Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Trapping Trapline guns

I don't trap anymore. But in my younger days when I did I found a good 22 LR handgun and some times a 22 WMR was about as good as I could get.

I used a Colt Huntsman, a Ruger Standard auto, a Colt New Frontier 22/22mag a Smith & Wesson K22 and a Smith & Wesson M63 stainless kit gun. All were fine.

The one that was a favorite because I liked it's versatility and the ability to handload ammo of differing levels of power was a S&W 6" K-frame 32-20. It had all the power I needed to any handguns range (I could shoot pretty far out with good handguns in the day when my eyes were still good) For trapped animals I used a 100 grain bullet loaded to only about 750 fps. No hide damage. Loaded with the same bullet and a stiff load of 2400 I could get the bullet out fast, and it shot flat.

Looking back I am 100% sure I'd have been fine with a 38 special or a 9MM too, but I used 22s for the most part except when I could use the 32-20 which was my favorite, but that was a borrowed gun, so there were many times I didn't have it. I have one identical to it now, but now I just enjoy shooting it and carrying it as a back-up for a rifle. I think back to the days when I was a kit and had the S&W 32-20 along, and it makes me smile.

Savage rascal for me. Weighs just 2.5 pounds

Carried my stainless Ruger MK II for many years as my trapline gun. Was always pulling double duty for small game hunting and trapping. Tried out a .22 LCRx. Looked great on paper and checked all the boxes of what I thought a good trapline gun should be. However I couldn't get used to the terrible trigger pull in single action, let alone how it felt in double. Down the road she went. Back to my MK II. She has put just as many bunnies and squirrels in the freezer as any other gun I own. No reason to shelf her now.

I only carried if trapping Coyotes or bigger.....Just a .22 LR revolver. For Fox, Fisher or cats, I never carried anything.

This....
I use a 10/22 for the same.reason..

What trapping I do we have snow down so a sno go is part of the deal. I have a hard scabbard bolted on. I carried a 10/22 until two years ago I switched to a 17wsm.

Osky

Almost always carried a 223.

I have used a Ruger Single-Six for many years. Apparently it was getting some wear because I sent it into Ruger for fitting of a magnum cylinder (bought it used almost 30 years ago and it never had one) and they held it hostage till I sent them a bunch of money to upgrade the internals. Still works and I still pack it. I am guessing my great grandkids will be shooting that revolver someday.

A couple years ago I had a stainless TC .223 cut down to 16.25" to carry in my backpack on hound hunts. I got a wild hair and loaded up some HP bullets designed for the .22 Hornet at .22 WMR velocities using TrailBoss. Makes a pretty handy trapline gun and appropriate for dispatch with the reduced loads. Totally unnecessary looney BS but kinda fun anyway.

I typically had either a bolt action 223 or an AR15 when running traps.

I am still using the same stainless Single Six I first posted 2 years ago on this thread. Only my 3rd season with it, though zero issues thus far. I did wish I had a rifle a few weeks ago as I got about 80 yards from a black wolf before he realized I was there. All I had was a 16 gauge with #7.5 shot, and the Single Six. Aimed at his backline but it wasn’t meant to be…oh well.

Caught this boar the next week.

Congrats on the wolverine!

taurus tx22