Canoe/camp gun

[Mihun09]

The killer kids might be coming from all the violent video games they are allowed to play these days. Inability to differentiate RL from those...

We generally don't take weapons into the bush, but Christine has recently owned a couple and is looking for a shotgun for camp protection. Now, I have never personally owned a gun and really have no interest, but have considered getting licenced and trained so I know how to use the weapon if Christine does bring one along.

However, I do have some mental health issues, primarily depression and anxiety/panic type of stuff, but I have a solid moral code and know right from wrong, so should I be banned from using/having a gun? It is a slippery slope when we start limiting peoples rights due to mental health and who gets to decide?

 

[yellowcanoe]

I don't think any of us have a pat answer as to who should own and who should not. Maybe its best not to go there as I see no good end result other than people agreeing to disagree or making Robins job a lot harder.

I think if you are expected to use a weapon for whatever reason you should be trained. I was expected to use a shotgun in the Arctic and had not been trained and vehemently declined.

 

[Mihun09]

If the bear was attacking Christine, I'm sure she would appreciate me more if I knew to shoot the bear and not myself.

 

[Shearwater]

I carried a 12 gauge Winchester defender shotgun on my up-north trips. Kit included a soft sided case inside a water-proof case. Worked well in a canoe that got both rain and waves. As this August's 3 river 30 day trip in the Yukon is most likely my last up north trip, I sold it. It's now in Churchill as a family's anti polar bear gun using both rubber and lead slugs. If I ever get the chance to deer hunt, my SKS will do just fine. Canoe hunting would be a fantastic way to include 2 great sports and put good non-chemical meat on the table.

 

[jbull380]

Well that's a nice rig

 

[oldie moldy]

Mihun 09, A couple of points if I may; I'd go on ahead and get trained up on Christine's shotgun. Once that's done, get one of those hand flinger things and a box of clay pigeons and spend some time (safely) shooting them. Just the repetitive act of "busting clays" will make the gun seem a bunch more familiar and more like a tool that could be useful. You don't have to shoot a lot at any one time and they make a lesser power, loaded shotgun shell, I think their called "trap loads", that will kick much less.
Once the newness is worn off you can best decide if the gun is appropriate for you or not. A little experience will make it easier to come to a wise decision.

Best Wishes,

Rob

 

[memaquay]

The gun question doesn't have to become a debate if we stick to canoeing and the gun's useful applications for canoeing. I grew up hunting with my Dad, and quite a bit of it out of canoes. We either used the canoe as a means to get where we were going, or we would do some duck hunting right out of the canoe. At that time, I didn't view the canoe like I do now. It was a means to get us into prime hunting or fishing country. I still use the canoe for those things, but I have expanded my appreciation of the outdoors beyond the act of eating it's inhabitants.

I remember in a previous "discussion" about bears and guns on another site, one of the participants said that if I carried a gun on a canoe trip, I was too insecure to be in the bush, and shouldn't be there. That's the problem with the internet, people don't really get to know people, or at least take the time to get to know them, before pronouncing judgements. During hunting season, I always have a gun in my canoe, sometimes two, I'm still my Dad's son, and i still like to eat critters. During the summer months, I sometimes have a gun, depending on whom I'm tripping with. My wife makes me bring a gun. Strangely enough, I have done a couple of short trips with people from Toronto who are generally very opposed to guns, but they wanted me to take one. On a solo trip, with lots of ports, I usually don't take a gun. I have no hard and fast rules about it, but I'm definitely not to worried about the critters up here. I di like guns though, and sometimes I just take one cause I can.

 

[red langford]

.... I have expanded my appreciation of the outdoors beyond the act of eating it's inhabitants.....

That right there my friends, is a Haslamism Well done sir.

 

[oldie moldy]

Well, taking the long view, I don't think that anything I said was all that naughty, but this site is such a special place and valued by so many, perhaps it's best just to avoid discussion involving guns unless it's like Memaquay said about directly related to canoeing and camping.
I have a friend in town who is a good person, responsible family man, hard worker who keeps his word. I really like him, but he is a member of a splinter religious group, which by my lights is loony-tunes. He'd love to show me the way, but I've gotten very good at side-stepping him and we are still friends but not in that area, thank you very much. I would suggest that here, about guns, a little side stepping may be in order.
And except for my dogs, my opinion doesn't matter much at all, and truth be told even they will fall asleep in mid discourse.

Best Wishes,

Rob

 

[Shearwater]

Shooting clays is a good inexpensive way to get familiar with a shotgun.
For big bear protection practice I put 5 2-liter milk cartons inline at 10 foot intervals starting 60 feet away from me. I then practiced quick shooting them starting at the one farthest away. I figured that I'd only have 10 seconds or less so my intent was to shoot all jugs in order of far to closest in less than that time. For cost savings, I used bird shot for almost all practice only switching to slugs before a trip due to the high cost of slugs.

Right now I'm trying to find a take-apart .22lr that I can use on grouse and similar pot-foods. Fresh meat on a 2 week long canoe trip would be great.

I wonder if me using "I have expanded my appreciation of the outdoors beyond the act of eating it's inhabitants." as a tag line on certain emails be OK if I quoted the author? (That phrase is the best I've heard in a long time.)
Cheers Ted

p.s.: OM, I like your posts and haven't considered anything said on this thread "naughty" so keep posting.

 

[memaquay]

Ruger is making a take down .22 now, a little pricey, but should be a good gun. No problem with tag lines, it's the internet, it's all up for grabs. OM, you are never naughty, you're one of the most sincere people I have met on the internet!

 

[jbull380]

I may have found one of these used and a box of ammo for 225.00. Remington 770 Youth Rifle in .243. about 8 pounds with a 20"bbl. I can paint it camo and if it goes to the bottom of the lake I wont be out the 1500.00 I have in my Remingtom 700 LTR.

 

[memaquay]

Have a good look at it before you buy it. The 770 is one of the most badly reviewed entry level rifles on the market. I looked at a .270, but decided on a Weatherby Vanguard. The 770 sells new for about 100 more than you will pay. It would be a good canoe gun, certainly cheap enough.

 

[jbull380]

I've read the reviews, and generally stay away from "economy" versions of rifles. If it functions and will shoot 1.5 or 2 minutes of angle it will be fine. I have lots brass bullets and dies for .243 since my son shoots one. It is only 39" overall length and weighs about 8.5 pounds with the scope. We'll see.

 

[oldie moldy]

Hi Shearwater, The little .22 I got to train my daughters with was/is a Savage/Stevens "Favorite". A couple of years ago the Savage web site had them; just like the one I've got and also it was offered in takedown. It has a lever and manual hammer, single shot, been around for ever. Looking at the photograph it seemed to have a screw coming up from the breach band and locking the barrel threads where they screwed into the breach. All I had to go on was the one photo but it didn't look all that hard to adapt a fixed barrel to a takedown. If indeed that's how it was made.

The older Favorite rifles were made with a classic elegance, the modern ones are serviceable but a little on the clunky side. I never have found an old one I could afford. you probably know; but Brownells have .22 insert tubes to repair older .22's with shot out barrels.

If I were to bring along a .22 I think that it would be hard to find a better one for canoe camping. That is: bringing it along in a canoe!!

Just for the heck of it I Googled Savage Stevens Favorite and under the images there are a bunch of takedowns shown.

Best Wishes,

Rob

 

[red langford]

Right now I'm trying to find a take-apart .22lr that I can use on grouse and similar pot-foods. Fresh meat on a 2 week long canoe trip would be great.

Have you looked at this...

http://henryrepeating.com/rifle-survival-ar7.cfm

I like that it is compact and uses a clip rather than tube loading. I find it a PITA loading the tube every time I want to use a .22. I also like the peep sights and find it is deadly accurate. It assembles quickly and I also have the clips loaded already. May be not entirely legal in some instances but the beauty is it is small enough to fit in a pack and nobody knows it is there and nobody is going to ask questions about it. Besides, no sense have a survival rifle that is not ready for use.

Drawbacks for me are the weird feel the bulky stock gives and mine tends to jam. The one I have is an older model made by Charter Arms and not by Henry and from all that I have read this problem was exclusive to the Charter Arms version of the gun.

If you make it up to WCPP I would be more than happy to take out to try it out.

 

[jbull380]

That's what was called the AR-7 at one time.

 

[red langford]

It still is as far as I know.

 

[jbull380]

I think the first time I saw one if those was in a 1969 Gun Digest. Armalite may have still been making them then. I think I still have that 69 Gun Digest. I almost wore it out when I was a kid.

 

[jbull380]

New Canoe/deer rifle project of sorts

New Canoe/deer rifle project of sorts

Well here it is. Rifle and a 20 rd box of Winchester Ballistic Silvertips for 225.00


Took it to the range to check zero etc. Fired three rounds from the prone and got used to the trigger.


Made a scope ajustment and fired three more. Not bad, a little better than MOA.


I think I will float the barrel, paint it, put a sling on it and it'll be good to go.

I did find a few hundred pcs of new .243 brass in my reloading room along with 4 or 5 boxes of assorted brands and wieghts of bullets. I'll be loading some ammo this weekend.