Recommendations for a takedown/survival rifle in 22 magnum?

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Pops1085

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Hi all, I've gotten a request to find a rifle for a friend who is looking for a backpacking rifle that is extremely lightweight and chambered in 22 magnum. Now if it was me, I'd just pick something in 22lr and pick one of the numerous survival rifles out there like the Henry Ar-7, but the 22 magnum requirement has me a bit stumped.

I saw the Chiappa Little Badger, and that might do the trick, but am curious what else out there is very light, compact, and possibly a take-down?
 
I can't think of any rifle that is small, light, and possibly a takedown in 22WMR. The Kel-Tec CMR30 kinda meets the small and light. How about the 9.5" Ruger Single Six with the WMR cylinder?
 
Maybe a T/C Contender single shot pistol. It can be made into a take down rifle. Good thing you didn't add cheap to the list of things are are looking for. Because they are not.

I'm with weblance and the long barrel ruger single six. Or better yet a long barreled ruger single six in 32 mag.
 
Such a rifle might be best made from a CZ 455. it's already a take down.

Get one in the 22 mag, then turn the barrel down to a super light contour. Shorten the forend and slim it down to a "splinter" type.
Hollow out the butt or replace the stock from the grip back with a stainless steel skeleton stock. Fit the rifle with a simple peep sight and blade on the front.
These rifles weight only 5.85 pounds as they come. By doing the work I described here you can take about 1.5 pounds off that, so you'd end up with a take-down 22Mag that weighs about 3.5 to 3.7 pounds
 
Sure has gotten hard to get "regular " 40 grain ammo seems like. The pricier stuff shows up
every now and then but I can't seem to easily find basic ammo. I think for a survival rifle I might want another caliber unless I already had a good stock laid in.
 
Well, I can kind of understand the desire for something with a little more pop than 22lr, but I definitely agree that 22 magnum wouldn't be my first choice. I think however, that he is just planning on having something where he maybe only keeps a box or two of ammo handy in case he actually wanted to hunt with it. It's not like it's going to be a plinker, trust me I'd just loan him some of my stuff if he wanted to do that.

I will say, throughout these past few years, 22 magnum wasn't nearly as hard as 22lr to find... Nobody shoots it as much.

I did see the Marlin Midget Magnum, but it seems a bit heavy.
 
I worried that all the former 22 mag was getting put into 17hmr production. I'm seeing some 22 mag available on the net but in my area there hasn't been any at the local retailers for years now while our Walmart has plenty of 22 long rifle.
 
There's nothing lighter or more compact than the Chiappa Little Badger.

And as Don said above, a 4 inch revolver would work too. North America Arms makes a model called the Mini Master. It's basically a Black Widow with a 4 inch barrel. Extremely small and weighs less than a pound and you can get a .22 LR cylinder with it.

Pretty good for bugging out or hiking.
 
Its not a takedown,they are no longer made,and might be hard to find...
But I have a .22 Mag Chipmunk that will fit in my backpack.
If you can live with the accusations of being a "Bubba" ,any 22 magnum rifle you come across at the pawn shop can be altered to the limits of NFA legality.
No,I would not alter a nice Mossberg 640 K Chuckster

But if you can find a worn,beat,pitted "kid,barn,and pickup" rifle..Why not?

A T?C Contender might be an option. And I'd consider a 22 Hornet ,32 H+R (with the capability of using 32 S+W long Fiocchi wadcutters!) . Even a.357 gives the options of 38 spl rabbit loads to serious .357 loads.

A 10 in Contender with the irons,or a mini-red dot..even a 2x scope is compact.
The 22 magnum parameter ,while just fine,really limits options.

What is "survival" ? Forage? Rabbits? Deer? Combat? Self defense? Fending off feared creatures that lurk in the night? Living as the "longhunter/mountain man"?

Or is it a topic to drink beer over?

A case can be made for a flintlock.
 
MosinNougat said:
Why limit yourself to 22 mag?
Click to expand...
He wants the extra power compared to .22 LR for better effect on medium size game and for self defense.

Thing is, .22 LR can do the same if you know what you're doing.
 
MY Excel Arms Accelerator pistol in 22WMR. NOT a rifle, but effective with an optic, and an 8.5" barrel. Under $400, 9+1, lifetime warranty, made in the USA. Just a thought...

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Oh, I'm sorry that I wasn't more clear, when I said survival, I meant strictly foraging for small and medium game. The friend I am finding this for isn't much of a gun guy. One of those Elmer Fudd types, not a fan of handguns. He just knows that I'd probably be able to find or recommend something for him, but again the 22 magnum had me stumped.
 
Did a lot of thinking/researching on this. Still not quite sure why he would want a .22wmr, but if that's what he wants, it's a free country (usually).

Happened to find this: https://volquartsen.com/inventory_configurations/114

It's a little heavy, but I think if you hogged out the stock/replaced it with a skeleton stock and also replaced the shroud/forefrip you might approach that 5lb mark. Currently its at 6lb 8oz. You can also buy a model with both a 22wmr and a 17hmr barrel. I don't recall what your price range was?

Edit: reread and you had mentioned that a takedown feature was not required, so I would look around Volquartsen's website as they have a few other models of .22WMR that are around the 3lb mark. However they are on the expensive side and I have no idea what kind of accuracy/quality you can expect, though based on price I would expect a whole lot.

Edit 2: Happened to be looking up some stuff on my lunch break and found yet ANOTHER .22WMR: https://www.keltecweapons.com/rifles/cmr-30/ 3.8lbs, 23" folded, MSRP $600. Not a lot of experience with Kel-Tec, almost went with a PF9 back when I got my CCW pistol, but honestly, I'd like to rent one of these and try it out.
 
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Since you changed the parameters on the rifle would suggest this from Ruger. It has an 18" barrel and weighs 5.3 pounds so its a reasonable weight. This is the compact model with a 12.5" LOP. But you can buy buttstock modules for $20 and increase the stock length if needed. Plus these guns have a very good reputation for accuracy.

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/products/americanRimfireCompact/specSheets/8323.html

I am a real fan of the 22 mag and would like one of these myself. Let us know what your friend picks.

You don't say what part of the country we are talking about but in cold weather with a coat on the shorter stock gives a good fit.
 
Flashhole I am not sure you are supposed to shot hyper velocity 22LR ammo in those guns. I don't think a rechamber would be a good idea at all.
 
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