Over on "shooters bench" Mart posted a photo of an old Ruger Single Six that he`s carried for many years on some Oregon trap lines which got me thinking how important a good field 22 is...the .22 I`ve carried over the years is a blue four inch S&W model 34, otherwise known as their Kit Gun... I had it hard chromed which makes the gun look surprisingly new despite its age and has finished off more game then all of my big bores... During one hunt at the YO Ranch the gun was used by myself and other handgun hunters to finish off 9 animals...I remember the guys yelling "James...your 22" to finish off their animal...The pin holding the front sight is a piece from a large paper clip to make a field repair and I`ve never took the time to replace...Many years ago a south Jersey gunsmith fitted a 22 mag cylinder and when loaded with 40gr. FMJ bullets I found there`s not many skulls one of those bullets won`t punch through....More recently I`ve switched to another S&W Kit Gun which is a 2" version of their stainless model 63 with square butt...A CCI 22lr to the base of a boars ear has ended quite a few hunts the right way...Do you have a field 22????

ruger single six with a 6" barrel thats been a fishing, hunting, and general woods bum companion for (i keep saying 30 but its more like 40) years. its my answer to " if you could only have one handgun?"

sweet 34 sir. my first thought was that it was a 651.

Bull barrel, stainless Ruger Mark 3. Carry as backup on predator hunts. Finished many a bobcat and gray fox. Recently carried it on a prairie dog hunt and used it for dogs inside 50 yards. Love that pistol.

I either carry my LCRx 3" 22 or my SR22. I carry the LCRx in a Simply rugged pancake holster. I bought a cheap nylon paint ball holster for the SR22. It has a pouch (probably for a canister) that works great for a spare magazine.

I love my little Buckmark. It's a lightweight little girl and more accurate than I. When the day has been too much I can sit on the porch and plink steel at 60 yards to make things better.
Pow.....tink.....Pow.....tink. Love that sound.

James,

Just a minor clarification. My trapline days were when I lived in Washington state, prior to moving to Alaska. I've done a little trapping up here but my work schedule has always stood in the way of much trapping. I still carry the SS on my hunting forays.

A four inch 34 Kit gun has long been on my bucket list.

Mart

Nice guns James! Depending on my mood I carry either a Single Six or a MkIII Hunter. Both have put a lot of meals in the pot over the years.

Sweet double-deuces, James. I have a MkII 22/45 with a reflex sight on top that will put a mag full well inside of an inch at 25 yards with very little effort.

Got to love those .22 revolvers. Here's mine, a S&W K22 that was recovered after a flood in the late 80's. It came into my possession shortly after and has been a companion on many a fly fishing trip in Colorado and New Mexico.

http://www.handgunhunt.com/photopost/data/500/A_used_22_002.JPG

I just traded off my Mark III that I have used for the past few years to put down my trapped game animals.



Looks like I will need to use one of my 22lr revolvers now.

Nice 22s guys! I've got two 22 pistols, but neither one is what I'd consider a field gun.

S&W 2213
Weighs just over a pound, holds 9 rounds and it will almost fit in your pocket. Shoots like a full-size pistol out to about 20 yards or so.

After packing two different Single-Sixes for nearly 40 years I moved up to a Smith 617 6" barrel a couple years ago. Love the Smith trigger.