Posted on 08/07/2009 12:52:41 PM PDT by appleseed
If you’ve watched Survivorman, it’s hard to ignore the fact that Les Stroud, the star of the show, seems to starve during every episode. I don’t mean this as a criticism; Stroud is the real deal. But his hunger pangs raise a point: Boy Scout improv works better on the page than in the forest. If you want to bring down enough bacon to keep up your strength, you’re going to need bullets—and the more, the better. With this in mind, I recently tested two different approaches to the survival question.
The Pocket Protector
The Henry U.S. Survival firearm ($245; henryrepeating.com) is an updated version of the ArmaLite AR-7 designed for the Air Force. Weighing a scant 21⁄2 pounds, it is the ultimate breakdown .22, with the action and barrel unscrewing to fit inside the ABS synthetic buttstock, which floats in case your canoe capsizes. (Testing revealed the rifle also bobs like an apple when fully assembled.)
A lightweight .22 is a proficient survival firearm for harvesting small game, and at first glance the Henry seemed to perfectly marry the longer sighting plane of a rifle with pistol portability. But tests revealed a problem. The Henry is a blowback semiauto with a rough chamber and a reputation for unreliable feeding, and jamming was the rule until I switched from flat-nosed, regular-velocity ammo to CCi Stingers, which are high-velocity jacketed round-nose bullets. It seems to require kickback from a speedy bullet to work the strong spring of the bolt. The receiver rib is grooved for scope mounts, but this is a gun chosen for portability, and the adjustable aperture rear and ramp front sight proved adequate for the ranges at which most hunters will use it. I shot a 1⁄12-inch group at 20 yards—plenty good to render rabbit into hasenpfeffer.
The verdict? If I knew in advance I’d be forced to feed myself with a .22, I’d choose a more substantial takedown model, such as the Browning SA-22 or Marlin’s 70PSS Papoose. But where space and weight come at a premium, the Henry is a good choice. And it will keep you in squirrel stew as long as you feed it ammo it has an appetite for.
A Sleeve Up My Sleeve
The second gun I tested was a longtime friend—my .350 Remington Magnum. The best survival weapon is the one you have in your hand when you face a survival situation. For most hunters, that’s a centerfire rifle.
What turns an elk thumper into a small-game provider is the cartridge. Instead of using full-power loads, I fired handgun rounds using a cartridge conversion sleeve (KJ Knives: $25; 406-669‑3382). A conversion sleeve is a housing that encloses a handgun cartridge so it fits the diameter of a rifle bore. (For the .350, it’s the .38 auto.) You can drop 30 or more pistol rounds into a pocket and forget they are there. Reserve your big-game loads to signal for help or rebuff teeth-gnashing creatures of the night.
As expected, the pistol bullets seldom shot to the crosshairs, at least not at rabbit range. But accuracy was adequate and estimating holdover was simple—simple enough, anyway, to reward me with a snowshoe hare while I was elk hunting last fall. True, you have to eject the conversion sleeve after each shot, remove the shell, and reload. But firepower isn’t an issue regardless of the survival gun you choose—just as long as your first aim is true.
I have an AR-7 and it’s a cool little gun. Just wish there was some way to have it carry more than just the 8 rounds in the clip.
And yes, it does float!!
Luv Les, he puts himself in it and doesn’t go to a hotel every night. More realistic and he has cut his trip short twice.
You get to see what really happens when you are out there and the mistakes you will absolutely make.
Got 2 pellet guns and you’re right, good for small game and pest control. My boys love shooting them and ammo. is cheap. Oldest boy got a bunny earlier in the year.
BTW. I admire your investigative skills on documents. Been following your work for a few days now. Incredible stuff.
I need to get my hands on one of these. Two guns in one carry.
Certainly a great weapon...but actually, I'd opt for the weaker .30 carbine. It doesn't have the wallop of a .308, but I can pack 1,000 rounds into just a little more than two shoeboxes of space. It's generally adequate for 2-legged vermin out to 150-200m and will take rabbit to deer size game without turning the meat into red fog.
If I lived in a more northerly clime, I'd probably opt for something more along the lines of your first pick.
I like the gun but, there’s some debate on using a .22(3) caliber to kill deer.
Personally, for the sport and the killing power, I prefer a .270 in a 150 grain.
Got it. Got plenty of Bullfrogs for gigging.
The guy has either .380 Auto or a .38 Super Auto. The noob who wrote the article doesn’t have any idea about firearms.
I looked up .38 Auto and found a 38 automatic also called 38 ACP was made in the year 1900. No guns have been designed for this cartridge since 1928. That’s not much of a survival cartridge.
What do you have against Red Fog? LOL.
30-30 Marlin/Winchester?
Actually, the .38 ACP has the exact same case dimensions as the .38 Super...the Super is loaded to much higher pressures, and boxes of .38 Super ammo are clearly labeled that it's not to be used in .38 Auto weapons. Traditionally, .38 Super cases were nickel plated to help distinguish them, but that practice has somewhat fallen by the wayside.
Absolutely correct. It’s been a long time since I saw “Goldfinger”.
http://www.imfdb.org/index.php/Goldfinger
Pretty cool website.
It's not very filling when you're hungry ;-)
"30-30 Marlin/Winchester?"
Nothing wrong with that tried and true combo, apart from magazine capacity if it needs to be pressed into a tactical application, and ammo availability should be about as good as any.
Another advantage of the .30 carbine, (one that I've not availed myself of) is that you can actually pick up a Ruger single action revolver chambered for it and limit your need to one round for your long arm and side arm.
I hope you aren’t trying to tell me it’s a survival cartridge.
It wouldn't be my first choice, but it's certainly a potent (and accurate) round. A lot of IPSC shooters, swear by it, and ballistically, it's essentially identical to the .357 SIG.
However, people who think they'll amble out to the countryside for some rabbit hunting after the stuff hits the fan are kidding themselves. Our ancestors had killed nearly every game animal on the continent with cap-and-ball rifles by a hundred years ago, when there was a small fraction of the population we have now.
When I was a kid, seeing a deer or a wild turkey was a real rarity. Now they are as common as pigeons. But in a real end of the world scenario, with 100 million modern weapons in the hands of 300 million hungry Americans, the wild game of this country would be shot to hell again in a matter of weeks.
Set aside a year's supply of food for your family, Mormon or not, and stay armed to protect it.
That’s what I’m talking about.
It’s been great - reliable, easy to shoot, not too big or bulky, and with the synthetic stock it’s pretty darn tough, too!
I have a Red Rider. Puts a dent in a can at about 10 feet. LOL.
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