Need to get a rifle, and a couple of hand guns - Educate Me

reply to post by My.mind.is.mine


rugar M14 .223 cal.
Hi-point .40 cheap and heavy duty

reply to post by My.mind.is.mine


If you are looking for reliability- go with the Springfield .45. It is durable, not too bulky and pretty well accurate out of the box. Not to mention the abundance of ammo and it is rare to jam or stove pipe.
For your wife- get a High point 9mm or .380. I know what you may be thinking as I always thought they were cheap garbage also.I own and have fired a multitude of weapons being a former Recon Marine and I must say I am impressed with this weapon.It was the first pistol I bought for my wife.(9mm) It has yet to jam,and believe me I tried.Its weight being on the high side keeps the recoil to a minimum and its size makes it easy to hold and grip.Just keep the clip one round shy of capacity until the spring wears in or it does have a tendency to bind up on loading the chamber.Let her use this for a while and then once shes comfy with it look around for something else.They are very low priced and you can always use it for a back up.
As for a rifle- Go with the AK. Those damn things can take alot of abuse and keep on ticking. I also recommend a Weatherby .308 for distance. And for a shot gun- Remington 870. High capacity and durability. Stay away from the AR. Impossible to keep clean and the reliability is iffy. Just my 2 cents based on experience....

When searching for my first gun I was looking at all the specs etc etc, bought a rifle for hunting with and although it was a nice rifle (weatherby 257), the rounds were outrageous......
Buy what you want, but be sure you can afford ammo.....
Got the Kel Tech PLR 223 with a laser and wow, fires smooth, and ammo cheap, I also have the Springfield XDM 9mm using the gold dot 124gr HPs and I LOVE IT! Dont forget the good ol 12 gauge! For my next weapon, Im looking at the ARs.....

reply to post by My.mind.is.mine


For the hand gun I'd go for the Browning High Power

For a little rapid fire action I'd go for The AK-47

And for the long distance shot I'd go for the 300 Ultra Mag

Here are a couple of vids

300 Ultra Mag
Browning High Power
Supressed AK-47

reply to post by JayFlores


Yes I got the High Point 9mm and am happy, you can also change the stock....

If you're looking for SHTF firearms, something to well consider is the ease of re-loadability.

A cheap press can be had for a song, and on standard calibers the dies are cheap, as are shells.

An AR is a great choice, in this arena. .223/5.56 is easy to obtain. Truly, under SHTF scenario, you don't want to be constrained by the need to find an outfitter or outdoor store to purchase ammo as, it may not be available.

For handgun, 9mm, .38, SW 40, .357 and (yes) .22 is the way to go. (However, reloading rimfire is stupid when you can purchase bricks upon bricks for sub-pennies on the dollar).

For AR's, a lot of people like Colt, although I am preferential to Bushmaster, while the delta ring, etc, can be a pain and yes they are harder to keep clean, I have had zero problem with it....but they are on the pricier side if money is not the issue at the moment.

As far as handguns are concerned, I'm old school mentality on that and prefer the reliable 1911...but for your wife, and her small hands, I would consider a PPK.

reply to post by Starwise


Bought mine in Valdosta Georgia 4 years ago. Tried to get it to jam by firing multiple rounds and clips at a high pace and wouldnt happen.My .40 Glock stovepipes right around the 20th round every time.Got the High Point with a lifetime warranty, box of 50 rounds,holster and trigger lock for $226.00.Couldnt beat it. I figured that if I used it for a year and threw it out it had paid for itself..My wife has since moved on to another weapon, but I still sleep with this one under my pillow cause I trust its reliability that much.

Originally posted by My.mind.is.mine
I'm looking in the direction of an AR however somebody suggested an A2 Carbine.
I need something reliable that won't leave me assed out in a crazy situation. I'm not out for a "looks good" rifle.

As for the pistols, my friend wants me to buy his HK45 for $650 so I just need some knowledge on that. And I'd also like 1 or 2 additional pistols. Price is not an issue.

Okay here my picks
for a rifle get a Thompson Icon Hunter
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/8b12bc5320cf.jpg[/atsimg]
I have three now, one in .220 swift another in .308 and my daughter shoots a .243 all three of our rifles can shoot 0.05 MOA out of the box through a cold barrel... not to damn bad for a rifle that cost's just 1,110 bucks with the accu trigger job...

as for Pistols my choice is the Ruger 944
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/1cd5de0374ec.jpg[/atsimg]
.40 S&W loaded with 165 gr Rem Golden Saber hollowpoints... same gun issued to the FBI Special teams... Also my personal carry sidearm....

My choices are no pipe dream or wish-list... these are the weapons I carry...almost everyday... and trust my life too... that's what's really important isn't it, knowing your weapon will go bang each and every time you pull the trigger?

reply to post by My.mind.is.mine


the H&K45 is a good choice. It's a very top end weapon and reliable. Your wife needs a handgun she can feel comfortable with and still be able to protect herself, I think the only logical option would be 9mm. A subcompact would be a good choice. Sig or H&K. The rifle depends on your choice of what you want to do with it. You want long range capabilities, get a .308. You want multiple rounds quickly, an AR-15 is a great choice. And ammo would be plentiful in a SHTF scenario on home soil. (depending on the outcome)

The price on the H&K is good. They are over $725 used most places. If buying an AR, search for complete uppers and complete lowers. (keeping the same brand if possible) that way you can semi-customize it and still be in a less than $800 window.

"survival" is a big subjective word.
Have you shot any real firearms before?
what "job" do you need this rifle to accomplish?

Feed you from a nearby forest?
Defend your family and property from pillagers?
Are you going to carry it alot (?)
Can you see farther than300 yards in any one direction where you live?
Can you afford to stock upon ammunition,cleaning supplies spare magazines(if necessary?) and parts ?
Are you concerned with drawing attention to yourself or making yourself a target?

Here is your best plan……..

Get a Kel-Tec Sub 2000 carbine rifle. This rifle uses pistol rounds and magazines from most popular (available) pistols. So the point here is that you can have a rifle and a pistol that share the same ammunition and magazines. This means that you are not having to store two types of ammo and carry two types of magazines, which would severely weigh you down and cost much more.

I just purchased this rifle in a .40 S&W caliber, with a Glock magazine configuration. The rifle itself was about $315. My goal is to add a Glock 23, which is also a .40 S&W and uses the same magazines that my rifle does. The Sub 2000 is also a foldable rifle, and can fold down to about 16” long. I store it in a standard laptop bag which is great for concealment. The rifle really accurate up to about 100 yards too.

Just my thoughts!

Weapons of choice:

Home defence: Benelli M2 Tactical 12ga Semi-auto Shotgun
Pistol: Beretta Px4 Storm .40 with undermount tac-light
Rifle (bolt action): Beretta Sako 85 Kodiak
Rilfe (semi-auto): Benelli MR1 (not purchased yet, but soon!)

I have several friends in law enforcment and the Marines who swear by these brands. I trust their opinions and so far, these have served me well at the range or on the hunt.

a good quality .308 bolt gun and two .357 mags will do any beginner a world of good....and keep you safe and fed

reply to post by amaster


FYI I am a Marine and the The M9 Beretta semi-automatic, double-action pistol is the standard Marine Corps sidearm.

• Magazine holds 15 NATO-standard 9mm rounds
• Weighs 2.55 lb. fully loaded

As an Armorer I can also say the M9 is a piece of crap... but it's cheap as in lowest bid

reply to post by My.mind.is.mine


as far as arifle i would go for a 30/30 lever action,there verry rugged and reliable and also will shoot with good accurracy. hand gun i would go for 357 revolver.they can shoot 38 or 357 and are also low maintnence.

reply to post by My.mind.is.mine


I think you would probably appreciate a good AR..

It just feels radically different from an AK, and is much more comfortable to hold and fire which IMO is of great importance.


Also I wouldn't restrict yourself to a Semi-Auto. I would look at a bolt action rifle. An old Mosin Nagant would suit you well, just make sure you find one in good condition.. But they have tons of them on the market, and a single one can be gotten for 90 dollars or so at most places.

Ammo is cheap too.

I didn't read through the whole thread so I apologize if I missed anything but I wanted you to read this "blog"

www.theprepared.com...

It has some ridiculous info about Glocks reliability and I think there is even a little part about an H&K in there. I carry a Glock 27 and I'm in the market for another .45 since I only have my 1911 in .45 and I'm pretty sure I'm going with a Glock 21. I looked at the XD 45 but I just can't get used to the grip safety on it. If your life depends on a hand gun, IMO, you can't beat a Glock or a SIG.

I have a Colt AR-15 and I LOVE it. It's not going to be quite and durable as an AK in terms of being able to shoots 10k rounds without cleaning. But I keep mine clean and I'm able to put 1k rounds through it with no hiccups. In a perfect world my rifle setup would be something like an AR-15 with a 16" barrel, a .22lr with scope for small game and Marlin 336 in either the 30-30 or .35 Rem.

Well first you need to look at the ammo types and what is most numerous, reliable, and has stopping power. First for home defense you need two pistols, and if you can afford I would go with the P.226 as it is realiable, has great stopping power, easy to carry/reload and is deadly accurate for its class. If not, a Sig 9mm of HK 9mm (your choice of model) would be a good choice. For your wife, 9mm is probably as high as you want to go caliber wise for her to control effectively. Also find one for her that recoils down, helps beginners short more accurately (most HKs do this). For mid range the M4 carbine is good, most ARs also, but remember they are light gus that can jam when dirty easily. AKs are essentially clubs that can fire .223 rounds fast, generally no matter what condition they are in (not SKS chinese models or romanians, they suck). Given your abilities with the rifle, I say bushmaster AR 5.56 is your best bet. Remember, .223, .224, 9mm and .22 rounds will probably be the most plentiful around, followed by 7.62, 5.56 and .45 rounds. Rare ones would be magnum rounds, 10mm, .308 rounds and .32s.
One thing I HIGHLY recommend is a .22 caliber semi-auto rifle. Might be a pea shooter, but its quiet, accurate at short ranges and can be used to hunt small game for food, and easily can kill another person if need be. Also, you can store thousands of rounds for .22s in almost no space, I have 20,000 rounds of it at our home in florida, we will never run out.

You also need a couple good shotties (probably best weapon for your wife to use, mine would use a shottie) for defense. Mossbergs are great cheap 12 g that are fairly durable, but if you can spring for 980 or a benelli even I would. 12 g buckshot for defense ammo, 12 g bird shot for hunting, 12 g slugs if you feel you need them (these really are not needed). Last get a good long range rifle with a scope, I've got a a Remington 30.06 hunter with 300 yrd scope and pump action 6 round internal clip. Its heavy, mean, loud and damn accurate (put a hole in a V8 engine block). Stay away from .50 cal weapons, you simply cannot use them effectively if you are not trained.

Lastly stock up on clips, belts, ammo cases, spare parts if you can like bolts, firing pins, springs, etc...

oh and buy wholesale gun cleaning supplies. Remember, a clean gun is a happy gun.

if ar-15..........or the like make sure its chambered for 5.56 nato..it will shot both 5.56 nato and 223 civilian
won't work other way.......and if TSHTF...there will be plenty of 5.56 laying around on your targets

reply to post by Mikemp44


I agree with most of this.

Also, don't forget the variable usage of lever action models like (what folks that were emloyed as guides in the Adirondack mountains called guide guns) marlin .444 and 45-70's.

If I had to choose ONLY one firearm to always have with me, would be the 45-70 or the .444 either one has the stopping power to put down anything in NA large or small, and is short enough to carry easily in many different types of terrain. The downsides, of course, are The size and weight of the ammo itself and, if you don't reload your own ammo (which I do), is the cost of it. Either one of those cost an arm and a leg commercially.