Yea, I've got a Henry .22 lever gun sitting here that hasn't been cleaned since I bought it a few years ago. It must have a couple thousand rounds through it by now and it still shoots just fine. If the AR-7 won't do that, there are plenty of other .22 rifles that will.

Some people go nuts with scrubbing the bore and what-not, but you really don't need to unless you're shooting something like black-powder or other corrosive ammunition. A bore-snake, a rag, and a bottle of CLP is plenty of cleaning supplies for a bug-out bag or whatever.

I haven't used an ar-7 so any comments on it would be unfair -- which won't stop me from saying that when purchasing a rifle of this sort I was concerned about a lot of comments in rifle forums to the effect that it had a problem with jamming.

I decided on a marlin papoose -- 70PPS I believe. It's been very very reliable. It's a takedown 22lr, goes together easy, and comes with a 7 round mag and a carrying case that floats. Very light.

having own a number of AR-7 by numerous makers over the last 40 years, i'm sorry to have to disagree with hikermor, but i personally can't recommend them for survival use. they don't handle particularly well, all had poor triggers, magazines aren't impressive, accuracy so-so, and quality ranged from very-poor to just ok.

while the 10/22 is about the most reliable 22LR auto rifle made, and the magazines are high-quality-yet-inexpensive, they are somewhat limited by what reliably functions though them (ie: while one can hand-feed a 22CB short, it isn't fast, fun or easy).

i've owned boatloads of other autos, bolt actions, single shot bolts, break-opens, combo 22lr/shotguns, and levers during this search.

after trying everything i could get my hands on since the 70's, i settled on the lever-action marlin 39A series as my "survival" rifle.

my favorite fodder for it is CCI's subsonic 22LR #0056 that is far quieter than any pellet rifle i've owned (and quieter than many suppressed firearms). and my old mountie feeds all 17 rds, without a hitch, into one hole.

plus in recent years these levers even came in stainless steel for additional weather protection, if that's important to you.

this is off topic, but close...a Savage model 24C (campers companion) .22lr/20ga over under would probably be my choice if foraging with a .22 caliber rifle was my primary objective...take down, break open action accomodates a variety of .22 ammunition options.. and 20ga slug for a larger toothy critter...I let mine get away from me

re: Savage model 24C

i once thought this might be the best option too. two tools in one!

after i found one and saw it might work for my needs, i added a custom rear adjustable peep sight, enlarged the storage hole in the buttstock to take additional ammo, added slings, had the trigger action polished and when all that was done, i then put enough ammo through it to really learn it. even killed some game with it.

unfortunately it wasn't what i hoped it would be.

even after the trigger was smoothed a bit, it still had a lot to be desired. it appears the quality of those materials coupled with less-than-perfect alignment/tolerances meant i couldn't get it any better.

worse yet, a trigger part soon failed on me in the field, which had to be replaced.

i also found it was a bit slow to bring into action because it needs the hammer cocked right before firing. plus you have to decide which barrel to use by flipping a lever on the hammer (allowing the firing pin to hit either the 22lr or 20ga). and that little lever should be check before every shot because it can be change simply by accident. it wasn't quite as easy to remember to do as choosing which barrel on some SXS or O/U shotguns, so sure enough, more than once i fired the wrong barrel at game.

on the other hand, if the quality had been better (i even tried a second one a couple years later, thinking maybe my problem was just my unhappy memory of the first one), and if i spent more time with them, it might have worked out. i'm sure it has for others.

i'm not saying it isn't a good concept, and a fun hiking companion, just that it didn't work out for me as a serious SHTF survival tool.

WC...I'm spoiled too.. my STC 10/22 has a 22oz trigger...

Here's my bug-out rifle. No action that needs cleaning. Simple, robust, nothing to break to speak of. Take down - no tools required (just your hands!) Ultra lightweight. Has a .22 and a .410bore barrel (410 not shown). If I want quiet (airgun power), I'll shoot Super Colibri ammo (that is quieter in this rifle than my air rifles are). Robust peep sight, not a bulky and fragile scope. Note that the sights are installed on the barrel only, unlike the AR-7 that has one sight on the barrel and one on the receiver - that could lead to sight misalignment after taking down and reassembling the AR-7. This rifle cost me $69 new with the two barrels (on sale last year). Peep sight was $20 on sale (Williams WGRS). Sling is homemade in U.S. GI issue style from parts I bought at an REI outdoor store (about $5 for the parts). I made the sling myself rather than purchasing one so it would be ultra light too, in keeping with the gun. The trigger on this rifle is very good and it is very accurate. Stock is hollow and good for storing ammo inside if that's what you want to do. The whole thing weighs only 4 lbs with the .22 barrel installed.

cute short little low-cost outfit, haertig! (what's the brand?)

It's a Rossi Matched Pair.

thnx paul