Well, folks, I've tried a pretty broad range of "Survival" weapons, and in the end, the best gun to use is the one you can shoot straight, every time.

One thing that sure surprised me on the .22 thread was how few people seem to understand that you get one shot - and only one shot - to take small game, and if you miss, you're going to be sitting for quite a while waiting for another target. Which is why, while a .22 is a darn fine caliber and has some great options for "survival" guns (Ruger 10/22, AR-7), the fact is that unless you're reliably hitting bottle caps - moving bottle caps at that - at 50 yards with your .22, you'll want to have a shotgun for more reliable small game hunting.

Now, the .410 cartridge is small and light (not compared to a .22, of course) and here in PA, a .410 slug is even legal for deer hunting.
So for me, the M6 stainless .410/.22 combi is ideal

Martin,
I don't think you will be harvesting much game at 50 yards with a 410, slug or shot. There is also no way, that I am aware of to attach a telescopicsight to the m6, and as you pointed out you will need pinpoint accuracy which the crude standard sights do not provide so the scope, in my opinion, is a must. The last m6 that I fooled much with the 410 barrel was not choked and threw a very wide, thin, pattern that was very poor for any but the closest targets. I don't mean to sound so critical, just my observations, but I know people who swear by them. I thought the combo guns never did as good a job as either a dedicated shotgun or rifle.

Now a pure shotgun has a lot of merit as survival firearm, of 20 gauge or larger, the only reason I went with the 22 was the amount of ammo I can carry compared to the shotgun. I have trained many people to shoot and hunt and have not seen anyone with a properly set up rifle, and scope, have a hard time hitting stationary game at reasonable ranges. Chris

Personally I would go with a heavy barreled .22lr or magnum pistol with a red dot scope and then carry a shotgun seperate. The pistol can be supprisingly accurate for small game and is easy to carry around (a major plus) with the ability to be quickly reloaded. For the larger stuff a bit farther away the shotgun is nice. I would prefer to carry a 12 gauge shotgun being ammo is plentiful in both shot and slugs and there are also flares available.....plus there isn't many living things out there that can't be stopped by a few shots from a 12 gauge.

Paul810,
I know I have burned the board up on these posts and apologize for hogging the board.
I agree that a super accurate 22 pistol is handy and I love shotguns but I think at first we were talking about picking just one gun, so I gave the nod to the 22 rifle. Anyone can shoot a rifle of equal quality better than a pistol, also red dot scopes need batteries, that are always dead when I need it, and I am shy about electronics, too much to go wrong.

I am a rabid quail hunter and know how heavy 12 gauge ammo is, 50 rnds is a chunk. With a shotgun you get either, or, either it is a smoothbore with a choke or screw in choke tubes and shoots shot effectively or, it is a specialized fully rifled slug gun that doesn't shoot shot worth a hoot. You mentioned "for game that is a little further away the shotgun is nice" you can kill game at twice the distance with an accurate 22lr than you can with any shotgun except the specialty guns, fully rifled, shooting sabot slugs and they are only good for large game. You are right there isn't much that can stand up to multiple shots with a shotgun, but I am mainly concerned with putting game in the pot, defensive use is further down the list. I do have a rifled choke tube for my 1187 and sights that mount on the rib. If it will accurately shoot slugs, say paper plate at 75yds, it very well might replace my 22 as my "one" gun. As soon as I get a chance to test it out I will report back, I am currently out of the states.Chris

Gee, guys, the M6 is a lumpy little weapon, I'll agree, and the .410 hardly a contender compared to a 12 Ga, however, I've just had lots of luck with it, especially the .410 rifled slug, which hits fairly hard at close range. Again, I'm talking 50 yards and under.
Anyway, I'm going out right now - with a .410 - to harvest my Guniea hens for some Thanksgiving bird. Not traditional, but they are so darn noisy I've had it with them. they are delicious too.

Martin,
Man are you ever right, Guniea hens are second only to peacock for the annoying factor, but they are good to keep the bugs out of your bean patch. I am sure it will taste better because you prepared it yourself, to heck with tradition enjoy your dinner. Chris

I agree that "KISS" for sights is the way to go.

I am 57 years old, and lineing up sights with bifocals is not easily done, and buying a seperate set of eyeware with corrections for a rifle and pistol is not practical. I would opt for a 1X or 2X small optical sight for each weapon carried. I would also opt for a bolt action .22 and a semiautomatic heavy barreled Ruger pistol if I had two guns, or a semiautomatic rifle if I only had one gun. If I am only going to have one gun, I would take a rifle any day over a pistol, the weight be damned.

Bountyhunter

Hi Peter,
You may wish to try out a set of "ghost rings" for one of your rifles. Jeff Cooper writes, "Several old timers now have reported that this sighting system does wonders to make up for the increasing stiffness of the cornea that normally comes with age." You may be interested in trying this out on one of your rifles and finding out if it works well for you. (Be sure you don't confuse "true" ghost rings with mere aperature sights. Some gun writers may not grasp that not all aperature sights are ghost rings.) FWIW.
Stay safe,
J.T.