the 'Tactical' lifestyle.....farmstead-style

[AJMD429]

If city folks think semiautos, rapid-access safes, preloaded magazines, accessory-rails for flashlights, laser sights, night vision equipment, and suppressors are all just for schoolyard shooters, terrorists, and mall-ninjas, they need to live on a farm.

Many times we hear a goat scream, a chicken squawk, or other signal, that requires an armed response within sixty seconds or so, necessitating both a vigilant mindset, and equipment commensurate to the task of positively identifying innocent versus predator, and shooting one or more moving targets in the dark, without endangering neighbors or losing ones hearing.

It's not like 1960's Cambodia, but a bit of 'military-style' stuff sure helps (even if mounted on a levergun designed 132 years ago).

So far over 25 years of farm life, the consistent problem-fixing firearms have been a Ruger semiautomatic carbine (10/22) with high capacity magazine, EoTech sight, LaserMax laser, and Coast LED-lenser light mounted on an 'AR-style' pistol-grip stock....



....and my Marlin 'Night Scout' 357 Mag, with a Burris FastFire-II, plus the same laser sight and flaslight as the 10/22.



Sometimes a Ruger 22/45 pistol in 22 LR, with the Mystic or Trek suppressor and an older Burris red-dot sight.



To euthanize two prize-winning goats mauled by coyotes I used my 300 Blackout semiauto AR-15 pistol with the Mystic suppressor on it, because I wanted humane lethality, but no noise audible back at the house to further traumatize the kids knowing their pets were dying. Someday I want to get the Marlin threaded for the Mystic suppressor, but for now the 300 Blackout pistol was able to do the task more positively and kindly than any other firearm I have would.



If we lived where we needed more reach due to larger livestock pastures I'd grab the AR-15 with 4x Trijicon ACOG, laser, 500-lumen light, and Trek suppressor.



Now if I lived where there were grizzly bears, I'd probably keep the Beowulf upper on it instead...



A great horned owl got another chicken tonight though....
But somehow I wouldn't shoot an owl even if I'd gotten out there in time, even though I would a possum or raccoon or feral cat.

Such is farm life.....!!!

Now if I were stuck in some of the neighborhoods I lived in while in college, where predators are two-legged, carry weapons, and travel in packs, I'm not sure what hardware I would want, but I probably wouldn't go outside as much...!

[JerryB]

And the folks on your "left" say why do you need guns and all that military stuff?????

[Old Savage]

Saw a video on a suppressed 22 PPKs ... Amazed.

Shot pigeons on the garage and barn with a Bear Panda bow as a kid. That was suppressed.

[AJMD429]

Much as I like the levergun, and use it and the 10/22 the most often, if I were to pick just one firearm to do any possible go-out-at-night farm chore, it would probably be the AR-15 pistol in 300 Blk, even though it is the most 'evil' 'scary' and politically-incorrect of them all. With a suppressor it can be as quiet as the 22 LR, plenty of capacity, and enough range and power to take care of larger predators out to as far as you can see with the light and aim with the laser.

Still, I prefer the Marlin for the exposed hammer, and it doesn't throw brass unless I let it (300 Blk brass is too scarce to waste).

[Griff]

...(300 Blk brass is too scarce to waste).

Uh, Doc: AR brass catcher.

[gcs]

Mine is an old Marlin scoped semi 22, with a green LED hung under the bbl. The Fastfire would be great on this rig for close up terminations though.
With some Paco modified target loads, it's lethal on raccoon sized stuff and not that loud.
Not that anyone really notices 1 shot in the night.

[donw]

i've lived on a ranch for the last 14 years,

marlin 39 and hi powered PCP air rifles are all i've needed so far...if "push comes to shove", though, rem 870 stoked with 00 or slugs is available.