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Guns for island life


Gimlet
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OK. Its been raining forever, no shooting, no work and no money, so its daydream time. Mine is an island to myself for the rest of my days with no-one to bother me. It would be a good size, say 500 acres, temperate, fertile with mixed terrain, so entirely survivable. Imagine a large semi-wooded island on the west coast of Scotland but towed somewhere out of the rain and away from wind turbines, yachties and Donald Trump. Bliss ^_^

 

There'll be plenty of game, probably rabbits, hare, small deer and various fowl. Some vermin no doubt and possibly larger predators like fox, lynx or wolves. You can have one shotgun and one rifle with a lifetime's supply of ammo for each. The question is, what would you choose? What gauge and type of shotgun and what make? And what calibre and make of rifle? You'll never leave so these have to last you. Cost is no object so what will it be?

 

Shotgun: I need help here. I'm no shotgun expert but its got to be a side-by-side boxlock non-ejector for simplicity and reliability. (Or should it be sidelock?) 12g, 28" improved cylinder so the no5 32g cartridges can be turned into solids with beeswax if need be. What make though? Must be bombproof. Please don't say it has to be a Baikel or I'm not going. We must be able to do better than that. Something Spanish or English perhaps?

 

Rifle: Obviously bolt action with floorplate mag and iron sights. Laminate stock for me. Calibre? .308 is too big and noisy for small game. Maybe .222/223? That would deal with everything but the barrel might burn out before I do. .22LR is the survivalists favouraite but I'd want something bigger if there's wolves about. I think it might have to be - and the PW enthusiasts club are going to love this - a .22 Hornet. Barrel should last forever, won't be too noisy and ought to deal with everything at sensible range. As for make, I think I'd get Mauser to build one. Should last longer than the island.

 

What guns would you take?

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If I could cheat a bit I'd want my combi gun and my .22lr. No need to change makes as they work fine.

 

So I'd have 12g/7x57R and a .22lr. If I couldn't have the combi I'd want a shotgun with a dovetail so I could fit a scope and shoot slugs for the larger quarry. Probably a pump action. I'd happily take anything up to small deer with a .22lr if the law allowed it.

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Good thread. For a rifle I'd have an O/U double rifle made, with one rimfire and one centre fire barrel. You can buy them off the peg, cheapo example here, but as money is no object I'd be getting Holland and Holland or one of the continental drilling manufacturers to custom build it for me :yes: I'd probably have one barrel in .22LR and one in .308 No worries about the centrefire barrel burning out as the vast majority of your shots would be taken with the rimfire.

 

For the shotgun? as I'm going to be carrying it a lot, a nice feather-light 20 bore best London side lock. Boss, Purdey, or H&H. No point slumming it is there?

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RFD told me he does the least fixes on the Baikal so have to go with one of their o/u 12g shotguns with a range of ammo from 6,s to slug . Then some kind of break action c/f rifle in one of the smaller calibres .Scoped but with the iron sights as back up . I would also have a load of gill nets to set of the beach plus a fish smoker .

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Wouldn't take a gun at all.

 

I'd take a decent bow and a set of arrows.

 

Can't get shells or bullets back once they are fired :good:

 

Read the rules! :P

 

You can have one shotgun and one rifle with a lifetime's supply of ammo for each.

Edited by Blunderbuss
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this would be the rifle-My link

this would be the shotgun-My link

 

the rifle would be as it is and i would have the shotgun made new again and it would be 9 shot, i would stack the magazine so that the first 3 shots out were suitable for what i was hunting then it would be 2 BB, 2 AAA, 1 SSG then a slug, so i am covered for all occasions, even if the wolves have a go. :good:

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Combis are fine. Good idea. Except if its flying and I've got two barrels I usually need them both. Could be certain amount of mayhem with a combi. :huh:

 

MITCHF- you can take em with you if you like but there'll be nowhere to hide in 500 acres when the moon's in the wrong quarter.

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I would have H/H sxs that will out last me, carts would be 32g no5 good good for anything in the air and vermin.

Rifle would be .308 win which will stop deer and wolfs, anything els I will just trap as only have to feed one and no freezer getting numbers is not the point as it will not keep

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Firstly at only 500 acres with lynx and wolves there aint gonna be much game about :lol: because either of these need many miles to hunt over.

 

my choice guns would be a simple break action single shot .22 hornet. It wont be easy to break and will harvest anything at appropriate range on the ground. The other would be a 12 bore box lock non eject s/s perhaps a baikal or a utilitarian spanish gun like an AYA yoman. As for the starving Lynx and wolves if i had to kill them they would be gone in the first day or two on 500 acres and i could do it with either of the above. to be fair i would be bored ridgid after 3 days on such a poxy little island so i might like to keep them around for company and something to watch :lol:

 

And a fishing rod. A 500 acre island wouldn't support your protein needs.

 

Very true :good:

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