survival gun

[Zuma]

Sounds like you would do much better by forgetting the
410 because of weight. I find no value in the shotgun for survival.
Unless it is close combat with humans. Unless you need to eat things
that are always continually flying or in brush is so thick you have to
blast through it. You see it depends on what you mean by survival?
Do you think you will be homeless and adrift in the landscape being
stalked by zombies or just going hunting hiking for an extended
 period of time? Are you still going to have to conform to local rules
etc?
Zuma
For pure survival where no one is trying to kill me I would want a .22
rifle with a scope and iron sites in case the scope gets damaged
beyond repair. preferable a bolt action because autos tend to jamb.
And the largest clips I could get. Also I would be happy to have a
Ruger 10" barrel luger with holster and a sack of ammo. lol

[Traxx]

I have always been told not to shoot slugs from a full choke...get a slug rifled barrel if you want to shoot them.

I was led to believe that as well,until i had a discussion with an old shotgun hand with a very long list of credentials.

I learned,that the rifling on slug,actually imparts very little rotation to a slug.Its just enough to keep it from tumbling,much like the fletching on an arrow.The rifling actually swages down to allow it to pass through a full choke without damage to a smooth bore full choke.It is not wise to shoot a rifled slug through a rifled slug barrel.A sabot round is designed for a rifled barrel.

For a survival gun,i would actually prefer the single shot shotgun for its versatility and dependability.you can shoot a variety of loads from bird shot to slugs.With a single shot you can use chamber adapters to shoot a variety of brass calibers as well.The Brass is not real long range accurate,but can get the job done at close range.Personally,i would rely on Snares to keep me fed,more than a weapon of sort.
Sleeks suggestion of an air rifle,is an often overlooked and underrated one as well.

[stickbender]

  I agree with Mullet.  Go with the 410/.22 .  The .22 is cheaper, and I have never found the 22 mag to be too superior to the standard .22.  I have recovered .22 mag hollow point bullets, from backstops, and they did not expand at all.  Where as the soft lead of the .22 rounds, all expanded.  Yes you can shoot slugs out of a full choke.  I used to have a single shot 410 with a full choke.  I have shot slugs out of it when I was a young kid.  Used to take it deer hunting with my father, till I was able to get an Ithaca model 37 12 gauge, and a thirty thirty.  I think it is either Rossi, or Tarus, that makes a short single shot gun, in multiple calibers, and gauges.  You could carry an extra barrel in .22, .223, .308, or 410, 20, or 12 gauge.  But the .22 is surprisingly adaptable, and capable, to many situations.  Again shot placement is key.  As for killing a bear with one, is definitely not my first choice of tool for that, but if the opportunity, arises for a head shot, in and around between the eyes, or in the ear, not the fat, and muscle around side of the head, the .22 will penetrate to the brain.  We used to have a meat market not too far from where I lived, when I was a young kid, and they would slaughter beef there, and they used a .22 short, to kill the cattle.  Shot between the eyes, and it dropped like rock.  The .22 410 combo is great, because of the amount of ammo you can carry.  Also it is good for flying birds.  I personally would rather have a 20 gauge 22 combo, because of the larger slug, and availability of 20, and the variety of shot size, vs 410 gauge.  I would choose the sabot slug, as it does have much more penetration.
But all of this is just my opinion.  You have the .22 ammo, you just need to decide on which gauge you want.  Not a difficult decision.  What are you comfortable with?

                                    Wayne

[jayman448]

I would way prefer the .22 over twenty guage. But try and freakin find one in canada (i cant find em at all) lets take survival aspecte out of it. Im choosing between two guns. 22 over 410 or 22 mag over 410.  Which is more versatile. Or if anyone has a .22 over 20 guqge laying around id love that. But all those other options aside. Which of the combo guns would you say is a better mode versatile all around gun

[Tracker0721]

With the badger I'd go .22 over 410. 410 would be nice for grouse takin off on you and as mentioned a 410 slug could take a bigger animal. 22 is just a super round that can accurately hit a caribou ear hole or a rabbits eye. Only down side is for the life of me I can't find 22 ammo. I haven't seen it for sale anywhere except back in June a guy had bought some in Oregon and was reselling it. I want the good ole days of tons of 550 bricks on every shelf for ten bucks. But yeah! Forget the mag

[rover brewer]

trying to think how to reply to this, survival gun like lost in the woods and did to survive, in that case it would be the reason I'm in the woods which for be most of the time it's hunting and then the gun or whatever I'm hunting with will have to be my survival tool. if your survival is because the( sh#! hit the fan) than I would think about that gun that has all the inserts so you can shot just about anything out of it, I know around here 22s are hard to get you might also think about guns that will shoot the same ammo like 45 long colt and get reload supply for it they are easy to reload. most important is I never go into the woods without a small light weight survival pack .

[jayman448]

I guess ill refine "survival" (cuz if sh#t hits the fan lord knows the ammo suply will run out in a matter of days if not sooner) im talkin as if im drivin through the canadian wildetness on dirt roads and stuff out in the boonies and my car craps out i have a gun undrr my seat to feed myself and try and make it to civilization. Thats more the scenario im thinking. If it all goes to pot i know im screwed xD i got three boxes of 3030, one box of 303, two boxes of .22 wnd a box of 12 guage..... id have to go primitive to make it through on bloomin year xD haha

[Mo_coon-catcher]

My vote goes to 22lr. With a roundnose bullet to the head will take down about anything you would want to shoot. Plus it's cheaper and quieter. And even though the size difference isn't much you can carry mor LR for the same bulk and weight as the magnum. For a more survival set up I would start casting and reloading for your 30-30. 10-30 grains of powder, an can take almost any fast to medium burn rate powder, 100-180 gr of lead,bathe brass will last forever, can be loaded with black powder if necessary, and a light charge of unique under a 180fr cast gets you 1500fps and is very quiet, accurate, and hits harder than expected.

Kyle

[Marc St Louis]

I guess ill refine "survival" (cuz if sh#t hits the fan lord knows the ammo suply will run out in a matter of days if not sooner) im talkin as if im drivin through the canadian wildetness on dirt roads and stuff out in the boonies and my car craps out i have a gun undrr my seat to feed myself and try and make it to civilization. Thats more the scenario im thinking. If it all goes to pot i know im screwed xD i got three boxes of 3030, one box of 303, two boxes of .22 wnd a box of 12 guage..... id have to go primitive to make it through on bloomin year xD haha

Other than 22 LR I stopped buying factory amo 40 years ago.  Now I have enough reloading supplies for each of my guns to last 2 lifetimes, or do a lot of shooting

[mullet]

Everybody keeps saying 22 ammo is hard to come by, lately I have seen it everywhere. Yea, it's a couple of dollars more but so is gas and the price of beer. Cipriano sent me some from Texas last year along with Sub-sonics that wasn't much different in price then it was 3 years ago. And now 5.56 is almost the same price for a thousand rounds as it was 3 years ago.

[willie]

when ever I go to Florida, there is lots of ammo around, but where I am, there is a "shortage" with the accompanying high prices.

Perhaps the distributors are playing games for higher profits. If reloading is an option, Mo_coon-catchers plan is  +1 and 110gr cast with a little unique makes a good small game load

[stickbender]

  Check out Chiappa Arms.  They have a little survival gun with a 410 over .22 that is very light weight, and small in length.  It also has the ability to change out barrel inserts, or barrels, can't remember, for a bunch of different calibers.

                                     Wayne

[Zuma]

I guess ill refine "survival" (cuz if sh#t hits the fan lord knows the ammo suply will run out in a matter of days if not sooner) im talkin as if im drivin through the canadian wildetness on dirt roads and stuff out in the boonies and my car craps out i have a gun undrr my seat to feed myself and try and make it to civilization. Thats more the scenario im thinking. If it all goes to pot i know im screwed xD i got three boxes of 3030, one box of 303, two boxes of .22 wnd a box of 12 guage..... id have to go primitive to make it through on bloomin year xD haha

If I were in western Canada I would be more worried about what could eat me.
Nothing less than ,243 for me. M16 type. Even with out Griz in eastern Canada
there are plenty Mt. lions, ornery moose and rumors of Bigfoot. 
Zuma

[Zuma]

I guess ill refine "survival" (cuz if sh#t hits the fan lord knows the ammo suply will run out in a matter of days if not sooner) im talkin as if im drivin through the canadian wildetness on dirt roads and stuff out in the boonies and my car craps out i have a gun undrr my seat to feed myself and try and make it to civilization. Thats more the scenario im thinking. If it all goes to pot i know im screwed xD i got three boxes of 3030, one box of 303, two boxes of .22 wnd a box of 12 guage..... id have to go primitive to make it through on bloomin year xD haha

If I were in western Canada I would be more worried about what could eat me.
Nothing less than ,243 for me. M16 type. Even with out Griz in eastern Canada
there are plenty Mt. lions, ornery moose and rumors of Bigfoot. 
Zuma

Oh btw ammo shortage is blamed alot on the closing of lead smelting operations in America by the Gobment. Take away the ammo (gun control)

[Ed Brooks]

I'd vote for the 22mag over 410, between the two guns your looking at. With the brush cover, variety of animals in this neck of the woods. Good luck in what ever you choose. Ed