If you had one rifle?

For every thing from rabbit coyote raccoon deer etc. what would it be?

.223 if I had to have one

But without laws I could easily do all with a .22Mag.

Impossible.I could not own just one rifle.

I have yet to build it but it would be a 16" recce AR in 6.8. With an identical upper in 5.56.

A what?

Bruce t
Let us know. Base it also on ammo availability

22 mag

Lol....16 inch recessed air rifle double barrel 6.68 caliber on bottom and 5.56 caliber on top barrel.....
Trying to figure above post out

.308 bolt action

Do I have to be within the law?


I can’t use any one rifle caliber for all of them and stay legal.

But, I can use a shotgun and hunt each of them legally!

So I guess a shotgun. So I can change up what I put in it for each game animal.

Trick question really!

The rifle I would choose is a shotgun.

243

22 lr. You can find a bullet in a couch cushion, under your pickup seat, down in the bottom of your tool box, behind the dresser etc. if you run out. You can kill anything you need to. Shoot a mule deer buck in the heart, a steer between the eyes, shoot the head off quail before they fly and a catfish in shallow water.

.17 HMR

Right here....the most versatile gun evah made.....62 cal Smoothbore. I can load it with shot....buckshot....or patched Round Ball. Kills mice..rabbits, squirrels, Partdridge, ducks, Turkey, deer,bear, and Moose. .....Beat that !

Only thing I can think of would be a single shot rifle with interchangeable barrels from 50 caliber down to .22

.204

Remington model 600 in 223

Grizzly bear coming at you full charge

Oh my!!! That is nice

X2

Use to be more deer around here fell to a 22 mag than probably any other caliber. All were at night and with a light. 22 mag is very versatile. One caliber under 50 yards, 22 mag.

You win Nessmuck. Can find a piece of chert, make the powder, and cast the ammo all yourself.

Recce, short slang from the brits for reconnaissance. In rifle parlance that's a light patrol type all purpose as opposed to either an ultralight/short CQB carbine or longer heavier DMR.

CQB close quarters battle a door kickers carbine
DMR designated marksman rifle a squad level sharpshooter not a dedicated sniper

The title of the thread was ..if you only had one rifle. .....Not ..If you only had one rifle with a grizzly coming at you....lol

Ok Quigley's down under sharps rifle final answer.

M134 Mini Gun

Tulle de chasse, right?

Technically not a rifle as a smoothbore.

And a 62cal ??? Forrabbit, coyote was in the perimeters

Not many Grizz in the Granite State...

.22 mag would be tempting but .22 lr would be better cause of ammo availability. almost everyone has some .22 ammo.

[Nessmuck]
The title of the thread was ..if you only had one rifle. .....Not ..If you only had one rifle with a grizzly coming at you....lol[/quote]
Was just wondering what you would do with that gun if it was to happen....lol....maybe tickle him

.270 Winchester with handloads.

Was just wondering what you would do with that gun if it was to happen....lol....maybe tickle him [/quote]

Same as all of us! Smack him in the nose and hope for the best! Then clean our shorts if me made it out.

My CZ 550 bolt action .308.

But I sure would miss my .22 mag, .204, .300 wsm and the list goes on lol

Yes Sir ..Tulle de Chasse

Danny said it better than I could.

Dang Straight Danny.....if yah don’t have any lead....rocks,glass,,,and nails will work....

I believe we have a winner.

Rabbit to Deer ... bingo

17 HMR

As a trapper I would seldom even want anything but a .22LR. In fact I would shoot as many shorts and CBs as I did Long Rifles.

A .17 on deer?....Nope not me

That one is on my wish list as well. I'm kind of a fan of general purpose type arms and buck and ball covers alot of ground.

If you made me choose only one trap it would be the snare and if I set them I don't even use much .22 ammo

223...just cause

Agreed on choosing only one trap, and that would be cable!

I’d second the .223 NATO round.

I would choose my chiappa combination gun.
22mag over 410.

This

Matthew Quigley's gun is a replica model 1874 Sharps Buffalo Rifle, built by Shiloh Rifles of Montana. They are chambered in . 45-110, which is a . 45 caliber bullet propelled by 110 grains of black powder.

Me either

Drilling, 12 ga smooth, 12 ga rifled on the other side, over something 22

Every time you post that picture I cant help smiling. Awsum gun. I did all my deer gun hunting for 15 years with a muzzleloader not as much any more.



As to the original question.
357 mag carbine. I can get 1850fps with 158 gr xtp and can kill deer at any hunting range I'm going to need. I can download it or shoot 38 specials and not be to hard on small game

Marlin 1894Cl in .32-20

I agree with the .17 hmr. Very accurate a head shot on a standing deer at 50 would be a chip shot. 100 yards would be pretty easy if you had a decent rest.

X2

That’s a lot to ask of just one gun. I suppose I’d take a 12 gauge semi, with a second rifle barrel.

I've owned a lot of guns over the years. If I had to settle on one, it would probably be .243. 220 swift or 22-250 close second. I've killed everything from ground squirrels to mule deer with all three of them. You could kill and elk with a .243 in a pinch.

Agreed

Osky

X3

.243 win was my first choice...but then I Thought of using it on small game as listed

I guess all head shots

Oops ! Has to be a rifle. Then I’d go with my .308 BLR.

The .17hmr is a wicked little round. It’ll scramble a deers brains.

22 long rifle

A deer's head is the first thing it moves.

I'd go with a 223...

Savage 24 with .222 over 20 ga 3”.

TC encore prohunter. Swap the barrel out for whatever you are hunting

Savage model 24 22/.410

WS

Bar. In 243 or savage auto. In 22 mag.

308 I suppose
90gr semi-wadcutters in modified brass for smallgame
180s for game
110v-max for stuff I didn't want the bullet to exit on.

You got me talked into it.Just looked it up all barrels from .22 to 416 nitro

Thompson/Center increased the strength of both the trigger mechanism and the frame, and the Encore was born. Now rifle shooters could enjoy the same switch-barrel capability, in calibers ranging from .22 rimfire to .416 Rigby.

I have 4 barrels for mine and they all shoot very well

I'm a big fan of the .308... But, you can carry 100 rounds of .22's in your pocket without knowing they are there.

No dice. There is not a one size fits all.

17 hmr or 22 lr

I know your question is a rifle but a shotgun is pretty effective on all those

I would try to fit that with the 22 Magnum. I hear it’s not so good though......

If you don’t have ammo and cannot find the ammo you just have a fancy club then.

I would want one of my old Remington 788s that I have in a 22-250. Tack drivers describe them best. The cartridge will get every thing done on all the critters mentioned so far and I wouldn't be scared to use it on a few big critters that haven't been mentioned yet !

That is a good choice too

X3

Big or small, a shotgun can take them all...

Yup!!

.58 Plains Rifle



The people responsible for you being here on a trapping message board, the fore fathers of the fur trade , really did leave civilization to go thrive in a brutal grizzly saturated wilderness........with only one gun.



It typically wasn't a squirrel rifle.

Well since no one else has mentioned it I'll go with the original one and done rifle from Roy Weatherby the .300 Weatherby can be used on anything from small game up to the mean and nasty critters ha ha

And don't under estimate the .22-250 it was a good friend of mine's favorite all around deer , elk and coyote round until the day he died.
Allan

That over under break action that's a .22 on top and a .410 on the bottom.

My Remington model 760 will do just fine . I can load cast bullets for smaller game and will handle everything else up to and including moose . Bought the rifle new in 1970 and has not failed me yet.

12 gauge.
I could run lots of sizes of birdshot, buckshot, slugs, and do well on any of those creatures of various sizes. Getting close enough would be up to me on the bigger animals but the gun would handle them all.

If pressed to strictly a rifle I'd lean to a .22 mag.

Jim

Just saying on a AR-15 only the lower is considered a actual firearm so one lower with a bunch of different uppers so guess a .22lr designated upper ,5.56 or .223 wild 7.62x39 or .300blk and a 6.5 grendel upper would cover all my bases.

22lr will kill anything we have and I have plenty of ammo for it.

.22 Hornet or .25-20... 2 oldies assuming ammo could be had.

In the noggin..........no tracking required.

i heard from a friend that a 40 grain plain lead standard velocity 22 lr out of a rifle, in a deers heart at 50 yards or less, it wont run another 50.

I s'pose a .22 LR would make the most sense in a "only one rifle" situation which would mean tough times. Back in the day most one-gun-households had a .22 for rabbit and squirrel. And most outdoor bandits know a .22 LR will put a deer on the ground if that's what you got.

First thing that moves is a deer's head.To easy to be off just a bit and wound..No thanks

I have also been told a 22 in the throat of one looking at you will drop it on the spot. Have to hit dead center. The bullet will hit the spine. Again, 50 yards or less. 22 long rifle will have enough energy to penetrate the hair hide and windpipe, breaking the spine at that distance. Was told keep a sharp pocket knife so you can cut its throat after that shot. They like to freeze like rabbits. If its facing away from you with its head looking back, base of the ear will drop one too. At least that is what the guy said. It was rumored he liked an old winchester model 67 single shot. Said it was accurate and quiet.

I'll pass

So far as I know a 22 is still legal for deer hunting in MS.

Some folks can’t hit a whole deer let alone pick their spots like Jed Clampett shooting flies off the wall at 100 yards. LOL

A few years ago a convicted felon was on his way to a wedding. He was carrying a 22 and riding a 4wheeler atv. Stopped on the way to the wedding and killed a black bear. Game warden arrested him. This was in Arkansas.

Don't make the mistake of underestimating the effectiveness of a 22 in the hands of a shooter.

Yes indeed if worse comes to worse tear the dash off any old pickup and you can hunt in the rain while Nessmuck is baking bread

Wasn't the world record grizzly at one time killed with a 22 by a woman? But then women are just more dangerous as a whole no matter what weapon they use... lol

I'm with Danny on the 22 lr. Around here they've killed everything from quail to cattle. I've killed more wild hogs with my ruger 10/22 than with any other weapon I own a d I've killed my fair share of swine. Not ideal for the job but by no means inadequate.

My Pick is a 22 long Rifle. I can kill anything in the Woods if needed in a Survival situation. I also have a liftetime supply of 22 rounds. You can carry a Thousand rounds on you without being that heavy.
Its the #1 without Question IMO.

one of the biggest bucks in the county was poached with one in September.

was talking with the warden who wanted to add a charge for not reasonable equipment , and got told , it dropped on the spot hard to say it wasn't effective.

Thanks to all.
Looks like I'm going to take a good look at the 22- 250 and the 243 I'M going to get a single shot and learn how to shoot again. One shot one kill attitude. I've really picked up some crappy shooting flaws that I need to correct.
Thanks again

If that ain't about the most redneck thing I've read in a while.....

Good Thread

My son shot a buck broadside at about 120 yds with a core lock bullet out a 22-250. Buck only went 30 yds and fell over dead luckily. Not a drop of blood. Couldn't even figure out were the entry was. It would worry me to shot a deer with a 22-250 and you had to try and track it from my one experience. Just food for thought if you will be regularly hunting deer with it.

combinatoin 22lr over 20 gauge.

TC and Henry are about the only companies making a good single shot

for even money you can have a bolt gun. my son picked up a Mossberg Patriot with the walnut stock very classic looking hunting rifle it holds 5 but nothing says you need to feed it all of those.
of 22-250 vs 243 I would favor 243 as 243 has a better selection of hunting bullets for larger game 85 90, 95 and 100 grain bullets that are good for deer and would work on black bear and even some moose shot with 243. while also having 55, 58 , 70 , 75 and 80 grain varmint bullets.

while 22-250 can be loaded to be better for deer , good deer ammunition for the 22-250 is much harder to find factory loaded.

243 is one of the few ammunition really loaded for both by factory ammunition companies

Or...223 over 12 ga.

It's not but I mean...it's used pretty effectively

If your only going to get one and it will have to work for several years, get the 243 IMO. You will have to sew coyotes, and you wont want to shoot fox with it, but if you get a chance to hunt elk it will work if you get close and shoot careful. A 270 is my pick for all around rifle. I thought this was another fantasy survival thread. You can hunt anything in N. America with a 270. They shoot a little flatter than an ought six.

I have go with 3. My .22lr heavy bbl. My custom 6x45 (223 necked up to 6mm/243 bullets) and my Marlin 1895 in 45-70 for the big stuff. That includes bear. Big bore lever guns are a force to be reckoned with. The modern Marlins are very strong. 300 gr XTP at a little over 2300 coming at you.
The 6x45 is my Yote slayer. Those 70gr Noslers reach out there.
The 45-70 really tips deer over pretty quick.
But if I had to pick one, it would be my 6.5/284. G David Tubb has won countless 1000yd National Match competitions with that round.

If you read about the early explorers they all at least had a 12 gauge with them. From birds to brown bears the shotgun will do the job. If I could only have one it would be my CRF 308.

If I have to pick one for all the game mentioned it would be a bolt action and scoped .243. If it were a survival situation, I would prefer a combo rifle/shotgun like Boco mentioned. Make mine a .22lr over 20 gauge though.

Chris

Is that what you have read about, or maybe heard tell in passing?

Broadside double lung is all you need. Just don't hit a leg bone. 50 yards is spot on for how far they go. They run out of air and fall over.

I'll just hang on to my ol trusty Marlin 60 Limited Edition .22lr. She has served me well over the years! I don't have bear or moose though, lol.

Lots and lots of choices presented thus far.
Here's how I see it. Never underestimate the old man who only owns one gun. He surely knows how to use it.
As a young man I was dirt poor and hungry much of the time. All I had was a Marlin tube fed 22. Anything edible which breaths air was in deep trouble within a hundred yards of me, out past that when necessary. Even running rabbits were not safe. I had 19 chances.
I have since grown fond of many other calibers which I like for one reason or another, but I have stick to the gun which kept me fed when it really mattered.

Of the guns I currently own, it's a toss up between my .22lr Marlin model 25 Bolt action or my Mossberg Model 500 pump in 20 gauge. I have probably made more meals with those two guns than all the others combined. To choose one of those two, it would be the 20 gauge.

And Danny ive heard that too, a .22 to the white on the throat and they don't even run in the spotlight just stand there then drop.
Jim

That white spot is too wide. Have to hit the center of it. Think walnut sized spot. Spotlight? Learn to stalk. Wind in your face. Hour or more to go a hundred yards.

Make mine a 444 Marlin... I don't like eatin rabbit much anyway

If I could only have 1 rifle, I would go with the VO Falcon, which sells for $825,000.00. I would sell it, buy all the other stuff I want, including a nice Kubota tractor, plus attachments and pay off my mortgage.



Keith

You can't just have one gun for all of the different game, varmints listed. I know that I'm older than some of you guys and younger than some of you.

Years ago, the rule was that you needed a good 22 lr, a good deer rifle, and a good shotgun. That's what the older guys would tell you.

If I were to start from scratch totay, I'd buy a good, accurate 22 lr, , a .280 Remington, and a 3" 12ga. 870.

Then you've gotta fill in the empty spots. The .22 caliber cenerfires are nice. So are the .24 and .25 calibers. The .270 is a great gun too. So are the 30 calibers. Plus the bigger guns. But if I were to need just a single deer rifle, it'd be a 700 in .280 Remington.

Little 'ol Bella seems to have been able to get it done with her cheap, beat up .22

while you could do one it obviously would not be ideal for everything and 243win is a very good choice probably as good a of a choice as you get if deer are the largest thing you intend to need it for.
I have a cousin who has used his 243 for about everything, including a moose for about 40 years. his moose did make it to water before it expired and that is a whole story on it's own

As mentioned 3 is what most have always recommended with sometimes another to till a Niche
my 3 top picks are
22LR for a number of reasons good for dispatch and small game and training
12GA Grandpa managed his whole life with 1 at the farm , pheasant , ducks ,rabbits , geese all sorts of things just very versatile tools I like pumps.
308WIN unless your shooting Long distance it gets the job done on everything in NA without excess recoil

when those bases are covered
223REM/5.56in an AR because Joe things you don't need it and because it can fill a varmint role in the right config they can shoot very well.
9MM it doesn't have to be 9mm but something in a handgun it is a good skill to learn and a tool to keep around lots of games to play to keep proficient and test your skill.

ok one more
22lr handgun nice for dispatch also nice for training and keeping up your skill , bullseye leagues and fun shooting


my first gun that was Mine and not my dads was a 12ga purchased it when I was 14 and had some money saved from my job I answered an add in my moms company news letter my dad drove me to the guys house and the deal was made there in the garage.
My second was a 30-06 later that year more money saved from my job dad took me to a gun shop
my 3rd was a 22 pistol bought it broken and fixed it when I was 17

my dad had a 22lr rifle I could borrow so I didn't get one of those till my wife got me one the first Christmas we were together.

she got it done , but it was never her intention to go bear hunting with a single shot 22long they were looking for grouse

https://www.ammoland.com/2014/11/wh...ld-record-grizzly-in-1953/#axzz6igkW3u27

it was nearly a slaughter house close distance kill the bear was feet from the brush where her and her hunting partner had been hiding having seen the bear coming toward them on the same cut line they had been following for grouse.

she took the opportunity for surprise before it scented them.

from the description I would guess nearly an in the ear shot it fell and to make sure it stayed down she point blank in the head used every round she had with 7 or 8

A Marlin 25 MN.in .22 Mag. It would serve every purpose I need a rifle for.

300wsm