What rifle is best for SHTF situation?

I'm a pretty good shot myself

My sister's ex boyfriend got me started with all kinds of firearms when I was younger.

That's why I'm most comfortable with a Remington 700.

I've spent tons of time shooting all kinds of things with Rifles. Everything from rabbits, fox, coyote, gophers, skunks, jackrabbits and even flickertails sitting far away in a field.

I just love Rifle shooting, and give me that for long range and a Shotgun and a nice Revolver for close range stuff.

Originally posted by facelift
reply to post by Cosmic4life

 

Something with multiple functionalities.


[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/e5985719be48.jpg[/atsimg]

Though I am not a good source to turn to for gun advice, I have shot my fair share, from a civi M-16 to a 'highway patrolman' .357.

In the long run, I want to have a reliable and sturdy .50 cal muzzleloader and an old school revolver that loads the same way. I'm having a 'dur dee dur' moment and cannot think of what that type of revolver it is called.

Why? Because cased ammo will become a rare commodity. If a hardcore SHTF scenario comes around then you WILL need to make your own powder and ammo.

I sure as heck will use modern firearms as long as I can, but I WILL make sure that I have firearm capability in the long run as well.

Just my 1/50th of a dollar.

[edit on 13-6-2010 by sporkmonster]

reply to post by sporkmonster

That's a good point, having a muzzleloader is a good idea.

I just laugh at the guy though who says you can shoot rocks out of it

reply to post by jeh2324

swiss cheese"
ever hear of bulk delivery?
funky heads
chemistry in motion

man I love the balistic cutlery gun


think of it though
unless you have medic support
you might NOT want to be in fire fights
because the other guy might have longer and straighter then you



[edit on 13-6-2010 by Danbones]

[edit on 13-6-2010 by Danbones]

[edit on 13-6-2010 by Danbones]

[edit on 13-6-2010 by Danbones]

Originally posted by Judohawk
reply to post by sporkmonster

 

That's a good point, having a muzzleloader is a good idea.

I just laugh at the guy though who says you can shoot rocks out of it

I will not laugh at him. When you need a projectile you NEED A PROJECTILE. The American revolutionaries used gravel and glass for ammo when needed. Think of the Marines, they do 'whatever it takes.'

I'd shoot sticks at 'em before I shot nothing.

if we are talking major SHTF complete collapse of society then the best gun for YOU depends on YOUR plans and Situation.

If you live in a large city and for some reason (im not going to judge here) you decide to stay put a good quality 12ga is probably your best bet. Nothing stops home invaded at close range like a shotgun.

If you live in the northern line of states, Canada, Alaska. Id say you want something in 30 caliber. .308, 30-06, 30-30, for taking larger game some as moose, large deer, elk, larger bears, ect.

Great Plains, Montana, Wyoming you may want something that can reach out and touch someone 25-06, 300 mag, 7mm mag, 338.

If you plan on going road warrior style and being on the move it would difficult to argue against a 10/22 just for the sheer amount of ammo you can carry.

AR-15's and other .223/ 5.56 guns are a solid balance in power, range, and weight of weapon + ammo. Hunting style rifles in .223 can be had much cheaper then Assault rifles if needed. In the same class shotguns win hands down in versatility though ammo is heavy and bulky.

Best bet is to avoid shooting conflicts all together but even if you do i promise 4-5 rounds of 22 in the head at 100 yards will stop just about anyone.

As i mentioned earlier the best gun for you depends on you. Also do not forget practice and training. If forced into a fire fight with another person id rather go against the guy with a .50 cal and little experience then a well trained enemy with a single shot .22.

One last thing to note that i see all the time in forums. The .223/5.56 vs .308/7.62 debate. Over and over i hear people say a .223 is junk because they will take their .308 and kill you from 800 yards before you are in range. In 99% of all real situations, If the person has the skill and training to consistently hit a human sized target at 800 yards, they are probably smart enough to let you get within 200 yards anyway and take the guaranteed kill that they could make with a .223 also.

if i were to have a rifle for a shtf situation it would be an m-14

reply to post by ventian


I understand and if accuracy is not the main objective then you are right about the ak-47 it is a good gun for what it's purpose is.



Personally I have a Springfield armory socom2 .308 for my main gun and a Ruger sr-556 for my back up.

My hand gun is a Springfield GI-milspec .45acp with a styer m9 backup


I also have the henry golden boy 22lr for small game

[edit on 13-6-2010 by Citizen-X]

I will start by letting you know i have been in competition since i was 11( shooting since age 6)

I shoot a colt ar-15 in every comp. as for survival you want a ruond that is going to reach out about 200-300 yards.

You will never be in a life threatening situation over that distance. I own an FNH FNFAL. it is .308 caliber and semi automatic. its a fairly cheap rifle but it is easy to clean (VERY IMPORTANT) every rifle jams eventually and cleaning some takes forever and is way to tedious.

Go to your local gun shop talk to the oldest person that works there( as a general rule they know the most:up

But i would definatly go with at least a .30 caliber or above. Good range, good knock down power and .308 or 7.62x54 are everywhere and they can be relitivly inexpensive

Originally posted by Thaliko


One last thing to note that i see all the time in forums. The .223/5.56 vs .308/7.62 debate. Over and over i hear people say a .223 is junk because they will take their .308 and kill you from 800 yards before you are in range. In 99% of all real situations, If the person has the skill and training to consistently hit a human sized target at 800 yards, they are probably smart enough to let you get within 200 yards anyway and take the guaranteed kill that they could make with a .223 also.

You my friend nailed the question

You will never be in a firefight over 300 yds. and if you are you have plenty of time to get out of dodge.

Contrary to popular belief a shotgun is not the best choice for home defense. A .223 round once it hits a body will travel through less of your walls than a 9mm pistol rd or 00 buckshot. thus reducing collateral damage(always good)

I think I've got something that'll beat ya'll HANDS DOWN !!!!

500 Watt Rail gun that uses 10 cm long, 3 mm diameter steel rods
that'll be shoved out the muzzle of a linear induction motor
at 60,000 KMH (35,000 MPH) which will go through 30 cm armour
like butter! Range is around 15 to 20 KM (6 to 12 MILES)!!!!

Attach that to a gyroscopically stabilized mount which is then
AUTOMATICALLY guided and fired by Optical and Infrared vision
recognition software that works at 2000 frames per second
using a stereoscopic video camera with an 800 mm lens
to automatically find, track and target and UTTERLY PERFORATE
with many holes THOUSANDS of objects per second!

It means you'll be the Biggest Cheease when the SHTF and all those
deranged refugees will be popped off in no time by a machine that
thinks at 3.2 BILLION CYCLES a second!

YUP!!! I think a portable rail gun with vision software should do the trick
in a SHTF scenario....it'll work off a simple 1000 watt generator EASILY
and steel rods are CHEAP and easy to find! AND the rail gun is QUIET
since it uses electro-coils to accelerate a steel rod via linear induction
at ULTRA high speed. The zombies will NEVER know what hit them!
Especially if you use banks of fast discharge ultra-capacitors
to pulse the induction coils, you should be able to do about
50,000 rounds per minute for a firing rate!

I LIKE THAT KIND OF FIREPOWER IN MY HOT LITTLE HANDS !!!!!!

reply to post by Cosmic4life


What rifle is best for SHTF situation?

It says it all in your title
You answer the questions that many people ask everyday. The questions?

Why have we not contacted or found ET`s?
Why have we not ventured as a race or species?
The questions are endless.
The ultimate answer is because we continue with the wrong mindset.

To be honest if the SHTF situation came about, then let it and prepare for it the proper way. If everyone follows the correct answer then the S*&t hitting the fan situation will be directed at the ones that continue to cause and keep causing the situations in the first place, TPTB.

Anyone who answers the question with endless lists of powerfull devastating weapons, will unfortunately find it harder than those which have decided to shine.

reply to post by StargateSG7


Wow dude, hope i'm not in Canada strolling around when the SHTF!
I think i've seen you on family guy,Stewie!
Rail guns? spot of global domination in there hmmm just a little bit hmmm.

reply to post by jazz10


You obviously did not read the small disclaimer that states this thread is a mental exercise and is not for the timid or the overly sensitive.
If you don't like guns or feel the need to own one then go to another thread.
Please do not come onto my thread with a sanctimonious attitude and be-little everyone with your holier than though posts.
If the SHTF in the years to come, i have no doubt, you will either want a gun or to be with people that have them.
We are not evil, nor are we a bunch of crazies,cheers!

reply to post by Cosmic4life


You arm yourselves then, but when that exact moment arrives, would you pull the trigger?
Taking into account the moment you pull the trigger you whole life will change?
Theres nothing wrong with defending yourself, but to use weapons that end lives would you not agree that something a little less permanent would be better?

reply to post by jazz10


Dude, i have already told you this thread is not about the morality of mankind.
And considering that we are talking about weapons in a SHTF scenario, the life changing event would have already happened.
If i found myself in this situation would i pull the trigger? Are you kidding?
I would blow the sucker all the way back to hell!

Any gun can do the job..point a shoot. Go for two rifles a short/medium range for those that have some balls and long rage semi auto for headshots.

Fit them with telescopic scopes and voila, good times.

regardless of morality
a man's gotta eat
so does his familly
killing other people....

guarenteed some people will try to take the lazy way
(thats how we got into this mess)
and
bears, let me repeat, bears
will invite themselve to the barbq too
they can smell food from a long way away
a long way away

you will want to maybe kill and eat the bears

it totally helps to have the right tool for the job

Originally posted by IntelRetard
From personal experience the AR15 would be a fine choice. There would be many parts to be had if the SHTF. Most important is ammo. 7.62 is a NATO round. There will be ammo all over for this unless you intend to go overseas.
The sights on older models can easily be dialed in with a nail to move the sights.

My first choice for a weapon in a long term scenario is ammo availability. Problem is most models that we can buy lawfully do not have the 3 round and full auto burst. Still a good weapon when you proficient.

[edit on 12-6-2010 by IntelRetard]

since nobody else pointed this out, I will. The AR15 uses .223/5.56 round. It is a gun adopted by the US military and many of it's allies. The AK47 uses the 7.62 and has been adopted by most countries that oppose the US. therefore, if you are looking for a weapon to have plenty of ammo for, pick the one that you think will be used by the loosing side. The guys who are winning won't be dropping their guns and running.

OT:

I like a 22 for the obvious reasons. It's cheap to practice with, ammo is plentiful, light, and cheap. You could store thousands of rounds and not take up much real-estate. I have a Marlin Papoose that I can stuff under the truck seat. Very reliable. I plan on getting an SR22 soon. All my 22s are Marlins, but everything I hear about the 10/22 is they are bulletproof.(pardon the pun) And it looks cool which is what guns are really about.

This is from a tread I started on another web site. This has to do with guns for a survival situation.

"These are my take on what works and what is not ideal in terms of firearms for taking game in a survival situation. Check local game laws and firearms regulations in you area to determine if this information may be put into practice where you live.

Counter to what a person will encounter when sport hunting a survival hunter will be under very different pressures. When sport hunting you are limited in the amount of time you may hunt, season length and shooting hours as well as the type of weapon you may use. As a survival hunter you will not be looking for a specific type of animal, you will not be interested in if it is a male or female and instead of shooting the biggest animal in a group you may want to shoot the largest one you can carry/eat in a day/take with your weapon. Also you will be under pressure to kill something for the pot today and you will be hunting all the time.

For me a firearm must be able to place its bullets into a 2", 50mm, circle at the max range I intend to shoot use it at. This is based on the ability to take small game with a head shot if using a rifle that produces over 2000 fps or hitting a large animal in the brain if using a low velocity weapon."

www.p2s-prepared2survive.co.uk...

This is an excerpt or a four part post that gives my take on things.

If you are talking about self defense then skill with the weapon is much more important than the technology. My $.02