I have a .177 and a .22, and the .22 is more powerful, so I would recommend that. The .177 might take out really small stuff. You can hunt birds, squirrel, raccoons and probably rabbit with the .22. You could use it to scare of coyotes also, but if they turn on you, you better have a heavy shovel handy. Canadian Tire has a lot more .22 things than .177, so shoot the .22 more because I can find more, cheap, ammo. Practice with the bluntnose or 'wadcutters" on paper or plastic targets (or pop cans, if you wish), and you can get hollow points, domed, super point, and destroyer. I like hollow points, just be careful when shooting in the woods, because they do ricochet.

My .22 air rifle is a break-barrel Benjamin, again, the Crappy Tire Special. Works well, but instead of regular sights, it comes with a big scope sight that has battery-run cross hairs that will light up. I found it a little difficult to attach at first, finally figured it out though. The cope is nice for hitting birds and squirrels so you can aim in, but I used to shoot competitively in Cadets with iron sights, and now I find it distracting, and makes you "over think" a shot. Once I get more used to it, it'll be a great hand though.

My .177 was really just for home target practice. You could probably take out some smaller stuff with it. Iron sights and a break barrel. Less powerful, but still could work.

I would need a PAL for both the .22 and .177 right?

I suspect with your wife you may need the kinder and gentler approach. I can already guess that she is not interested in shooting things 🙂

You could start with the "what if the power was out for a few days" idea. What would we need? Would we have enough food and water? How would we cook the food? Starting a food storage program is usually up a girl's alley and it will save you a lot of money!

Slow and steady. Don't talk about the end of the world. Just tell her how much you love her and your kids (if you have any) and how you want to provide for them and keep them safe no matter what the situation. Start with a weeks shelf stable food, then a month etc. do the simple things like storing water in pop bottles so you aren't spending lots of money on your "new hobby" when she isn't on board with you. Keep at it and be gentle. You know her the best so speak her language.

Of course you can always ask her to sign up on the board and eventually join the women's forum so we can help 🙂

Good luck!

Just to build on what Anita said above, you need to invoke the maternal instinct, then stand back or get run over by the prepper your wife will likely become! 😉

In all seriousness, start small and build from there. Guns are usually the last thing a woman want's to hear about, so if this is about you wanting to just do some target practice, just assure your wife that you will do it in such a way as to be safe for you and the kids and then be ready for her lack of interest going forward.

On the other hand, talk about the low water Ottawa had last year, and the resulting restrictions. Talk about the break in the water main on Woodroffe that took months to repair and people had water trucked in. Talk about the flakey overloaded power grid in Stittsville and Kanata and how often folks in those areas experience power outages. If you're old enough, remind her about the ice storm of 98 where people around Ottawa went as much as a month without power. "What would the kids need?" and "What would you need?" will get her to begin the process. It's less about the term "prepper" - in fact thanks to Nat Geo many people now associate "Prepper" with "Nutjob" - and more about doing something. Find out what her parents and grandparents did - did they have a garden, did they can or preserve food, did they have a well stocked pantry, did they have lanterns and heaters or means of fire if the power went out? Questions like those could certainly help her get engaged. Good luck and welcome to the forum. 😀

I sympathize with having the wife think your nuts. Mine thinks I'm borderline certifiable, despite the fact that I've been 'this way' since we met.

I keep just try and have things around that make the family 'comfortable' during storms when the lights go out or the heat or whatever. It's easier for her to accept that. Lately, we've both become interested in canning and food storage as it's become a financial issue to 'do for ourselves'. When she's not looking, I double up on cans of staples and bags of beans and grains and repackage them. We end up eating them anyway so she can't complain of wastage. And really, if your buying on sale and on deals how can she complain about about that? Big ticket items are gonna be a very tough sell if yours is like mine. Learn to barter and trade like a boss.

As for getting a PAL, why not? It's no different then getting a driver's license. The course is nothing but common sense, so you can't really fail. Well, you can - but if you do you really shouldn't be handling a gun anyway. With a PAL if someone in your family wants to gift you a firearm, they can and you get to keep it. And one of the most versatile guns you can ever own...if you only ever wanted to own one...would be a shotgun.
While your at it, why not take the Hunter Safety course as well. In fact if your area is anything like mine, you'll end up taking them both on the same weekend anyway. 2 day course, the first day is pretty much nothing but firearms saftey, the second is hunting topics - waterfowl identification and such. If your gonna pay, you may was well get them both at discount.
Now that you don't even have to register your guns there is no real reason not to do it.

Keep in mind .22 ammo requires a firearm license. .177 I don't believe does, except any air rifle worth a damn is actually over the fps rate and puts it into the true firearm category - meaning you'd be required to have a firearm license to possess and use it. Having said that, it's only relevant if a police or MNR officer (and I can't recall it saying in the regulations a .177 is a valid caliber for hunting, in which case you still need a hunting license to legally hunt) stops you. But the can (and in most cases they will) require you to chrono it prove the gun doesn't exceed the fps.
One thing I can tell you. Don't screw around with MNR officers. Most people don't know it, but they have pretty extensive powers concerning search and seizure. It's not worth fooling around with. If the time comes there's no law, I wouldn't worry about it. But by then, the woods would start to get pretty crowded with every joe yahoo out looking for his own meat.

Hi, i third the other ladies, start slow, start small and look to food, water and shelter, then consider how you are going to work on small animal hunting if and when that time come, might just make more sense to have quall or a breeding set of rabbits or backyard chickens etc

just to make you are aware that we are having a get together next weekend in ottawa, come on out and get visit first hand with some old timers and so newer folks, i believe that we have more ladies comimg then men, as well as a couple married couples at the event..

http://internationalpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=3249

My wife isn't much into prepping, and even less into firearms so I can sympathize with you. I might suggest starting with other things that won't immediately bring on a fight. If your goal is catching small game, then learn how to set traps. A few good traps are probably worth more than any BB or pellet gun in terms of the potential to bring home some meat to eat. If you're absolutely set on owning something that launches projectiles, then why not look at bows and arrows or even high power sling shots. I've seen some stainless steel balls used for sling shots. If I were a squirrel, I'd sure hate to get hit with one of those.

I would need a PAL for both the .22 and .177 right?

i'm going from memory, but I think that air/bb guns with a muzzle velocity under 500 feet/second don't need a pal.

You said "(I'm not a hunter and don't plan on being one. Unless the SHTF) I was looking at BB/pellet style guns. The firearm would by no means be for protection. I was looking for something that would allow me to take out small game at close range in an emergency situation."

Well I've been a hunter all my 70 odd years and I have learned one thing. Animals are a H311 of a lot smarter they they are given credit for. Hunting to survive would be very difficult under the best of conditions. As a non hunter sorry you won't make it!

If you want to hunt later you have to do it now. Get out and learn the skills necessary to be successful from other hunters.

HTP

Thanks again for all the ideas. I've also been browsing the past posts, and I must say. This forum is a great place for a new guy.

HTP I get what your saying and plan to work on that. Thanks to you guys I just did some research will probably go out and get my PAL. I guess the reason I don't hunt is because I'm spoiled. Lol I usually trade them some fish for venison or goose sausages. When they're out in the woods I'm usually out fishing. I guess I'll have to go out hunting to now. I'm fine with that, we'll see what the wife thinks. Lol

Cheers

I would need a PAL for both the .22 and .177 right?

No you do not need a PAL for a regular air gun. The high power versions that require a PAL are not very common and tend to be expensive.

I am a lucky guy I guess. My wife sees the wisdom in being prepared not for any reason in particular, just because it makes sense to her. Sometimes she asks a question out of the blue about societal collapse but other than that...it's a bit overwhelming for her. I do mention 'news' that could be alarming, and she processes them on her own for a while, sometimes we will talk about it. Most times, we tend to just focus on things we can do to change our own lives so most things that could/will happen will have little effect on our family.

I will agree with some of the previous posters though. In the areas she is interested in prepping...she has outpaced me. Made me put back a box of cheerios the other day. We can eat oatmeal, or eggs out of our backyard...end of discussion. Hey, it's her kitchen, her rules 🙂

I would need a PAL for both the .22 and .177 right?

No. There are .22 rifles I believe, but this is an air rifle. I think the Benjamin maxes out at 495 fps.

And fps depends on the material the pellet/bb is made from. RCMP has chrono'd aluminum pellets from a 495 (over 500 fps requires a PAL) at over 500 fps, and thus would tell you that you require a license. It's not the rating of the gun they look at, it's the speed of the projectile through the chrono wires. Strange, I know, but there's precedent for it.

There's also a pellet gun that is .22. I have an old pump version. It's air, and the pellets are larger then .177 (they are .22). It's a good starter gun for teaching the kids small game hunting as it makes good kills. But it's not that much louder then a normal .177 air rifle, so it gets them ready for the louder stuff. But it requires a PAL to buy/possess.