Even in a survival situation I would never take more than I could eat or preserve. It's wasteful and the left overs draw predators.

The bucks up here are quite a bit larger than the ones in the US I'm told...and that's about the smallest 'big game' you can hunt so I'm not sure a .22LR would be good for anything but small game or maybe a baby deer. Then there's Elk, Bears, Moose, etc. A .22LR would just make a Moose angry...if he cared at all.

I'm going to be hunting purely for sport. Any hunting I do in a survival situation would be low caliber, small game (like rabbits or birds), and likely be done with snares, not a gun...and that's only if there are no fish to be found and I'm out there for a LONG time. Food is a low survival priority.

The other thing is that I have no intention of buying anything full size (like a Mossberg 500 for example) and carry it 'just in case' as a survival weapon. If I carry anything for this use, it will break down, be fairly light weight, and be a .22LR like the US Survival Rifle.

I want to be clear that I'm looking for generic advice (and thank all of you who have provided some). If this were survival specific, I wouldn't have put it in the 'Around the campfire' section of the forum. It's possible that whatever I buy might be needed in a survival situation one day...but that's not why I'm buying one and getting into shooting.

"...I'd recommend NOT getting a shotgun with a huge magazine. They just seem to make the gun too long and heavy..."

Good point. I once put an extended mag on my 18" 870, loaded the thing up, shoulder it, hated what I felt, and removed the extension. I then added a side saddle (the six round model), and am very happy with it. I have been thinking about a speedfeed stock, but am in no big hurry to part with more of my hard earned money...

Hey OBG,

I tried a Speedfeed stock on a Rem. 870 and found it hard to get the shells out of it when the gun was at the shoulder. I went with the side-saddle on the reciever, plus an elastic buttstock ammo carrier and like it.

I have one shotgun rigged up with a regular tube/rifle sights and another with an extended tube/tritium post + ghostring/forend light/sling; and it does get heavy very fast.

Mike

I just found the barrel accessory section of the H & R sight and it's almost made my decision for me.

http://www.hr1871.com/Support/accessoryProgram.aspx

Looks like I could buy a simple Handi-rifle or Pardner shot gun (if I understand how this works correctly) and then send in everything but the barrel and get a number of barrels fitted in a what seems like infinite cartridge options.

If it could do .22LR too, I'd be convinced.

I have had a handi rifle off and on for as long as I can remember, I have bought several barrels but I have never sent it in to the factory to do it, but that is how I read it too. They have the 20' sportster barrel in .22lr and .22wmr.

Thanks for your info. I suspected that getting a round out of a speedfeed while shouldered would be tough, that is why I went with the sidesaddle. Just thinking of the speedfeed for a few extra rounds.

Just for info, a couple of years ago I saw National Park Rangers in Denali, AK, carrying 870's with their only extra ammo in speedfeed stocks. Not the smartest idea, in my opinion...

Hacksaw...I think you have a winning choice in the H&R combo you mentioned. That covers all the bases and I'm sure the pricing will not be very restrictive at all. I would forge ahead with that one. Like raydarkhorse said, no frills but tough...Have fun.

Hi Hacksaw,

I like many on this Forum started hunting with a single shot firearm and I still often hunt with one today. I also trained my son with one a couple of years ago, it is simple in that with the removal or discharge of one shell the firearm and it is unloaded.

I have used the H&R/NEF models and have found them to be dependable firearms. A nice thing about them is the "Transfer Bar System" which helps prevent accidential discharges when cocking or lowering the hammer. I have seen firearms accidentially fired a couple of times when doing this process. H&R/NEF used to have more rifle/shotgun/muzzleloader combination packages available, check out the used rack of local gun shops or go cruise a gun show (always fun, but often expensive activity).

In reading the H&R/NEF FAQ section be sure the first model you buy is a centrefire Rifle as these are the only ones that can be fitted with additional shotgun/rifle barrels at the factory.

About 10 years ago I shipped a Savage Model 24 (30-30/12ga combo) back to the manufacture in the USA for repairs. I did all the paperwork required and Savage was good to deal with. The problem was with Canadian Customs getting the firearm back into the country, I remember it took a couple of months to prove to Customs that this firearm had already been imported to Canada once and had only been sent back for warranty repair. I would check into this process throughly before sending a firearm across the border again, hopefully recent changes have made the process easier.

Single shot actions are solid, dependable and usually quite accurate, but they do not have a rapid second shot available. Some will say that this forces you to "wait and make the first shot count" and I think all ethical hunters agree with this principle. Your first shot at game is usually your best one as often the target is unaware and stationary.

I have had the availablity of a rapid second shot anchor game that was poorly hit with the first bullet. The area I hunt deer in is very brushy and frequently bullets are deflected by thin unseen twigs or perhaps the shooter just made a bad shot; it is not as easy as the outdoor magazines/hunting videos would have you believe.

Last fall my son shot at a deer at about 80 yards with a bolt action .308 Win, the bullet only grazed the front shoulder, but a second shot moments later through the chest harvested the animal quickly. Why he blew the first shot I do not know, but I do not believe we would have recovered that deer without the ability of a fast follow-up shot.

Technology has allowed humans to advance hunting implements from clubs to spears, bows, muzzleloaders, breechloaders, single-shot actions through to semi-automatics. This was done because they are more effective or else these designs would not have succeeded.

Personally when I am on my more serious hunts (big game, turkey, waterfowl) I tend to carry a repeating action firearm (bolt, break or pump) and when I am just woods-bumming around I carry a single shot due to the convenience. That being said last fall I carried a new Papoose semi-auto .22 rimfire a lot, just because it was light, handy and fun to shoot!

So I would agree with your decision to acquire a multi-barrel H&R/NEF single shot firearm because they are great "first guns" and it will be a tough, versatale package. But I do think that for many hunting situations where a quick second shot may "save the day" on a wounded animal (or bag you a second animal/bird), you should consider the repeating actions.

If you can hook-up with some other hunters in your area, ask if you can try their firearms out at the range (especially important for a left-handed person, as most actions are set-up for right-handed shooters), it is very tough deciding on a firearm without some practical, hands-on experience.

My 2 cents,

Mike

Sorry for the long reply, hunting/shooting have been a passion of mine since childhood; which reminds me did I every tell you about the time ....

Don't be sorry...that's some good info!

I looked into the NEF/H&R stuff a bit more last night and this morning and unfortunately they no longer sell barrels unless they're factory fitted...which requires you to send in pretty much everything but your existing barrels. Because of import/export nastiness, they only offer the service to US residents. They also don't sell very many 'packages' having customers rely on the barrel exchange service to get the package they like. That means the only way I'll get a complete set (unless I take a trip to the US) is if I find one used and already packaged. Possible but might take some work.

I've yet to hit all the gun shops so you never know what I might find...consignment is a pretty big chunk of the market. The last one I went to was 'take a number. Now serving #94' and I was immediately turned off...didn't bother waiting. Once I'm through with the shops, the ranges and clubs will be my next destination.

I just found a Remington 870 12 Ga. Speedfeed II Stock Set for $28.50 at Numrich. retail is quite a bit higher. The Speedfeed II does not have the ammo storage, it's just a good solid synthetic stock.

This won't help much if a decision has already been made to go with an NEF/H&R gun.