Marlin Survival Rifle

I am really thinking about getting a 22 Marlin Survival Rifle. Does anyone have one or have experience using it? What do you think about it?

I've seen one of those before, haven't used one though. Confused

The sights on them look very minimal, but it should shoot fine. Smile

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> This mentions Marlin & Henry Survival 22 Rifles.

Wilderness Survival Rifles

By Chuck Hawks

This article is about lightweight, takedown rifles that you might use to survive in the wilderness if things go really wrong. After the crash of a bush plane far from civilization, for example, or on a wilderness canoe, kayak, or raft trip after your boat is damaged beyond repair and you must either walk a great distance to safety or survive for an extended period of time before help can be expected to arrive. These are the firearms that you might use for subsistence hunting to help fend off starvation during such an ordeal.

This article is not intended for the hunter far from civilization. He or she would be better off carrying a few extra boxes of ammunition for their primary hunting rifle for use in case of emergency, rather than another entire rifle.

This article is primarily for the explorer, fisherman, photographer, or anyone else who is not in the wilderness primarily to hunt. All of the recommended rifles will be .22 caliber rimfires, as the ammunition is so much lighter than any centerfire cartridge that a far greater number of cartridges can be carried in the same amount of space.

I suppose at this point it is reasonable to ask, "Why a rifle instead of a rimfire handgun, which would be smaller and lighter to carry?" My answer is that if you are an experienced handgun hunter embarking on a non-hunting wilderness expedition, by all means pack a .22 trail gun, or "kit gun" as they used to be called. That is what I carry when I am out camping, fishing or photographing. But most people, including most big game hunters, are simply not sufficiently skilled with a handgun to be able to use a .22 pistol efficiently as a survival tool. If faced with potential starvation, a rifle will better serve them.

The .22 LR should be the cartridge selected for a survival rifle. The object here is to kill small animals and birds for food, not blow them apart with a powerful cartridge. The .22 LR High Velocity (not Hyper Velocity) cartridge loaded with 36-37 grain hollow point bullets is just about perfect for the purpose of harvesting such game. And .22 LR ammunition is so compact that a 50 round box takes up little more space than a single 12 gauge shotgun shell or three .410 shot shells or center fire rifle cartridges.

Clearly, for survival purposes, a takedown rifle with a barrel no longer than 21" will be advantageous. It is simply easier to pack. And space is likely to be at a premium on any wilderness expedition. The survival rifle may be scoped, but iron sights should be provided. There are at least four widely distributed (in the U.S.) .22 rifles that meet these requirements.

There is a pair of well known, classic takedown hunting rifles that meet our size requirement. These are the Grade I Browning Semi-Auto .22 (SA-22), and the takedown version of the single shot Stevens Favorite Model 30 falling block rifle.

And then there are a couple of purpose designed survival rifles, both autoloaders, that are widely available. These are the Marlin Model 70PSS Papoose and Henry U.S. Survival Rifle.

If you are purchasing a rifle solely for emergency survival use, one of the latter is the obvious way to go. If you also want to use your survival rifle as a plinker and small game rifle for recreational shooting, one of the more traditional models would probably be a better choice.

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A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

I as well have looked into these compact rifles. I think, IMO it would be worth it to pack in the bush if you were going to stay for any lengh of time. There not really expensive, & ammo is dirt cheap. If a person became hobbled you could still get small game with haveing one of these Cool

IMO, i think its worth it.

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A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

Here is a pic of the type of compact 22 survival rifle. Just so anyone that doesn't know what they look like. Cool

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A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

I know nothing about rifles but I think Dave has some great info. Very cool rifle I must say

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"There dosen't look like there's much shelter over in those mountains, but that's the only choice I got right now, this is gonna be a long week" - Les Stroud Arctic

Yep, thanks Dave for the info.

I would agree with the Hawks article. For catching small game it would be nice. Just don't expect it to fair well against anything much bigger than a raccoon.

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"Asinus sæculæ maximus."

	Dobry wrote:
	Yep, thanks Dave for the info. I would agree with the Hawks article. For catching small game it would be nice. Just don't expect it to fair well against anything much bigger than a raccoon.

I heard a story that a redneck killed a deer with a .22 LR It took like 20 shot though. Confused

That's illegal here. .223 is about the smallest you can have for deer. Cool

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Mystik Spiral wrote:

	Dobry wrote:
	Yep, thanks Dave for the info. I would agree with the Hawks article. For catching small game it would be nice. Just don't expect it to fair well against anything much bigger than a raccoon.

I heard a story that a redneck killed a deer with a .22 LR It took like 20 shot though. Confused

That's illegal here. .223 is about the smallest you can have for deer. Cool

> Ya taking on a Deer with that is cruel to say the least. But i remember a farmer years ago that was at my brothers place and they had a old poney and it was time for her to " rest ". And the only gun was the farmers 22 rifle. He just set it right against her forehead between the eye and cracked 2 shots. Mind you thats point blank, but if i was on the edge of death, and i seen a deer, i would unload what ever it took to get me some food, after all, survival is staying alive & humans are on top of the food chain ............. aren't we ?? ........ Shocked

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A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

Mystik Spiral wrote:

	Dobry wrote:
	Yep, thanks Dave for the info. I would agree with the Hawks article. For catching small game it would be nice. Just don't expect it to fair well against anything much bigger than a raccoon.

I heard a story that a redneck killed a deer with a .22 LR It took like 20 shot though. Confused

That's illegal here. .223 is about the smallest you can have for deer. Cool

Thats pretty sad but funny in a way because it reminds me of something "bill" said from "king of the hill"

"I remember my first hunting trip, I saw the deer and took the shot. It took 10 shots to get it down, 6 more to finish it off. THere was no useable meat left" lol

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"There dosen't look like there's much shelter over in those mountains, but that's the only choice I got right now, this is gonna be a long week" - Les Stroud Arctic

	Jeremiah Johnson wrote:
	I am really thinking about getting a 22 Marlin Survival Rifle. Does anyone have one or have experience using it? What do you think about it?

Why do you want a .22 Survival Rifle?

Depending on your needs it might be a great buy, or a not so great buy.

If your looking for something small to put away in your BOB, or your car, or such then yes put it in there, and some extra ammo and forget about it.

If your getting a gun to use on a regular basis, or if you plan on carrying it around ready to shoot then I suggest a different .22 that isn't a "take down" gun. The reason being almost all the take down guns I have seen only let you have a single shot and reload, or a small 2-5 cartridge clip which isn't enough for regular shooting IMHO.

^ 5 rounds is plenty. I used to have a Russian single shot 22 excellant rifle, but IMO i wouldn't want to pack around a full lengh rifle, take down is so much more suiting. Cool

You dont need some banana clip with 35 rounds
That whole 1 shot 1 kill is how i look at it. Mind you i spent alot of time at the range.

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A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

I understand the 1 shot one kill mantra, but sometimes that not practical. I don't want my survival rifle to be a one shot because when your cold, tired, and hungry and your one chance at a meal tonight is in your sights, if you miss it's nice to have a quick 2nd shot. And it's almost impossible to hit a running rabbit with your 1st shot unless you get lucky.

Its nice for sure to have a quik second shot for sure, but i still think 5 rounds is plenty.
I have never seen a 2 round clip before, well not here anyways. They sell 5,10,20 & 30.

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A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

It's been about a year since I was looking into take down rifles. I just remember only 1 had a clip, and all the others had 1, or 2 shots (2 if they had the .22, and .410 shotgun) but my memory may be off. And from what I could tell the one with the clip was just as expensive as getting a nice semi-auto .22LR rifle so I didn't feel it was cost effective for me.

Now if someone wants something to put away and forget about in a survival kit, or BOB, or in there Kayak, or 4X4 then I think it's great. But if you plan to use it on a regular basis and that means carrying it around in the put together position I think a regular .22LR will be better for the cost.

Not to say I wouldn't like to have one in my car with a couple 500 boxes of ammo in my car with my bug out bag, but I can't get one for as cheap as I think it should be (in the 50-100 dollar range) as they seem to be in the 200 dollar+ range.

Well, I am about to post some incriminating information as the use of this caliber (.22lr) is illegal for ruffed grouse and big game (deer).

There are people that I know very well that have used .22lr and killed deer with one, well placed, head shot. the KEY part is well placed shot. Me personally, I would take the shot on a deer if I was within 50 feet of the animal. HOWEVER I have been hunting and shooting for going on 16 years. With regards to ruffed grouse, they are leathal on them and any other bird that has been encountered by this person I know. Raccoons are toast. You have to ensure that your gun and ammo fit the setting.
The deer that was harvested was taken with CCI Stinger ammo. My .22 semi (ruger 10/22) doesn't like these bullets and often jams with them (a bolt buffer would fix the problem but i'm not about to buy and install one yet). But yeah, find the bullets your rifle likes to fire (you'd be surprised if you dont have much experience with guns... some are picky on what they like to shoot with consistancy)
The next thing you have to do, with any gun, is practice. Don't let your first shot from your gun be when you need to kill that rabbit/bird or you will starve. This will not only sharpen your eye but it will also let you work out the kinks that may or may not show up (jams, cleaning, other difficulties)
If you chose to buy a takedown/survival .22 make sure you post about it, your likes/dislikes, how well it puts together, and how good it shoots.

I love .22's and consider them my favorite caliber. I am currently in the market for a .22 Mag but cant convince myself that the extra power is more of a blessing then a curse (more expensive and way more damage to animals) The one that has been on my mind for years is a marlin, and I trust marlin to make high quality firearms. ANNNND that is enough rambling, i'l msg more once i read a few more posts if there is anyting i can add.

but yeah, a .22 can defonatly take a deer with a well placed shot, but i'm not sure where you would be able to do so legally... be safe.

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Never explain. Your friends don't need it and your enemies won't believe you anyway.

CCI Stinger work really well in my 10/22 but I put in a bolt buffer. CCI velocitors are also great Very Happy

eric

	turd wrote:
	CCI Stinger work really well in my 10/22 but I put in a bolt buffer. CCI velocitors are also great eric

lol, coulda SWORE that i said with a bolt buffer they would be fine... or something to that effect.

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Never explain. Your friends don't need it and your enemies won't believe you anyway.

More food for thought about using a .22 survival rifle... I think it was on this board a long time ago, or maybe on one of the firearms boards I belong to, just don't remember...

But there was a proponent of using a scoped .22 semi-auto pistol as a reasonable alternative to the survival rifle. Much less weight and bulk, cheap ammo, MUCH easier to shoot accurately than a larger caliber pistol... the scope alone would probably scare off a possible human assailant in a survival situation, easy to maintain, etc.

For plinking and small-game survival hunting, it's a good alternative.

Don't know why I didn't think of it before.

EDIT: Here's the article! Our esteemed Turd found it and linked it in a past post.
http://www.sererescuesog.addr.com/USRSOG-Firearm.htm

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"Asinus sæculæ maximus."

^ Good find Dorby Cool

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing