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Old January 27, 2013, 10:20 PM   #26
dalegribble
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i was walking in the desert here in az once with some friends. i came up over a berm and i saw a snake. without thinking i drew my unique model 52 .22 cal semi auto, flicked off the safety and shot the snakes head off with one shot. i don't remember aiming and i don't think i could pull that off again, but i was pretty proud of that shot. i have more guns now and if i go hiking in the desert again i believe i would choose a revovler in 22 or 22 mag mostly for simplicity and safety and i might stagger some snake shot thru the cylinder.
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Old January 28, 2013, 05:29 AM   #27
darkgael
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Hike

I carry a S&W 317 Ultralight when I am walking in the woods. Easy to carry, very light. It also goes in a pocket of my hunting vest when I am out in the Upland looking for birds.
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Old January 28, 2013, 06:23 AM   #28
dayman
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when I carry a .22 in the woods it's my Ruger 22/45 (because that's the one I shoot the best/most). Like others have said - if you buy decent ammo .22 doesn't misfire all that much. For woods duty I keep it loaded with CCI minimags.
I'd think for woods duty you'd want a .22 loaded with something pretty hot anyway. If you're going to try to kill anything humanly with a .22, you might as well make it as easy as possible for yourself.

But even if it's loaded up with practice ammo it's not as if failures are all that common. I get maybe 2-3 per 1000 with the cheepo bulk packs, so figure a 0.25% of failure. The only time when odds like that are going to be unacceptable are if you're getting attacked, and anything in the woods that's going to attack a human isn't going to be slowed down much by a .22 anyway.

Something a bit smaller would be pretty nice though.
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Old January 28, 2013, 09:57 AM   #29
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22 fail to fire ammo has been Federal and Winchester for me. Cci and Remington have been great.
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Old January 28, 2013, 09:57 AM   #30
Gaerek
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I might have missed this, but I just scanned and don't think it was answered, but, for what reason do you want to carry this .22? I see you live in way south AZ (I'm near Tucson). If it's a snake gun, or small game gun, I think a .22 is great. But if I were hiking, especially that close to the border, I think I'd want something with a bit more bullet.

Having said that, I'd almost certainly go with a revolver over an auto if the only choice was between those.
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Old January 28, 2013, 10:22 AM   #31
eldermike
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Super Single six with the mag cylinder. The only concern is shooting it without hearing protection. If I were going out plinking it would be with the LR cylinder for that reason.
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Old January 28, 2013, 10:44 AM   #32
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If you're carrying a .22, either will work. I carry both, and good .22 ammo goes a long, long way toward making a semi very reliable. Don't carry bulk crapola if you're using an auto. I carry it in my revolver, but the auto gets mini mags if I'm expecting it to work 100%. With good, dry ammo, a .22 is reliable. I think most of its detractors say that because either the ammo is old or has been exposed to harsh temperature swings. .22 ammo is more finicky and sensitive to extremes than center-fire ammunition.
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Old January 28, 2013, 11:49 AM   #33
azmark
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Gaerek, it's a hiking gun. The way I see it is that snakes are really the only things a gun would be good for, except maybe an aggressive javelina and I'm not sure they even go up in the mountains. If a mountain lion or bear attacks me I'm probably done for anyway since I'm not hunting and actively looking for them. If illegal immigrants see me, they'll almost certainly hide. The two legged variety of coyote won't go that far in. Drug runners would know I'm coming before I see them and would either conceal themselves or whip out the AKs. I can't match their firepower or range.

Know what I mean? A lot of guys are macho and say "I'll take some with me". I figure if I'm dead, what will I care then? That's just me, though.

I would carry my GP100, but it's dang heavy. A crazed bear would take me out anyway.
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Old January 28, 2013, 12:23 PM   #34
damienph
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Ruger Standard - Woods Gun

My favorite woods gun is my old Ruger Standard.
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Old January 28, 2013, 02:27 PM   #35
Gaerek
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Quote:
Gaerek, it's a hiking gun. The way I see it is that snakes are really the only things a gun would be good for, except maybe an aggressive javelina and I'm not sure they even go up in the mountains. If a mountain lion or bear attacks me I'm probably done for anyway since I'm not hunting and actively looking for them. If illegal immigrants see me, they'll almost certainly hide. The two legged variety of coyote won't go that far in. Drug runners would know I'm coming before I see them and would either conceal themselves or whip out the AKs. I can't match their firepower or range.

Know what I mean? A lot of guys are macho and say "I'll take some with me". I figure if I'm dead, what will I care then? That's just me, though.

I would carry my GP100, but it's dang heavy. A crazed bear would take me out anyway.
Whatever you're comfortable with. I doubt you'd have any issues with Javelinas there, but I'm sure a .22 would just upset one, unless you got a lucky shot. In my opinion, it's not a "macho" thing, it's a "even if they have all the advantages in the world, I'm not going down without a fight" thing. (Speaking of the drug runners, of course). Again, whatever you're comfortable with.
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Old January 28, 2013, 10:01 PM   #36
Guv
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How about a 6 1/2 inch AMT AutoMag II. rep1954, I also really like the 22WRF, great idea with that extra cylinder!
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Old January 28, 2013, 10:08 PM   #37
KC9LDB
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Revolver or a nice (Ruger Mk. Series) semi. I have a PT-22, Ruger Mk.2 and a Hi Standard HD-Military. All great guns but the PT has nothing for a barrel, the Hi-Standard has a weak hammer spring and the Ruger works great but still has failed a few times. Look into the Hi Standard Sentinel series!
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Old January 28, 2013, 11:05 PM   #38
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Single Six. My MK II gathers dust since I bought the Single Six
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Old January 28, 2013, 11:17 PM   #39
JerryM
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S&W M 64 suits me fine for a ...22 trail gun.
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Old January 29, 2013, 06:41 AM   #40
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Old January 29, 2013, 06:58 AM   #41
shafter
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I'm really not sure why some choose to carry snake shot. I would think that anything in striking distance or just a bit further would be pretty easy to hit with a single projectile. There can't be much more than a pinch of pixie dust in those little shotshells.
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Old January 29, 2013, 09:55 AM   #42
azmark
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Snake shot is actually pretty effective.
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Old January 29, 2013, 10:13 AM   #43
Gaerek
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Quote:
Snake shot is actually pretty effective.
Seconded. I've used it before. Any further away than about 8-10 feet and it starts to lose effectiveness, but a diamondback can't strike more than half it's length, and they rarely get longer than 6' (that I've seen anyway). In other words, if you're more than 3 or 4 feet away, they're not going to be able to get you.
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Old January 29, 2013, 11:12 AM   #44
Guv
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And to me snake shot seems to work better out of a short barrel where the rifleing has less time to impart spin. The same short barreled gun may be a little more tricky to deliver a single bullet on a small target.
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Old January 29, 2013, 07:00 PM   #45
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If I had to tote a .22 in the woods, I'd vote for the Ruger Single Six with the .22wmr cylinder in place.
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Old January 29, 2013, 07:36 PM   #46
texgunner
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I would prefer a revolver. Either my Ruger Single-Six or my 4" S&W 617 would be sufficient..
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Old January 29, 2013, 10:08 PM   #47
Win73
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Quote:
If you carry a .22 on hikes, do you prefer a revolver or semiauto and why?
Here is my choice for a .22 to carry on hikes. On a long hike, weight is a definite consideration. If I remember correctly, its specs are 9.9 ounces empty. It is a S&W Model 317 Airlite. It is eight shot and has a three inch barrel and adjustable sights. (You would be surprised at how much more shootable that extra inch of barrel makes it.) When I am just walking the woods, riding my 4 wheeler, or working around, I wear it in a nylon holster on my hip. It is so light I can't even feel it there. It never gets in the way of anything I am doing. I have a Ruger Single Six convertible also. It is a very good gun, but the S&W is so handy that I have removed the LR cylinder from the Ruger and just use the magnum cylinder in it.

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Old January 29, 2013, 10:43 PM   #48
Virginia58
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Other than purely a decision made based on weight, I wouldn't carry a .22 in the woods. I'm not worried about snakes, rabbits or squirrels. When I am in the woods hiking there is the very occasional bear or cat, but the two-legged troublemaker is what I worry about the most.

Prefer packing a revolver, mostly a stainless Ruger GP-100 4" barrel, but sometimes take an XD45.
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Old January 30, 2013, 08:57 PM   #49
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I would carry my regular carry gun. But of late, I have been carrying a Ruger LCR-22 and really like the little bugger. It just depends on why you want to carry a 22 hiking...?

I carry a 22 for the fun of it and seldom think in terms of "killing a squirrel" to eat. But if actual "hunting" is a consideration, I would choose one that has a 4" barrel or longer in general although I think the 3" S&W M63 is a great little and practical hiking gun for many purposes.
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Old January 30, 2013, 10:16 PM   #50
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First practice with you pistol of choice often. I have a very nice 22LR S&W kit revolver that I cannot hit a barn with. I have tried many different makes of 22 rimfire bullets with no luck. I had such High Hopes for it. I also have had two Ruger Mark I and one Ruger Mark II bull barrel semiautomatic pistols. All three were very accurate. I have used a rifle but to increase the fun I switch to the Ruger Mark I & II pistols. It was not uncommon to bring home the limit of squirrels. Oh, I did clean them, cooked and ate them. Where I live I have no neighbors which is very nice if you like to shoot alot. I do that where ever I wish. I have been known to pop rocks in the driveway to hone my skill of making accurate shots. The point is that if you take a pistol that is not accurate then find one that is then practice with it and you will enjoy it even more.

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