. I didn't see too many 22lr rifles but it maybe just the location I was in. Personally I think 12G single shot shotgun would be better than 22lr rifle.
 
Cosmoline: I think I understand your point. That it isn't easy to go into hostil territory and survive. But are you aware that Cooper was hired by at least a few people that live down there that were having real problems with banditos? That he went down there and did the training on site? And at least once or twice the banitos knew he was supposed to be arriving to teach people how to better fight the banditos on their own turf?

Have you read "The Rio Balsas" in Cooper's "Another Country"?

I don't agree with all of Cooper's ideas, but I really do think if you want a gun for anything other than very small game a centerfire makes more sense than a 22rf. A Short light centerfire rifle, doesn't need to be a scout IMO, will do much better for you against goblins or dogs or pigs that you might have trouble with. And you can get them as light as a 22rf rifle. Plus using alex caps you can shoot 22lr hollow points or with aux cartridges you can shoot semi rimmed pistol cartridges with diameters that match bore of rifle [ie 25 acp in 250 savage/257roberts/25-06, 32acp in 308 & 311 rifles, and 38 super in 350 Rem or 358 Norma].

A 257 Roberts from ultralight arms with either Alex Caps or Aux cartridges would give you all the benifits of a 22 rifle IMHO plus allow you the advantages of a centerfire rifle [range and power].

I guess your statement just sounds to close to the "don't resist a goblin" when it attacks because you can get hurt, so you shouldn't carry a gun to fight back with since you might be tempted to use it.

And in getting a degree in Anthropology I met at least one person from SA that was armed & prepared because of Cooper's influence in SA, and saved his own life because of that. I also know of groups of students that went down there unarmed and got raped, because they weren't able to protect themselves from banditos.
 
Maybe it depends on the "banditos"

If you're talking about nogoodnick locals who may have had too much to drink or may be out to steal your stuff, carrying something more potent might be a good idea. If you're talking about armed and organized insurgents, I don't think it's possible for one or two tourists to stand any chance at all. If you live down there and have henchmen of your own, it's probably a different story. The key is to stay well away from the dangerous areas and let them drown in their own blood without adding your own to the pot.
 
I also know of groups of students that went down there unarmed and got raped, because they weren't able to protect themselves from banditos.
Click to expand...

You know what they say...
"A conservative is just a liberal that has been mugged" (or in this case, raped.)

I don't want to make light of their suffering, but I'd be curious to know how these students felt about gun control after their painful ordeal?
 
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