Small game getter: shotgun v rimfire

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D.B. Cooper

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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?
 
ya for all around the shotgun is better, more so if shooting birds. for squirrel and rabbits i like a shotgun when there still leaves on the trees and the 22 after they fell. for ammo i like the 36gr hp mini mag and any low brass shell with #6 shot.
 
For me, it is easy choice. Get both. A Midland Back Pack single barrel shotgun with sights, Beretta Chokes, and Shortlane 8" rifled inserts. Can shoot a awray of different calibers to include 22.cal and inserts for other ga.shotguns.
At easy to backpack and carry at 41/2 lbs. I have the 18" 12 ga without the sights, but will pickup the 20ga when it comes out in October.

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Stevens has a new turkey shotgun in 410. I have seen many guys using 410 for turkey in the past couple of years than I ever have.

 
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I would go with rimfire for the reasons mentioned before. Ammo is lighter and much quieter. Another consideration is that a 22 lr will take larger game than fine shot. If you don't think it will drop deer or hogs neatly you have never done crop damage control. A carefully placed 22 bullet in the head puts them right down. Two or three thru the lungs and a deer doesn't go far. On birds the shotgun would of course be superior. It may depend on the balance of game in the area. If you carried a few slugs, or buckshot, it would Change things.

For all around use a drilling of some sort may be the best option. 12 gauge and 22lr, or 22mag, would cover just about any situation your likely to get into. The discussion is about living off the land. If you start talking about having to defend yourself from threats things change.
 
for off-grid farm life I think I would have both if I could afford it. If not, a 12 or 20 gauge pump shotgun for first choice, a quality bolt action or semi 22 for second choice.
I'd also take in a box of slugs for the shotgun.
 
Savage M24.
Best of both. .22/.410.

I’ve got an ancient one that resides beside a bookcase in a corner. On one upper shelf is a cup with assorted ammo. Sights are amazingly well regulated for both .22lr and slug from .410.
 
If living in a cabin, off the grid and trying to live off the land I think a shotgun is more efficient, but in that scenario there is no reason to limit yourself to one gun. I'd have a versatile shotgun, a 22 rifle and a center fire rifle. If I were carrying something for long term survival after a plane crash in a remote region where I'm on the move, a 22.
 
An O/U shotgun ith screw-in chokes can be very flexible, and can shoot #6 for lots of game and even buckshot or slugs. I usually carry a few buckshot rounds in case I encounter a coyote, porcupine, or other game or varmints when hunting birds. A handgun plus ammo is just extra weight and can't shoot much better than the shotgun. It may not be as quick to use, either.
Mikes after repair.JPG
 
I think the shotgun is the best for game. The thing about birds is that they hide very well. You generally don't know they are there until they have flushed. At that point, it's too late for a single projectile for all but the most skilled/lucky hunters. As for small furry game, squirrels are easy for the .22...sitting rabbit....etc... But they are also fine to take with the shotgun.

If we are talking about living out of a pack, the weight and volume of the .22 ammo makes it the only real choice. If we are talking about a shack in the woods, I still lean towards the scattergun.
 
An O/U shotgun ith screw-in chokes can be very flexible, and can shoot #6 for lots of game and even buckshot or slugs. I usually carry a few buckshot rounds in case I encounter a coyote, porcupine, or other game or varmints when hunting birds. A handgun plus ammo is just extra weight and can't shoot much better than the shotgun. It may not be as quick to use, either.
View attachment 855422

I love my 20" OV for Deer hunting in thick Brush and swamps . And yes, with different chokes makes a fine gun. And NO I do not use it for trap.
 
What about a combination gun?

Chiappa makes a gun that has a .22 rim fire over a 20 gauge barrel. I have no experience with these but it appears to cover both options for you. Kind of like the old Savage 24.

https://www.gunsweek.com/en/rifles/...badger-now-20-gauge-and-22-long-rifle-caliber

The Savage 42 is a .22 over .410.

https://www.gunblast.com/Savage-42.htm

I have no experience with either one. I did handle a Savage 42 at a gun store. It was light. It felt cheaply made but the salesman said his son had one and used the heck out of it with no problems.

Also, there is the Baikal MP94 series of guns that have a shotgun barrel along with a centerfire barrel but they don’t appear to be real plentiful in the USA but do appear to be affordable.
 
Yep, my Savage 24’s are jack of all trades firearms. Just flip the switch and you can choose between rimfire or shotgun.
 
If you just want to kill it, shotgun. If you want to eat it, 22.

Don't try and join one of our Rabbit hunts down where I live with a 22.cal. They will send you home quick. Eating rabbit, squirrel is shot with a shotgun is no big deal. While I have hunted with shotguns all my life, I have never used a 410. But seriously thinking of getting one.In a survival situation 22.cal would be great, but you can miss a lot easier as well.which could turn out to be deadly as far as starving.

Check out the Scavenger KIT

This kit contains the following: (All Smooth Bore)

12 ga kit to convert to


  • .22 LR 2 3/4" Adapter
  • 20 Gauge 2 3/4" Adapter
  • 410/45 Colt 3" Adapter
  • 45 ACP 3" Adapter
  • 9mm 3" Adapter
  • 40 S&W 3" Adapter
  • 38 Special 3" Adapter
  • Durable Black Pouch
  • Extractor Rod
This kit allows you to shoot 8 different Calibers along with 12 Gauge out of your Break Action Shotgun!
  • Designed for 12 gauge Break Action Shotgun.
  • For 3" & 2 3/4" Chambers.
  • Compact and easily Carried.
  • Must have for any survival situations.
https://www.gunadapters.com/scavenger-kit-12-gauge/
 
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Growing up I had both to hunt with but I always favored a shotgun.

To me the shotgun is a quintessential homestead/survival firearm because it can do so much.

Yeah a .22 rifle is fun plinking and even fun to hunt with but if I have to deal with something that requires a quick snap shot my money is on the shotgun.

One other thing, a Lee load all II, pound of powder, primers, wads, shot(bird&buck) and a slug mold will keep you running for a long time with just 50 hulls.
 
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Ten years ago I would've said the .22 without reservation. Then I started doing it. I've been most successful with a single shot .410. I've tried a .22 pistol, a .22 rifle, and a 12 gauge. Most of the shots are very close and in dense foliage. I might have 2 seconds to assess a target and take the shot. I'm just not that quick with a rifle. I think the last rabbit I bagged was with a pistol.
 
What about a combination gun?

Chiappa makes a gun that has a .22 rim fire over a 20 gauge barrel. I have no experience with these but it appears to cover both options for you. Kind of like the old Savage 24.

https://www.gunsweek.com/en/rifles/...badger-now-20-gauge-and-22-long-rifle-caliber

The Savage 42 is a .22 over .410.

https://www.gunblast.com/Savage-42.htm

I have no experience with either one. I did handle a Savage 42 at a gun store. It was light. It felt cheaply made but the salesman said his son had one and used the heck out of it with no problems.

Also, there is the Baikal MP94 series of guns that have a shotgun barrel along with a centerfire barrel but they don’t appear to be real plentiful in the USA but do appear to be affordable.
I've had a couple of Savage O/Us, .22LR/20 and .357/20. They're heavy to carry and usually the shotgun barrel is full choke. Two strikes and they're OUT. Having to cock them to shoot a flushing bird doesn't make them very useful. They also don't point quickly and naturally.
 
For me if I have to choose one, it's a 410 with 3" #5s.
This is a good do all for a pack gun.
Most paces I've lived, it's illegal to shoot birds with a 22.
 
I've had a couple of Savage O/Us, .22LR/20 and .357/20. They're heavy to carry and usually the shotgun barrel is full choke. Two strikes and they're OUT. Having to cock them to shoot a flushing bird doesn't make them very useful. They also don't point quickly and naturally.
I hunted birds mostly with my mom's side by side 16 gauge hammer gun until I was 18. Earing the hammer back became second nature.
 
What about a combination gun?


The Savage 42 is a .22 over .410.
I agree with your assessment of the Savage 42. It doesn't compare to the older 24. They once made aversion that was 20 ga over 22LR, and that would be the minimum ga I would be interested in. I never liked 410 much. Didn't kick that much less than a 20, produced less shot, they do't pattern very well, and the ammo is quite a bit more costly than 20 ga. For my intended purpose, 12 ga is where I'm at.

I've had a couple of Savage O/Us, .22LR/20 and .357/20. They're heavy to carry and usually the shotgun barrel is full choke. Two strikes and they're OUT. Having to cock them to shoot a flushing bird doesn't make them very useful. They also don't point quickly and naturally.

Totally agree.
 
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