SHTF Rifle vs Mountain Man Rifle

G

g123

Joined
Oct 25, 2009
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Hey Guys,

I really enjoyed the Modern Mountain Man rifle thread. If we changed the premise to SHTF rifle (only bring one), would your choice change?

What's your choice?

Thanks,

Geoff
 
an ar variant..carbine setup probably, play on the public fear of assault rifles. if the s really htf, its a weapon that practically shouts out " you will respect me"

i am suspecting that this rifle will be used to get me out of an urban setting and into the wilderness, where it will also then have to be able to provide double duty of hunting.
 
I don't like AR's with that said it's the best rifle to have if the world goes to poopy, law enforcement, military and joe yahoo all carry them which means that parts and ammo are readily available with the correct mindset.

As a personal choice though probably sticking with a Mossberg 590A1 (maybe even with bayonet fixed) it's the perfect jack of all trades, imo there will be alot of door to door soliciting and nothing says "I am pleased to make your acquaintance" like the rack of a shotgun slide, with the exception of an M16 accompanied by an m203 or full boxed fn249; I can think of little else as intimidating.

I would be around Los Angeles so the whole, look at me and my ultra cool Jeremiah Johnson influenced bushcraft knife and single shot T/C, Ruger Number 1, Handi Rifle, Combo Gun would look better on the ground next to John Q gangbanger facilitating an upgrade to an AK,SKS or Tec 9.

The least appealing option is being caught at work on the eve of destruction, in which case improvise-adapt-overcome, being in a kitchen would have certain benefits though.
 
Marlin 357 levergun, small light and accurate. Unassuming and would not put people on edge as quickly as an EBR, yet will hold it's own for SD. Ammo is small, light and plentiful, good small game rifle with round nose 38 spl ammo, large enough to take whitetail deer size game with full house 357s. Chris
 
AR-15. Might bump it up to 6.5 Grendel or 6.8 SPC thou. I would have a .22 conversion kit for it. This decision is undoubtedly based on the fact of familiarity and real world use, as it was my weapon for the 26 years I spent in the Army. A USAS-12 would work for me, although the weight is brutal. Also, I never got one to function well with the 20 round drum. They run reliably with the 10 or 12 round stick mags. The combination of it's weight and gas operation make it a joy to shoot. I will see if I can dig up some old photos where two of us fired 750 rounds out of one in an afternoon. They were an issued weapon at one time.
 
The Chef said:
, imo there will be alot of door to door soliciting and nothing says "I am pleased to make your acquaintance" like the rack of a shotgun slide,
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I don't understand that.

If the S has really HTF

Why would you wait until you see the person to rack the slide and load your shotgun?

That seems like a TV moment to me.

You had better be prepared, and approaching someone in their own home, you had better expect that they are more prepared than some damn fool wandering the streets expecting to not get shot.

If I peep and see there is someone at the door, I'm gonna just shoot you through the door.

Was that rude? I hope not.
 
12345678910 said:
I don't understand that.

If the S has really HTF

Why would you wait until you see the person to rack the slide and load your shotgun?

That seems like a TV moment to me.

You had better be prepared, and approaching someone in their own home, you had better expect that they are more prepared than some damn fool wandering the streets expecting to not get shot.

If I peep and see there is someone at the door, I'm gonna just shoot you through the door.

Was that rude? I hope not.
Click to expand...


SHTF or not, a man on my porch racking the slide of a shotgun might get some lead thrown at him. Chris
 
12345678910 said:
If I peep and see there is someone at the door, I'm gonna just shoot you through the door.
Click to expand...


It must be sad that you don't have any friends or family members who might be joining you to link up when the S H's T F. How do you know it's not some long lost cousin with a truck load of goodies? I really don't think a shoot first ask questions later is always the best solution.

And not to mention, you now have a hole in your door. It is now less secure and not as insulative, which would be a big deal in many areas during the winter time, especially if fuel is scarce.
 
g123 said:
Hey Guys,

I really enjoyed the Modern Mountain Man rifle thread. If we changed the premise to SHTF rifle (only bring one), would your choice change?

What's your choice?

Thanks,

Geoff
Click to expand...

First, I think SHTF and zombie threads are discouraged because they turn into pissing matches real quick. Seems you have honest intent, so. . .

No, my choice would be no different, except to lean more towards semi autos.
In either situation, trapping and snares will provide more meat than hunting, and if you do not have a sure resupply of ammo, even small game is a waste of a .22.
In either situation, I'd more concerned with defending against attack for two and four legged creatures, and big game hunting second.
In my neck of the woods an AK is great for this. Since you simply aren't going to get spare parts or ammo from military or LEOs, having a compatible rifle is moot. The AK will keep running with little maintenance and is accurate enough to get the job done.

If I was to expand the possibility of roaming around the continent to where larger game is available, my choice would change to a FAL type rifle, with the .308 providing enough ooomph to take larger game, and I'd still have a semi auto with 20 round magazines that requires little maintenance to keep running.


In all reality, weapon doesn't matter so much, as you just do what others have done throughout history and work around th estrengths and weaknesses of what you have at the time.
 
CPL,

You are right, my intent is not to stir things up. I really want opinions and whoever reads this must be adult enough to agree to disagree. In the end it only matters if we are sure of our own choices.

Thanks,

Geoff
 
Light weight AR, with all the 5.56X45 you can carry ;)

I'd have an adequate supply of SP, but most would be 62 grain ball.

Thinking you are going to resupply from LEO or military is thinking that will get you killed.

Remember, when it comes to escape/evasion, you are the rabbit, NOT the hunter.
SpikesAR15.jpg
 
I think that the previous poster was right about having a shotgun in an urban setting. The sound of a racking shotgun is the warnng sound that bad things are going to happen to you if you don't back off. Close quarter combat with a shotgun is devastating. If you mix it up with slugs you have some long range avantage too. Our riot shotguns at work are the preferred weapon for me. The only disadavantage I can think of is accuracy. Hostage situations a shotgun is not what you want to have.
Out int he bush. I would think 22 caliber of any sort like .223 .270 etc would be my voice of caliber. If its a bolt or semi. I don't think it would really matter, but just go for a clean kill with it.
 
If TSHHTF then it greatly depends upon what I'm doing...
If I'm hunkering down at home, everything is with me and I'll be defending my home with a variety of weapons...
If I'm forced to leave and I have a vehicle, again, several weapons will be with me...
If I'm forced to leave and I'm on foot, I'm really in trouble!

There are too many SHTF variables for me to honestly reply with a single answer as each example above is a different choice for me and even those can vary. Therefore, the only reply I can currently make is...

It depends!
 
In most cases when the SHTF, the last option to consider is getting into a fight. If you are with a organized armed unit that may be different but your best choice is usually going to be alone or with just your family and avoid contact at almost any cost. Some may be happy to just take as many as they can with them, Not me, want to stay alive and free and get them all on my terms. :)
 
the thing i lke about shotguns and rimffires is it is so easy to make mines out of them, as well as distraction devices, etc. you don't really care if the guy is line of sight if you can get him to step on a pressure plate, after all... booby traps in urban settings will make funneling meanies and bad guys particularly easy, i reckon....

as to a long arm itself;

a bolt-action .22 Magnum would be nice if i could keep it fed.

12 gauge pump would be pretty nice if things ever got sweaty, especailly teamed up with improvised weapons, like long blades, clubs, spears and axes and archery gear, when ya want to start the music with some slow dancing....

it wouldn't be long before you got the opportunity to collect anything else that you wanted, gun-wise.

vec
 
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BlackHills said:
Or you just told the bad guys your location and that you're armed.
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I figured give the guy a choice in the matter. Although that can be my down fall. Lol but who knows how people will react to SHTF senario an this includes me too. I might just have the shotgun and handgun ready to go. All I have to do is pull the trigger. In the end, I guess only training and the ability to adapt will be to your advantage in stressful situations. IMHO.
 
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