Hi everyone, i think i've got some questions for you.

In the book "into the wild" Chris had a .22 semi-auto rifle, and with it he managed to kill every living thing running around in the woods out there. Even a moose or carribu, that is big game is it not? how the hell did he kill animals like that with a stupid .22? You think he had to track them for days?

It's not that easy to hunt is it? and tracking game is not easier. Maybe he shot them in the head or spine, but still then he would have had to get real close to them.

I just don't get it? help me understand this puzzel

If I had to choose one survival firearm it would, without a doubt, be a 22. Moose and Caribou are big game, and I would not choose to tackle one with a 22 but I have seen some big hogs fall to it, and in a survival situation would not hesitate. In the south where I am from the 22 is the poachers and jack lighters weapon of choice, and they kill alot of deer with it. Also this guy wasn't out hunting on the weekend he lived there and was hunting and foraging everyday. chris

Hi WEB!

Interesting, pepole i've talked to seem to think the .22 is for killing small birds. But how about the range?, how far is the .22 killing. The deer even, you would have to be a great shooter to make a deer fall dead right after a .22 shot?.

The risk of just injuring the animals seem bigg, and in a survival situation would it not be good to have a longer range rifle with a bit more power then .22

Why not .222 for example?

Due to the trajectory and power it would be sensible to limit the distance to less than 50 m. A reasonably good marksman should be able to achieve a hit in the brain or upper spine at this distance. Around here fallow deer is kept as livestock. Those deer are frequently killed with shots from .22 lr or .22 magnum to avoid damage to the meat.
A bigger round like .222 is very likely to scatter small animals like birds or rabbits over a pretty big area. This will not leave much to eat. Small animals are easier to find and take in most areas. So it may be smarter to go for the smaller round in a survival gun. Anything too big is likely to be left at home. Using the .22 for hunting bigger game means going to if not over the limit of that round. So I would not advocate this for regular hunting.

.22 ammo weight almost nothing and take very little space, so you can carry much more than bigger rounds.

On a slightly different note, I remember seeing pictures of a 22. rifle or pellet gun which was esentially a long barreled pistol with a folding stock. would of thought that this would make a good survival firearm as it would be lightweight and easy to carry. Any links?
Cheers

on a .222 round the cartridge is bigg, but the bullet is not that bigg, using full-metaljacket rounds should be good on small game dont you think?

And with the .222 you can shoot at greater distance with good impact power and trajectory.

The key is the velocity of the bullet. Even the full metal jacket can do enormous damage on small animals. When you hit a bone even the remains may no longer be edible. I have seen varmint with exit wounds in the size of a fist from FMJ bullets. And I´ve also seen hares and rabbits where less than half of the meat was still intact after they where taken with .222 FMJ. In conclusion I´d say that this is not really an option for small game.
There is no doubt that a .222 has a longer range but in a survival situation you may not be able to take advantage of it. As others pointed out the bulk and weight of .22 rounds and guns is an advantage when you pack it just in case.
Game hunting is a different subject. Some countries have laws on minimum requirements on ammo used for this (I mine hunting deer with .22 is illegal).

interesting article about survival firearms: http://www.us-rsog.org/USRSOG-Firearm.htm

There are several 22 cal rifles designed as survival weapons.The Air Force even designed a 22/410 over under as its survival fire arm.There is even a 22 that breaks down and all parts store in its floatable stock.Doug Ritter may have an item on ETS.I'll see if I can find it.