Good video Chris. About 25 years ago I helped a gentleman slaughter a calf he had fattened up. He used a 22 just like you described, we cut the throat and let it bleed out. We skinned it like you do a deer, aged it for about a week or so in the cooler and processed it ourself. It was some of the best tasting beef I have ever had. I think what you raise if done correctly tastes better than what the big box store supermarkets sell. Again, good video keep them coming. Good info people need to know. We all may need to do it one day if things keep going up.

@georgemartin5980

Жыл бұрын

Aging it properly is so important. With factory agriculture, they age the meat “wet” in plastic because it speeds up the process and gives a higher weight of finished product. Doesn’t matter it isn’t as good. Quantity over quality.

The voice of experience here for sure. Well presented practical info minus the sales hype, macho Bs. Cheers from Australia.

I think you touched on all the important stuff!! Thanks for all of your knowledge. You will help a lot of people if they'd watch your videos. Thank you for sharing. Cheers!!

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks I appreciate that !

Chris, I really enjoy your videos. Growing up with my grandpa I can tell that you have lived all that you speak of. Thanks for your honesty !

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

2 жыл бұрын

People need all the real and honest they can get , a thank you for your support it means a lot

Chris helped us a lot with this video! 😃 So much so that I still come back to it every now and then. My husband and I started our homesteading journey three years ago and we had no idea which firearm would be appropriate for slaughtering our livestock. We keep cows and pigs only. I went out and purchased a used Savage Model 93F .22 Magnum bolt gun and it's been one of the best purchases I've ever bought! The .22WMR comes in 40-45 grain FMJ rounds and they have plenty of power to humanely kill the largest of cows and hogs. It also turns our nuisance red squirrels into jelly. We've even used it to kill a few large Eastern coywolf hybrids.

This was a fun video which shared a lot of practical experience. I have seen a video of a 12 gauge with target shot which penetrated seven sheets of drywall; ouchie that is a lot of power. I recently searched for 16 gauge shotguns and all I could find were Browning semiautomatics and Over/Unders. A young man I knew got a semiautomatic 12 gauge for his birthday in the Autumn of his Freshman year of college. In January he went to clean it and was unaware there was a shell in the firing chamber. It went off and blew a hole in his right dominant hand. Stick to Slide actions or something where you can readily check and easily clear the chamber. It is hard to beat a Ruger 10/22 and a 20 gauge shotgun of some kind other than a semiautomatic. Wear ear protection. Livestock Guardian Dogs are great to have around and can prevent problems as can cats which I personally don't care for (allergic). Owls eat rodents which host ticks and attract pit vipers. Consider installing a Screech Owl nest box. I have watched several videos and learned quite a bit about raising pigs. Regards.

I use a .22 Long Rifle with Subsonic round (84 grain) with a suppressor on my pigs when it is harvest time. It tends to create much less noise and does not scare the rest of the pigs and other animals around the kill site.

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

5 жыл бұрын

I've got some of those haven't tried them yet bet they would work !

This made me feel better the guns in my safe. I still have a lot of modern rifles,pistols and shotguns but the ones that I relied the most on has been a colt colter with scope for pests a jc higgens single shot 22 for goats(quit rasing hogs after I found out how intelligent they were so I never felt right after) and my mossberg 500 with a salvaged shorter barrel on it for self defense and a barrel with an over muzzle adjustable choke. If I was to add one other gun to the line up you have I would say some sort of 30 caliber rifle. Between a 22 rifle,12ga shotgun and a cheap 308 rifle that is alot if bang for not a huge investment.

Your absolutely correct on dispatching. There's nothing worse than a bad shot! They also make 41 pellets of #4 buck that'll take up to deer, at close range

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

Жыл бұрын

We used to use #1 and #4 for deer and slugs for bear . Growing up most households had one .22 maybe a .410 and every grown man had a 12 or 16 gauge repeating shotgun to hunt with . Nobody had a center-fire rifle . Not sure if was because of cost or they just worried about about hitting something they didn't mean to .

I know that this video is old but your advice and perspective are still relevant today in this tacticool world we live in. I've always lived in rural areas and I always keep a .22 and a shotgun. I have several different kinds of guns but I always refer back to my 12 gauge for almost everything, but I do not have cows anymore. One gun I always have on my is my government model 1911, never needed it but I always have it.

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

Жыл бұрын

I'm of the better to have and not need it than need it and not have it camp myself.

As always, you handled a sensitive subject very well with lots of needed info and the reasons why.

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you kindly ! I'm trying to spread as much old knowledge as I can .Your support means a lot to us!

@sheilam4964

5 жыл бұрын

@@HomesteadingtheHardWay I'm going to keep on hitting that "Like" button and commenting now and then to support you so you can continue to record all the valuable info you are sharing.

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

5 жыл бұрын

@@sheilam4964 I can't thank you enough your comments have encouraged me to keep making videos more than once!

Excellent, thanks.

Good info and all facts!!!

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

5 жыл бұрын

I did this kind of spur of the moment but I tried to cover everything! Thanks for watching

Cold hard truth.

Good information. It's hard to beat a 12G for an all around good tool.

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

5 жыл бұрын

This was really a hard video to make you really need both but you can't put down livestock with the shotgun ,well you could but ......

Thanks for the video. It is hard to find gun info that is practical and not tough guy fantasy scenarios

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

5 жыл бұрын

Glad to help ! Thanks for watching

Greetings Chris, I do believe that a rifle is needed on a homestead. When my dad and I would down pigs I raised with a 22 long and worked great. I always wanted them to go down quick, cut the juggler lift them up with my Super C Farmal and start gutting and skinning. Great video my friend. By the way, I am uploading a video in a few minutes and I mentioned you in that video. Have a blessed day, Jim

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

5 жыл бұрын

Sounds like you were here with us!

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

5 жыл бұрын

And thank you

Great information. I lived off the grid for a while and you are correct -- a 12 Gauge is a lot safer to use for varmint control around your other off the grid neighbors. 22's are VERY ricochet-prone. A 12 Gauge is also better at taking running rabbits and birds while hunting. Both the 22 and 12 Gauge were cherished tools in my experience just like you've experienced.

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

Жыл бұрын

Growing up a big part of what we ate around hear was hunted , most men only owed one gun . A 12 or 16 gauge shotgun and every household had a .22 just to use on cows and hogs

@JohnB-dr8sk

Жыл бұрын

@@HomesteadingtheHardWay Glad to see someone with real world experience in this topic share your knowledge on KZread. Too many KZreadrs are just backyard cowboys with bad advice. When I was off the grid, I was surrounded by farmers and off the gridders who had to deal with a ton of pests, put down animals, and feed their families and dogs. Everyone stocked up on .22s, 22 Mags, 17HMRs, and 12 Gauge through 410s (one of my neighbor ladies kept pests at bay very effectively with her trusty 410). Bartering for this ammo was always welcome. During the .22 shortage after Sandy Hook, you could trade .22s for eggs, chicken, hog meat, vehicle repair, you name it. Always good to have a very large stock of these working calibers/gauges. And far as self defense, sadly, because of the times we live in, crime is creeping into the rural areas, especially out West. The county sheriff can be an hour away if you call 9-11. So out here, everyone owns a semi-auto rifle like an AR or Mini-14 and keeps a watch on each other's property just in case. Lots of cartel activity moving up this way sadly. I would imagine where you're at in NC, a good ol pump shotgun and a good pistol would be sufficient to handle the same thing.

@JohnB-dr8sk

Жыл бұрын

@@HomesteadingtheHardWay Also- not sure if you covered it, but being able to reload shotgun shells, especially with today's ammo prices, is a great way to save a ton of money and keep your stock up high. Also great to have extra for neighbors during hard times.

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

Жыл бұрын

@@JohnB-dr8sk I used to reload a lot but nowadays I don't hunt enough to make it through what I already have . Everyone around here looks out for each other about the same

great info thank you!

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

5 жыл бұрын

I'll do a better one later lol

@LivingTheDreamPermaculture

5 жыл бұрын

@@HomesteadingtheHardWay sounds good! I'll have more questions when we apply for a license and go for a shop 🤣

If I could add 1 more gun to your list which is very good the only thing I see it is missing is a 30/30 Winchester rifle. That is the best all around gun in my opinion that’s ever been produced

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

Жыл бұрын

I'm a 30/30 fan myself. I made this video with some viewers in Australia and new to the farm folks in mind. Over there they are very limited in what they can have a lot of the counties around me you can't discharge a center fire rifle , people have to deal with some weird regulations

@uncledanny7

Жыл бұрын

@@HomesteadingtheHardWay yeah it’s crazy how some of the laws change by just crossing the county line

Keeping the load from traveling to the neighbor's ... Good point ! Is there an ammo shortage there?

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

3 жыл бұрын

Yes there is especially 9 mm .223 .308 and would you believe 12 gauge birdshot and .22s are non-existent again

Great Information for the new Homesteader Lol I have the same guns

Growing up in a farm community before small family farms died off as a industry in the United States you could definitely find a shotgun and a . 22 in every home along with a deer rifle of some variety if there was a hunter in the family. Those 2 or 3 guns typically handled everything that was needed( although some only had a .22 or a shotgun), pistols were a rarity and then the most common pistols around were small caliber guns used by trappers to dispatch game and snakes. There wasn't a taboo against having more guns or "unpractical guns" but most farmers were on a tight budget and a new gun was a big expense, most didn't own a gun without an intended purpose for it. It was pretty common the .22/shotgun/ deer rifle arsonal repeated for each male in the house as these are typically the first purchases a older boy/ young man would make and it followed the young man as he moved out. This was so typical in my area that if you spotted a old farmer with the .22/shotgun/deer rifle combo repeated it usually was the story of a son who died .

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

7 ай бұрын

In the south deer rifles were scarce. We didn't have deer from about 1840 till 1960 or really any big game except in pockets . It was probably the early 80s when deer hunting became a thing around here

The right tool for the job.

The .22 singleshot there is a Winchester model 67 and I have one just like it.

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

3 жыл бұрын

Yes it is , 67A . Not sure what the A means

My very first weapon was a old 22 Crackshot for$5. Out of a trading post barrel full of WW1 and WWII surplus and assorted well used shotguns and 22. For my $5.00 owner threw in 3 boxes of 22 shorts, with the caveat that I would bringing him 3 snowshoe rabbits next winter. First 3 next fall went to him with a couple cotton tails as an interest. Every year thereafter, he would give me 3 boxes for the same payment. For many an adult years I haunted pawn shops, old country stores, and gun shows for old 22 bolt action single shots that sometimes cost as little as $10. I would sportorize stocks,peep sight a nd even cut down and restocked into youth size. Gifted them to friends with kids and some farmers, loggers, and commercial fisher men bought as barn, truck, and boat utility weapons. In my opinion every American born male should be gifted one and have indoor and outdoor public places to learn how to use.

Every country home and farm where I grew up pretty much had a shotgun and .22 rifle. Maybe a hunting rifle.

Thank you. Wife and I are looking to homestead and it’s hard to find videos without someone telling me that I need a high dollar tactical rifle for my homestead.

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

3 жыл бұрын

What's so bad is it's almost impossible to kill a hog or take care of something in a chicken coop with one , in other words what you'll use it for the most

@Valorius

2 жыл бұрын

@@HomesteadingtheHardWay 99% of the time i just carry my Ruger LCP 380 on my homestead. kzread.infoAvGs8kWkSbo It's perfectly fine for coyotes and intruders. I do wish they made snake shot for it though. I have all kinds of guns, but it's always the super easy to carry LCP that's with me.

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

2 жыл бұрын

@@Valorius They are handy I had one but please don't be tempted to try to put down a cow or big hog with one a 9 mm won't do the job much less a 380 . A 22 mag from a rifle will get it done no worries but I saw ten rounds out of a 9mm not kill a 800 lb cow two days ago

@Valorius

2 жыл бұрын

@@HomesteadingtheHardWay You wont see many big hogs or cows on my homestead my friend.

@Valorius

2 жыл бұрын

@@HomesteadingtheHardWay God invented shotguns for a reason

Good video sir.

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you

I really wanted to know what your your 22 model and maker. It looks like it might be a Mossberg

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

7 ай бұрын

Its a Winchester 67 A

Hey Chris your 12 gauge pump shot guns is it a Winchester 1300 looks like it . What choke do you use in it modified or full ? Those number 4 buck would do a Good job on Coyotes That's what I use on Coyotes number 4 buckshot modified choke. I shoot 000 buckshot on deer 🦌 and full choke for turkey 🦃. I got a Winchester model 1300 12-ga and a Remington 870 12-ga . And I always keep my .22 rifle in the truck 👍

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

Жыл бұрын

That ones a 1200 ( same thing just older) with choke tubes it's my son's . Mines a 1200 featherweight with a full choke that number 4 buckshot is the ticket for coyotes and other predators .

NO SCOPE!!!

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

5 жыл бұрын

Not up close , couldn't say it enough see a lot of screw ups when people try killing hogs with a scoped rifle !

I have that extact same .22lr rifle. It was passed down from my grandpa and now its my sons. It is more accurate then any of my 4 ruger 10/22s. I have AR15s, AK47, Mini 14, Shotguns, .22, 9mm, .45, pistols but the .22lr is my favorite for around the house caliber.

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

5 жыл бұрын

That one will still drive tacks . From 11 to 14 it was the only gun I had ! It taught me to be quiet and still and aim careful . I've bought a lot of replacements over the years but always go back to an old 581 Remington .22 , model 1200 Winchester and marlin 30/30 I bought when I was a boy . I like time tested and proven that marlin has killed 50 deer and a bear every year for 32 years ( limits one here ) now these young guys say it not enough gun

@leereoder

5 жыл бұрын

@@HomesteadingtheHardWay 30/30 is a good round. When I was boy i hunted with a 30/30 marlin and a Rem 700 .308. I wish I never sold them. After I got out of the Army I bought alot of different firearms. Honestly I didnt like the AR15/M4/M16 until the Army. In fact, I hated them. Now I have three and I have come to appreciate military style firearms. I also found they are very handy in the field.

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

5 жыл бұрын

@@leereoder I definitely don't have anything against them except the ruger ones I bet people have brought 7 or 8 up here already this year with a live round stuck in the chamber for me to get out ! I have an AR 10 myself but I did the same thing I had the only mini 14 I've ever seen hold a good group and sold it like a dummy

@Digger207

Жыл бұрын

@@HomesteadingtheHardWay all I've ever had is a single shot 20g (which was my first gun), a 12g pump, a 22, Ruger 357, and my 30/30. Never had a need anything else. All these kids and wannabe cowboys say a 30/30 isn't big enough because they're trying to justify their c0@& measuring contest. It's the same reason they think you need a lifted diesel to be a farmer.

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

Жыл бұрын

@@Digger207 you might be right lol

Great information btw!

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you ! This was a beginner course and a lot was left out but I had several new homesteaders that had never had a gun asking for one

Thanks for the info! I'll be honest, guns are something I know little about.👍

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

5 жыл бұрын

That's a problem a lot of new homesteaders have but your probably going to need one! If you go to the gun shop for advice they're not going to listen to what you need it for and try to sale you some tactical shotgun or AR 15 lookalike .22 that's almost useless but looks cool to them!

Yea once a hog gets up the 300 lbs plus it better be a good solid 40 gr. .22 hornet works great too for all critters.

I've got a model 67 22lr. Too. first gun I ever had, my grandpa left it to me.

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

2 жыл бұрын

Mines the most valuable gun I own because of the fact that for four generations now it's done it's job . Lol the " better " rifle I use now I won in a match using that old Winchester

@zorgath420

2 жыл бұрын

@@HomesteadingtheHardWay I have to agree, I own an assortment of 22 rifles and pistols yet the model 67 has brought in the most meat over the years. A good old gun got you a shiny new gun, very nice! my grandpa won the 67 in a dart game back in the 40's... Thanks for the great video man

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

2 жыл бұрын

@@zorgath420 it amazes me how things change . In the old days people wanted fine sights on a rifle and the longer the barrel the better . Now everything's a carbine and if they even have sights you could hide a barn behind the front blade

If 16ga shells were as available and affordable as a 12ga, why would you prefer 16ga over 12ga? Is it mainly recoil, or pattern?

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

Жыл бұрын

Versatility in the old days you could get 16ga shells loaded with light 20ga loads all the way to heavy 12 ga loads so it was like having both . That was before 3 inch chambers though

@william629

Жыл бұрын

@@HomesteadingtheHardWay Thank you!

I had the 22 bolt action Romanian training rifles will the seven round clip

@jamestatum7759

7 ай бұрын

Yes I also had like five of those 1971. And another one would like 1978 I think another one would like 1979 can't think of the other one. But yeah they had the cleaning set up in the butt of the rifle.

I have a 22 long rifle model 30 Mossberg bolt action

Chris for president 2024

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

Жыл бұрын

Lol not me I don't want that job

I live in ireland break action is all we are allowed mind for what I need it for it's more than enough heck my joke is " my battle rifle is a double barrel shotgun my backup peuce is the second barrel,,," Love your video , I might be wrong but I'm guessing you'd be as fascinated with my accent as I am with yours, Great vid Thank you sir

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

Жыл бұрын

We're of Scottish, Irish and Welsh descent so yes I am fascinated by the language and old ways over there

@halfcan-nitafan5207

Жыл бұрын

@Homesteading the Hard Way you'd love it here so gaelic is the spoken Language of course we all speak English but that's for visitors and tourists

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

Жыл бұрын

@@halfcan-nitafan5207 I kinda understand I have to change the way I talk words I use because people can't understand or know what they mean especially names for things

@halfcan-nitafan5207

Жыл бұрын

@@HomesteadingtheHardWay gaelic is a separate lanuage like French or German is different to English the gaelic lanuage is completely different to these lanuages soo much so it waa outlawed by the the British so only wild places like the western mountains or western islands spoke it you know rebel type folk my mother (god rest her) came from the western mountains and my father comes from the islands so I'd have to speak gaelic too much rebel blood in me not too

@halfcan-nitafan5207

Жыл бұрын

@Homesteading the Hard Way why do think Media hates us homesteader types soo much ? They can't control us as easily we ain't the kind ti do drugs and such plus evil always opposes good

Does the 22lr have to be bolt action to kill a hog or will a semi auto rifle have enough power? I have a ruger 10 22.

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

Жыл бұрын

Semi auto is fine just use solid bullets

@ian5780

Жыл бұрын

@@HomesteadingtheHardWay thank you sir.

Game rules in pa are center fire rifle and single projectile weapons aside of a slug that would destroy a lot of meat neither gun is legal if I wasn’t worried about that then I would say perfect list I would like to add a 223 single shot or bolt to the list currently using a 30-06 for deer and it’s almost as bad as a slug

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

Жыл бұрын

I had to Google it but those restrictions are just for deer , a rimfire and shot are fine for small game / pest .

@jordynexley6817

Жыл бұрын

@@HomesteadingtheHardWay oh yea I’m sorry I should have clarified that’s what I was talking about though

This is going to be a controversial take but I would argue that any modern-day homestead is going to need a defensive firearm, it could be police style shotgun, an AR/AK pattern rifle or something else but the country side is a lot different now the it was 20 years ago. The population density is a lot lower as any Farmers have died or gone to retirement homes without being replaced, this is only going to get worse. The end result is homesteads will get more and more remote leaving those who live there more isolated and vulnerable. When there were 3(and often many more)farms per square mile people had neighbores to form communities with and watch out for each other now it is more like one family(often old) to 1-2 square miles. Criminals have noticed ans a lot can happen whe the nearest cop on duty is half an hour or more away(remember small towns typically have small Police forces). Growing up in a rural area in the 90s and early 00s crime was rare but it was pretty severe when it did occur. The most common was theft on the owner wasn't home some people got cleaned out as thieves had time to load up entire trucks. But it could get worse. One neighbor, an elderly WW1 vet who was still farming in his 90s was executed as he answered his home door,the contents of his home and property seemingly untouched ( this was never solved but the police thought it was a gang initiation even though the nearest gang territory was an hour away, apparently driving a few hours away from your territory to remote area to do this foul deed is considered in a safe way to do it). Another neighbor was found raped and murdered days after it happened( this was unsolved until the murder got drunk and edited at a bar about 6 months later, apparently it was a coworker who learned the victim lived home alone in the country side and followed her home. The final event was when another neighbor found a strange truck parked in his barn one morning, the truck had its VIN numbers removed and was full of dead bodies( it took almost two years for police to realize the bodies came from a city 4 hours away,) There was also a series of home invasions and people being run off the road and shot up(this was a group of three people who got caught after a week and a half of terror, they lived almost 4 hours away in another state. Apparently they decided they just wanted to live like bandits and were confident that by driving several hours away from where they lived they would not get caught)These events occurred within a 5-mile radius over 15 years in rural KS. There are only one third the number of people living there now as it was back then. The countryside is often very idyllic and sleepy but shit happens.

If you can’t afford a shotgun and a 22 rifle they make a 22 adapter for a single shotgun

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

Жыл бұрын

Honestly those things are pretty useless. I played around with a set . In other countries it's not so much can't afford one it's the hoops and red tape to be able to own one those chamber adapters might be a work around for that though.

thats a winchester model 67 single shot one shell is all u get with them

@HomesteadingtheHardWay

4 жыл бұрын

It is ! Granddaddy bought that one new ,grandmama gave it to me when I was 9 taught me to aim careful

A 22 mag works good for me

If you shoot the pigs in the head, does that not mess up the brain, which is some good eating? I love pig brains and spicy sausage with scrambled eggs.