I am normally a deer hunter, but I am planning a canoe expedition through the SouthEast. I am going to carry a .44 mag revolver with me for protection, but I am contemplating a good small game rifle with whitch to survive. I have been considering the .17 hmr and the .22 wmr, I would greatly appreciate some feedback.

The .17HMR will be much more accurate with it's plastic tipped ammo out to 100 yds, which will probably be your max hunting range, anyway.

The bullet is very frangible and doesn't the the impact energy of the heavier .22WMR (17 gr vs. 30 gr) The .22 will not be as destructive on the game. The .17 shouldn't be used on anything larger than a rabbit for humane kills. The .22 can and has been used on critters up to the size of racoons.

Your call - eating meat or pest control.

I've got both of these fine firearms and agree with kdub on the 17 being the most accurate...also tissue damaging. But I stumbled onto a round put out by CCI in the 17 HMR that is a dream come true for "meat-hunters". It's called the "Gamepoint/FMJ" and it's just the ticket for punching small holes in tasty critters at extended ranges...out to 150 yds with little appreciable bullet drop. It's simply a cute and deadly round and it's all I hunt squirrels with aroung here. I've used it with great success on turkey, but shot placement is essential and I don't advise it's use by anyone but the most disciplined shooter. Give them a try and see if they work for you.

P.S. I still use my Marlin 22 Mag, but with FMJ...just as the CCI's, but I preferr Winchester mfg.

3G's

Have tried them both, no doubt about it the .17 is the more accurate round. Most of my RF hunting is either small game or larger bodied varmints (Nutria), and for that I tend to the .22mag. (bullet weight seems to work better on critters of over 15 pounds weight). IF smallg ame is the MAIN reason for the rifle (and in truth, you'll need small game much more than large game in a traveling situation) then might just settle for the plain-jane .22LR.

I DO like and agree with your idea of a videly divergent pair as the best choice...either a big bore rifle and a little bore handgun, or a big bore handgun and a little bore rifle. Having them match just seems like duplication rather than covering a wider field (if I was worried about "injuns" then I might change that view...but I doubt they'll leave the Casino to chase me).

Protection against what? Are you talking about the SE US, SE Asia, SE Australia??? If it's the SE US you are going to canoe then I would think a 22LR rifle would be all you would want. Leave the 44 at home and take more fishing gear. One use for the 44 would be shot cartridges for snakes. I am told however it's best to just avoid them.

Protection against what? Are you talking about the SE US, SE Asia, SE Australia??? If it's the SE US you are going to canoe then I would think a 22LR rifle would be all you would want. Leave the 44 at home and take more fishing gear. One use for the 44 would be shot cartridges for snakes. I am told however it's best to just avoid them.

The big rattlers are quite tasty.

The big rattlers are quite tasty.
ribbonstone
I spent several years on the gulf coast thanks to the USAF. Many a good meal of blue crabs, crawdads, mullet, catfish and of course shrimp. Never had any problems with snakes but then we never went looking for them. Would have eaten rattlesnake if someone else had fixed it. I suspect the proper way to dispatch one is to shoot it's head off with one hipshot from your 45 revolver as the old TV cowboys did?

Yep...head shoot...body shots, even with big bullets, just tends to turn them into eitehr a balled up slithering mass or makes them slither off faster. Put 3 44's through the side of one as it was high tailing to across the trail, made it look like the port holes on an old Buick, but it kept on going until #4 worked its way to the head. Caliber not important, it's head/neck or it doesn't quit.

We do have rattlers here...Cotton mouths and other water loving snakes are much more common, but the big CaneBreak rattlers are in the dry areas. Can add in Copper Heads to the same dry areas, and the little but deadly Coral snake (but they are shy and you seldom see them).

Clean it, season it, cut it into sausage size lengths, toss it in a baking bag, and cover it with ornage juice (it's also good baked with beer).

(An old Air Force survival manual stated that if it has fur or feathers on it, it won't poision you...with the possible exception of polar bear livers. In a survival situation, if you are picky about what you eat, you just aren't hungy enough...yet.)

Probably the large caliber handgun combined with a small caliber rifle would be a good do anything live-of-the land combination. Shoot a lot more small game than big game.

I've got both, but my go everywhere PU gun is a 22 mag. SS Ruger. I'm tuff on equip. and it is like a Timex.

I agree the .17hmr is more accurate but I feel is the best between the two for game as big as coyotes or bobcats. I have taken many coyotes and a few bobcats as far as 225yds with my .17hmr and have seen all them take no more than a step after impact most fall in their tracks,I also own a .22mag which would not even come close to doing that(I have tried) so it is my opinion after many trips to the outdoors that the .17hmr is your best bet.