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Good takedown rifle for camping?

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dovecoon

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Got my first gun a couple weeks ago - already want a second one. This time it's for practical reasons, though. I take lots of long trips, often through unpopulated stretches of roads, and I go camping and hiking. I'm looking for a cheap rifle I can keep in my trunk in case I break down in the woods, or something I can keep in a backpack if I go camping. Either way, I want something cheap, small, and reliable. I have a few ideas, but I want some more educated opinions first before I start eliminating my current top three.

First is the Chiappa Little Badger. It's sub-200, folds up nicely, and is what I'm currently leaning towards. My only complaint is the single shot capacity, not that that should really matter when hunting small game that will run if the first shot misses anyway. My only real concern is if I could get something way better for only another hundred.

Second is the Henry AR-7. the whole thing breaks down and fits in the stock, but I'm very nervous about reliability and accuracy with this because of that. And even worse, what if I lost a part in the undergrowth, making it useless? The good thing about the Little Badger is that nothing actually gets disassembled as far as I can tell.

Last is the Rossi Matched Pair (.410 and .22) but I'm nervous it won't shoot either caliber well, and then there's the fact that I'd have to carry 2 barrels and 2 packs of ammo if I wanted to use it fully, or if I left one barrel at home, it kind of ruins the point of picking this at all.

Are there any other good takedown rifles I should look at? I'm looking for something cheap with 400 being a hard limit. If I even went past 300, it would have to be for a very good (comparatively) gun.
 
ntomsw said:
Ruger 10/22 TakeDown.
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I agree with the 10/22 on the cost, size and reliability aspect but not too sure what your overall purpose would be. If your hard limit is the $400 range and your not hunting I would take a look at the Keltec sub 2000. At 4 lbs it folds to 16 X 7 inches and gives you a 9mm or .40 S&W option. Easy to deploy, very reliable and accurate at 150 yds.
 
What makes the 10/22 better than the AR-7 to justify that extra hundred dollars? This is going to be a gun that spends most of its time in my trunk or a backpack instead of on the range, so price is a bit more of an issue than with a target shooting or self defense gun. Rabbits don't shoot back, after all :p
 
dovecoon said:
So it is accurate? A store by me has a good price on one, but I was nervous about its reliability since I'd be essentially reassembling it every time I used it. About how long does it take to assemble once you get the hang of it?
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Very accurate. Takes less than a minute to assemble. I don't think you have anything to worry about as far as parts go, there really aren't many. The stock screws on to the receiver via a thumb screw that's held permanently in place. The barrel then threads on to the receiver, again, retained ring/nut. Comes with 2 magazines. That's really it. Even if you we to loose both magazines you can still put the bullets in manually. Henry stands behind their products. If you are in the Milford area, you are welcome to try mine out.
 
chopper_man said:
Very accurate. Takes less than a minute to assemble. I don't think you have anything to worry about as far as parts go, there really aren't many. The stock screws on to the receiver via a thumb screw that's held permanently in place. The barrel then threads on to the receiver, again, retained ring/nut. Comes with 2 magazines. That's really it. Even if you we to loose both magazines you can still put the bullets in manually. Henry stands behind their products. If you are in the Milford area, you are welcome to try mine out.
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Thanks for the offer, but as luck would have it, a try-before-you-buy store by me happens to have both the AR-7 and 10/22 in stock. Since those are the two everyone likes best, I'll probably just try them both out in a day or two and grab my favorite.
 
The ruger takedown is pretty cool. I just sold mine cuz I hadnt used it at all, but I gotta say it would make a handy kit/survival rifle.

my only beef w the takedown was that my POI seemed to change every time I took it to the range, which I think is due to the receiver/optic being physically separate from the barrel. The iron sights are directly on the barrel so they worked just fine.

i cant really blame ruger for this....i am guessing the receiver-barrel lockup just isnt as solid as a standard 10/22.....and yes i am familiar w the tensioner on the takedown.
 
Chrisb said:
I agree with the 10/22 on the cost, size and reliability aspect but not too sure what your overall purpose would be. If your hard limit is the $400 range and your not hunting I would take a look at the Keltec sub 2000. At 4 lbs it folds to 16 X 7 inches and gives you a 9mm or .40 S&W option. Easy to deploy, very reliable and accurate at 150 yds.
Click to expand...

I went to that Keltec site and saw the rifle you mentioned. Very nice!!!! But then I looked a little further and the Keltec SU-16A only weighs 5lbs and it shoots 5.56/.223. The msrp on it is $665.00 though. But that would give you some serious firepower if it were needed. An the overall length is 26.4 folded to plus 10 inches on that side which could be a detractor.
 
robjax said:
I went to that Keltec site and saw the rifle you mentioned. Very nice!!!! But then I looked a little further and the Keltec SU-16A only weighs 5lbs and it shoots 5.56/.223. The msrp on it is $665.00 though. But that would give you some serious firepower if it were needed. An the overall length is 26.4 folded to plus 10 inches on that side which could be a detractor.
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Yeah, but it is a Keltec...

Btw a ~16" AR15 upper is right around 26", so you could have a real rifle in about the same sized bag.
 
I have a Henry and a ruger 10 22 takedown. The Ruger is a much better rifle all around but if you're on a hike I'd consider the Henry as it's lighter.
 
Use an AR separated into upper and lower sections. I have California takedown pins by Yankee Hill here on all my ARs. They come apart easily and go back together quickly. Some say these extended pins get caught on gear and brush, but when I have hunted with my ARs this has not happened to me afield. YMMV.

p_100003690_1.jpg
 
edmorseiii said:
Yeah, but it is a Keltec...

Btw a ~16" AR15 upper is right around 26", so you could have a real rifle in about the same sized bag.
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It's a good point. I thought of that too but then was thinking about the weight but you are right. I would much prefer a real AR if it was easy enough to carry.
 
robjax said:
It's a good point. I thought of that too but then was thinking about the weight but you are right. I would much prefer a real AR if it was easy enough to carry.
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I get weight, but I would rather carry an extra pound or 2 and have an AR.
 
10/22 takedown. Do it once and do it right. Nothing wrong with the other choices but really think you get the best with the Ruger.
 
edmorseiii said:
I get weight, but I would rather carry an extra pound or 2 and have an AR.
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IMO the advantage to 22LR isnt the rifle weight, but rather weight of the ammo.
i can carry 100 rds of 22lr in my pocket.....100 rds of 5.56 is a whole other ball game.

by the time one setsup their entire system with LBE, a 22lr rifle is freaking amazing. By the same argument i love 17HMR and am still surprised it hasnt caught on as much as I would have thought.
 
It's a little pricey, but a Steyr AUG would do just fine. Quick Pull of the barrel and its super compact to put in a bag. Probably the fastest takedown and assembly of them all, and definitely the shortest, even with the barrel.
 
Last edited:
For those curious, I went with the AR-7, mainly because the store I went to had a cheap M&P range kit, and getting the AR-7 instead of the 10/22 meant I could afford both >.>
 
I've owned AR15s, 10-22s and an AR7 and for what you described, I think the Henry is the best choice, so good for you. Obviously an AR15 is a better rifle, but percentage wise, it's waaay heavier than an AR7 as well as takes up a significant amount more space, plus the ammo weight, etc.

The Henry will do just fine - it's accurate enough out to 50 yards and goes together simply. You could wear it out easily by shooting it too much, but it doesn't sound like that will be an issue.
 

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