What is the BEST Farm or Camp Gun?

[Adam Helmer]

I have been retired to my 60-acre farm for 20 years here in Northcentral Pennsylvania, I have some opinions. I live in a very rural area and happily have bears, deer, turkey and all other critters for neighbors. I carry various handguns on the tractor, when working in the gardens, etc., but my constant carry arms in my Polaris Ranger are a Savage .22 Magnum over 20 gauge and an SKS.

The SKS is a fine arm. Happily, I bought five NEW SKS arms in the early 1990s for $85 each with chest pouch, sling, cleaning kit and stuff. I reload for the SKS and the Lyman #311410 cast plain base bullet is "Ball Substitute" with IMR4198 powder. That load reliably cycles the SKS and the coyotes like it, too.

The Savage .22M over 20 gauge is my favorite. Whenever I see vermin up in the trees, I use the 20 gauge with shot loads to dispatch critters without a worry about a solid projectile. My other necessity is loyal hound in the cab of the Polaris as we patrol about.

Technically, a semi-auto rifle is not legal for hunting in PA. The SKS is the best coyote "medicine" I ever saw. I tell the coyotes it is a bolt gun. Country Matters.... The PA Game Commission allows semi-auto shotguns afield, but NOT semi-auto rifles or pistols. Whatever.....

Adam

[Rapier]

Adam, I have three different guns I actually carry on the farm. I have a Bad Boy Buggy floor mount, stock holder, mounted on the right fender of my Kubota with am upright forearm clamp with a valcro strap mounted to the right upright of the roll over device, under the canopy cover. I stick the Mini-14 or an AR carbine in that up right rack. I have the same setup on the 48 V electric Clays Cart, beside my left foot. Then if I am into a slow roll around, I put my hip holster on and carry the Browning Buckmark 5 inch target bull barrel with a 2 MOA Gilmore Red Dot. That little 22 is deadly on turtles, snakes and such. I have a second barrel for it that I am going to thread to a 1/2 x 28 for a can that I have already made with a Form 1 build.

But I could use a nasty funky old shotgun to carry around as the crows are just a constant pest. They constantly aggravate the turkeys, squirrels and quail.
Ed

[gd357]

Damn shame you're not allowed to "hunt" with semi-autos... Apparently the stupidity of the gov't has no bounds... As if we hadn't figured that out already. The O/U savage is a darn good gun, but I'd lean toward a 760/742/7600 pump gun. maybe 25-06, .260, .242ish....

[GoodOlBoy]

old H&R Single Shot 20 always worked for me. Had to beat something that works. I've carried pistols more than a time or two as well since I can stuff it in a holster and pretty much ignore it until I need it. But I would rather have a long gun than a pistol if push came to shove. Then again I would rather have anything than nothing :p

God Bless, and One Love.

GoodOlBoy

[Adam Helmer]

GOB,

Thanks for the reflective thinking about a single barrel 20 gauge gun. About 10 years ago I got a single barrel 20 gauge shotgun in Excellent condition at a yard sale for $20. I have shot it and like it very much. My first hunting gun in 1958 was a 16 gauge M37 Winchester single barrel. The 20 gauge I have says on the receiver, "Iver Johnson Bicycle and Firearms Works."

Adam

[GoodOlBoy]

Now that's a fine old firearm!

God Bless, and One Love!

GoodOlBoy

[wrenchman]

levar action or a pump both wont cost alot and are good work horse guns

[8X56MS]

I suppose the answer to the question is always dependent on where you live, and what you feel the need to do about what. :)
Here, on the fringes of town, I get by just fine with an old Remington 521t, and a 4X scope. The .22 LR is medicine enough for squirrels, feral cats and such.

[Adam Helmer]

Governor Wolf just signed into law a bill allowing semi-auto rifles and pistols for hunting in Pennsylvania. The Game Commission will come up with the regulations for semi-auto use in the various hunting seasons. PA became the 49th state to allow semi-autos per the newspaper.

Adam

[Rapier]

Well, welcome to the party in PA. Course do not imagine you have the blight of wild hogs like we do, but truth is, between the hogs and yotes there lies the reason for me to carry an AR or an accurized Mini on the farm. By the way, in case of a wonder why, we have small dear and the wife does not like venison to eat or to cook so there is no reason for me to shoot them. However a 223 works great on them as they are about the size of a long legged Shepard dog, about 90 pounds average.
Ed

[skeet]

Personally I like semi autos... partial to lemonhundreds but I have Manelli and Beretta. But I think a good 870 or maybe even a Mossberg pump makes the most sense for farm/ranch use. They will shoot any ammo and are good for almost all game... and varmints too... even two legged varmints. Even there my preference for a pump would be a Win M-12. Either 12 or 20 ga would be fine