r/canadaguns • u/Uncle_Ted_1942 • Jun 01 '26
Buy recommendations Good folding/backpacking guns?
I like spending time in the forest and I work (well, I would work, if there wasn’t a recent huge budget cut) in the forestry industry. With that in mind, I always considered getting a nice compact gun to stow away in my pack for peace of mind, ease of carrying, and maybe some spontaneous hunting.
I know of the Chippa Little/Double Badger, as well as the Mossberg Shockwave, Savage 24 and 42, and various other Turkish sloppers, but I was curious if there were any other options any of you would recommend?
New, used, antique, doesn’t matter much, just something nice that folds up compactly, but ideally stays in one piece. I have an old takedown Remington Model 10, but it breaks down into two pieces and takes a few minutes to put together which I find less convenient.
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u/EnggyAlex Alex's Homebrew Jun 01 '26
Cz600 trail Sig cross
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u/Iokua_CDN Jun 01 '26
I'll second the cz trail. Folded up its like 27 inches.
I stuck a single point sling on mine, carries really nice right under the armpit, can bring it up quick and shoot if I need, or extend the stock if I have more time. Real slick
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u/Uncle_Ted_1942 Jun 02 '26
Oh yeah I’ve seen those, they’re pretty cool. I’ve heard good things about CZ guns (besides the whole political fiasco with them and Colt Canada)
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u/wanderinghunter1996 Jun 02 '26
I have a CZ trail and it's an awesome rifle for what you have in mind.
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u/VitallyRaccoon Jun 01 '26
I can second the CZ600 trail. I'm a helicopter pilot and carry one as a survival Rifle in regions where big bears are not a problem. If you're in bear Country it's 12 guage or nothing. But a CZ600 in 223, 6.5g, or 7.62x39 are all viable choices in areas where you're not expecting to get run down by a grizzly.
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u/Iokua_CDN Jun 01 '26
I really like mine with a single point sling holding it on my right side, sort of tucked into my armpit. How do you carry yours??
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u/VitallyRaccoon Jun 02 '26
I don't carry it on my personwhile flying, the poor thing lives in a Bulldog Tactical Ultra Compact case in the back of the cockpit which is both discrete for taking through airports and perfect to hold a reasonable amount of ammunition and survival/first aid equipment for use after a crash. I carry 75 rounds of ammo with me and a pair of mags. Most of the ammo is off the shelf soft tip, but I also have 10 rounds of bear ammo and 20 rounds of down loaded hunting ammo to not vaporize small game in a survival situation. A paracord sling is fantastic for survival situations so thats what I use with fishing line and fire starter in the cord
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u/Iokua_CDN Jun 02 '26
That sounds awesome! Oh, I didn't ask, which caliber did you get yours in?
Mine is 7.62 x39, bought so if my sks ever was banned, I'd still have something to shoot my barnaul stash with. Plus I just like the round, call it a cheaper, pointier 3030
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u/Uncle_Ted_1942 Jun 02 '26
I’m in the maritimes ,so the meanest predator I have to worry about are bobcats, and the biggest is a black bear. I’m not SUPER worried about attacks, I’ve had run ins with both of those critters and if they aren’t skittish then a loud bang usually makes them run the other way
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u/VitallyRaccoon Jun 02 '26
Absolutely. And even soft point 5.56 is reasonable enough against either in a pinch. Even if it doesn't quite qualify as an ethical hunting round.
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u/mrjusting Jun 01 '26
Derya just announced the RANX folding lever action in 44 and 357. Maybe that's what you might like.
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u/Iokua_CDN Jun 01 '26
To add to that, any mares leg if you learn to shoot it stockless, or install a tiny pic rail and your own folding stock if you can't wait for the RANX!
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Jun 01 '26
[deleted]
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u/Uncle_Ted_1942 Jun 02 '26
Used to really want a 10/22, but started to lose interest when they axed the mags bigger than 10. Definitely get a 10/22 one of these days though
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u/About_35_Ninjas Jun 01 '26
Double Barrell SXS coach gun. You can take them down and back together in seconds. There are some couch that even have chokes.
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u/Uncle_Ted_1942 Jun 02 '26
I thought about buying an old beater cheaply off of Intersurplus or somewhere like that and then making a 18.5” barrel 26” overall legal sawed off, but there’s a lot of people in my life and Provence who think their opinion is more legal than the law so I’ve been avoiding it.
Plus I don’t have the heart to chop up anything old, even if they’re worthless both dollar and “culturally” wise. It’s a thought in the back of my head that one day we might look at old cheap and plentiful Belgian and Spanish sxs shotguns the way we look at sporterized Lee Enfields lol
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u/Iokua_CDN Jun 02 '26
I've been considering this too. There is coach guns in intersurplus too if you don't want to cut! I'm not sure if they were done up in Europe that way, or done by Intersurplus that way, but either way, it's already done. Great North Surplus used to do it to a bunch of the guns that game in that maybe had a bulge or something at the send of the barrel. Seemed like it was a big thing, sort of a lottery, not knowing what gun you'd get.
But yea! You can buy then already in coach format, and then not worry about cutting up an old classic.
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u/SolemnSpider Jun 01 '26
If you're open to .22WMR, I like my ruger american. not pack-sized but light and has a reassuring amount of "stoppin powa". Could also look at the savage revel which has a takedown function, or you could throw a stock on a henry mare's leg.
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u/Uncle_Ted_1942 Jun 02 '26
Definitely wanting a mares leg. I’m in NS so carrying a centrefire gun is a hassle, .22lr mares leg just doesn’t seem like it’s worth the price to me.
A .22 WMR mares leg though? Yes please. Do they even make those? Ive never seen one before but I think that would be pretty sweet.
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u/SolemnSpider Jun 03 '26
Yes they do! Specifically, Henry does. this guy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gBWtKO8zDY has one where he swapped out the enlarged lever loop and stock handle for a traditional lever loop and full-length stock, the thing is an absolute beaut.
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u/Savageplayr29 Jun 01 '26
Chiappa big badger. I have a 30-30 one. yes, it’s a single shot but it’s only $450 cad new
I have a 1-6x LVPO on mine but a small dot or Reflex sight would also work well.
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u/Savageplayr29 Jun 01 '26
I bought a keltech sub2k to be my foldy boi but ofc that’s banned
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u/Uncle_Ted_1942 Jun 02 '26
Man KelTec made some really cool and wacky guns. If the whole political climate around guns ever swings back in our favour and I’ve got some expendable income, I can see myself having a collection dedicated to KelTec stuff alone haha
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u/ant_accountant Jun 01 '26
theres a range of .410 "poacher" guns that were popular in Britain. Have also heard then called pheasant guns. They're designed to be tucked into a backpack.
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u/EliteDuck Jun 02 '26
They're designed to be tucked into a backpack.
Which is illegal here, fyi. It's considered concealed carry. Strapped to the side of your bag is fine.
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u/Uncle_Ted_1942 Jun 02 '26
Huh, never knew that. Glad I read that before I stuffed a rifle in a backpack and got pulled over on my way to the woods or something 😬
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u/ant_accountant Jun 02 '26
It's not illegal unless you're truly concealing it. A gun sticking out of a hunting backpack is different than a gun concealed in a banjo case. Folding guns inside of an everyday backpack might put you more in the latter category. Folding guns wrapped up and strapped to the outside of a hunting backpack are more in the former category.
A person who carries a firearm in a case or tightly wrapped in canvas, as required by some provincial regulations on the transportation of firearms for hunting, does not contravene s. 89 of the Code. A firearm carried in that manner generally resembles the firearm itself and cannot be considered to be hidden.
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u/Uncle_Ted_1942 Jun 02 '26
Alright, that clears it up well for me, thanks. I was sitting here and started thinking if I was accidentally being a criminal by bringing my guns to the woods in a gun case instead of being “loud and proud” about it lmao
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u/EliteDuck Jun 02 '26
A person who carries a firearm in a case or tightly wrapped in canvas
That only applies for purpose-built canvas gun carriers, and not general use backpacks (which is what is being discussed here). It's obvious what's in a canvas gun carrier, so it's not considered CC. A backpack is more ambiguous and not covered by this section.
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u/ant_accountant Jun 02 '26
Yeah, I think the law states what is clearly fine and not fine. It's the grey area that OP needs to think about.
For example they make backpacks with internal scabbards mounted in the middle of the backpack. Or another example would be walking to or from the post office with a rifle in a plain box. Both grey areas, but my point is that intent to conceal matters.
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u/Uncle_Ted_1942 Jun 02 '26
I’ve seen some of those Belgian single/double .410s that fold up. They’re pretty cool, but always at collector price instead of shooter price lol
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u/Madman_Matthews Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
Lotta good suggestions. Im pretty hard to please when it comes to guns. Here are some that stand out to me:
Expensive:
-Sauer 200/202 (bolt action)
-Howa mini or superlite w/ jtac elf owl (collapsible)*
-Browning Blr Lever action (lever takedown)
-Winchester 1886/1894/1892 (lever takedown)
-German drilling (SXS w/ a rifle underbarrel)
-Thomson centre encore or contender (single shot)
Budget:
-Old SxS shotgun ( get one with takedown lever)
-Win 1897 or model 12 takedown (bang for buck)
-Cva scout takedown (single shot)
*Ive only shot the mini elf owl and factory superlite. The superlite elf owl seems to fix the only problems i had with the elf owl chasis.
I really like the cz 600 trail action, but i hate the chasis/stock. It feels cheap and flimsy. Ugly too imo.
I personally dont understand the appeal of the takedown 10/22. The base version breaks down to a very reasonable size with one action screw.
I trade a lot of guns, the only two I genuinely regret selling are an old sauer 12x12/9.3 drilling and 270 sauer 200. Those two were functional class and would have covered everything i need today.
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u/Uncle_Ted_1942 Jun 02 '26
Excellent suggestions, thank you kindly. I do have a Norinco 1897 Riot model, I’ve been wanting to buy a secondhand rear buttock for it to practise some woodworking and make a birdshead grip for it that I can swap out with the full stock whenever the mood for one another strikes.
Already have it measured out to make sure it’s legal length too, I just want the option of being able to put a full stock back on when I don’t need it in shorty mode. Despite only having a 20 inch barrel and cylinder bore, it’s a surprisingly good grouse and rabbit gun in the thick brush.
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u/Madman_Matthews Jun 02 '26
Hell yeah thats awesome, Sounds like the gun in no country for old men. I think PG and Birdsheads short shotguns are amongst the most fun guns you can have in Canada. An ithica stakeout build is something ive wanted to get for a long time.
If you are comfortable with a short grip, a mares leg 1892 can be good fun and very packable. A single screw can swap the stock to a full size for more accurate shots.
Idk what car you drive, but the model 12 TD fits in the back of my sedans jack/spare tire storage compartment. Your birdshead 1897 may as well. If you have a truck, many shotguns with barrels around 18 inches will fit behind the rear seat in the jack storage area.
Model 1897 takedowns are quite a bit more rare than model 12 takedowns. My local shop has a model 12 TD for $500 in really good condition. I like the pump action cycle slightly more than the 97, but the external hammer is definitely cool af. If you can find a model 12 locally for a good price, its worth checking out
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u/Iokua_CDN Jun 02 '26
People really like the Cz Trail with an adaptor and a more rigid stock. Gunpost had a guy 3d printing an adaptor to sell instead of having to buy the more expensive British one, if you wanted to bring the cost down. All in all, call it a 200 dollar fix to the gun.
I've also heard some good things about folks taking heat shrink to the original stock to take out the wobble. Will try that as well and eventually post it of it works
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u/Madman_Matthews Jun 02 '26
Heat shrink fix would be a cheap fix if it works, preferable to an adapter.
It looks like a miniature AI AWP/ASR action to me. I hope the aftermarket will make something similar to the thubhole and folding stocks AI has.
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u/Iokua_CDN Jun 03 '26
With the fact that the pistol grip fits ar grips, and the fact that you can get a buffer tube adapter, I wonder if you could modify a Hera thumbhole stock or other ar 15 thumbhole stock to fit it!
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u/BowFella Jun 02 '26
Depends what it's used for. I like to carry a 20g shockwave if I have predator defense in mind. A bit lighter and a lot easier to shoot than in 12g. It's compact enough to carry on the hip with a pistol grip. But now I actually carry an antique Gasser revolver for predator defense, I have black powder loads that fling a 275gr cast lead bullet at 900fps. Not very accurate but it's more 9f a "put the muzzle on fur and keep rotating the cylinder" type of scenario and packs more than enough of a punch for blackbear. For small game I love my savage 42. The gun is built like a POS, cheap plastic, cannot rest the fore end on anything or it throws off the shot. But it's the perfect small game gun. 410 is nice for up and close and the 22 barrel can hit a rabbit at 100 yards. I actually prefer it over a semi auto 12g for rabbits.
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u/Uncle_Ted_1942 Jun 02 '26
I’ve thought about the 20 gauge shockwave but can never find one anywhere, and the .410 one that I do find just seems a bit too expensive for what it is.
I’ve definitely been really wanting an antique revolver, but I’m nowhere near the price range for those. Most of the ones I see that aren’t .32rf are priced at the amount I would budget for a used car lol
I’m in Nova Scotia, so any sort of handgun trapper permit is out of the question, a friend of mine who is on the trappers association told me the CFO refuses to give out any sort of ATC for that stuff on principle alone.
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u/Iokua_CDN Jun 02 '26
For those who can't afford the revolver, I feel the silly super compact Turkish 410 revolver shotgun is an OK alternative. 5 inch barrel, stock shouldn't get in the way too bad, hold the muzzle to the fur and shoot 5 410 slugs in case of emergency
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u/french_tickler1 Jun 01 '26
Well there is always the prohibited or you could get your hands on the new prohibited. I really liked the prohibited because it accepted glock mags. The stock iron sights on the prohibited really were great out of the box, whereas the prohibited needed some after market support.
Sorry I have nothing to add besides that a lot of the great viable takedowns were, PROHIBITED. Theres a whole slough of take down type rifles that should fit the bill depending on want your after such as the BLR take downs, the 10/22 takedowns. Etc.
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u/Uncle_Ted_1942 Jun 02 '26
But but but ThEy ArE dEsIgNeD tO bE cOnCeAlEd!!!!!111 As MaNy PeOpLe As FaSt As PoSsiBlE!!!!!!!
Man, even the “Rugger” 10/22 gets name dropped by these people. Think of the
childrenchipmunks!
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u/Iokua_CDN Jun 01 '26
There currently is a folding semi auto shotgun for sale by Tactical Imports. FS Pro shotgun. Lifetime warranty on it, I'm tempted for one. 18.5 inch barrel but folds down to 26 inches
Otherwise there is a folding pump action that's even smaller.
Any 14 inch shotgun with a folding stock is going to be pretty compact.
I'm a big fan of those slightly silly 410 revolver shotguns. Some of them get REALLY compact. You could get the new ones that also shoot 45 caliber bullets, but my plain old 410 only one is fine by me. Not as much firepower as a 12ga of course.
For a bolt action, I'll say CZ 600 trail. Very compact, and the full rail is easy to add iron sights too or a red dot or lpvo. I have a small lpvo on mine now, but used to have irons and a red dot, and before that just had irons. With irons only, it's an amazingly compact rifle.
Otherwise, have you ever watched DemonstratedConcepts on YouTube? Years ago, he was big into shooting stockless rifles and shotguns, and his methods make the Shockwaves and mare legs look a lot more useful. His channel is horribly disorganized though. Let me know if you are interested and I can weed through his videos and try to find the good ones explaining how to do it. Using his methods would make a lot of stockless guns more useful to you.
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u/dke783 Jun 04 '26
I vote for a folding 12ga shotgun, like Dantheislander recommends.
-Canuck has folding pump actions.
-Axor has the semi-auto FS Pro.
-you could load with alternating slug/buckshot/slug/buckshot.
If you prefer a cartridge gun, then the Cz600 Trail will carry very nicely.
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u/Dantheislander Jun 01 '26
A folding 12ga slug gun is probably the answer here or the Chiappa big badger (various calibres) but it’s single shot.