Farm Defense Gun

This place would be pretty quiet if the questions that many people know the answers to didn't get asked.

According to my Grandfather, a P38 was perfect for badgers and skunks around the farmyard. Maybe a thread on WWII pistols for pests in the past is in order.
 
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Hmm, might have to take back my compliments about the good people and good responses I've seen here. Seems like there are always some bad apples in a bunch though. My thanks go out to you good apples though.
 
squirrelshooter said:
I usually have my 597 or FV-SR with me in the garage for squirrels and raccoons, I've got 7 acres out in the country. Shooting squirrels in self defense only happens if one starts chewing on the foam in my wife's Harley......She'd kill me for letting that happen!
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This. ^

My FV-SR is death on squirrels and bigger critters.
All frickin' tree rats must pay.;)
 
SHELL SHUCKER said:
This. ^

My FV-SR is death on squirrels and bigger critters.
All frickin' tree rats must pay.;)
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a squirrel ripped up about 7 window screens in my house. the little bugger was in the house, i trapped him outside and made sure the windows were closed. not sure if there were babies or a masive winter stash hidden in my place, but this thing spent 3 days trying to get in my house. it avoided my snares and traps. crafty little "tree rat".
 
If there is likelihood your animals will in proximity at the time of engagement, then I would definitely recommend a rifle over a shotgun. This coming from a big shotgun lover.
 
H4831 said:
No legitimate farmer with a need for a firearm at his farm, would ever post on a thread like this.
He would simply keep on storing the gun that has always been used for that purpose, quickly available close to the door.
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X2

crash277 said:
Some people are new to farming, or new to country life.
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And as with all things related to their new lifestyle, there will be a learning curve.
 
SuperCub said:
Right ...... so why not just buy a single shot Cooey like most other farmers did in times past? We had two of them on our farm.

Farmers are generally quite pragmatic so "keep it simple" is a good plan.
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Those single shot options were mostly the result of poverty and the desire to have a gun that could be kept in a barn or shed and did not demand mollycoddling inside the house, plus the fact that wildlife was not the pest or hazard that it is nowadays, having been culled for a couple hundred years. When I was a kid, for instance, the casual sighting of a deer was near miraculous, now they chase old ladies out of their own suburban back yards.
 
... and now that I think about it, the single shot farm guns were first bought and used by farmers who were, at least in boyhood, accustomed to muskets and other muzzle loaders that only offered a single shot. I remember thinking when I was a kid that the 16 G I was given was modelled on a muzzle loader that was still in the family, the design and configuration of the stock and receiver was the same as was the long, long, unnecessarily long barrel. Darn thing was taller than I was.
 
Big Bad said:
... and now that I think about it, the single shot farm guns were first bought and used by farmers who were, at least in boyhood, accustomed to muskets and other muzzle loaders that only offered a single shot.
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DAFUQ? Muzzleloaders started to die in the 1860s thanks to the introduction of the metallic cartridge and they were essentially extinct by the turn of the century. The Cooey 84 (a prime example of the "farm gun") was designed in 1947 when the people whose youth involved extensive use of muskets and muzzleloaders had reached middle age.

Sorry. Math wins again.
 
BigUglyMan said:
DAFUQ? ------ The Cooey 84 (a prime example of the "farm gun") was designed in 1947-----------

There was a tremendous number of single shot 22 rifles in circulation in rural Canada in the 1930s. It would be vey rare for a farm family not to have one. It would be used more to supply food for the table than for any other purpose, but also served to keep hawks and owls from killing the farmers chickens, which were always free running at that time.
Most of these rifles would have been purchased from the major catalogue firms, with Eaton's and Simpson's being the two major suppliers of all types of farm and personal goods. Eaton's especially, along with some of the big hardware chains had rifles made with their own registered name on them. Many of these rifles were made by Cooey, but would have some other name on them. One famous little guy of the 30s was sold by Eaton's and marked "RABBIT RIFLE." Eaton's sold this for $4.95, delivered free to your town mail box and of course, there were no taxes added on.
I recently examined one of these little guys and it was a match for a sub sized Cooey that was once made.
One other important use for a farm 22 was in butchering. Farmers butchered quite a few hogs and cattle, with a 22 always being used on them.
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BigUglyMan said:
DAFUQ? Muzzleloaders started to die in the 1860s thanks to the introduction of the metallic cartridge and they were essentially extinct by the turn of the century. The Cooey 84 (a prime example of the "farm gun") was designed in 1947 when the people whose youth involved extensive use of muskets and muzzleloaders had reached middle age.

Sorry. Math wins again.
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Yeah, not really, the math says my grandfather was born in 1879, and for pete's sake in that post I wasn't saying the single barrels had to be a Cooey. Or do you think they're the only ones that made those? Deep breath, deep breath, deep breath.
 
BigUglyMan said:
Muzzleloaders started to die in the 1860s thanks to the introduction of the metallic cartridge and they were essentially extinct by the turn of the century. The Cooey 84 (a prime example of the "farm gun") was designed in 1947 when the people whose youth involved extensive use of muskets and muzzleloaders had reached middle age.

Sorry. Math wins again.
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LOL ........Strange thread!
 
I held in trust for another family member for a few years a Winchester 06 pump action take down rifle .22 (s/l/LR).

It was one of the nicest and .22 rifles I have packed through the brush, what a Honey. I regret not having it anymore.

If rifles could talk I'm sure it had many stories to tell as a farm gun from Sask.
 
if it's one of those down east farms, almost anything in 30 caliber or over will do- out west you need 105
 
Belifend- at what ranges do you plan to shoot? How proficient are you with a firearm? It is easier to hit a skunk of fox at 50 yds with a load of #4buck or even BBB shot from a 12 ga. than a 22 if you are green at shooting. A 12 is good to 50 + then the pattern can start to spread. A 22 is also good to 50 for killing a fox. A 223 is good to well over 300 yd. if you can hit where you want. What ever you get put up targets at where you think you will have problems and practice at that range.
 
Thank you Redryder.
And Calum, If rifles could talk I have a little guy that could really liven the conversation! It's a little Winchester single shot, Model 02. One should just study how it has been used and repaired, then let your mind wander as to what the l ittle fellow has been through and what it's home life was like.
Notice that brads, looks like shingle nails with the heads cut off were used to repair the cracks. I used epoxy glue to seal up the cracks, but otherwise didn't touch any of the work on it.
Note the butt stock is singed, looking like it once was parked too close to a camp fire.
Looks like the pin that held the bolt pull on was lost, so a twisted piece of wire solved that.
A little home made staple was made for a front sling attachment, which probably once held a light rope for a sling.
All of the work is so crude that one can imagine the lack of tools the owner had, to turn his kitchen into a workshop.
One can just wonder at how many miles it got carried, or slid around on the floor of a sleigh box in bitter northern Canadian winters.
The really big thing one can wonder about is just how much small game it accounted for. Rabbits and grouse to eat, squirrels for their hides and hawks shot to protect the few chickens the owner had.
Here's the picture, let your minds wander.



Looks like it needs a close up to show the work I talked about. I'll try and get one up.
Bruce

Here they are.

 
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