survival 22

My oldest son completed is Hunter Apprentice last fall so I bought him an NEF Versa-Pack for Christmas. It consists of a .410 barrel, 22" long and full-choked, as well as a .22 LR barrel, 20" long and with rifle sights. I picked it up at Epps for $169+ tax and has proven to be more than worth the cash expended.

I replaced the rear sight on the .22 barrel with a Williams aperture rear, which also necessitated changing the front sight as the one that came on it was too short. Fortunately the factory has one for the UltraLight .22 Hornet that fills the bill easily and cheaply. I then put on a Survivor buttstock and forend from Choate and Krylon'd it with flat black for a bit of weather-resistance. The buttstock contains a nylon bag with a Bic lighter, a small CRKT lock-blade folder, a 5 meter flat pack of duct tape, 30 rounds of CCI Velocitor and 5 rounds of RWS .410 slug.

The trees around here dropped their leaves in November and all the rabbits turned white at the same time; unfortunately for them there was no snow that stayed more than 2 days until 11 Jan, and the boy and I laid the hurt on them every day of the Christmas break - final score, us = 38 rabbits, rabbits = nothing but #6 shot and 40 gr lead medication.

The whole thing zips up in a padded Cordura case and weights about 7 pounds total with 100 rds of .22 and 25 rds of .410 3" + what's in the buttstock...


blake

Great deal.....none left on Ellwoodepps website
 
I bought a Henry US Survival in camo for the ATV/snowmobile shure their are better .22's than this. But for this but for what it is myne's a great gun accurate enough for what you wan't work's great with most good ammo (don't use junk) myne prefer's CCI Stinger's the bolt handle is small and heavy to pull back and dig's into your finger but once your use to it you never notice but I lke myne and would recomend getting one if you wan't a gun you can take down and put into the stock. But in my oppion by the time you assemble a take down gun the critter will be gone so i recomend a gun boot or sling and leaving it together or getting a non take down Cooey 64 or Ruger 10/22 size gun.
 
I have the AR7 from Charter Arms. It's a great little rifle that fits in your pack and can be brought along as a camp gun for bunnies and grouse. Mine is plenty accurate and pretty well jam free if it is cleaned with WD40. Do not use oil in the action.

I also like using CCI CB longs 700fps. You need to activate the action everytime like a bolt gun, but it is dead quiet and great when you want to go "ingognito".

I have to agree with the Marlin papoose as a great little quality gun. However, it does not have the features the AR7 has in terms of compactness and portability. Use the AR7 for light camp for survival use and you will be ok. If you're looking for a high use plinker, don't buy it. The Papoose will serve you far better.
 
I have to agree with the Marlin papoose as a great little quality gun. However, it does not have the features the AR7 has in terms of compactness and portability. Use the AR7 for light camp for survival use and you will be ok. If you're looking for a high use plinker, don't buy it. The Papoose will serve you far better.

x2: very well-stated.
 
Greatest Takedown Carbine

THINK GEVARM! Back in the '70s S.I.R. was selling the fantastic Gevarm Model E1 takedown .22rf semi-auto carbine for $49.50. Only THREE moving parts; NO firing pin to break or wear out; NO extractor/ejector; DOUBLE ignition on every round chambered. I owned a dozen of them when I lived in BC back then. Wish I had 'em today.

Down here they've been selling recently in the $500 range - when one occasionally comes up for auction. A $6.95 20-rd magazine now goes for BIG bucks here. I sold one a year or so ago for $175. Probably get $200 or more today for it!

Below is pic of mine taken down, and with both mags beside it. Gun writers always said it was WAY ahead of its time. They will eat whatever you feed 'em with no misfires, jams, etc.. There are still lots of Gevarms in Canada at reasonable prices. Just gotta' search 'em out... Last ones I saw for sale up there was about a year ago for only a couple hundred bucks each!

Good luck with your hunt, best regards, and have a HAPPY NEW YEAR! ~ ~ ~ mauser

E1GEVARMINTAKEDOWNMODE600WIDE_edite.jpg
 
that gevarm posted there, does it fire from and open breech? ie breech closes after triger is pulled? Way back when i took my PAL i was warned that if ever picking up a gevarm not to assume it was safe because the breech was open. just wondering if this is the gun he was talking about.
 
Hi all

After looking at one of henry, started playing with a folding stock on the the Ruger 10/22mag and made it work. Since i use it for trapping, I consider it far more better than the 22(for me purpose) than the henry which would led to most of the talk here for the purpose.

KM
 
that gevarm posted there, does it fire from and open breech? ie breech closes after triger is pulled? Way back when i took my PAL i was warned that if ever picking up a gevarm not to assume it was safe because the breech was open. just wondering if this is the gun he was talking about.

That's her
 
I actually plan on buying one of the Henry's with the plastic coated barrels. The ability to store the rifle complete with two magazines inside it's own stock is about as handy a tool as you can come up with. One will ride full time in the trunk of my car. The plastic coated barrel will be impervious to weather changes and condensation. The way some folks are talking about these things, they expect them to be a Caddilac. They are a utility gun. Their not made to shoot silhouette matches, nor look pretty. They will cycle fine if kept clean and broken in. I've owned a 10/22 that wouldn't cycle most ammo I fed it. I owned a Marlin that followed suit. It comes down to the rifle.
 
Gibson is correct. The E1 fires on the open bolt, which strips a fresh round from the magazine as the bolt flies forward. The wedge shaped bar on the face of the bolt ignites the propellant by striking BOTH sides of the rim once the round is chambered; the explosion's expanding gas forces the empty case back against the bolt forcing it rearward; an extended lip on the magazine catches the empty case on the fly and deflects it aside. Unless it's badly worn or been intentionally altered, the sear will catch the bolt and hold it open in the "FIRE" position. The bolt's handle can be pushed to the left where the left end of it enters a hole in the receiver and holds the bolt solidly open in a "SAFE" position.

Best regards, ~ ~ ~ mauser
 
I own a few of the rifles we are talking about.
My Gevarm E1 does jam often. At least once in a 20rd mag It will either stovepipe the empty case or the fresh round will stick sideways with the bolt on top of it.
I've shot the Henry and it has terrible ergonomics with it being so light it swings everywhere when your trying to hold it still. The stock is also ridiculously fat.
My Springfield is a great rifle and very accurate but the ergonomics are deplorable too. The trigger is a hard to use lever with a hard to gauge breaking point. The stock is way to short like it was designed for pygmies but actually because originally the US survival rifle came with a 14" barrel as opposed to the 18.5" it comes with now and they wanted both pieces to be the same length for maximum portability.. You also have to carry it hammer down because the safety is hard to disengage so it can be slow to get into action on a scared up grouse. My parkerized version rusts like crazy too. It is also not an attractive gun, but I love it.
The papoose is the best choice for most purposes. It is easy to use stainless and reliable (if its kept well oiled and the breachface is clean. Mine is quite accurate too and it is very lightweight. At the same time the stock is well proportioned and the weight is forward so the muzzle does hang easily on target. Go with the papoose in my opinion.
 
I did some work on an AR7 barrel just a short time ago..I was afraid to turn it down due to the hook in it,when spun between centres it looked like a boomerang.You could see the hook to it just looking down the bore
Pure pieces of garbage



Once it was turned as best i could get it,i came across air pockets in the casting
Picture009.jpg


Get a 10/22 with a folder,or a papoose..
 
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I've dealt with the guy - Dino was good people.

I hate to push the point, but how many of those who pan the Henry actually use proper-velocity round-nose .22's? I shall duck as I await retorts...

Also: I've noticed that the firing-pin imprint-mark from the Henry is not as impressive as some of my other rimfires...anyone else see the same thing? This might lead to bad primer-ignition, IMHO. Or it may just be my Henry...

;)
 
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If cash isnt an issue look at a Savage 24. you will have a shotgun plus a rimfire or centerfire to shoot. The 22 over 20 guage would be my choice for a survival/plinker gun.
 
No mention of the M6 Scout. Love mine, never fails, fits into daypack, fed my chainman and myself on many a day when those camp lunches didn't fit the bill.
 
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