Townsend Whelen,who once spent several months in British Columbia expressed enthusiasm about using reduced loads (full jacket bullets of lightweight at around 1600 fps or so)in the same rifle meant for big game.This enables the user to do it all with the same rifle.

The downside is that the sights have to be readjusted when switching ammo and the reduced load is still louder than a 22 rf long rifle round.

This,of course,is only useful for a handloader but I'm assuming that most here are.

Whelen reported good success with this practice.He normally used the 30/06 and 270 win this way.I've never done it but I think the idea has merit.With two different batches of ammo,one can do everything.

I would only buy two guns, one in .338WM caliber, and the other in .22-caliber. The .22LR would be a kids rifle such as the Rissi "Combo" with a .416-gage barrel, and a .22-caliber for $149.00 or so. I would leave the .416 barrel at home, and take the .22-caliber one, with a couple of boxes of .22 Short and a few rounds of .22LR. I would use this gun to kill grouse, ptarmigan, and such with the .22Short.

The .338WM would have express sights (iron sights), as well as an open Red Dot sight mounted and sighted ahead of time. The ammo would be three boxes of Federal with 180-grain bullets for smaller game such as deer and caribou, and 3 boxes of Federal 225-grain TSX for larger game. That should be enough ammo for three years or longer

I got a Ruger 10-22 22 lr for $125 at a pawn shop in Ak and a 338 win mag stainless Ruger for $200 and a 20 ga sxs for $125 .I thought that was a bargin.That would be my 3 gun survival kit by the way.The 22 lr ammo is very cheap and cheap dove loads in 20 ga work good.I once bought 15 boxes of 338 win mag for $12.50 each in palmer Ak on sale about 4 years back.I reload also and can get cheap 7 mm rem mag brass that can be made into 338 win mag.I use my 22 for snow shoe hares and grouse.I shot 125 hares and at ever one the first year I went to Ak.They are yummy out of pastures and no limit.Porcupines and spruce grouse are survival food .You can kill them with rocks and sticks.I got a 52 pound porcupine with a big root.You can eat berries and the good mushrooms in the summer.Dont forget a fishing rod either you can catch tons of fish cheaply.I once had a helper who said he would help on my place as long as I kept him feed .We ate fish ,grouse,porcupine,snowshoe hares and caribou for about 6 months.I only eat wild meat any way.Lynx is awesome by the way.I have friends who live off of their trap lines in the winter coyotes,weasels ,ermine hares and lynx.It can be done for sure.Store bought meat aint good for you any way.Moose is the best meat in Alaska along with sheep and black bears.I have also eaten grizzleys that friends shot that they didnt want to eat.I had to pull out the 6 338 bullets in it to grind it into sauage.I just had a friend pass who lived off of the land in Alaska for 40 years.He was a tough dude.He also grew an awesome garden with no fertlizer or pesticides.He canned and smoked fish and moose and caribou.He lived without phone,eletric or gas for 95% of the time.He finally got torn up by cleaning buffalo for hunters and couldnt get his wood and got a big lp tank.He would give you the shirt off his back even though he hardly had any thing and was always happy.

Being left handed, the $500 bit is a challenge.

I am assumimg that reloading is out of the question?

Even my experience here in the 'civilised' UK, shows me uncommon rounds just are not easily available. So no 'uncommon' chamberings / rounds - goodbye my first centre firechoice, a 9.3x62 with 250 grain partitions. Flat shooting and capable of sending something big and nasty home to think again.

For hunting / defence, I would look at American rounds like the .30-06, .35 Whelan, .300 Win Mag and .338 Win Mag. I doubt the .35 Whelan is that common either, so drop that too.

So, I would try and find a left hand Zastava / Charles Daley, which I have a semi custom .30-06 built on, in .30-06 or .300Win Mag and load it ideally with 200 grain nosler partitions or similar.

This is probably too good to be true, so my next choice would be a Ruger 77 left hand, also a good rifle, in .30-06, .300 Win Mag again, or if they are available?, .338 Win Mag.

I would use 200 grain bullets again in the .30 calibres. For the .338 Mag, maybe 230 grain premiums or good old Nosler partitions, again, in 250 grains.

Scopes? I would go for fixed magnification scopes like the Nikon UC Monarch Gold 4x40 or 6x40 scopes. Or the top end Leupolds. You might find these already attached to the rifle and they have a good reputation for optical performance and ruggedness.

My meat / food gun would be a Brno 452 or Anschutz 1416, .22LR. Both Left handed of course and scoped as above. If an option, I might trade up to a .22 Winchester Rimfire Magnum, but is the ammo readily available, way out in the sticks. The rimfire would get me edible birds, hares etc.

I am not sure I would bother with a shotgun. The ammunition is bulky and heavy. I think I would prefer to use the extra 'cargo' for more .22lr 'ammo bricks' or centre fire ammunition.

I read the coverage of the film in the Times. from the review,it seems the lad had a few personal psychological problems he was running from. Sad, but he did meet, according to the film, those with knowledge / experience who tried to help him.

In my opinion, a much more interesting story could have been filmed about teh life of

Richard Okey Cook, who died a couple of years ago ?, at the age of 70, having survived 37 years living in the bush.

The article appeared sometime ago in the UK newspaper - "The Dily Telegraph". The author was Toby Harnden 'in Fairbanks,Alaska' and was titled:

"Rebel's 37 years of solitude ends in lonely death"

The article refers to a book by John McPhee "Coming into the Country", which is about, I think, Richard Cook.

When you actually have to live in the wild carrying more than one gun becomes problamatic. I would feel perfectly armed with a mini-14. Or most any light, mil-surp bolt rifle and a 22 Ruger pistol.

quote:

Originally posted by gumboot458:
........OK I read everyones posts and several are imo spot on ... Ray M said it best . ..Here,s my pick ......338 win mag Ruger m77 mk 2 .The reason why ,, Only rifles I,ve had that didn,t break down ..the load .. 225 gr Barnes fedral premium safari..... I,de say screw the 500 bucks and get a job to make the bucks for a 3x9 leupy or nikon scope ..an H&R 223 heavy barrel ,,possibly a Ruger M77mk 2 standard weight w,some 200 dollar scope ,the ability to accurately head shoot a goose or swan, to say nothing about fur bearers, Is MANDATORY.... and a wrist rocket sling shot .... I,m really suprised no one else mentioned one ....They really do work amazeingly well ..I,ve lived in the brush for several years in southeast and some in the Stony River country ...Life is more than just being a cave man ,so town supply is esential ...It is a romantic idea but most who cut themselves off like that kid did, at best get bent pretty bad and alot just join the list of people who dissapear up here. .....A great book about survival in the wilds is Handloggers ,the story about Handlogger Jackson.... Remember we are on foot so we can,t run down game with a snogo or skiff............................................................................................Here is a real question ...exactly which AX would any one pick ???...and what sharpening system ,, And the MOST IMPORTANT TOOL ...what knives ?????

I paid 289 for my 30-06 three weeks ago. Used push feed mod 70.

Something most have overlooked is the portability of 2 or 3 guns; it just is not practical to carry them all. So my choice would be a Thompson contender/encore with a 22 barrel and a 30-06 or 308 barrel, with iron sights.

.....Something alot of people are missing is ,,,just because [ in this scenario ] you arn,t hooked to clocks doesn,t mean time stands still ....I think it flys by quicker....Mayby I,m just so used to hunting and liveing in places with shifting winds....I would like to see all responders hit a goose in the neck or head from 125 yrds after crawling thru 250 yrds of beach grassand mud..with their iron sighted rifles.. ...If at any time in your life you will ever need pin point accuracy . It is when filling your stomach with the food that will keep you alive is what your shot will bring about....Remember water fowl have alot of fat on them and fat is the most important food in the wilds ...,., If you don,t believe me just watch some Iditarod musher eat sticks of margrine or butter like they are candy .......This 500 $ issue is kind of like seeing which cheap hand saw you can use to build a lean to with ...only to find after 15 cuts the blade snaps off , .,..This morning I shot a fox that just happened to be standing where it was silloetted and with the red dot reticle in my scope I was able to take a precise aim...It has taken me alot of time to discover the Great benifits of that scope .. suffice it to say it has put 5-600 lbs of meat on our table , shot 2 fur bearers and I have hid behind the rifle when approached by brn, bear ....and it has produced a lot of first shot kills.... That is what is needed in a survival rifle....First shot kills , with out destroying alot of meat .. Hence my choice in rifles ...I would also use TSX bullets in the 223 ...

I'm surprised no one has mentioned any of the combi guns??

I had a CZ 12ga/.308 that would fit the bill for this, and if I'm not mistaken there are a few cheap smoothbore/.22lr or .22hornet combies around too.

For practicality they'd be hard to overlook but somehow I think I'd rather a 10/22 for sure and a .30 to .338 cal boltgun. I could also do without the shotgun. The levergun is really only a midrange option so a bolt action would be preffered for shooting accurately a bit further.

I use the .22lr with subsonic ammo for shooting deer and pigs and have no problems with it, I don't consider shooting a deer in the brain at 40 yards any more difficult or risky than putting an arrow into his vitals at 30, just for context and comparison.

I used to carry a ruger #3 in 45-70 and a ruger super black hawk in 44 mag back in the late 70`s when I was a teen got em both back then for less than 500.00, 45-70 was re-throated for speer 400 grainers doing 2,200 with reloader 7 and I used 2 inch .410 shells in the number 3 with rubber o-rings around the base rim for grouse etc. Just had to carry a small screwdriver to pop out the .410 empties. Ak Aaron

quote:

Originally posted by namibiahunter:

If you were to go into the bush and you did not have firearms already but had $500 with which you could spend on firearms for living in the bush for a minimum of six months, what would you get?

The kid in the movie carried everything in with him. That leaves out elaborate preparations. I am not experienced in wilderness life but here are my thoughts.

Gun #1, Savage 24C, 22 LR/ 20 gauge, mine has a peep sight with an aperture big enough to follow a flying duck. Lots of .22 ammuntion, maybe one box of assorted 20 gauge, mostly 4s, 8s, and a few slugs for close-in defensive use. I would expect more food from small game, and more time to sneak up on bigger game to within slug range.

My 24V has a 2-7x scope with quick-release mounts, which might be a good setup for the 24C if anyone made 3/8" mounts of that sort. I wouldn't take the 24V as ammunition is three times the size of the .22 LR.

Incidentally, in the movie he had fishing gear but didn't seem to make much use of it. Did I miss something?

I thought I saw a Remington Nylon 66 in the movie.

I was thinking that if I was to go "Into The Wild" a Ruger 7722 in .22 mag would be more than sufficient. Ammunition is a little more expensive than LR ammo, but you can carry large amounts and the .22wmr is very deadly (so I'm told,) on all big game.

I'd think the shotgun in any form is out of the question due to the weight of ammo and gun, and since the primary purpose of the firearm is survival as in eating, not defense or sport hunting, the .22 mag would work well. By using your brains, it is very possible to keep youself out of bear trouble, so I don't believe it's imperative to take a heavy firearm.

Please Lord keep me from ever being in that kind of situation, but if I was I think I'd be most interested in killing very small moose and caribou for their meat and hide, small game for much the same, and the only time I'd want to take a whack at a bear would be at close range from protection and only for his or her hide. Just for survival.

What so many have pointed out here is that someone with any common sense and ability in the woods can get by with any number of weapons while idiots like McCandles will starve no matter what they have.

A brick or two of 22 stingers and a 100 338 shells will get you a long way with game.I would wants about 300 cb caps also.

........Yep it,s like Clint said ,,, [ A man,s gotta know his limitations...] Right now I could take off from where I sit and probably get myself killed within 2 days of being stupid.....Anyone who wants to go into the wilderness with no purpose other than to be lazy and commune with nature has got s--- fer brains ... Either that or they just want to go crazy ... ...The guy who built that cabin @ Twin lakes I think it was ,, I can,t remember his name .Wrote the book [One Man,s Wilderness ]...He was big on self advertiseing , but he did it right ....And he understood the hard work it takes to accomplish something ......,I,ve probly said enough on this topic .......

I'd bring my Savage Model 24 combination gun in 30-30/20 gauge with it's open sights. First, I'd have the metal protected with one of those new coatings. Bought it used this summer for $375 but looks like new. Some 30 cal handloads with cast bullets at slow speed for small game and some Hornady Evolutions for anything larger. A pack rod(spinning)/reel and a variety of small jigs. I second the idea of snares. A good way to get meat.

quote:

Remember water fowl have alot of fat on them

They do? Good years, I shoot a couple hundred waterfowl, and very, very few of them have 'alot of fat on them'. I'm not trying to be contrary here, but I am scrathcing my head.

KG

As for the original question; I couldn't image carrying three guns up in the mountains, but I like the idea of one shotgun and one rifle. I'd probably buy a 35 Whelen and spend my remaining cash on cartridges, Hustler magazines, and Cheetos.

......Their meat is pretty well saturated with fat ...But by the time they get to the continental us they have probably flown alot of it off ....I put a rack in the roaster when cooking ducks and there is always a thick layer of fat on the bottom of the pan ...

I'm surprised the .223 has only recieved one mention. Is '06 ammo that much easier to find in the interior (not that there's anything particularly wrong with it)? If stuck to one gun, I'd grab my Ruger SS 77 in .223. Ain't ideal for everything but good enough for most. Might be tough to find a good .223 under $500 though.


Hey TSTURM, you spend much time around Ketchikan? I saw a very nice "mountain mural" up near the end of a logging road and the same thing south of town. Reads a lot like your tag line. I have a pal out on Revilla and was killing some time after a nice little goat termination trip with him.

Ooops, I didn't read closely enough - 2 mentions of the .223. Amen Gumboot458 & 458 Win. Is there any connection between the affinity for a .458 and recognizing the utility of a .223? (The voice of practical wisdom?)


64gr Win PowerPoints have worked for me on blacktails. Not choice but at 2800fps, they usually exit. Haven't shot any other types of big game with it but would if I had to in a non-trophy hunt situation.

I would probably want a rifle that wasc cheap nigh unbreakable and offered heavy ball loadings and soft points at reasonable prices (milsurp and wolf gold), something like a nagant or M-44 or an enfield, then maybe something like a 25-20 lever action for smaller game. buy one with a pitted bore for cheap and have it relined. from what i understand folks in desolate places like Iceland like the mini-14. if it was a living off the land situation, i would shoot my birds on the ground or water. i am awful with a shot gun.