Modified Marlin .22 MAGNUM Bolt Action Rifle

by Jim Pence
(Minnesota)

The .22 MAGNUM is a sensible survival cartridge for the man who just has what he can carry: all the size and weight advantages of a .22 long rifle with a much bigger punch. I have talked to people who I consider to be experts: the 92-year-old wolf trapper that raised my indian father, the doctor/pathologist who did crime autopsies for Denver, and indian reservation nighttime deer hunters---they all agreed that the .22 MAGNUM cartridge could take anything from a rabbit to a man.

The barrel on my Marlin was shortened to 16 1/8" and the stock was cut off at the forend to be the same length as the barreled action: about 22 inches.
The screw that holds the action to the stock is now a takedown screw and I welded a sling swivel stud end to it. That way, the swivel becomes a wrench to put the gun together and the screw will never be lost since it is attached to the sling.

The rifle has both a 4-power scope on mounts that unscrew with a knife or coin and iron sights as a backup. It will consistently hit a playing card sized target at 100 yards.

This bolt action is light, simple, easily repaired with common parts, accurate, and cheap. It breaks down to fit a package no wider than a sleeping bag and can kill anything smaller than a grizzly. What else is there?