Best general purpose farm gun?

You know the ATF frowns very much on converting a firearm to full-auto. Ususally requires screening and a $300.00/year license - if I remember correctly.
No use giving the feds another reason to keep their eye on you.

Pam,

Look on this as a great adventure and rewarding experience. Because it will be, if you expect it to be so.

Get some exposure to guns and gun owners and you'll likely make some new friends. Enjoy the journey!

Good Luck and let us know how you fare.

Share the Love,

Diamondtim

p.s. Celebrate Diversity - Shoot lots of guns!

Right. No question.

As much as possible. Also as source of information to point you towards opportunities to do so.
Good. Lot of people overlook this. It can make the difference between "just automatic" point'n'shoot "natural shot"; and painstaking "aim, correct, hold, breathe in, let out two thirds of it, check your aim, squeeze off the shot". I'm in the latter camp myself, and you've got to learn it, but you're starting from the ground up. If you can spend only 20% extra (or two weeks looking) to move yourself into the first category then it's the bargain of a lifetime.
Can't help you here. I'm not in a place where handguns are an easy option, and while it sticks in a lot of people's craws that is part of the reason why they're not necessary here. I'm also in a nation which doesn't need firearms on your hip for instant defense against predators. I think you're in a state where the same applies, unless we're talking human predators - your call. You're somewhere else, handguns are ubiquitous (including in the hands of bad people), your Constitution guarantees that, from where you're at that shouldn't change, and I'd sure think differently and own handguns (one or more) if I lived there.

VERY good point, and you're the first one who's mentioned it. There may well be laws - there are many places - which make it illegal to discharge a firearm within a certain distnce of a public road, or public land. Doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, but it's always helpful to know if you're breaking the law.

Untrue.

You can kill anything up to and including an elephant with a .22 rimfire. However, it DOES take VERY careful shot placement (if you mean to do it) or medium bad luck (if it's your neighbour's 2-year-old daughter and she didn't need killing).

There've been a lot of feral dogs and coyotes killed with .22 rimfire. However, for sure there are more effective rounds. They aren't even ideal for feral cats.

The .223 is a great varmint round out to extreme distances (provided you make sure you know where it's going after it hits (or misses). It just isn't any sort of military round. It CAN kill people. It mostly DOES kill people - eventually. It just can't be counted on to kill an adversary who's hyped up on adrenaline before they're killed you back. And this is a standard military round. What were they THINKING of?

On that subject, any of the 3/10" (.3) military rounds are VERY useful killers out to extreme ranges. .308 (7.62x52mm NATO) is a recent military round. 30/06 is even just better. So is .303 British or 7.62x54 R (Russian). So is 8mm (nominally .32, but I think the same calibre as the .303 British (there is a difference between breadth overall, including into the rifling, and breadth of the barrel not including the rifling)). One of the best is 7.5mm Swiss because of the rifles they used. It used to be a rare round, but they're making it (ammo) commercially now, and the rifle is very easy to use 'scope sights on.

The 30-30 or the 7.62x39mm are good rounds, lower-powered than the military rounds mentioned above, each limited to or to be counted on up to about 200 yards/metres, for different reasons. Bigger, slower than the .223 - more likely to knock a target down, but less range. They'll kill much further than that if you're lucky/unlucky depending on what under which conditions.

Best way ta be

__________________
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.

I use to have a savage .22/20 I really miss that gun. Don't know what ever became of it..

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"Let the beauty we love, be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground." Rumi

ive found one doesnt fit the need of life.

you need different ones for different things.

on your rack you should have;
2 12 ga shotguns, one standard smoothbore with a relitivly long barrel for range, and one rifled slug barrel, because at realistic hunting ranges with open sights, you cant beat a 12 ga slug to kill about anything you aim at.
you need a 22, a rifle is good, but ive found most every time I need it, the 22 single six revolver is better by far. a little practice its good for 50 foot shots dead on and a lot easier to whack that occasiona sick animal.

if you hunt bigger game, you can choose any rifle that fits you, I am partial to old military surplus mausers, in 8mm. heavy yes but that weight gives you a steady aim and almost no recoil, and an 8mm round is a good cheap and very effective round.

if you dont wanna fill a gun rack, find a nice russian SKS, they run about 250-300 bucks, the ammo is @ 100 bucks for a 1000 round case, they are light and easy to shoot with little recoil, easy to clean and indestructble. not to mention the 762x39 round will kill anything of you hit it enough times.... you have 10 shots in the mag, if you cant kill it with 1 to 5 you better run anway.
oh and they have a nifty batonette, which is esy to take off.

or, if single shot is enough, rossi makes a nifty combo set rifle, you can get it in any number of combinations, 22/410, 12ga/.223, 12 ga/3006, ect. you gat a shotgun barrel and a rifle barrel, they make them up to 308 win. which is a great rifle for big stuff like elk. rossi has a website http://www.rossiusa.com/products/pro...tchedpairs.cfm for a budget, about 250$ will get you a nice set of calibres to suit your need.

The gun I use the most is the grease gun. I've got one of those battery-operated jobs, but I prefer the old hand pump gun with the flexible tube.

thats pretty slick...

Yes this is true and I don't advocate that anyone convert a weapon without jumping through the requisite hoops

OH my could it be a firearm thread without blu3duk sticklin in his 2 sense [cents?] worth.

Common sense tells us that in civilized areas and populated areas there are no dangerous animals right.... ok beieve it or not but in some large populated areas big dangerous animals do thrive.... in '99 i was in Chico California and ran across a government game officer who had the opportunity to kill a cougar out of the one mile by 5 mile Bidwell park in the middle of town populated by about 50,000 folks give or take at any given time [the town not the park] Oficially he killed one cougar which had been seen and had been eating fifi and muffy and spiffy [dogs and cats of civilized folks] unofficially he killed 5 big full grown mountain lion out of that small park area and they had been there for more than a short while... never underestimate the predatory animal, if indiginous to your area of operations figger you will be seeing it one day [however in the case of a big cat more than likely you will only hear it].

Don is correct in saying that ESP is what terminates the target.... Exact Shot Placement. I personally believe in gun control, control the gun so that you maintain ESP it just cannot get simplier than that. My own predatory problems come from red fox during the night, owls during the twilight, and hawks during the day... the yodel dogs [coyotes] just dont seem to come around close to the house.... we did have a bear decide the hotwore fence wasnt a thing to play with a couple months ago.... and the deer... well the prey upon the garden and may just trip and fall into the freezer one of these next few days... archery season is upon us....

Fit is everything in a firearm, if it is to big for your hand the pistol you grab will always have a hard time hitting your tqrget and never fel just right when shootin.... i changed my wood grips on an old Smith and Wesson 357 to a hogue grip [now standard on their top end firearms] and found a marked improvment in handling even for my large hand. A shotgun needs to fit tight and right, and proper stance is important or a shotgun will knock a person down with the kick... lean into it. also important in a rifle is fit, and each style of rifle action has its charactoristics that make it more critical for some people. My old 30-30 has a tight barrel and it kicks hard, others dont, the straight stock on it makes it deliver its shock more agressive than that of some modernized pistol grip stocks would... machinery is fickle that way and firearms should be thought of as machines or tools no different than that of any other tools we use daily..... fit, function, durability.... cheap isnt always good.

quite a few ranchers/ farmers around use the 22-250 for varmiteering, and it also does really well on deer... and can be hand loaded to a variety of bullet weights and powder charges to imitate other 22 loads.... experience in reloading makes firearm ownership complete... loading to each firearms potential is a science.... balistics are an excellent form of education in mathmatics. It is also a form of therapy.

My dad likes a smaller pistol frame and favors the 32 magnum in a Ruger, and while nota common round in places it was widely used a few years back. Now with CASS and SASS the 357, 45 long colt and 44 rimfire are picking back up in wheel guns [revolvers]

Most firearm shops will let you handle a firearm, and although most will not let you shoot one, they all know someone who has one of those and might be inclined to introduce you to using it on a target before you decide to buy and not like.....

sorry fer the long winded post.... I personally believe a person should have at least a dozen different flavors of firearms.... not counting Blackpowder rifles, pistols and cannons.

William

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Upon the plains of hesitation bleach the bones of countless millions, who when on the dawn of victory paused to rest, and there resting died.
- John Dretschmer

Sorry but red devil is way off base when saying the 22LR is usless for anything bigger than a cat. Not true.
Any critter that keeps coming at you as your puting 22's into it just doesn't realize that "its" final countdown has started...

Ok, the countdown for big critters will be longer yes, but to say that it will not kill is not true.

NObody here will tell you to stand and pump 22's into a bear.........................lol

typical internet armchair warrior bs.

show me a person that'll stand downrange of my shotgun at 30 yards, or a .22lr at longer ranges.

I'll show you the next recipient of the darwin awards.

I like your plan.

Know yourself.
Know your weapon.
Know your target.
Know what's beyond your target.

I have to agree with 22s. A great place to start. "A BB that hits the target is more effective than a cannon ball that misses."

Best wishes in whatever you decide.

2 horses: Here's two sites for more information on guns. Most of what has been said here is true, but as you can see, there are opinions.

Gunbroker.com Great for buying and reselling if the gun doesn't suit you. I've bought and sold here. Better than buying a new gun and finding out it's just not right. Most sellers let you fire about 7 rounds, then ship it back if it doesn't suit you. I've found sellers here to be honest, and you can always ask them questons.This site also has great forums for more information.

Auction Arms.com In my opinion, Gunbroker is better, but it's always good to compare. I've sold handguns here.

When you buy through a site on-line, most states have you ship to a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL). You can pick it up at her/his shop. Cost is usually about $30.00 as the FFL has to send his/her license, before it can be shipped. Just paperwork for instant check.

When you take a course, your instructor will help you get something that fits. Yea, just like a great pair of jeans. It's gotta' be right. I found due to my age and neck/shoulder muscles, I have a hard time with long guns.

First guns should have cheap ammo!! You'll use enough of it to learn to shoot. then work your way up. Tractor up a great dirt pile to catch bullets, then go for it. If, in your state, you're far enough away from people.

Learn your state's gun laws, before you do anything!

Some of the newer handguns are being ported - so your arm doesn't flinch when you shoot.

Never, never aim at a person unless you are willing to use your gun. Can you do that?

I own a lot of guns & I've never been able to figure out which one is the best untill I have it in my hand.

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Freedom isn't Free

For a pistol, my favorite is my Ruger MKII .22. Killed just about everything with it, including squirrels. Rabbits are a breeze.

For a semi-automatic rifle, the 10-22 wins hands down. Almost no maintenence.

I'd recommend a single shot though. Teaches shot placement, and is darned near indestructable if used with a little maintenence and common sense.

A better choice in the long run though would be a Thompson Center .22 with another 20 ga. barrel and foreend. I have a .280 Encore and absolutely love it, but they don't make a rimfire barrel for it, so you'd have to get the Contender carbine version. Pricey though.

My favorite kick around, boat, camping, truck, pest, backpack, light hunting, trail gun is my New England Arms(H&R) single shot. The smallest version before you get to the youth models. I think it has a 22" barrel and short stock. I but a recoil pad on it, buttstock shell holder, and just for kicks, put a fiberoptic bead on the barrel. Wow! She is sweet, and is still short enough to turn around in the cab of my truck. Would make a great saddle gun, and only cost me $85.00 brand new at Walmart, BUT DON'T GET THIS ONE, because if you get the shotgun, you can't interchange rifle barrels for it, BUT, if you get the rifle version first(they call it the Handi-rifle, but this might not be the way they spell it) then you can get shotgun barrels all day long for about $40.00 or so. I'd recommend .22lr for the rifle, and 20 ga. for the shotgun. You can get them in either wood or composite furniture.

yeah if ya'll wanna get into brands, i'd suggest a $90 chipmunk from walmart. It's made for kids, but this is one awesome, compact rifle. Single shot teaches you that in the real world you generally only get 1 anyway, so *make it count!!*

10/22 with a 50 round mag is fun and all, and i have a ss/syn proped up behind my door, but if you try to learn accuracy on a 20-50 round magazine you usually start using the law of averages once you send all that lead downrange.

Also this is a big deal for another reason, once you go thru those 5-10k rounds and consider yourself something other than a novice at shooting you may be considering a larger loading, maybe a 308. 308 is a beautiful, elegant round and offers everything from cheap surplus ammo to rounds that cost over a dollar each.

I dunno about anyone else but if my $1 round misses I'm gonna be irate.


Every single shot counts

...that I could have made my post much MUCH longer to account for people with full-choke shotguns with ghost ring sights, incredible amounts of training, etc. Or... perhaps those the can shoot a .22LR into a turkey's eye at 150 yds. Since those people are few and far between, I thought I'd give advice that almost anyone could use.

Pumping .22LRs into something in the hopes that it will become discouraged, bleed to death, or die from sheer boredom is not good advice for your part-time gun user. Much better advice is to use the right weapon for the job, and not to interject "hope" into the equation. If all you get is one shot, make sure that shot is placed well - indeed... but also make sure that the ONE hit you get imparts shock and awe, and makes a large wound channel.

The posters that state things along the lines of "what fits you" and "the gun you'll carry or use" are exactly right. Choose what works for you. Practicing with many different kinds in also great advice.

R

P.S. I'm a big boy, and the "armchair warrior" comment went right past. Remember that opinions vary, and that a person may not share everything in one short post. Go easy on folks. I am a certified gunsmith, handle weapons daily, and shoot almost everything under the sun with regularity.

My "Farm Gun"

nice m-44, that is something no one touched on, deffinately a rival to the .22 in terms of cost of rifle and ammo.

however the kick, i'd never try to get someone to learn on something that kicked like a shotgun hehe.

i firmly believe in learning to shoot on a gun that does not kick. Do you blink your eyes when the trigger breaks? I didn't learn on a .22 and it took SO long to cure myself of that horrible habit.

I tought my brother to shoot on a .22 and then later my sister and neither of them learned to flinch in anticipation of the next round.

thats why for a first gun, even if it is a "general purpose farm gun" there really is only one choice. many choices may follow after but that first one is crucial. don't learn bad habits that take thousands of rounds to fix.

this is such a problem many people advise loading snap caps into magazines at random intervals and then mixing the mags up so that they can help overcome flinching.

just do it right from the beginning.

That's a nice armchair in the picture.. big, but nice

No homestead should be without a good shotgun. If you are sleepy, or don't have your glasses on there is no aiming involved. Just point and shoot. Just be sure you know what you are shooting at! As an added bonus, in case you DON'T know what you are shooting at, a law enforcement fellow I used to know told me that it if you wanted to shoot a person, always use a shotgun because there is no bullet to trace. And I think he was only half joking when he said it!

Anyway, a .22 is good if you are a good shot or at close range. But I challenge ANYBODY on this board to hit a two foot long copperhead that is more than 6 feet away with one. Can't be done unless you are Annie Oakley.

donsgal