Originally posted by AlreadyGone
Ruger Mini-14 is a good solid rifle...it can be used as a game rifle and it also fires the 5.56 round carried by US troops...so get the ammo off dead soldiers aka Charlie...just sayin... good "killin' rifle too.

Also..a 9mm..Ruger P85 is a good solid auto handgun

The other is a Ruger .357 magnum stainless steel...with black grips...intimidation factor alone is great...and is deadly accurate in a practiced hand...I would rather have a Ruger .357 six shooter over a (mm anyday... just a preference....I like livin like cowboys and black coffee too..

Most firearms are a matter of preference...I like SturmRuger...good product at as good price.

No offense but be careful with the advice you give a mini-14 will not fire a .556 it will only fire a .223.


A mil spec .556 barrel will fire a .223 but a .223 will not fire a .556 it could blow up. Please do a little research before posting.

hello... anybody out there?

You were saying?..... Hello?

Yeah, the 22 should be a given in any battery.

The 5.56 Nato and the 223 Remington are ALMOST the same, but not quite. Most AR platform rifles will fire either, but you will hear and feel a difference. The only 223 I have is a bolt rifle. It is stamped 5.56 or 223R. Milsurp is not quantity over quality. Federal American Eagle 5.56 is civilian and Military. Their "tactical" line uses Lake City brass. The milisurp usually has a crimped in primer pocket. This is a "safety feature" so it can be belt fed into a machine gun. Also the civilian primers are a bit more easily set off by the firing pin. That's no big deal with the 5.56, but the 308 vs. 7.62x51 NATO is a bigger deal in an M1A or Garand (less powder for the Garand round). 7.62 and 5.56 are seated differently for headspacing in semi-auto. 223 or 5.56 will both fire in an AR for a while but the springs and rings will wear out quicker than the barrel.

You can get 1000 Federal Lake City several places on the internet for $300.

The mini-14 will eat anything 5.56 or 223 because of the Garand style mechanism in it and the way it's designed. It's the most forgiving of the 5.56 rifles according to Ruger.

Rifle- Get an AK, or maybe a couple. You could buy 3 ak's for the price of an AR, and they're SHTF piss it clean reliable, and 7.62x39 ammo is cheap, readily available and potent. A little easier to take deer than with a .556.

Handgun- Get a Springfield XDM whatever caliber you like the best. I prefer the .45. The XDM has interchangeable backstraps to fit the grip to large or small hands, good for both you and the wife, and comes with 2mags, holster, speedloader, brush, a whole kit in a really nice case. Glocks are tough as $hit, and can take a hell of a beating, but I personally don't like Glocks, don't like the grip. Another that people overlook is the EAA Witness. They sell one thats a .45 acp that comes with an extra slide and mags that are .22lr, all for around $500. The witness is based on the CZ-75 which is one of the best guns ever designed, and usually is very comfortable for people with all size hands. Very ergonomic.

Shotgun- Good old Remington 870. Cheap, simple, reliable and tough. Has the most aftermarket accessories of any shotgun on the market. Saiga 12 is nice too, if you want a semi shtf gun.

Just my recommendations.

Originally posted by quebecpq
Text Personally You might want to get a couple powerful calibers. I have a couple Ruger handguns and swear by them, never had an issue. 9mm ( P85 ) & .45 ACP ( P345 ) I love 'em. Also 30-06 Semi Auto would be a good choice and WASR 10-63 Mil Hi Cap Semi. I would stay away from 22's, those are like BB's and won't take much down except a mole here and there. AR is a good choice, You want to stick with Semi's in my opinion because you can get off the rounds quicker ( As fast as you can pull the trigger ). A powerful cal is the .44 but only comes as a revolver. 44 is probably the most powerful you can get as far as handguns with the exception of the 500 but the 500 is not suggested. Way too big, bulky, heavy, thing is more like a hand cannon

The .44 is like a child's toy nowadays!! Don't forget the .454casull (which is very versatile, because revolvers chambered for it can also shoot .45 colt), the .460 S&W, .475 Linebaugh, .480 Ruger.
All waaay more powerful than the .44 magnum.

I agree about the .22. Maybe if I had nothing else. Just way too underpowered. Better off getting a high powered .22 air rifle.

And Ruger has just come out with a "Scout" M-77 in 308 with a 10 rd detachable mag....for the "One Rifle" person,thats the way to go....kill anything in N America that you can see....