SHTF Rifle of Choice

Captain Spaulding

Captain Spaulding

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Apr 4, 2009
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Ok, the wife and I were revisiting the topic of the SHTF scenario as we were watching the stack bodies in Haiti. One of the few components we lack is a rifle. What would you recommend. I need a hunting caliber that will double as a security measure. I was thinking an AR-10 might fit the bill especially due to the ability to add accessory rails on it and the plus of being able to piece together components over time so as not to break the bank. Weight would also be an issue so no bull barrels or Barretts :D .

I used to own a Winchester Model 70 in 30-06 for hunting and it was great but the lack of ability to mount lighting would have me shy away from it for this purpose. I don't think I foresee any instance with a shot over say...200 yards. My 70 was spot on at 500 but in this instance accuracy is not an issue at those distances so bolt action is not necessarily a primary concern. However, cost of ammo and ease of obtaining it is.

So, give me your recommendation and tell me why...I am going to rightly assume that many of you are more schooled on the matter than I am. I have some knowledge of the Marlin, DPMS, ROck River, Bushmaster, and Winchester products but I am by no means an expert...school me.
 
Get a quality American or European semiauto .308

I'm gonna say an M1A. You can have plenty of 20 shot mags for social occasions and use 5 rnd mags for hunting. If it will shoot 2" 100 yard groups, that is perfectly acceptable accuracy for all purposes.

If you go the black plastic rifle route, there are plenty of modern .223 loadings which are designed for deer shooting example Winchester's 64 grain Power Point loading.

It is my understanding that AR10's were touchy about reliability in the past. If they are still not currently considered reliable, they are of little use to you.
 
I have an M1A and an AR10T. They have both been reliable and accurate. In an SHTF situation, I would be slightly more likely to chose the M1A because of its combat-proven ruggedness and it fits me really well. Shoots great with iron sights when the scope mount is detached.

If you are moving on foot, arguments can be made for an AR15 variant based upon lighter ammo. If you are in really rough environmental conditions, a good argument can also be made for a Kalashnikov-style rifle.

DancesWithKnives
 
I have been thinking of this exact scenario and what one firearm would I want to have with me. I am saving up for an AR10 which I think would be excellent for both protection and certainly hunting any north american game. I just don't have the $1500+ I need to get one in my state. I also think that a 12 guage pump shotgun with a 24-26" barrel might be a better choice. You can pull the plug out and get 6-7 rounds in it, have one box of buckshot, one of bird shot, and a couple dozen slug rounds. If I had that in the situation, I'd feel pretty secure for maybe a week or so, depending on the degree of catastophe.
 
my shtf gun set up will be my lwrc gas piston 6.8 spc wearing a night force 1-4 for shots out to 600 yards and all the way in to up close and personal. if i can carry more than 1 my pof gas piston 308 will be there with my premier 3-15 where i can really reach out if i have to. alot of ppl will recommend a 5.56 and i have a couple but i would prefer something with some more punch. 6.8 would be the smallest i would go and its a very effective round. also look in to the 6.5 grendel good out to 1k for paper punching and very effective up close and out.

lol this is one of those topics where you will get 5k different answers. but your best bet is to go out with some buddies or to a range you can rent guns and try a bunch and see what you like most.
 
I would say something in 5.56 or 7.62x39 due to the abundancy of ammo. Perhaps even 22LR. A .22 does a fine job putting food in your belly and, while there are better guns for getting rid of two-legged pests, I think it would work. If you shot me a couple times with a .22 I'd leave you alone.
 
Ruger 10/22. As stated above the .22 is awesome for gathering food. Nothing can match it for space/weight for ammo.

In some areas grizzlies have learned to associate a rifle shot with easy food, all that's needed is to separate the kill from a pesky hunter. It's not a big stretch to imagine humans doing the same.

IMHO thinking you can take on hordes of starving zombies with your (insert battle rifle here) is pretty far fetched.

Staying low profile, out of sight out of mind would have much more chance of success for an individual or small group-a good .22 fits this role perfectly.
 
School you? There's no correct answer to spout off about.

In fact, I think a good service grade handgun is more important than a rifle for everything more active than manning a barricade. You're gonna need both hands free for most of any actual crisis, especially a natural disaster. Open carry of a sidearm will deter most reprobates as effectively as running around at low ready all day with a long gun.

Here's an interesting set of thoughts from a guy who went through the social chaos of an economic meltdown in Argentina:

http://ferfal.blogspot.com/2008/09/post-shtf-car-of-choice-and-ammo.html

Most won't get into a shootout. Those who do in such rare circumstances are going to be unfortunates ambushed by criminals. Authority will still be around, though diminished and corrupted and a rifle might be "stolen" via confiscation.

A concealed or open carried handgun is your only 24/7/365 option for self-defense.

That said, I flip flop between a few combos. In no particular order:

Mossberg 590A1 12 ga. shotgun and a Beretta 92FS. Thoughts on these are that a combat shotgun is a fearsome sight in its own right. With slugs, hits out to 100m are very doable. Looks like a defensive weapon to the authorities. The 92FS is essentially the M9 pistol. Cons are the weight of twelve gauge ammo and the slow reload. The pistol, though a favorite of mine, is not my absolute favorite.

AK-74 and a S&W M&P 9mm. Lightweight rifle with 30+1 capacity. Rugged and will run through any conditions. Polymer framed pistol with a melonited slide is virtually maintenance free. Cons: The AK looks sinister and screams "shoot me first" to a savvy bad guy and "confiscate it" to Officer Unfriendly.

Marlin 1894CB and Ruger GP-100, both in .357 mag. All American Cowboy-ish duo that shares ammo and are not magazine dependent. Won't scare sheeple or cops. Cons: Low capacity and slow reloads. Not a true rifle caliber.

M-1 Garand and 1911A1. All American war hero vibe. Big punch for a rifle and good punch for a handgun. Look like Walt Kowalski to the bad guys when you tell them to get off your lawn. Cons: High weight for low capacity. Both weapons need more attention than more carefree designs.

SMLE No.4 Mk. 1 and Beretta PX-4 9mm. This bolt gun is rugged and will throw ten shots down range with speed and authority. Not magazine dependent. Doesn't look threatening. Extremely low maintenance. I was able to find .303 during the ammo crisis when everything else was gone. The pistol is a low maintenance poly gun with factory 20 round magazines. Cons: Bolt guns require the development and frequent practice of handling skills to rapidly fire from any other position than prone. Slow rifle to fire compared to semis. Slow to reload compared to anything with a high capacity magazine, even with stripper clips. I do love the pistol though it's technically not as tough against the environment as the S&W previously mentioned.

Ruger 10/22 and PX-4. Easy carry. Can easily carry 1k rounds in a pack pouch. A 10/22 can rock 50 round and 35 round mags and even a .22lr will ruin a bad guy's day. Can take almost any game in an unsporting fashion. CONS: Not a good self defense caliber by any stretch of the imagination. Rifle looks like a bluff when pointed. Still love the handgun.

After getting through all of this, I think running out the door, the shotgun, a 60 round mix of slugs, #00 buck, and bird shot, and the Beretta PX-4 with five loaded mags of 147 gr. JHPs with 40 additional rounds in boxes are going out the door.

I don't need over 100 yds of reach out and touch someone in a short term crisis where the law will be restored. Trying to explain "necessary" counter-sniping to any subsequent inquiry would be terribly difficult.

The end of the world would be a different calculation.
 
That's a good point. There was an article a couple years back in Petersen's Hunting or similar mag that discussed how a .22 is a better survival weapon than .44 mag or other large caliber (wilderness, not urban). I carry a .44 when hunting and often think about how difficult it would be to salvage a rabbit or squirrel after shooting it for survival. I think the Haiti disaster and other urban catastrophe's have different requirements.
 
Planetcat said:
I have been thinking of this exact scenario and what one firearm would I want to have with me. I am saving up for an AR10 which I think would be excellent for both protection and certainly hunting any north american game. I just don't have the $1500+ I need to get one in my state. I also think that a 12 guage pump shotgun with a 24-26" barrel might be a better choice. You can pull the plug out and get 6-7 rounds in it, have one box of buckshot, one of bird shot, and a couple dozen slug rounds. If I had that in the situation, I'd feel pretty secure for maybe a week or so, depending on the degree of catastophe.
Click to expand...

I didn't know you could still get an AR10 in Calif. Planning to build one on an off-list lower or the like?

DancesWithKnives
 
Boats said:
Marlin 1894CB and Ruger GP-100, both in .357 mag. All American Cowboy-ish duo that shares ammo and are not magazine dependent. Won't scare sheeple or cops. Cons: Low capacity and slow reloads. Not a true rifle caliber.
Click to expand...

As he said I like this combo. Useful in the woods for hunting small and Large game, good for defense, and fairly cheap ammo comparing to some of the other cals. Also the lever action give good speed and reliability in urban setting along with no mags to carry around. You can load on the run with most models and power and accuracy is good up to 100 yards.

I would like however to add a 22 rifle to the mix, I like the Marlin 60 however a bolt action would be more reliable in an extreme situation.
 
I wouldnt overlook a good ole Shotgun... With slugs, buckshot, and bird load you can fight, hunt, and do just about anything that needs to be done.. Probably the most versatile weapon there is... They have alot of intimidation factor even against a crowd too.. For a battle/hunting rifle I like M1A's but wouldnt turn down a good HK91;)
 
.22, .308, 7mm, 30-06, 5.56 (NATO), 7.62.

CO has big game, SHTF should cover city living and bush living.

30-06 is in the "just right" catagory for big game.
 
Though im a cali boy, A short stroke piston AR is by far my favorite rifle for any situation. I dont know much.. but these rifles kick a$$. Love LWRC!:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
 
If the SHTF scenario isn't including a large SD role, .22- honestly I'd go with a solid, reliable, minimum number of parts single shot, 20 or 22 inch barrel old school .22LR.

If there's a concern for SD, I'd probably go 20ga, or 12ga. By preference, a 20ga side by side, but an 870 pump in either gauge will do fine. I wouldn't tumb my nose at an H&R single shot in either ga.

Granted, I don't live north of 45 in big 300 yard range elk or moose country.

What we HAVE for SHTF specific is a single barrel 12, 20ga 870, .22 semi (savage 87, accurate as you can ask for), H&R sportsman .22 6 inch, and K frame .38 6 inch. (and a pile of airguns, which are surprisingly capable)

The military bolts, auto pistols and such are all fine and fun and I won't leave them if I don't have to, but I'm not taking my mosin or model X .308 over my 20ga if I'm for whatever reason trekking with the family.

one note abut the .38- no, it's isn't a .357 magnum, a .44 magnum, or a .50uberwhumpus. it's a .38. It is possible to hunt smaller game and still have some meat left when you are done, and it will handle medium game fine. I wouldn't go for a white tail unless I had a poaching shot- 25-35 yards, solid rest, unmoving. those big SWCs really do a trick.
 
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Second the motion. A 22 is the best all around survival rifle. You can pack a huge amount of ammo for it, enough for years of survival hunting and shouldn't be too difficult to obtain more ammo even in SHTF conditions.
 
I've got a couple of smallish, fairly light .308's that sort of fit the bill. They are not real modern , or easily upgradeable like a AR 15, but they are reliable and stout as hell.

One is a Mauser 98 action chambered in .308. The Spanish FR-8 carbine. It has a unfired looking barrel, and a turned down bolt handle.

The other is a SMLE no 1, Mk 3 looking model 2A ( originally chambered in .308 with upgraded steel and necessessary changes made, not a .303 changed to .308)from India. It was converted to a No. 5 jungle carbine type in .308, which makes it a fast handling, super smooth action 10 shot rifle with a 16.5 inch barrel, not counting flash the hider.

I have a few others, such as a M44 Nagant in 7.62X54R. Durable, but not as smooth.

All of these will give you a bunch more power, and penetration than any .223, but you pay for it with heavier ammo, and louder reports with more recoil.

Still, for something to keep in the trunk of the car with a BOB to get you home to your whatever, you could do a bunch worse.

I do also have full size rifles in .303, .308, and 7.62X54 and the increase in noise and recoil is noticible, especially in the curved steel butt plate on the M44. It can down right hurt if you don't have it fit snugly in the pocket.
 
I Cant say enough for Combo guns, I Savage M24 camp in 22lr/20g. This gun can be a quiet hunter or a loud defensive arm with a flick of the thumb. combine this with a good handgun and you have most bases covered. I have a weakness for the .357, with a good supply of both .38 and .357 rounds.

If I want a rapid fire defensive arm, I am going to bring a .22 semi auto like a ruger 10-22 with a 50 round mag. lots of ammo for croud control or defense without alot of weight.


Of course the best bet would be to plan your survival with a group, with complimentary arms that would cover the most bases.
 
I really want to buy a M-14. As long as I did't have to pack it for miles on end, the weight would be nice. BTW, I am not a very experienced shooter, its just my personal preference based on the rifles that I have shot.
 
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