Small game getter: shotgun v rimfire

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I'd take a 22 because the ammo is cheap and light, you can reach out farther and it'll damage less meat. I must have killed thousands of small critters with a 22 growing up as a kid on our family farm - mostly rabbits and various rodents. I'd feel really comfortable feeding myself with a good 22 and iron sights in the scenario laid out by OP. On the flip side, a shotgun would be more versatile considering all the different types of ammunition you can run through it from bird shot all the way up to slugs for large game.
 
I had a newer one than yours, but it also had the same selecter. The mechanism broke, so I sent it to the factory for repair, but they put the newer hammer in it that had a selector on the top, though they left the old selector button on the side. DUH! Oh yeah, it's a Savage!! Why should I have expected anything else.

That is not my gun, just a pic. Although I see nothing wrong with a Savage..If you felt that way, the why the heck did you buy one?
 
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The shotgun is better for squirrels in trees, but otherwise I prefer an accurate 22. I must have killed 100 ground squirrels last week with a 10-22.
 
We are...sort of.

When you're living the off-grid, farm life, you're also, for the most part, out of the normal cash economy-at least you make every effort to stay out of the cash economy as much as possible. So what happens is you try to make use of every available resource-especially for food. It's not exactly survival, but every piece of food you can shoot, catch, or grow, means your limited cash resources can be used to purchase things you can't procure outside of the economy-typically these are finished goods: gas and oil for chainsaws and vehicles, tools & equipment, etc.

So it's easy for some folks to somewhat blur the lines between "something to keep around a country home to go bum in the woods with" and "survival."
So in direct response to this specifically, I'll be the oddball and say neither, I can load plenty of .223, and load the rounds slow enough to avoid excessive damage when the shelves have been picked clean, with a decent scope I can pick the critters off before they consider me a real threat, and there are plenty of light models available.
 
That is not my gun, just a pic. Although I see nothing wrong with a Savage..If you felt that way, the why the heck did you buy one?
On the first, I was young and inexperienced and it looked like a great rig for hunting. Actually, the choke was super-tight, like extra full and the iron sights were difficult to use.

Later, I saw a .357 mag over 20 gauge that also looked like a nice rig because I was handloading .38/.357 Mag. That choke was also tight and the weld pad at the muzzle between the two separated barrels broke and it stopped shooting .357 mags accurately, so I traded that one also.
 
The first caveat is that things purchased, whether shotgun or rifle or ammo are "on the grid." Additionally, there has to be some sort of supply chain before and after this time, that is, unless you have hoarded away a mountain of toilet paper, water filtration devices, or you particularly like the taste of mountain house mre's.

Grouse, rabbit, squirrel - If the question is which longgun - It is a shotgun for sure. 12ga O/U preferred for a simple mechanism. Auto's may not cycle everything and pump shotguns will wear out faster just by their design.

The environment and location has to be a factor too, but I'm just going with the parameters given.

The farm life scenario should mean some sort of livestock. What kind of livestock and how do you feed them off the grid are questions for another forum. So let's just assume that you are relying on the game as a significant source of your diet. Even Ted Kaczynski went to town, but I digress.

The grass is going to be tall and most game uses it for concealment. It's easy to say "go 22LR" when the grass is short and those subdivision rabbits and squirrels are just sitting there looking at you. Away from civilization, wild animals are more skittish and you will probably have to shoot through concealment at times if you want dinner that night. Miss by a fraction of an inch with a 22LR and you're hungry. Miss by a fraction of an inch with a 12ga and you're still eating.

The cost game: If you want to play the $.03 22LR vs the $0.25 shotgun shell comparison, it assumes that only one shot will be needed by each to take the animal. Since 22LR isn't a significant source of digestible calories, I'm going with the way that is more likely to bring success, even if it's 9x more expensive. Cost does not matter as much as hunting success. By definition in this scenario, any ammo isn't going to be stored in ideal conditions. I would much rather have shotgun shells instead of 22LR ammo which has a shelf life in terms of bullet lube and accuracy.

Maintenance: Just wiping a shotgun down and oiling the hinge pin and extractors is all an O/U needs. Just about any light oil will do. You will eventually have to clean a 22LR. The process is more involved. Have you stocked up on your favorite bore cleaner.

Range: Sure, the 22LR is about 100yards, while the 12ga is more like 40yds. It can go both ways. Sure 22LR has additional range, but you should be able to get within shotgun range of rabbits and squirrels.
 
Picked up my Midland back pack Turkey shotgun today. 12 ga. complete with turkey choke and scope mount rail.Front fiber optic sight. Did not realize it came with the scope rail. Will mount a scope on it this week and see how well I do with the 9mm insert.

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I don't know why I never thought of it myself, but putting those adapters in a combo gun is a good idea. Still I have my doubts as to the accuracy and efficacy of those adapters. Seems to me that sending a solid projectile down a smoothbore tube that is twice the size of the projectile is not going to be terribly accurate, and a lot of the power/velocity is going to be lost as gas pressure escapes around the projectile.
 
I don't know why I never thought of it myself, but putting those adapters in a combo gun is a good idea. Still I have my doubts as to the accuracy and efficacy of those adapters. Seems to me that sending a solid projectile down a smoothbore tube that is twice the size of the projectile is not going to be terribly accurate, and a lot of the power/velocity is going to be lost as gas pressure escapes around the projectile.

Here is my first attempt with a 9mm adapter with nothing but a bead front sight. The bottom target was with a front fiber opting sight that was too large. The second target (top)was just the bead sight.
Now remember the adapter is 8" long rifled with 1/16 twist. I do not have a pistol or revolver with that length.
Now, the New Midland I just received does have a smaller front optic sight and a rail for scope and sights on the rear. So how well can I do? We shall see in the next few weeks.

Midland 12ga. 25YDS 9mm Shortlane insert 8" rifled

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Here is my first attempt with a 9mm adapter with nothing but a bead front sight. The bottom target was with a front fiber opting sight that was too large. The second target (top)was just the bead sight.
Now remember the adapter is 8" long rifled with 1/16 twist. I do not have a pistol or revolver with that length.
Now, the New Midland I just received does have a smaller front optic sight and a rail for scope and sights on the rear. So how well can I do? We shall see in the next few weeks.

Pretty impressive. I hadn't thought of it in terms of an 8" rifled barrel.
 
Thinking in the context of a homestead, off-grid living, farm life, which long gun would you prefer in the role of small game (hares, grouse, squirrel) forager: shotgun or 22LR?

I think the answer to this is shotgun with at least mod and cylinder chokes and #6 to 7-1/2 shells. But one then loses the option of taking game at 40-50 yards (thinking of a scoped rimfire rifle here) and one definitely loses the option of stealth. (Friend of mine took some birds with his 22 pistol while we were caribou hunting, and the ricochets were louder than the gun shots. A suppressor would facilitate this even further.) The only other advantage to the rimfire I can think of is cost, size, and weight of ammo.

Any thoughts on this?

I’d say shotgun bc it’s more ideal for birds and more versatile in general. If I could have one gun, it would be a shotgun.
 
Baïkal makes a .22 (LR or Mag., your choice) over 20 gauge. In theory, it would be great.

Although I agree with all that's been said in favor of the shotgun, if I had to choose only one gun, I haven't made my mind yet between a .22 LR bolt action rifle with decent iron sights and a pump 12 gauge shotgun. I enjoy both.

Strictly for the feeding purpose, without cost consideration, the shotgun wins. It's simply more versatile, partly because of the variety of ammunition it can shoot, from birdshot to slugs with buckshot in between.

With very little money, the .22 LR gets to be shot a lot more and often quite well. Also, a scoped rimfire is not out of the question.
 
Homestead off-grid small gamegetter would be my RWS Diana .22 air rifle and about 10 tins of pellets. ;)

Sure, that wouldn't be a bad idea. 10 tins of pellets would last a long time, and it'd be very quiet. But, the $300 + purchase price turns me off. For that money, I could buy a good 22 or shotgun. Not knocking the air rifle by any means, just the price.

Mac
 
Sure, that wouldn't be a bad idea. 10 tins of pellets would last a long time, and it'd be very quiet. But, the $300 + purchase price turns me off. For that money, I could buy a good 22 or shotgun. Not knocking the air rifle by any means, just the price.

Mac

I have to smile on your reply. No offense but it shows how little you know about the world of Air Rifles. I own some Springer;s I invested in over 3 times the $300.00. There is a lot more of the Build that goes into one over a standard 22.cal. It would very well be a seperate thread, and one which has been the subject of many air gun forums for years.
 
Jeb, you're more right than you know. I have 0 experience with air rifles. Rimfires and shotguns are my bread and butter. I would like to try an air rifle one day, but as I said, just can't bring myself to spend the money. I have no doubt you and others have spent quite a bit on your rifles, as many others have on their 10/22's, target rifles, and trap guns. And that's fine by me, whatever suits your purposes. Just not my cup of tea. And for the record, no offense taken.

Mac
 
Sure, that wouldn't be a bad idea. 10 tins of pellets would last a long time, and it'd be very quiet. But, the $300 + purchase price turns me off. For that money, I could buy a good 22 or shotgun. Not knocking the air rifle by any means, just the price.

Mac
I understand. I got mine used from a guy who already had it lubed and tuned, for (IIRC) $150, and it's kept my back yard clear of varmints for about 7 years now without fail. Also a great trainer for teaching people to shoot and jsut downright fun for plinking metal swinging targets in the back yard.

I've seen what it's capable of on squirrels and rabbits and nuisance blackbirds and my buddy has one he even took small feral pigs with. It would be a "must grab" if the SHTF for me.
 
Jeb, you're more right than you know. I have 0 experience with air rifles. Rimfires and shotguns are my bread and butter. I would like to try an air rifle one day, but as I said, just can't bring myself to spend the money. I have no doubt you and others have spent quite a bit on your rifles, as many others have on their 10/22's, target rifles, and trap guns. And that's fine by me, whatever suits your purposes. Just not my cup of tea. And for the record, no offense taken.

Mac
Not to derail the thread, but knowing what I know now about a good quality springer like my Diana, I'd gladly pay $300+ for it because of it's usefulness and affordability. I've taken squirrels cleanly out to 50 yards with it on more than one occasion, so it's a very capable small game weapon.
 
I definitely prefer a shotgun for birds. It doesn't seem right to hunt small mammals with anything besides a ,22. I can see a shotgun for rabbits if you chase them. If I was in a survival situation and could only have one it would be a .22. A .22 is much quieter, has more range and is more efficient But I could get by very well with a shotgun also. I have hunted and shot competition for decades.
I should add that black bears are plentiful in the rural area I plan where I have a cabin. I saw one a week ago. They don't worry me at all but I don't want to tempt one either.
 
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