Best general purpose farm gun?

Paranoid has it right -- learn first to shoot -- the lessons apply to any gun after! But for snakes? a good sharp hoe works fine! Coyotes? Live and let live the first year -- or use the 22. Idiot neighbors? A broom at close range! 22 rifle first, match with a 22 pistol second -- ammo cheap!

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don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority."
- George W. Bush

IMHO .....

For your first gun get something the will reach (and kill) to every corner of that 14 acres.... 22-250, 30-06, 30-30, ......308 is cheap to shoot but might be an awful big bang for a newbie .....search for an HK G3 (semi auto)... or a remington 700 (it will let the neighbors know your serious) ...... a 9mm pistol is nice and cheap to shoot .... search for a Browning High Power (it's nice to carry a pistol, a rifle is always getting in the way and they get heavy after awhile)

A Jp Sauer Drilling would be perfect ...... but it cost as much as the fence

the coyotes will always be just a little further than you can shoot...so get something that will cover the farm.

Just like the fence .... cover the perimeter first .....

Pam
Get a Ruger 10-22. It's a .22 rifle, with a shorter stock than a normal rifle or shotgun. A .22 bullet will solve all of your small varmint problems, up to and including coyotes, if they're close enough. A vast array of add ons are available, from stocks to barrels, and everything in between, to truly customize the gun to your taste.

BONUS....
If you buy one and don't like it, PM me, I'll buy it. Got one already, but can always use a backup.

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Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming

I'll go along with TerryJ and steve. I have a Savage over&under. 20 guage on bottom and 22 L.R. on top. I grew up with one glued to my hands. It will take care of small game as well as large game, also game birds and coyotes. You might shell out some bucks for one tho as they don't make them anymore.

www.gunsamerica.com

check this site out and look for Savage over and unders. They are just the right size for kids and women. My over and under barrel is only about 20 inches long with about 12 inches of gun stock. Making it a great gun for women and kids to use. I plan on passing my over and under to my children to use and then they can fight over it when I die.

Trouble with snakes is they allways appear when you do not have that rock or hoe in your hands.

If you've gotten Real nervous apond engaging a copperhead, then that 20ga is Far easier to put an end to your nervousness.

DW's absolute favorite gun now is a tiny Rossi single shot 410 shotgun that also has a 22LR barrel and a carrying case. She kept the birds far from the garden this summer, shot the one gopher who tried to set up shop, and hunts jackrabbits with both barrels. It weighs maybe 3 pounds. And it costs $139, retail.

Until you have some experience, you won't do good or enjoy shooting a 30-06 or any other similar rifle. And a medium to large caliber handgun is also a waste of time. You can and will learn how, but start out with a 22LR rifle and/or pistol to learn the basics. If you have coyotes that are a problem, get a rabbit whistle and a squeaker and call them up close to shoot them.

I love threads like this. Such diversification of choices. 2Horses I bought my daughter a Rossi .410/22LR interchangeable barrel combo as her first gun. Being a single shot it teaches you to aim and hit your target. Being able to change out the barrel in about 45 seconds gives you a choice of a 22 rifle or a .410 shot gun.

It's lightweight. add a simple sling and it carries easy. Put a rifle bullet holder on the stock and when in .410 mode you have 9 extra shells waiting to be used. I mix my DD with express .410 shot shells, slugs, and 00 buck a little something for most that shes likely to run into.

A 10/22 is an excellet choice if you need a slightly smaller rifle. Get a couple extra 10 round magazines and a 30 round magazine and your ready to have some fun. $50 will get you 2750 rounds of Remington 22LR at Wal-Mart. Mine prefered CCI MInimags till it got broken in then it eats all the 22LR fodder I care to give it. Ruger 10/22 Rifle will run around $150-$219 for plain jane depending on where you live.

If you went with my first choice Rossi combo then a 10/22 in 22 magnum might be a good second choice for coyotes.

If your like me One gun will never be enough. Just remember this. If you find one you like, can hit with and is 99% reliable. NEVER SELL IT!!!! You'll miss it for years to come.


Kenneth in NC

Like everyone said, a .22 is good. So is a Remington 870 express 12 gauge, especially if you get the extra barrel, rifled, it's much better than using rifled slugs. I've used that to hunt deer in places where rifles aren't allowed.

Pam, I have a non-descript, second-hand 22LR which I bought at a used-gun shop years ago. Can't remember what brand it is. It works like a charm on anything that I've been getting on my little place here over the last 9 years, ammunition is dirt cheap (so you can practice 'til you fall off the stump), and with the optional scope, it's just fine for hunting too (if you practiced until you fell of the stump). It's relatively light-weight and easy to carry "out of the way" with a sling.

I also have a 20-gauge shotgun (same deal, used gun shop, cheap) which works fine, but is too loud and too heavy for my taste. The good thing about a shotgun, IMO, is that it's safer than a rifle. Meaning, if a bullet goes astray while you fall into a ditch, it might bop into your neighbor in his outhouse. A shotgun doesn't go that far, and the shot spreads out. I use the shotgun if I have to shoot something at night, in the dark, where I'm a few percent less sure just how high the bullet-catcher dirt behind my fence is.

Handguns, I don't know. I find them harder to be accurate with, but maybe that's just me. I'd probably miss a skunk from 10 feet away, with the handgun.

As for practicing, I'd say that once you can consistently hit .22 shell casings on stumps 150 feet away, uphill and downhill and level and across water, you're fit to carry a gun. Less than that, I'd get nervous around ya, LOL! Oh, and find out about the local laws... in some places, it's illegal to shoot a gun after dark, or within a certain distance of occupied buildings, or along or across a road, or from a vehicle (this includes boats), etc. etc. You have to at least KNOW what the law is

So 2 horses have you made a choice?

What do you feel most comfortable with? You said you have shot a Glock handgun, but do you have other firearms experience? This isn't to make fun of you, but to ask you seriously what kind of experience you have so that we can give you the right advice.

How much shooting do you think you will be doing? How many shots do you think you will need to fire per incident? How far do you figure you will be shooting at distance? Will you depend on this firearm for home defense or night time "bump in the night" events? Also, what kind of budget are you working with on this firearm purchase? Also, are you left or right handed?

What I would suggest will depend upon the answers to these questions.

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Those who refuse to respect the natural rights of the individual and uphold their oath to protect and defend the Constitution deserve the punishment they receive.

Go to the "Freedom! Self Reliance" forum, scan the posts and run searches. Setting aside the tinfoil hat element, that forum has defaulted to be the firearm expertise forum. There's a lot of well-meaning, well-experienced people there who are happy to help newcomers make decisions about firearms that make the newcomers happy. Me included, but many MANY people who are better-experienced than I am.

Lot of people on this thread have given you good advise though. Shotgun and .22 rimfire are all most non-hunting people will ever need. Learn the basics first - find a course you can take which will let you get hands-on experience, then make your purchase.

Shotgun is most versatile - just! 12 gauge if possible - best and cheapest ammo availability. Failing that (only if the recoil is too heavy for you to handle) then 20 gauge. .410 calibre shotgun (different terminology) is too light to be a general-purpose firearm, although it's a useful special-purpose light shotgun.

.22 rimfire is almost as versatile, and in a sense more useful because it has longer range and is so much cheaper to use. If your property is a simple rectangle 14 chains (1chain=22yards) by 10 chains then a .22 rimfire is almost within range of the lot - a little walking from the centre will make it possible. That's all you need for vermin control.

That's all you really need for vermin and predator control. However, you can get better coverage if you have a centre-fire rifle and a pistol. One possibility would be a .357 Magnum pistol and a .357 Magnum lever-action rifle - shared ammunition, possibly including lower-powered .38 Special. Not the power of the 30-30, although good enough. Note that whoever spoke about danger of shooting outside your boundaries was correct. Shotgun=safest. .22 rimfire is safer than other rifles, but the bullet can stilll travel just over one mile. Other centre-fire rifles might travel further. A .223 rifle would do just fine, but if the bullet travelled too far, very dangerous. 7.62x39mm is also a good answer, but can over-travel.`

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ô¿ô Don Armstrong,Terra Australis

Grandad, tell us a story about the olden days, when you were young and men could walk on the moon.

lol you get a zillion different answers when you ask this question. I'll add my two cents.

First get some training. A hunter's safety course or contact the NRA and they can direct you to a course or an instructor.


As for guns I would get a nice little .22 rifle to start out with. Ruger makes the model 10/22 which is a dandy and inexpensive farm tool.

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firear...famid&famid=39

It comes with 10 round magazines but you can get aftermarket magazines that hold 50. Very handy for long plinking and target practice sessions. They come in all sorts of prices and configurations. If you're on a budget get the base model or if you want a little more durability get a stainless steel one with a synthetic stock. My last Ruger 10/22 was a stainless steel version which has a laminated stock. I think I paid a whole 119 bucks for it. Once you get comfortable with the .22 and want something heavier such as a shotgun I recommend the Mossberg model 590.

http://www.mossberg.com/pcatalog/Specpurp.htm

The #50665 is more or less the military model of the 590. It is a rugged weapon that I find superior to the Remington 870 (which is a great gun-I own 2 of them). The Mossberg has the safety mounted on the top of the receiver. I find this to be superior to the trigger guard mounted safety. They also have a different design which makes them easier to clear jamming than the Remington. I like to hunt with my 870 but for defensive use I reach for my 590. Not as smooth or elegant but more reliable and it will still put food on the table when necessary.

Once you've mastered those two weapons and feel the need for a handgun there is a simply huge selection. My advice there is to not buy cheap weapons. Stick with names like Sig-Sauer, Smith&Wesson, Glock, Colt, Heckler and Koch, Kimber, Para Ordnance etc. This is where you need to shoot as many examples from as many different calibers as possible to see what fits you. Buying a handgun is a very personal decision. It has to fit and feel right. Not only that but it must function flawlessly and be rugged enough to take the many rounds of practice ammo you will shoot through it to maintain proficiency with it. You might want to start out with a .22 handgun before you move up to a full caliber round. Smith and Wesson makes a dandy little auto .22. A .22 revolver is a good bet too. I find a .22 pistol is an indispensable tool at the homestead.

As for larger rifles it is hard to go wrong with a good bolt action rifle. A Remington 700 or Winchester model 70 or one of the new Savage rifles with their wonderful new triggers would be hard to beat. Of course every gun owner ought to own at least one lever action rifle for old time sake. Not overlooking autoloaders there are all sorts of choices. The ubiquitous sks is about as rugged and inexpensive as it gets and some of the examples have pretty decent accuracy. for a few dollars more you can get a AK which shoots the same round but it a better gun and a better buy. Makes a dandy deer rifle. I filled my doe tags last year with my AK. Remington makes their model 7400 autoloaders which when topped with a 3x9 scope is an outstanding venison procurement system. Also any of these autoloaders would be quite decent self defense weapons. So would the bolt actions for that matter.

Make sure any gun you get fits you and practice practice practie. Also don't be intimidated. Women should be just as welcome in a good gun store as a man. I would also add that some of the better shots I have ran across were female. My fiancee (deceased) could easily out shoot me on the trap range and was better than me with a .22 pistol. I should have known better than to go to the range with her when I found her detail stripping my rifle because it wasn't up to her cleanliness standards. Of course neither was my bathroom, my house, my truck, my car....

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Respect The Cactus!

Get a Ruger mini 14 .223. It has many of the attributes of the .22; low recoil and relatively inexpensive to shoot and it also has the capability to reach out and touch someone or something at ranges beyond which the .22 is ineffective. And, if necessary, it can be made into a full-auto fire weapon.

Wow!! Thank you all so much for your input! You all had such great advice, and after reading everything, I think this will probably be my best course of action. Tell me if you agree, or see a flaw in my plan:

1. Sign up for a gun safety course. I had planned on doing that anyway, but in a nebulous sort of "eventually, after I get my gun and get settled," kinda way. Now I think it would be wise to do that first.

2. Use the course as an opportunity to shoot as many different guns as possible. One of the most important things I gleaned from all the replies is that the gun has to fit me - not necessarily something I had given a true cognizant thought to. Figured you just bought one and used it - end of story.

3. Based on number two, decide if a hand gun or long gun would be more suited to my purposes and liking. I doubt that I will ever need to carry anything with me while I'm working around here, but that too is not something I had thought of - I had just assumed I would keep one "up at the house" and go get it if needed. But that may not always work - I may find myself wishing I had it when the house is not so close by! Maybe I could send the dog for it? LOL!!

4. Then I'll be ready to buy my gun(s?). I will, however, in my trying out of those, keep in mind the specific ones suggested here! Next I'll check around my area to see if there are any restrictions against firearms, and based on that, practice practice practice! I want to be a good shot, and not pose any danger to my neighbors, or myself, for that matter!!

Thanks again everyone for your valuable input and advice - I'll keep you posted on my progress!

Pam <----- now has a definite course of action!

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My Dad always told me, "Honey, you can do anything you put your mind to." He was right.

Great advice thus far... let me give you my two cents.

.22LR is useless for any kind of protection. You can kill a cat with it, but nothing larger.

Shotgun will be almost completely ineffective past 30 yards (arguments about chokes, shot size and such aside)

If you want to kill very small things (pests) or birds, the choices above are excellent... stop reading here. (listen to the Ruger 10/22 and Rem 870 folks)

If you want to "protect" you and yours from anything larger at a decent range and still have a reasonably sized weapon, you need a scout carbine. The 30-30 lever action was good advice. Most scout carbines will make a bear think twice, will easily take a deer (or two-legged varmit) and still can reasonably shoot 200 yds with open sights or a low power scope.

For farm protection I carry a self-built M44 with a 1.5 power scope. It's lighter than most guns (7 lbs), fires a large cartridge (7.62x54R), and is very easy to carry and manuever without providing elephant-gun kick.

R

Your plan is a good plan. However I'll point out that your choice should not be a handgun OR a long gun, it may be appropriate to have both. They serve different purposes. A handgun is a close range weapon, an average practiced shooter can be reasonably accurate to maybe 25 yards. Handguns are hard to shoot accurately. But, they are much, much easier to carry on your person, and I'm sure there are many here that would argue like I would that a gun "up at the house" is useless. A gun needs to be always ready at hand.

Long guns are easier to shoot accurately at longer distances, and excepting a .22, are more powerful than any handgun you can reasonably handle. A 12-ga shotgun would be a fine overall choice for a homestead/farm gun. Versatile because of flexability in ammo, easy to operate, and recoil is tolerable with the right loads. But, don't let anyone tell you that you "don't have to aim" a shotgun, cause that's just plain not true. The pellets will spread out, but you still need to use the sights and aim, espicially if you are trying to stop an attack.

Well, a .22 is ok, but remember, that bullit will travel for about a mile. I'd go with a .410 shotgun for around the farm. That way you don't accidently shoot the neighbors, or hit any cars on the any of the Farmers Market roads that may be nearby. Hopefully you have lots of trees on your property.

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"I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me"

Philippians 4:13

I pick it up this weekend..... I won't be worried about running into snakes if I'm sitting up on it - just running over them!! LOL!

Ooh - is it safe to carry a gun on a tractor? I wouldn't think so.

Hmmm......

Pam <-------- is thinking scabbard on the fender? HA!!

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My Dad always told me, "Honey, you can do anything you put your mind to." He was right.

Answers:
Very little to slightly more than none in the firearms experience realm.

Hopefully, very little shooting! I'm not out in the wilderness, I'm on paved roads, and this area has been settled and used for farming for quite a while. So I figure that the truly "wild" life has moved on to less developed areas. But I have deer! Will not be shooting them, however...just love watching them come to the pond to drink at dusk. The dog doesn't chase them either - he's a very good boy.

Distance? I have no idea. My depth perception isn't all that great, and I don't trust my judgement at long distances, especially at night. So if I ever shot at anything, it probably would be closer rather than farther away.

At this time there is nothing that makes me think I would need the gun for home defense, but I would like it to be effective should the need arise. I'm not looking at getting one for that purpose specifically, though - mainly for livestock protection from four legged predators.

Budget is not an issue, although I don't want to spend thousands. I'll pay what it takes to get what I need.

And I am right handed.

Next?

Pam <------ thinks the deer are cool!!

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My Dad always told me, "Honey, you can do anything you put your mind to." He was right.