Is a 22 rifle good enough gun to live in the woods with?

Question

Is a 22 rifle good enough gun to live in the woods with?

Answer 1

If you're planning to use it to kill game to eat, it will limit your menu to small animals. If you're in bear country, a .22 won't offer much protection, and will just irritate the bear. But if you're not in bear country, and you can live off small game, the .22 would be OK. But for not much more money, you can get a combination gun that has both a .22 barrel and a 20 gauge shotgun barrel. This will give you more menu choices (birds, etc), and offer protection against snakes.

Another gun you might consider is a lever action .30-30. It will bring down lots of game (in a fairly short range), and it's short and light enough to carry comfortably.

And one more choice - a revolver in .357 Magnum caliber. You can shoot .38 special shells in it for practice or less recoil, and shotshells are available for snakes, birds, and rabbits.

Answer 2

YES you could without a doubt.*

Answer 3

thats an excellent choice for a survival weapon-gather food and protect yourself. it is good for small game and medium game. I would pick a 22LR bolt rifle as my choice of weapon in the woods.

Answer 4

A good .22 caliber rimfire is indispensable if you're living in the woods 24-7.  It is great for dispatching vermin like venomous snakes.  It'll get table-fare like rabbit & squirrel.  However it is not enough gun for larger game.  For this you need a good centerfire rifle preferably in a caliber larger than .22 like at least a .243 Winchester, .308 or even an old .30-30.  I know of a widow lady who lived with her sister and two children on her south Texas ranch.  Their brothers checked by every few days.  One day I stopped by and found out they were looking for ammo for their .22 rifle.  Seems a rattlesnake had been seen near the house.  They couldn't find their box of fifty that had been with them as long as the rifle.  I just left them a box of a hundred (standard velocity .22s since I didn't know exactly what conditions their rifle was in!) from my own stock.  I realized they shouldn't be there alone without somekind of protection.  Since then they've moved to Corpus Christi and only visit the old homestead on holidays and weekends.

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Answer 5

well depends what's in the woods? say rabbits and squirrels yer 22 good rifle but run into bears etc. and its likely to feel like a pebel thrown by a 2 yr old hit him. So i say a 25-06 using 120grain Federal Premium Nosler Ballistic Tip bullets. This ought to knock anything over that comes with 500m of ya!

Answer 6

a .22 would be the perfect gun to survive in the woods. you can kill just about anything with .22lr. though it might not be legal you could kill anything up to deer size pretty easily. cheap small ammo. can be very, very accurate. i wouldn't try to shoot a charging bear or hog with one, but could kill one with a head shot. not overkill for small game, since you would be living of what you ate, you probably would not want to blow up game like squirrels or rabbits with a bigger caliber. a shot gun with #4 shot would probably be a pretty good choice too.

Answer 7

I guess, if your just after small game.  Might not be so effective against bears and wolves....or may require multiple shots.

Answer 8

it would only be good for small game.

you might want something with a little more kick unless you plan on living off rabbit and squirrels.

Answer 9

which 22-- long, long rifle, short, .222, .223, .22-.250, etc....

and yes you can... you need to be real accurate when shooting-- head shots are real effective..

Answer 10

A .22 is a little light weigh...... Consider a Marlin 336 Lever Gun..... Chambered in 30/30

http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/C...

Answer 11

I would choose a .223. It might not be able to take down large animals, like a bear or elk unless you placed a shot perfectly, but could take a deer or anything smaller and the ammo in pretty cheap.

Answer 12

I would say yes. If you go bigger you will only be able to rely on getting bigger game like deer, and at the same time you'd be blowing too big of holes for squirrels, birds, and rabbits to really get much meat outta it. A .22 caliber gun is perfect for small game and with a perfectly placed shot to the head can take down a bigger game (if using a larger round of .22 though).

Answer 13

Sure you could. The 22 is a limiting factor though, your primary game will be small.

Answer 14

as for defense against bears and wolves, no they are not. they are way to small and light to take out one but its possible and also might not be legal. but for hunting it could easily take out a rabbit or squirrel. a .22 would be good but not ideal

Answer 15

It would be the best choice for a survival weapon-90% of your food would be the type that a 22 would be ideal for.- rabbits' squirrel's, birds,coons, even an occasional deer and hog can be taken by the 22. Plus the gun is light, and you can carry a hundred bullets or so in your pocket without any trouble. The 22 is an ideal choice!

Answer 16

Yes, if you are going to eat squirrel and frogs for the rest of your life.