Survival Rifle

On Nov 26, 8:13*pm, Dana M. Hague wrote:
On Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:59:28 -0800 (PST), "

wrote:
The purpose of such a weapon was not defense but a means of feeding
yourself....last night I stumbled upon what
may be a suitable substitute: *A black-powder pistol. *(!??)

There are some pretty significant disadvantages as well. *Reloading
takes time, bad weather can be a problem (the old expression "keep
your powder dry" isn't just an expression), and the knockdown/stopping
power is considerably less than a modern weapon. *Then there's the
risk of chain fires if you don't slob grease over the loads.

If I'm in a survival situation, I want a gun that I can reload in a
driving rain, and KNOW that it will fire.

There are other handguns that can fire shot shells. *Shot shells are
available in various pistol caliber sizes, and there are revolvers and
derringers that chamber both .45 Colt and .410 shotgun shells.

I still hold to a .22 as probably the best survival rifle. *Not much
stopping power for large game (though the world record black bear was
taken with a .22!), but it's great for the small game that's more
likely to keep you fed, and _lots_ of ammo doesn't weigh much.

-Dana

--
Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
Pietenpol AirCamper

While I have great admiration for black-powder arms, there's another
factor that has to be considered regarding carrying a weapon in an
aircraft for use in a survival situation: You may have injuries to an
arm or hand.

The black-powder arm will require that the survivor manipulate canned
powder, loose balls/shot, patches, percussion caps, grease, ramrods,
etc. to prepare the weapon for ONE shot. A complex job, much more
difficult if the user is crippled.

I just pulled my Grandma's 1906 Winchester pump-action 22LR rifle down
from the wall. I jammed the stock between my legs, twisted the magazine
tube open, slid the pushrod partially out, simulated loading five rounds
into the slot, slid the tube down, locked it, and pumped the slide to
load it.

All one-handed, in little more time than it takes to describe it. I'm
certainly no expert, either...I haven't fired a weapon in twenty years,
and I've never as much as worked the action on Grandma's rifle in the 15
years I've owned it. I had to look it over...one handed... to figure
out how to load it in the first place!

I seriously respect those who hunt with muzzle-loading weapons, but a
survival situation isn't the same as a sporting one.

Ron Wanttaja