what's your survival rifle?

Anything in .22 caliber. You can store thousands of rounds cheaply and it will kill just about anything in North America with a well placed shot. I have a 10-22, a Ruger Government Target pistol and a Charter Arms Explorer.

Ammo is the key.
 
seeing a lot for the 22. I would agree that a 22 will kill a deer and quite effectively and even humanely if you're good enough. I also contend that a 22 is easy to stockpile ammo for. if you had to hunt for every meal I would think that a brick per person would be able to net you at a minimum a years supply of meat and that's only if you are living solely off squirels and rabbits. my ruger 10/22 would be my second choice
 
OK...parameters?

I see several posts that list multiple guns - meaning you are planning on being either in a vehicle or having bugged out to a house or something (in a vehicle). In that case, weight is not at a premium, and I would still take my 30/30 AND a .22 AND a good 12 guage shotgun. If you are storing the ammo in a car or house, the weight of it almost becomes a non-issue.

J
 
Marlin 60 ,holds more rounds and is more accurate.
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I have probably enjoyed more .22 shots than any other caliber in my 43 yrs on the planet. But..... Not to discredit the Marlin in terms of round capacity or accuracy, but.... survivial? Compared to other calibers or platforms..... I tend to disagree.
 
If I'm lost in the wilderness the first thing I want is a satellite phone.

I've never been lost in the wilderness. There have been times I've been a bit confused about where I was though.
When I have been out there, I've seen a lot more small game than big. So a .22 sees like a better choice.

I figure a fat rabbit will keep me fed just as well as venison. After all I doubt I'll be missing that long.
 
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I have probably enjoyed more .22 shots than any other caliber in my 43 yrs on the planet. But..... Not to discredit the Marlin in terms of round capacity or accuracy, but.... survivial? Compared to other calibers or platforms..... I tend to disagree.
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he's probably refering the the ruger 10/22 in the first response. granted the 10/22 only comes with a factory 10 round mag and a lot of the aftermarket banana mags are prone to jamming themselves up...many people dont know that ruger is now making the 25 rounders themselves as well
 
Another vote for the Savage Mk II.

Although I'd really also consider my RWS Diana .22 cal air rifle if we're just talking food gathering. Many of the arguments you can make for rimfires over a centerfires, you can also make for pellets over rimfires. Rabbits, squirrels, birds, and frogs are plentiful where I live and well within an air rifle's hunting capability.

I'm another a big fan of shared ammo between rifle and handgun, so I'd also take my .22 S&W 617 revolver. If zombies are factor ;), then add my Kel-tec Sub2000 paired with my Glock 19 (shared mags).
 
if you already have an AR-15 in 5.56mm/.223 Rem. i would recommend/suggest you buy a dedicated .22 LR upper, that way you have enough firepower for small game and large game and in an emergency even a bear, if you plan on being in bear country.

have you given thought about the following along with what rifle "...and live for several months on what the land can provide." better obtain the knowledge of what plants you will need to find that are edible to live a healthy life, you can not eat only meat for "several months" unless you go full 1820's style Mountain Men, after killing a Buffalo, Elk or Deer they ate the undigested plant mater in the stomach, some ate the liver raw also using the bile to flavor the stomach contents etc.
 
Well it would have to be my Savage 243, not too big and not too small but just right for long or short range, small game or even large game.

The rule should be, if you can't hit it you can't eat it. At 22 inches, it's not too short or too long.

Besides I have tons of 243 rounds.
Jim


even a bear, if you plan on being in bear country.
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You are going to use a 223/5.56 for bear??? (LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL)

Hope you run fast.
 
well my favored SHTF location is an old cabin that you have to backpack into so weight is an problem for me. I would love nothing more than to pack my entire gunsafe with me and all my ammo stockpiles as well but that probably wont happen.
I dont buy into the whole 22 upper for a ar since a marlin 60 weighs about the same weight as just the upper and mags. in an emergency situation where I'm being charged by a grumpy ole moose or other crazed animal I doubt I would be able to swap out uppers and mags fast enough unless I spotted them from a quarter mile away.

my brother had the bright idea to go out there some time and plant a few 20 pound bags of potatos since it's a mountain area with a springs and creeks everywhere watering them would not be a difficult issue to overcome. that would probably be a good way to break the monotony of eatign just meat. there isn't a whole lot in the way of edible plants in the region though aside from huckleberries and that's a pretty narrow window.
 
You are going to use a 223/5.56 for bear??? (LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL)

Hope you run fast.
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if a person had a mag of dedicated green tip ammo a 223 would easily make a through and through shot on a blackbear head. why does everyone seem to think that a 250 pound blackbear has a suit of kevlar and is manufactured by cyberdyne industries?
 
if a person had a mag of dedicated green tip ammo a 223 would easily make a through and through shot on a blackbear head. why does everyone seem to think that a 250 pound blackbear has a suit of kevlar and is manufactured by cyberdyne industries?
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If you think a 55 grain or even 62 (steel core) grain bullet on a 250 lb (very small female) of muscle will do the job, then this is not personal, but you are an idiot. Try something in 200 grain bullets or at least a 180 grain.

Jim

PS: you won't have time for more than 3 shots, maybe.
 
Ahh now we are being invaded by cybernectic future robots and calling people idiots...

I feel this thread getting locked already lol.
 
If you think a 55 grain or even 62 (stell core) grain bullet on a 250 lb (very small female) of muscle will do the job, then this is not personal, but you are an idiot. Try something in 200 grain bullets or at least a 180 grain.

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I dont know what monster bear you are used to seeing but 250 is the average boar out here. and everyone's entitled to their own opinion but a 243 is actually considered a marginally acceptable round for black bear so an 80gr bullet vs a 62gr steel core would be a pretty marginal difference...

tahunua001(the moron)
 
AR-15 in 556 fast & easy to get around with.Then a 270 pump Fast action & more knock down & already have alot of ammo put up,then a 45acp for a teddy bear,Always keep two Bugout bags ready.:D
 
10/22 but with a light stock like the Blackhawk Axiom and plain iron sights. Like a few others have said, that and a brick of 22s will keep ya going for a long while.
 
Given, i have about 10k rounds of 22lr tucked away in a desk drawer, and I can hit jackrabbits out to 100 yards, cottontail and squirrel out to 50 pretty consistently with this gun....I'll take my great grandfathers old Winchester 67 bolt action 22 rifle....that thing has put numerous cottontail on the table for about 70 years. I've taken anything from chipmunk to coyote with this gun, no problem within it's limitations.

I can hit just as well with this open sighted simple gun as I can with my 10-22.

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survival

I'd definatly take my Savage 245-A in 20 guage/22. It's a single shot but it's simple and versatile. I really don' see the need for anything much larger where I live (Portland).
 
briandg: This has little to do with survival, but you guys might find it interesting.

As for .22 ammo being deadly, the Mil. Channel last week had an intriguing episode about which foreign intelligence service was motivated enough to have assassinated a rogue Canadian scientist who was designing the super cannon. This cannon could have launched a small nuclear shell quite a distance from Iraq.
The hit on the rogue scientist was in his apartment in Brussels Belgium.

Anyway, somebody on that show claimed that the Israeli Mossad has used .22 handguns on actual missions. They did not seem to explain how many shots were fired into their targets, or whether the exact round was LR.

The scientist had been warned a few times about continuing his work, and was hit with a .32 (a decoy caliber?), which would make it difficult to pin it on an agency which had preferred a .22.
 
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OK, If had to pick just one of my rifles for that scenario, probably would be my Marlin bolt 22 mag.
 
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