12 Gauge or .22 LR | Choose Your Weapon! 

My dad grew up with an old Stevens drill, 22lr on top and .410 shotgun on the bottom. Super handy and versatile.

My guess on the .22 would be a worn down firing pin or a weakened spring.

I was sitting around a table with a group of AR15 loving good old boys… I was asked if I could only grab one and my answer was 22LR 👍 I presented my argument and they listened. I’m not going to attempt to text the entire conversation but the simple answer is all about volume. Oz = Lb’s and Lb’s = Pain. Everyone has heard the argument of a fire fight requiring an entire squad carrying 300+ rounds and calling in backup before they run out of ammunition 🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️ You are not bugging out with the intent of getting into a fire fight and if you find yourself in a fire fight you cannot possibly carry enough ammunition to win “according to experienced modern combat veterans” so why would your plan be to fail and why would you Cary all that weight just to use it all in one 15min or less exchange 🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️ I realize I’m dragging the AR guys into a conversation about 22 or 12 but it’s the same argument to me. If I’m leaving everything behind I will have a 22 with me and if I get a second choice it will be a 44mag with limited ammunition. But for the homestead 12gage and 3006 will get every other job done I’m just not Dragging them through the apocalypse with me 😬👍

12 gauge is the best if you need 1 gun to do it all. You are limited by bulky ammo and loud noise. If you just need a gun to feed yourself, I would consider a .22 or .25 breakbarrel air rifle. They are very quiet, very accurate for small game and birds and you can carry 2000 rounds in 4 tins in your back pockets. Consider Sig Sauer ASP20, Beeman R9, Diana 54 AirKing or 34 EMS, Weihrauch HW 97/HW80 or An Air Arms TX200.

I’m increasingly putting a blowgun at the top of the list for hunting as I get better with mine. Makes the caliber choice discussion even more interesting in that context.

Firing pin wear on your Nylon 66. Replace the firing pin AND the pin spring.

22 for noise discipline. Shot placement is key, not how much lead you throw in almost all cases, IMHO

I actually have both in my bug out plan 200 rounds of shotgun shells and 4000 rounds of .22lr and to anyone that says you can’t carry that much I have a game cart to store stuff on while I hike out and then I could bury some caches along the way

David Canterbury uses single shot 12 gauge and puts rifled metal in liner pipe to shoot. 22 lr and even has one for 9mm too.

That's a nice old Nylon!

.22 does have bird shot types.

If you have to carry every bit of ammo with you then a .22 but if you have somewhere to keep stashed ammo then the 12g.

Great video, brother. It would be a tough decision. They both have their own place. I have my Pappas old 22. He killed a black bear with it in South Ga around the jekyll Island area. 60 or 70 years ago. They were rabbit hunting, and he ended up having to kill the bear. 1 shot right behind the ear. There's a whole story that goes with it, but it's long.

I only have a 12Gage and just love it. Also grew up with guns. From South Africa.

If I can have only one, it has to be 12ga for versatility and power, but I ain't bugging out anywhere...

Over and under, problem solved.👍

Different tools for different jobs, there is no way to make a broad comparison between the 2. That’s like saying hmmm should I buy a S10 pickup or a Kenworth semi. They both will haul stuff.

Depends on what your need/purpose is. If you are hoofing it from point A to point B, are on a day or two's patrol, etc - then the shotgun. The weight won't matter as much, your limited supply of ammo on hand isn't meaningful, and you have more punch for self defense and options for hunting larger game and game on the wing. If you are walking in the backcountry for walkabout or trying to live off the trail for a long trek, then the .22lr, since you can carry 500 rounds for the weight of two dozen shells and the gun itself is likely to weigh half as much. You won't make as much noise (even less with a can), you will have plenty of range, and while you won't be getting game on the run, you normally won't be doing that if you are out walking rather than actively hunting anyways, since it takes time to get your gun into action (and your shells shuffled to type from your upfront carry choice). That said, an AR15 is a better choice since the bullets on it do okay on small game (they don't blow it up, just normal .22 caliber holes with way too much overpenetration into the background) and is more ethical if you are reaching up towards bigger game (not that you can't use the .22lr for it in an emergency where the game warden isn't a worry). I'm in woody country, so the shotgun is the better choice for most any situation where I'm walking out the door (unless I'm specifically looking to pop a critter in the yard). So, if I could only pick one for my home to own, it would be the 12g as well. Thankfully, I don't have to make that choice and so I can have multiple options in both (and many others as well).

I work on a pile of 22’s, probably the most problems on older guns is cleaning , next is the face of the chamber where the firing pin strikes can dent from dry firing. Check the firing pin profile and push forward on the pin to see that it even clears the front of the boltface. Clean, clean , check for burrs and maybe run a tool called a chamber iron (dont be overzealous), if this doesn’t work, send me an alert/notification… I live in Georgia and need something to do.

I don't own a .22, I traded my 10-22 for a .17hmr back when you couldn't get ammo and never looked back. I'm definitely a 12g fan, I've got one for every purpose and some do everything. Carrying ammo can be tricky. I have an SOE 24 round chest rig that's pretty nice it'll actually hold 49 and I've made a chest rig that'll hold 36, 48, 56 or 72 depending on which cards I use. I have an 18, 2-16's and 2-12's that I can configure to my plate carrier and belt harness but that $hit gets real heavy real quick. I think a good load out for 12g is 56 rounds on my carrier and carry an M&P 2.0 10mm with at least 5 spare mags (that's 91 rounds of 10mm and 63 rounds of 12g gang, 1 in the chamber and 6 in a card on the reciever) . Your not looking for a fight but with that kind of firepower you can end one quick whether it's a grizzly bear or an armored up foe the sumbich is going down. With 12g you don't need penetration when you have kinetic energy. If it doesn't stop the heart immediately with a shot to the armor worst case scenario is flying lessons. 10mm has similar ballistics to the .357 with higher capacity and less recoil. Out of all my choices I'd pack my 870 Wingmaster with police magnum barrel, Wilson Combat extension and Tactical Advantage furniture and light. I carry 1 3/8oz slugs, 9 pellet 00 buck and a few #6 3"mags all of which I cast and load. The police barrel shoots all of these very well. Hopefully you can sell your importance to the rest of your squad who will pack ammo for you. Another option to carry more ammo is to use short shells. I'm just getting into making those and I'll have everything I need mid June. Turn a 7 round gun into an 11 rounder. Some guns need a little aftermarket part to cycle em but my old 870 action gobbles any size I put in it. It's a 2 3/4" action with 3"barrel that barely cycles 3" shells so I trim em to 2 7/8" and it does fine. I put 33 grains of longshot under those slugs and get good performance to 100 yds. IC barrel shoots both slugs and buckshot well. Slugs are 6" high at 50 and dead on at 100 yds. 6 pellet 000 patterns better at further distances than 9 pellet 00 and hits harder. Yeah my big slow ass will take a 12g anyday 😎

At my local pawnshop last week, wound up buying both AKKA Churchill 12 gauge pump and a Savage Model 62 .22LR semi-auto for around $300 tax and all! So guess I do not have to answer your question! Ha ha!

AR platform and add in a CMMG 22LR conversion kit if you can have just one rifle. Then you have 5.56 and 22 LR on the same platform. Second option would be a double barrel break open action 12 GA and get the rifled inserts for the caliber of your choice.

Very good episode 👍. I agree with the 12 gauge. An often overlooked option would be a 22 WMR./ magnum. it's available in rifles and pistols.revolvers and semi automatics.

Sweet I have that same .22 Remington Nylon 66, it was also my dads and before that it was my granddads rifle & it is also my favorite as well, mine wont shoot Remington ammo for beans but it will shoot everything else.

If size and weight is a concern 22LR would be a good choice. My Ruger LCRx 3" 22LR 8 shot light weight revolver with an EGW red dot mount and Holosun red dot would be a decent choice because it's accurate, lighter weight than a semi auto handgun and can shoot CB or 22 short ammo to be more stealthy. If size and weight is slightly less of a concern my Ruger 10/22 Takedown Magpul Backpacker carbine would be a decent choice. If size and weight is absolutely no concern then 12ga is more versatile. Maybe a pump action Mossberg 500 or 590 or even just a double barrel side by side coach gun or single shot break action with some of those Short Lane Gun Adapters in a few different calibers. Because I handload my own ammo 38/357 magnum is also a decent choice because you can shoot small game with low power 38 spc ammo or shoot larger game with 357 magnum. From a rifle length barrel 357 magnum has almost the same muzzle energy as 7.62x39 or 30-30 winchester. Yes, it has less power, but the 357 mag rifle isn't too far off in muzzle energy from those and 357 magnum is a lot easier to handload for than any bottle neck caliber.

JASON Mashettes look good, but Iam like u customize my blades, even put a little longer wood handles to fit my hand or hands. Were you have paracord on the blade is were I dull it for a striker or grabbing area. SHEATH: You could do Canvas, I watched you do the pvc pipe great idea, got me thinking about canvas and fiber glass harder. I havent tried it yet so not sure how well it would work. Or nylon and fiber glass harder.

10:22 - Are we just going to ignore the poltergeist that started to move the leather strap to his right? 😅

Coming from Switzerland I’ve also grow up with army rifles around me. Not the same weapon culture but the same respect for it! I’m shooting « 5.56 » called GP90 since I was child weekly for competition at 300m. I haven’t got child but I’ll teach my nephews how to handle firearms first with BB rifles and after 22lr (after asking my brother how’s not anymore in this gun culture)

If it's not the ammo, that's the issue causing the hangfire, it might be your firing pin. It could be worn down. Good luck on finding a replacement firing pin Bud. They're out there. You just have to look some of the other models are also cross compatible.

I have quite a lot of time on a nylon 66. Never had a problem, but things do happen. You need to try different brands of ammo as specs. vary more than you would think. I bought some Winchester Super X 10 years that would not chamber in any .22 semi auto I had, including my sisters. One was a nylon 66. The bullets were too fat and would only chamber in a bolt gun. If the problem persists with different brands of ammo I would take the dust cover off, take the barrel off, hose the bolt with Ballistol and let it soak along with the barrel and the inside of the dust cover. Scrup with a wire brush as you will be removing lead, powder and residue as I doubt the gun has ever been cleaned. Pay paticular attention to the chamber area as it could be pretty crudded up. Wipe or blow off all remaining Ballistol and do not oil the inside of the action with the exception of one drop of gun oil on the rod that the bolt rides on. Be sure to clean the breach face with that wire brush too. When installing the dust cover do not over tighten the two screws as this will cause the nylon receiver to bind on the bolt causing the gun to not run. Be sure to get back to me and let me know how it turns out.

12 gauge but have both and more Minnesota

I hear what you're saying Jason but people do shoot those other gauges and 12 and 20 and 410 are the three most popular. There are lots and lots of people that have used 12-gauge shotguns but did not like The Recoil and went with 20 and there are people who love shooting 20 gauge shotguns. I access the site that said there was a 40 to 60 percent reduction in the felt recoil with a 20 gauge

Live in the Mountains of North Carolina got my own 22 at 8 been shooting my whole life my dad was a WWII Marine Freedom FJB Wolverines

22lr all the way…. Lighter to carry and I’m very accurate with it. Granted it won’t knock down big game but for stealth and a shoot and clear out… good choice.

A 12 gauge is a great hunting and defensive tool. And fun shooting clays. That Nylon 66 deserves some TLC. Check Numrich for parts. Misfires and hang fires, I'd suspect 1 firing pin 2 firing pin striker spring 3 firing pin striker all three, pulled out cleaned, clean the slot and or replace Oh hell, do a detailed strip, pull the entire thing apart clean, buff, lube and replace what you can. I've got old beat up mutated shoulders with missing parts. Wife has a replaced shoulder. We've stepped down to 410 for shotgun. I've reloaded three "000" buckshot at about 1700 fps. that's about the same muzzle energy as 4 rounds of 9mm. I've not seen slugs for 410 in years. I reload birdshot as well. It isn't as forgiving shooting clays, but it makes it more fun when we actually hit clays. Favorite 22 is an old Marlin 795. I've got a good supply of spare parts as Ruger owns Marlin now and no longer makes part. The barrel has been well cared for and I've got plenty of OE magazines.

For me, the 12 gauge reigns supreme. I have all sorts of guns from .17 HM2 to several lever action including a hard to find Rossi .454 casull to hunting rifles, AR15 to a few shotguns. If I had to choose just one, the 12 gauge is it, it's to versatile, as you said, there isn't a land animal you can't kill with it, the same can not be said about the .22

Here in Canada when hunting you can only legally have a shotgun loaded with 1 in the pipe and 2 in mag however there is no limit on mag capacity of a rim fire cartridge rifles so I’m leaning towards the .22 for my first - perhaps a 12 ga down the road!

One of the old combination guns 12 ga. / .22-250 or 20 ga. / .22. I have a couple Coach Guns that may accept those pistol or rifle inserts including .22. I haven't tried that yet but seems like it could work. The best shotgun I have ever used or owned was given to me by my Grand Dad back in the mid 1960's. Shooting water fowl, pheasant, grouse and quail. It is an 1100 Remington if I remember correctly made in the early 1950's. Instead of the just one gun argument can't we just go with only the guns ( rifle and shotgun) we can stuff into a seabag and the same for hand guns? We might just maybe be able to get by with that. This could also fall into a happiness category.

Over under 22 lr 12 gauge see ya on the next one

The Most FEARED Sniper in Iraq (2008) was ... (got that? WAS) a R🇷🇺ian _Girl_ whose weapon of choice was a 22 Magnum. DEADLY

People tend to fear what they don't understand. I guess I am a gun junkie because I get scared when I think of not having one. If I could only have one of the two types it would be my Ruger 10-22. Accuracy, rate of fire and ammo weight made my decision easy.

12 gauge 1oz slugs are nice but when you can reload your own 1&1/8oz round ball, it's a literal blast. Not as accurate at long distance, but they hit extremely hard and are pretty accurate out to 50yrd.

Replace the firing pin and spring. You’ll be good to go. You can also stretch the firing pin spring to “limp” it into function. Those nylon 66s are good little rifles. Just need to clean them like any 22 that’s all. - I’m a gunsmith.

Your .22 needs to get a good inspection from a gunsmith, (that knows what they are doing). I got theories but that is all they are.

If you can't find a replacement spring for the 22 you can probably just carefully stretch it out a little bit at a time until it acts right. As long as it is just compressed and set from all those years under tension. If it's rusted bad or kinked you can either use it as a guide and make one of the same gage wire just a little bit longer. I grew up in the middle of nowhere and frequently broke so you could either figure out how to make parts and fix things or you wouldn't have anything that works. Anyone who has ever been broken down in the middle of nowhere long before the advent of the cell phone knows it's almost always possible to fix your truck when your other alternatives are a 30 mile hike or "I just live in the woods now I guess".

You can put a firing adapter in a shotgun to use many kinds of ammo. .22's only use .22. So im going for the Gauge

I’d have to pick the 12 gauge if I could absolutely only have one.

In a world where all your opponents will be rocking AKs/ARs and high power hunting rifles don’t be the guy that grabs a BB gun… all they gotta do is hide behind a decent tree or car door to defeat you… but their rifles will penetrate most if not all soft cover/concealment.

That Nylon 66 looked amazing, keep on trucking Jason

Buckshot has been a pain in the ass to get for a while so 22

If you could ONLY pick one… it’s a no-brainer: the .22LR all day long… no question about it. Reliability may be less than the shotgun, but ammo is cheap, you can have an abundance of it, you can easily hunt with it at a greater distance, and for noise discipline you can’t beat it. True it may not be the best defensive choice than the shotgun, but chances are hunting would be the most pressing issue and a 22 can always be used in defensive scenarios… don’t let the shotgun crowd tell ya otherwise lol Now if you could only bring two firearms, then sure, the 22 and Shotgun makes a nice pairing. 👍🏻

if you have luminous paint on the iron sights, a 2x7 variable scope in a see thru mount, a 22lr with detachable box mags, 45 gr Federal subsonic ammo, a silencer, and brains enough to remain hidden during the day, the 22lr autorifle is a VERY useful weapon. 3rd place to a properly set up Mini-14 and 22lr conversion unit, and first place goes to a shorty 223 AR-15, with silencer, etc, and 22lr conversion unit. The 223's have a fast enough rifling twist to use the 60 gr subsonic Aquila 22 rimfire ammo. That 60 gr bullet is so long that it has to be loaded into 22 SHORT cases. The 60 gr bullets will NOT be stabilized in normal, 1 in 16" 22lr rifling. Dont say I didn't warn you about that. thru a silencer, normal 22lr ammo has a sonic 'crack" sound. that's why you want the subsonic ammo. Normal weight bullets, staying subsonic, have no more power than a 22 short. Which is why Aquila offers the 60 gr bullet, at 950 fps, from a rifle. The shotgun is a joke once everyone else has a rifle.

Clean the gunpowder residue out of the action and reolace the firing pin and spring then you will have a new rifle And yes clean your 12g HINT When storing the firearms after cleaning and spraying the action and barrel inside store them standing on the muzzle barrel down so if there is any left over oil it will run down the barrel and ALWAYS CLEAN the barrel before shooting Cheers Phil Australia

Choose you Caliber?!? 22 for sure. Choose my Weapon? M6 Scout! .22/410/45 Long Colt! Best of all worlds!

Buck or birdshot or a compromise for self defense!? Maybe trapping / compact crossbow for small game and 12g for self defense!? Being without military background, yes i worked as civilian on a base, but have some eye problems! Birdshot for short range self defense! I have almost no experience with guns! Could not get a license ( bought to much David Icke books and Gadson style video's living in the Netherlands where pepperspray is forbidden ( Risking the same jailtime as a hot .38 special) I didnt went to court because relocating to Spain! Have an X bow!

Welp, my GHB has a 22 takedown and 530 rounds of ammo. The pump 12g is for hunting birds and deer

.22 LR no questions... as silent as possible, perfect for hunting... lightweight ammo to carry, and easy to find... everything a 12 guge isn't!... at the end of day two pipes can form a 12 gauge if I find ammo...

If you can only own one gun get a 12 ga. If you own multiple and have to bug out take the 22lr.

Gotta be the 12, especially with a 3-inch chamber.

Sorry Jason, I'd probably choose the 22. Just because of the firearm capacity, ammo cost, ammo and firearm weight and range/precision. But, that's just me.

Given the range of shot shells from bird shot up to slug, I feel like a 12 guage definitely be better in both power and versatility. Outside of small game and plinking much you can do with a 22. But in a defense situation any guns just as good as long as I can defend myself.🤷🏽‍♂️just my opinion tho

If hunting for food, assuming you don't miss, how long will 1000 rounds of 22 last?

The pin spring

Nice Nylon 66..

An awful lot of people that are against guns grew up in places where the local fauna isn't big enough to eat you, and where police response times isn't 45 minutes because the deputy is across the county when the call comes in. It's privilege, in the sense that if it isn't a problem for them, it's not a problem for anyone. Whereas someone like you or I came up in places where, yes, there are creatures out there that can kill you, and/or law enforcement is only fast enough to write a report about what happened. I'll never forget being out in the back half of my grandfather's property as a kid and hearing a scream in the woods. I found the old man and asked him what that was, and he said "painter" (ie a mountain lion). Education, right there.

I'd go for both. I've had my own shotgun since I was 12 and bb gun before that

The marlin mod 39A works for me

Got both

Paul Pelosi knows about them hammers 😅, i agree though it's a god given right for sure

Fwiw, a 3 1/2" 12ga is effectively equal to a 10ga. 10ga is now obsolete unless you max load a 10ga... You'll pay for that with pain though

12ga or 22lr. No question the 12 I have seen to much of 22lr going bad quickly in fl. Heat humidity. The heal bullets do not keep it out of the powder. Its a out side lubricant bullet in alot of its loading. In a truck here it can get gummy and cause problems with the powder. Those bullets have a tendency to bend in the case with some malfunction. Then the uncertainty of the priming. And if its a auto the problem with a rim on a auto. Nope not a fan of the 22 for anything serious

"from here nothing's safe" assuming you're not mobile. If you're mobile 22 wins hands down, especially if you have a 22 takedown. Shotguns make a "statement" in public, 22 is a tool and is overlooked.

I tried to support the channel by buying tshirts but spring couldn't handle the shipment 😕

Please send me the membership details cheers phil Australia And yes 22s rule for distance 12g for power up close

12ga.

22 every time

357 magnum

22lr everytime

👍

17 year police study showed the .22 was pretty much as deadly as any other caliber

🇦🇺😎👍Hey mate I’ve just resubscribed. RU-vid cancelled my subscription

.22 is stupid. How many rounds does it take to shoot through a brick? Yeah blah blah blah ya carry more ammo because you need more ammo. There is a huge difference between can do the job and will do the job.

If only one firearm : A break action with 2 bbls, one of each. If only one, .22. 12 is great for the top end (big stuff, deer, elephant etc. lol). .22 is ubiquitous, it's everywhere, Alaska to Russia to Africa. But .22 will feed you, light, quiet and, may God forbid it, it is "a gun to get a gun". Let's all pray that never happens again. 1776 and 1812 were two times too many. !

Gun stuff... I grew up in Greece... no gun culture there... but I grub my first 12 gauge at first chance... I've always been around guns... I chose arms and explosives specialist as a skill in the Army [Gr] I hate it when idiots get their hands on guns destroying the culture because...'' they have a right''... a psychiatrist should have a say... not just the police... same goes with vote... in my perfect world, those two [guns and votes] will go together... approved by police and science... I don't believe in ''universal rights''... Here in Australia now that I live is the same...[no guns]... but I don't need'em anymore...

Why not both? There's at least one gun maker that has an over-under.

i have both...