Is .22 LR or WMR the better pair for a .410 combination gun?

[PetahW]

Yep - In my state, by law, CF rifles can only be used from April 1 to Sept 1, and cannot be larger than .29 caliber.

Also according to the law, at all other times of the year only .22 RF rifles may be used - which has some enforcement officers sctatching their heads when confronted by a .17 cal RF. (doh)

I've long had CF rifles, of course - but have to travel out of state to hunt with them. (Can you say: "Non-resident license" ? )




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[WV_gunner]

In my state center fire rifles are the primary weapon to hunt with. Some use shotguns, but mostly because they got a cheap deal on one. And we can only use slugs to hunt deer and bear if using a shotgun. People use anything from a .223 to a .300 magnum usually. I'd actually like to see a big catridge paired with a .410 by Savage. A 30-06, .308, 7mm-08, .300 magnum, or even a .45-70 would be nice. Maybe even a .243 too. Use the rifle for deer and bear. Use the .410 against snakes and squirrel. I'm not 100% sure but I think the largest rifle catridge Stevens/Savage offered was a .30-30, also a .357 Magnum. Those work for deer but I wouldn't want to get up close and personal with a bear having that. Winchester had a .30-06/12 gauge combination gun too. Far from cheap however.

 

[Baylorattorney]

Depends....22lr ammo is so prevalent,,plus that means 22 long and short could also be fired out of there and that is a big advantage. Still I'd go with the 22 magnum simply because its bigger and I've seen animals taken with it easily.

 

[Baylorattorney]

Was watching that Alaskan Survival series on TV and the old wise mountain man had a .410 22 hornet combo - now that I like.

 

[natman]

It depends. I have a 22/410 that I use for squirrel hunting. I use the 22 if I can get a tree trunk as a backstop and the 410 if I can't. I don't like launching bullets into the air.

But if I just want to wander in the woods, I use a 22 Mag/20 ga.

 

[450mar]

22 mag. The best choice.

 

[Picher]

I've had a couple of 24s, one a .22LR/20 ga. and the other a .357/20 ga. I found serious deficiencies in both as follows:

*Heavier than many rifles or shotguns;
*Factory sights poor;
*Way too heavy to carry long distances, especially with scope mounted;
*Scope height raises line of sight to an uncomfortable level;
*Triggers were not conducive to accuracy;
*Difficult to find a front sight to accommodate receiver sight;
*May not be able to find a receiver sight to fit;
*Accuracy is not on par with many bolt-actions;
*Break-open action is slow for plinking;
*The barrel selector on the hammer is better than the old receiver-mounted selector;
*My shotgun barrels had full-choke barrels, which were too tight for upland shooting, IMHO.

Generally, I don't like exposed-hammer shotguns or rifles because they're too slow to cock when flushing birds.

The original model .22/.410 is probably a good barnyard pest gun.

 

[450mar]

Why did you buy them without research???

 

[Picher]

"Why did you buy them without research???"

Because I was a young fella, and traded guns quite often, trying as many kinds as possible. The concept seemed good to me as a young adult, but they didn't really fit my needs. I was a trading fool, buying or trading for over 25 guns within three years, but never owning more than 3 at a time.

My dad never owned a gun, so he wasn't much help. I also read a lot of gun magazines, and you know that they almost never say anything bad about any gun.

 

[Hawg]

I would get more use out of a .22 LR than a WMR.

 

[mavracer]

The concept seemed good to me as a young adult, but they didn't really fit my needs.

I certainly see how that could be a problem. They are a anomoly in the gun world. They're at their best when you really don't necessarilly plan on shooting. It's not a good shotgun and like you say scoping it is impractical so it's only a so so rifle. They make a pretty effective small game tool. If you miss with the rifle you have the shotgun ready for the running rabbit. But to me they make a nearly perfect longgun for trecking around the farm.

 

[Pahoo]

A time and place.

The original model .22/.410 is probably a good barnyard pest gun.

Every December or January, a group over in Jackson country, IA., gets together for a bunny-hunt. We make sure we have plenty of snow on the ground. The fella in charge usually brings three Beagles. We hit a number of local farms and we get a bunch of rabbits and sometimes, other stuff. Most of us have either .22LR/.410 or .22LR/ 20Ga. We do a lot of switching back and forth and get plenty of head shots. This is where the 24's and I foresee the 42's, are at their best. ......

Also, every year I hunt Squirrels on land that the landowner requests I use a shotgun. I just take my 24BDL and when the chance presents itself, Pop them with a .22-Short. ....

I found serious deficiencies in both as follows:

I've never see a 24, that did not have some kind of a problem. Most are minor and can easily be repaired. I hope we won't say the same about the 42.
Be Safe !!!

 

[Picher]

My first 24 had the selector on the receiver, but when the hammer snapped off and the gun sent to the factory, they installed the new hammer with the selector on it and left the non-functioning side button. I wonder how many are still like that today?

Mine was a deluxe model, having a hard chrome, or other metal plating and a checkered stock.

The choke was extra-full, making a 3" pattern at about 20 yards.

 

[Pahoo]

Did not knw that !!!

I wonder how many are still like that today?

Well, at least one, in IA. It was at an auction and spotted it right off. There were plenty of folks interested in it as they bring good money around here. What I did not know, until you posted, was that it could be a factory conversion. That is too bad but as it does detract from it's value. ...

Be Safe !!!

 

[44 AMP]

Personal choice would be the .22LR/.410. This is in part because I already have other guns in those calibers. But only in part.

One has to remember just what the Savage combo guns were intended for. The were meant to be survival/camp & pest guns. Not dedicated hunting guns (to which they are inferior in many ways) but a single gun, firing a wide enough variety of ammo to be able to keep you fed in a pinch.

Not the best at a lot of things, but good enough to work, at short ranges. Some models had butt traps to hold ammo.

.22Rimfire is enough for all small game, without being too much, even for the smallest game. For me, I never had a situation where the .22WMR was either needed or more useful than the .22LR. IF you NEEDED to take a larger animal, they make these things called slugs, and even the "puny" .410 will take bigger game better with a slug than any .22 rimfire, WRM included (within its range & accuracy limitations).

If I need something more than the .22LR can deliver in a rifle, I go to the .22 Hornet next. Reloading the Hornet makes it cheaper than the .22WMR, once you have the brass and start up costs (dies, etc.) covered.

Stored with a couple boxes worth of ammo (some of each important load), in a boat, canoe, plane, or other vehicle, it takes up very little room (less if stored in a case broken down). You might think its heavy, but I never found them heavier than a repeating rifle or shotgun, and certainly lighter than two guns. Not big on firepower, but not meant to be.

Single aimed shots at edible game, at short ranges is their purpose. Sure, you can do that job with lots of guns, guns which would be much better at other things as well (sport hunting, personal defense, etc.). But having one single gun package, as "insurance" makes sense to some folks.

Some put one of these types of guns in their camp equipment, not with the intent of using it regularly, just wanting something just in case its needed. Potting the heads off bunnies with a deer rifle can be done, its just neither easy nor simple with a dedicated big game rifle.

You can cut all the wood you need with a hatchet (and a lot of sweat). An axe is usually better, and neither one is a sword or a compound bow. No body belittles the hatchet, for being only what it is. Why do it to a particular gun?

 

[MattShlock]

With a .410 on the bottom I'd say it is irrelevant. With a more substantial shotgun, i.e. a 20 ga., I'd DEMAND the .22 Mag. Like on this Model 24. I'm waiting for them to make a new .22 Mag/20 ga.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I bought one for my son for his first gun. It was .22lr/20 ga.
The .22lr is very versitile and well proven to be useful. The mag. is expensive and has limited application that the lr cannot handle.

 

[22-rimfire]

My 2-cents.... I would choose 20ga/22 WMR combo if given the choice. This is not a gun you're going to take out to plink with. So the ammo cost is not an important decision point. The 22 Mag is much more effective than the 22LR.

 

[alaskabushman]

I think a little bit of your decision depends on where you live. In my area there is very little small game...no rabbits...no squirrels...pretty much just weasels and crows(believe me I wish it were otherwise). For a survival/camp gun my pick would be the .22 mag, despite what other people say it IS more powerful and IS more effective than the classic .22LR. At 100 yards the .22 mag is as fast as the .22LR at the muzzle (in fact the .22 mag is closer to the .22 Hornet than it is the .22LR). Bullet weight selection is about the same between the two but you can find good high performance bullets in .22 mag like Hornady critical defense or Speer Gold Dot for great expansion.

As others have pointed out a break action rifle isnt going to chew through the more pricey .22 mag like say, a 10/22. I have often wished my Springfield M6 was a magnum since I dont really take it out to plink, and only ever grab it on occasions when the .22 mag would be nice. A real nice touch on the new Savage gun would have been to follow in the steps of Taurus and make it a .410/.45 colt/.22 LR (or .22mag). Yes I know slugs out of a .410 can basically do anything you need out of a small combo gun like that, but still...I like to have options.

All that said, you cant go wrong with the good 'ol .22LR, its been around a long time, and in another 100 years people with STILL be arguing which current magnum is better or worse than the .22LR...fact is, it just cant be beat for fun, cost, accuracy and guns available for it. Nothing really compares to the .22LR...its on a higher plane.

 

[SteelChickenShooter]

For me a combo sounds like a small game hunting or pest control garden gun. If you hunt rabbits or squirrels, a .410 / .22LR is pretty good. If you want to shoot heavier garden pests like woodchuck or raccoons the .22 Mag is a stronger choice. A backyard coyote that could be a threat against puppies being let out to potty at night, the .22 Mag / shotgun is better. Just depends on where you live, what you expect to encounter and then what you expect to do. A 22LR and a 22Mag are both good for one thing or another depending on what you have to deal with. Personally just for me, I'd sort of like to have a .22LR / .410 as one firearm as well as a 20ga / 22Mag combo as another.
I am rural and agricultural. My choice of firearms might differ. I am also not ignorant that home invasions have taken place not far away. So hunting, garden pests, intruders all have some weight in firearm choices.