22 magnum for survival what do you think?

[cetme]

any competent person with a small milling machine could make a compartment for you.you could with some effort do it with a drill and spade bit,file etc.making it look pretty is going to be more work.then you would need to craft some sort of hatch or hinge the butt plate.would this be cost effective?maybe boring holes for ammo would be easier than the latter.it would depend on your expectations otherwise.i hope this will give you an idea of what may work for you.

 

[coop44]

in a real wilderness survival situation, Taking small game would probably be best.Being on the move with what is left of a deer carcass would probably not be practical. Also, if you were stationary in an established camp waiting for rescue a carcass may draw undue attention from predators. I would think 22 magnum or long rifle are both good choices in this scenario.

 

[coop44]

any competent person with a small milling machine could make a compartment for you.you could with some effort do it with a drill and spade bit,file etc.making it look pretty is going to be more work.then you would need to craft some sort of hatch or hinge the butt plate.would this be cost effective?maybe boring holes for ammo would be easier than the latter.it would depend on your expectations otherwise.i hope this will give you an idea of what may work for you.

Just thinking, knock together a jig and use a router, with maybe a 3/4 wide bit.

 

[DERGLOCKINMEISTER]

I know a guy who has taken two deer with his old bold action .22lr. He said a kneck shot is the key. He got both at about 30yds. I would think a mag would do even better. He said they fropped in their tracks.

There was a poacher around here awhile ago that killed 25+ deer with a sawed off 10/22.

people like to underestimate 22 caliber projectiles.

 

[scharmon]

The 22 mag rocks. I love my Marlin bolt action. I have hunted everything from Gray Diggers to Mule Deer, with success I might add. The key is definitely the placement of the shot, neck and base of the skull on large animals and pretty much anywhere on small...

 

[Paladen]

I hate to be some what anal....but....in a real life survival situation I would be happy with any firearm I had with me. I'd be a lot happier with one that had more than enough shells I could shoot, because I just might miss. To my way of thinking, a 22 mag would work great unless I was on a ice float where I'm the main dinner course.

 

[Member 3687]

Well first I will agree that the 22mag has more power than the 22 long rifle but if your main use is a SHTF tool then the down side is ammo availability. The 22 long rifle can be found in almost any home that has a firearm and many folks have been stockpiling it for a while but 22mag is not so easy to find. With that being said if you plan on buying a lot in preparation it may not be an issue. Just something to think about.

 

[4Freedom]

Why would you want to use a 22 mag for survival? If I had to rely on a small caliber, 22LR would be more efficient I would think, because it costs like 1/3 the price or less then 22 mag. If I need a magnum round I will stick with the .357 or .44.

 

[Member 5605]

I think I would have kept the HMR.

Though any smaller caliber that's relatively inexpensive to shoot could work good for taking small game with headshots. Deer? Eye shots count i guess.

 

[mj22m]

I think the .22 mag is the best survival and hunting round, period. I have hunted small, medium and large game with the round and it's utility and versatility is unmatched vis-a-vis any other round IMO. It gives you the ability to harvest everything from bunnies to moose. Yes I said moose. A few .22 wmr solids behind the shoulder of a moose has made meat for subsistence hunters. It's a favorite round for Indians and Aboriginals for obvious reasons> I'ts inexpensive, it's powerful enough to take deer-sized game, and it's quiet enough not to wake up the neighbours for miles around. What is a common theme for subsistence hunters in N. America and Australia? They all favor the .22 mag above nearly every other round...you will find a few other rounds among them like the .22 lr and some .22 centerfires and the odd .303 but the .22 mag is the most commonly used hunting round for everything from turkeys to kangaroos to deer and moose. Maybe we should look at those people who hunt for their meat day in and day out for options regarding what rounds we should be looking at for use in a survival situation.

You can carry several hundred to thousand .22 magrounds on your person with not much difficulty. Especially in a survival -shtf situation you are not going to want to fire off loud and expensive centerfires which are more likely to alert others to your location. .22 lr is good but .22 mag outshines it in every way and is the round and rifle I always have on hand...for hunting....I prefer the Henry and Winchester .22 mag lever rifles...

 

[kenno]

22 MAG IS AN EXCELENT CHOICE! A bit louder than a 22LR but better beyond 50 yards. I would carry FMJ ammo as the soft points will blow-up small critters and on larger game you need the penetration, even for spinal shots.

 

[RVTECH]

I have hunted everything from Gray Diggers to Mule Deer, with success I might add.

You hunted Mule Deer with a 22 Mag? Were you perchance someplace where this happened to be a legal round to hunt deer with?

 

[Sasquatchvnv]

If you are talking about surviving by useing the 22 mag to take wild game then yes it will work. However if you are thinking it is a good tool in a shtf then I hope my opponent is carrying one.

jim

I kind of agree with you - but to be honest, I wouldn't volunteer to get hit in the face with one.

I read a news item a few weeks back where an intruder armed with a 12ga was killed by a homeowner with a .22 - not all dust-ups end the way you would expect.

Lead on target is a winner no matter what the caliber is.

 

[slingshot1943]

I have a Siaga 308 I like a lot but I have trouble getting back on target for follow up shots. I have an unfired 10/22 mag and 25 round mag. I've been thinking about practicing with it. Seems like I might be more deadly with the 22 mag semi auto. I have an old Mossburg bolt action 22 mag that got me hooked on 22 mag. It's very different from 22 lr. I like the power and accuracy on longer shots.

 

[kenno]

Long ago I had an aquaintance who was shot down over the DMZ and captured by local militia who quickly took his issue 38spl. When the Jolly Green showed up minutes later they made the mistake of shooting at it which gave my friend time to deploy his High Standard 22mag derringer. My friend got to eat hot chow and sleep between clean sheets that night while his would be jailers got a dirt nap. 22 mag is no joke.

 

[User 1234]

9 1/2 years, how did you even find this old thread? : )

 

[nammac]

9 1/2 years, how did you even find this old thread? : )

Apparently the search engine is doing its job! I do believe this is the oldest necrothread I've witnessed thus far....

 

[djharteloo]

When I go drive around in the mountains I always bring my 22wmr and feel comfortable taking pretty much all small game and could take a deer with it in a survival situation. I keep a 50 round box with 15 cci game points, 15 hornady critical defense, and 20 cci fmjs in it as a "just in case" box. Big believer in 22wmr

 

[CountryGent]

Wowzer, this one rose from the grave after a long while.

As to the question, no thanks, I'll stick to the 5.56x45㎜ NATO for the .22-bore.

 

[User 1234]

Given the current prices of 223 vs 22 mag, I'd choose 223. In a survival situation it would bring down many more types of food.