Air rifles as survival weapons

[VN Vet]

I would say an air rifle would do in a pinch if it packs enough kick and your shot placement is perfect.

Scrambled Brains with Bacon and onions on toasted rye bread anyone?

Cow brains cooked up and served this way is Goooooooood!

 

[Richard]

I used to be addicted to squirrel brains mixed in my scrambled eggs, however concerns over reported CJD in the local tree rat population cured me of it.

 

[Blue River Guns]

Just had another thought on the subject. I wouldn't want to leave without a couple .22's. They would be on the top of my list. If you shoot CB cap longs...they are pretty quiet out of a rifle. But taking small game can be done with .22 Super Colibri's made by Aguila, 20grain bullet going about 500f.p.s.
I shoot those quite a bit, about as silent as you can get. They say for pistol only but I have never had a problem shooting them out of my rifles. They use only the primer to shoot. Try them sometime.

Good to know thanks!

 

[Jed]

I have a Glock frame training pistol for a .357 that shoots .6mm "BB's"... I have the recharge kit that can use propane {instead of "green gas"}... although it does need a drop of silicone oil per clip {one can of silicone oil lasts hundreds of clips}... the laser sight means a direct hit at under 100 yards... and its far more quiet than a .22 using subsonic rounds {not to mention it holds 21 shots per clip}.
For small game hunting in a small package it would be very difficult to beat...
The refill kit for refueling 16.9 ounce "disposables" from 20lbs tanks is also valuable in this situation.
Smookingman "Now moms mason jars....and the little sisters blow up pool,those are stories for another time lol."... You promised not to tell ....lol....who cares if we had to give up our "hard plastic pool WITH a SLIDE" it was well worth it seeing water squirt out holes we shot into her pool all day she cried only for a minuet... we had fun all day... and still got to use our better pool....EVENTUALLY!!!

 

[JBob77]

I have been thinking about getting one of the better ones, just to plink around with and hunt small game. I think Crosman makes a couple break action spring loaded rifles for under $150. They shoot much faster than my old 760 pumpmaster, and if they are of the same quality as that old 760, (it worked well for at least 15 years), I would definitely think that they could be useful in a SHTF scenario. Also, the ammo for them seems to be MUCH easire to find in quantity than even 22lr. And lets all face it, if the ammo situation is scarce now, It could become a commodity in a bad scenario. Also, I read a gun writer call 22LR ammo "ballistic wampum", so if you can find a way to conserve as much of what you have on hand for that purpose, an air rifle could be a nice supplement!!

 

[2cool9031]

One more note.....I believe Lewis and Clark took an air rifle on there expedition. The caliber and make are a little sketchy.

 

[Richard]

From: VMI Museum--Air Rifle


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[/FONT]The Lewis and Clark
Air Rifle
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]...we showed them many curiosities and the air gun which they were much astonished at.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]William Clark, August, 1804 [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]


Clock and gun maker Isaiah Lukens of Philadelphia, PA, provided Meriwether Lewis and William Clark one of his air rifles for their 1803-1806 expedition to explore the northwest. Unlike most rifles which used black powder, the air rifle used compressed air to shoot its .31 cal. bullet. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Unlike black powder rifles, an air rifle made little noise when fired. It did not make smoke and had very slight "kick." And, you didn't have to "keep your powder dry!"
[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The butt of the rifle is actually a metal canister designed with a needle valve to hold compressed air. The air was stored under pressure --between700 and 900 pounds per square inch! (A modern car tire carries a pressure of 35 pounds per square inch.) When the trigger is pulled, just the right amount of air is carried from the butt to the bullet chamber and the round leaves the barrel with a whish.
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This is an air rifle butt reservoir screwed to the pump used to compress the air. The auger end (to the right) could be screwed into a tree. A few hundred strokes on the pump and you were ready to go hunting.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Although the rifle was used in hunting, its main purpose was to impress the Native Americans Lewis and Clark would meet. Upon returning home Lewis and Clark presented the history making air rifle back to Isaiah Lukens.

For much more on the Lewis airgun, click here.
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[SavageEagle]

I have been thinking about getting one of the better ones, just to plink around with and hunt small game. I think Crosman makes a couple break action spring loaded rifles for under $150. They shoot much faster than my old 760 pumpmaster, and if they are of the same quality as that old 760, (it worked well for at least 15 years), I would definitely think that they could be useful in a SHTF scenario. Also, the ammo for them seems to be MUCH easire to find in quantity than even 22lr. And lets all face it, if the ammo situation is scarce now, It could become a commodity in a bad scenario. Also, I read a gun writer call 22LR ammo "ballistic wampum", so if you can find a way to conserve as much of what you have on hand for that purpose, an air rifle could be a nice supplement!!

I had a 760 for about 17 years. It finally started falling apart from the much abuse I put it through as a teenager. It's now sitting in a box in two different pieces if anyone wants it for parts.

I bought another 760 brand new with the 5-shot Pellet loader. I like the old style better. It will still pick off cats that just happen to wonder onto my street. I can pick em off from about 75yrds and send em draggin ass down the road!

I also have an older Daisy 1894 Air Rifle. Looks like the Marlin 1894 lever guns. It's not very powerful and it's starting to rust, but it's a blast to shoot!

 

[Militarypol21]

I just got ahold of a Daisy Powerline 1000 and its possibly the best AirRifle I've ever shot. Killed 4 rabbits yesterday that were eating up the garden at about 25 yards... has dead on accuracy, although it's pretty loud.