Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Need advice on utility rifle for farm

45-70: U.S. Military cartridge of the late 19th century. .458 caliber bullet, typically 300-500 grains, originally over a nominal 70 grains of black powder. Now loaded (mostly) with smokeless powder.

Kicks like a mule in a light gun, like my 5 pound T-C Contender carbine. Probably too light a caliber for a man who can bench press 1000 pounds, Sunil, so you might want to look into a .50 Alaskan.

Yeah, I suppose you're right Theo.

If noise is the main concern you might consider a pellet gun.
http://www.airgunsbbguns.com/Pellet_Guns_Break_barrel_Adult_s/342.htm
They have about the same knock down power as .22 cal. I prefer the 22 lr mainly because of ammo cost it's cheap compared to the other choices like 17 or 22 mag. If you are not a target shooter and buying it to use for occasional varmints only then I would go with the 17, or 22 mag. I use to own a 22 mag and have only shot a 17 once but I really like the accuracy of the 17. The little bullets look like miniature 30-06 shells way cool.

The 10/22 is a great, reliable gun. It will not penetrate water with any energy, but muskrats and beaver swim with only their heads out of the water. The 10/22 has no problem with a 50 lb beaver. A good scope will cost you more than the gun but is well worth it. The 3x9 VXII Leopold is great but pricy. If you practice and learn the drop, you can dispatch rabbits at over 100 yds if the wind is calm (and for me, if I have a good rest). Its the gun that I grab when I go for a walk. It pokes a small hole, so placement is key.

I also have a Ruger 10/22. Good gun, cheap ammo, fun to shoot.

Although I don't know of any Ruger .204 in semi-auto(they make a conversion kit for the AR-15), it is a great caliber. Not overly loud, shoots a small, VERY high speed bullet(4,000 fps plus) has great ballistics as well. I tear ground hogs up with it at 400 plus yards. It'll take care of any beaver, coyote or musk rat out there... It's a newer caliber that I have come to love...

I do have a Ruger 10-22 which is cheap to shoot, crazy reliable and a ton of fun as well. Mine is all tricked out with after factory everything. .22 lr is a bit light for beaver as others have said... If you can find one, the Ruger 10/22 in the .22 WMR may meet your needs. http://hunting.about.com/od/guns/l/aast1022magnum.htm

You can never have enough guns!

I don't think Ruger makes the 10/22 Magnum anymore...du

While the .17 fires a cute little round and the .22 is inexpensive to shoot and fine for plinking at short range, both have limitations that prompted me to exclude both as a farm rifle. I had to accept the noise and now use the .223 almost exclusively. The trajectory is flat, the bullet fast, reasonable energy downrange and a wide variety of ammo is readily available. I've read about the .204 that CJBS mentioned and don't really have first-hand knowledge to share with you, but serious consideration of that caliber is certainly justified.

10/22, 17 mach2, 204 and 223...wow - I'm going to need a gun safe when this thread expires...

Shhh, everyone.

Let him let those first ones in the house before we let him know he needs a .243, and a .260, and a .270, and an '06. And ...

HeHeHe, he thinks he'll only need ONE safe!

My buddy, who doesn't reload won a .257 Weatherby vanguard at a NRA banquet. He was a bit suprised to find out that it would cost him a bit over $3.00 every time he pulled the trigger. I still don't consider those expensive rounds after seeing what some of the big boys go for!

They don't that is why I said "if you can find one"... I see them for sale on-line on different sites every now and then. Have often thought about buying one. They don't make the super high cap mags for them like the .22 lr but 10 is all the more you really need.

People say if they won the lottery, they wouldn't know what to do with all the money. Between building multiple ponds and lakes, buying lots of land and paying all the people to maintain them. Throw in all the guns and fishing equipment I'd need, I seriously doubt I'd have any problem going through several hundred million!

I'm afraid guns are going to be a lot like my rod collection...

My wife caught me surfing a few guns sites...Travis' suggestion actually. She knows what that means...I'm poised for a purchase. I caught an earfull especially after I questioned her how one could possibly spend $150 on a haircut and color last week. Seriously...$150? That could have purchased a used 10/22 or at least a new scope that would last a lifetime!

Here's a small sample of what's out there:


From left to right: .17 Mach II, .22 CB Long, .22lr, .22lr 60 grain Aguila SSS, .223, .223 WSSM, .22-250, .243, .257 Weatherby Mag, 7mm-08, .30-30, .308, .30-06, .300 Winchester Magnum, .338 Lapua, 7mm Sierra MatchKing bullet, .50 BMG.

I'm getting a rifle built that will take that .338 lapua case, but necked down and the shoulder pushed forward and the angle sharpened to take that 7mm bullet (or others). Now THAT will have a looonng reach!

I have heard the Lapua makes a fine sniper round. Many an insurgent has had that round be the last thing to go through their head before their timely death.

On youtube there are videos of guys rolling elk at over 3/4 mile with the .338 Lapua

The gunsmith has shot a rockchuck (akin to a groundhog) at over 2200 Yds, and he said that the 7mm bullet will still be supersonic at over 2100 Yds. The round is called a 7mm Allen Magnum, Kirby Allen is the gsmith.

If you're thinking light, you might check out rimfirecentral and 22rimfire websites.

If you want a bit more pop, I'm a big fan of the .17 Rem and .204. The .223 and .22-250 have more range. The nice thing about the .17 and .204 though is not having to worry about ricochetts (sp?) as much.

Esshup, is that a slug gun?

I've been looking for an AFFORDABLE 3 die set for a 6mm br for about a year. I inherited the custom built bench rest shooting iron when my Brother passed away last year. Those things will give you sticker shock.

This might sound goofy but a Hi-Point 9mm carbine is very reliable, relatively cheap and cheap to shoot. You have a wide range of ammo available that would take down any varmint out there..They are a blast to shoot and can be scoped..The 9mm out of a rifle is pretty quiet...you can still get a NIB one for sub $200...One of my ARs is a 9mm and I shoot it the most

Rookie mistake times two.

First never let your wife catch you researching a well needed and well deserved purchase.

Secondly, you critized her haircut cost? Have you gone mental?

When she comes back from her hair appointment tell her how great she looks and that she looks better than the day you married her. Then say something like "you know honey, I'm concerned about home safety, I would hate to think that if we had a break in that I don't have an adequate weapon to protect you." You see, plant the seed.

Then that evening put the movie Cape Fear in the DVD. That'll scare the bejesus out of her and she'll realize that a gun purchase is required.

Dave: Not quite. Good guess tho! I threw you guys (and gals) a curve.

I used to shoot clay bird games (Annie Oakly's, protection shoots, etc.) and people were complaining about the factory porting on my Browning Citori O/U. I bought a Stan Baker Big Bore barrel for my 1100, but it had some problems and Stan wouldn't warranty it. So, I took the strongest, most reliable sotgun that I knew out there (Winchester Model 12) and made it into a dedicated games gun. A friend was a gunsmith and he had a small machine shop in his garage. I bought a barrel blank with a 10 ga outside contour and a 12ga inside dimension. I reamed out the bore to .800", but tapered it from the muzzle and threaded it so it accepted 12 ga choke tubes. I made the stock myself and put a recoil reduction system in the stock (the whole gun recoils backwards under the birds-eye maple cheekpiece). I threaded the barrel like a Model 25 so it screws together like a rifle, not a regular Model 12 with interrupted threads. The magazine tube is threaded into the reciever as well, and is a blind magazine (it's a single shot now). The sight is a Bushnell Holosight. It works well, regular trap Win AA loads that are supposed to shoot 1200 fps, shoot at a hair over 1300 fps (less bore restriction). The only thing left on the gun from Winchester is the receiver. I had Timney re-work the trigger as well (he lived an hour away from me at the time). I wish that I could find a place near here that they played those games now! I used it for a little over a year before I moved to Indiana.

JHAP:

Good advice! I gew away with my toys because I don't have a wife!

Dave:
Sorry to hear about your brother.

re:6mmbr. If it is a custom chamber with a tight neck, you might have to fire a couple of rounds and send the brass in to have a custom set made. Have you checked here:? br forum

Too bad you didn't get the reloading equip as well. Do you know what his load was?