You guys are so lucky, I need to move out of California half the guys you've listed are illegal in this state....

If you're going to get a tactical weapon of anykind you have to thibnk of the situations you will be using them. A shotgun I'm thinking will be for home defense so you will want something that if you miss wont go through the walls and hurt your family so your 20 gauge is pretty good for that, but if you want tactical I would suggest the Saiga. It is based off of the AK so jams are not a problem unless you jam the magazine. As for the rifle you want to consider some of the same things. How far will the target be, what size target is it, how much stopping power do you need? An AR is a good rifle but requires more care than an AK, but it also has accuracy and range advantages. You can also get conversion kits for an AR so I think that woulnd be your best bet.

I agree with Daddy Bare. A good used scout squad M1A will run a grand (so will a new AR). The design's been proven since WWII. The new M1A runs $1800, but is worth every penny. Mags are the only drawback. $40 each for quality or $55 for factory new. The best and most dependable rifle made. I'd put it up against the AK any day.

The first thing you need to do is never say "assault rifle" again. That term was dreamed up by anti-gun nutbars specifically to remove the rights of American citizens to own a gun.

Shotguns: A Mossberg is going to be a solid choice. After a while they get a bit..."clacky", which is to say loose in the pump action. But it will never stop going "boom", it won't jam and it will give you a lifetime of protection. A lot of people say to go 12 gauge over 20 because "bigger is better". I disagree with this. The recoil of a 20g is about half that of a 12g, and today's manufacturing technology makes a 20g powerful enough for home defense and bird hunting.

Rifle: AR platform is nice, but you can get a Bulgarian AK-74 for half the price and it will be more accurate than you are. I'd go with any .308. 30.06 is powerful, but it has a pretty good kick. .223 you can shoot all day, but if you need to ventilate someone it'll do the trick.

/TOA

Im jumping onto this one a little late, but if you are look at a "assault" style rifle, I would urge you to go the way of the AR variants that are out there and here is why:

-556 NATO round is used by our military and the ammunition is more readily available IN THIS COUNTRY. Both off of the shelf and off of dead bodies if the SHTF. The AK IS the most widely used weapon world wide, but I dont think you have delusions of world domination

-The AR is a much more accurate firearm in all cases over the AK, but the AK gets a nod for its sheer abilty to perform as far as function is concerned over the AR IMO.

-Unless you are buying a German made AK, you are truly getting an AK that is subar to the AR. IF you are able to find a German made AK, you can buy an AR for the same price.

-Most people in this country who own a "assualt" style firearm, own a AR. Considering the parts are interchangable across all manufactures of the AR, finding parts is not as big of an issue as it in the AK because so many countries mfg the AK and put their own twists on it.

As far as a tactical shotgun goes. Moss 500 or the Rem 870:

I know you can pick up a Rem Tactical 12 (870) for around 380.00 in a lot of gun shops. 7+1 Capacity and the gun is the gold mark in reliabilty when it comes to pump shotgun.

Just remember this about the 12g. if you are using it, you are in deep #, because its range is about 30yds with the shorty barrel.

hope that helps.

An AR15

Just kidding, you really can't go wrong with a Remington 870, Mossberg 500 or 590. If you get the 500 spend the $6 for the metal safety button. The plastic one is really the only weakness on the 500. The 590 comes with a metal one, but is also about twice as much in price.

just looking around and thinking to start

Marksmanship is the saving grace of any gun fight.I prefer the M14 for accuracy and durability ,truly a legacy rifle.AR series .223 weapons are toys for smaller people who fear recoil.
An AK is fine for a survival gun but if you hunt will notice you have to learn to shoot above a target at distances for accuracy(Kentucky windage) and SKS ,preferably the yugo would be best I think.
But hands down the best AK is an Arsenal SLR 95.they have a Steyr barrel.
I have a Saiga 12 because it is box fed and based on the ultra reliable AK.
But first you need a single shot 22 to learn how to aim if you aren't a shooter already.