A few questions regarding emergency rifles

[M1key]

Dog packs, Javelinas, rabid anything...

Semi-auto
all-weather
detachable mag 10+ capacity
lightweight
folding or collapsible stock
inconspicuous
effective cartridge
iron sights

Hard to beat the...

M

 

[Rifleman 173]

I like the AK family of rifles with folding stocks and some sort of red dot or tactical scope mounted on it. You dig out the rifle when you need it, mount the scope on top and it stays in a compact package until you need it.

 

[DM~]

I want to hear more about this drilling please!

The high powered rifle bbl. is an 8x57 and i've been shooting 200 grain Noslers to 2,550fps for over 25 years, harvesting everything from moose and bear on down. It's VERY accurate,



I've harvested everything from turkeys and all kinds of small game with the shot bbls,



With the rimfire inserts, i've taken all kinds of small game from fox on down.



It weighs right at 7 pounds, so it's a joy to carry too.

DM

 

[armoredman]

That's very nice, probably worth more than my car, very handy indeed!
Maverick, yes, my vz58 would work, , but I have a something else kicking around in me brain.
Interesting responses here and other places, a lot of folks going for the KelTec folding rifles. Anyone else?

 

[DM~]

That's very nice, probably worth more than my car, very handy indeed!

I see decent "usable" drillings around for $1,500.00 on up to the sky is the limit. I don't consider a "user" drilling out of line price wise.

I paid $350.00 for mine, and then rebuilt it to what i always wanted a "hunting gun" to be!

DM

 

[Kendal Black]

The single shot break action has a lot going for it, for survival use. It is light, available in inexpensive models that are quite serviceable, and it takes down for compactness. It is not the best thing for defensive use., against man or beast. The other, more likely uses it covers well enough. For perspective, the flintlock toting pioneers would have thought such a gun beyond praise.

The caliber can be whatever you like, and if you decide you don't like it, you simply get a different barrel. You might put together a switch-barrel set if the extra weight isn't a problem. A shotgun barrel would be a nice addition.

A drilling is a great solution but the cost of most of them, wow. DM~'s posts have encouraged me to look around for something restorable.

Something I'd like to see offered: a combination gun consisting of a repeating shotgun and a single shot precision rifle. Could something like that be made at a reasonable price, and at a reasonable weight?

 

[336A]

If you kept a rifle/carbine for emergencies AWAY from home, say backpacking, flying a light plane, at the lake, cabin, etc., what features of the following would you be looking for? Please remember, this is NOT a SHTF or Zombie apocolypse thread, but for what suprises you might encounter out in nature when you AREN'T hunting or target shooting, in the real world.

1 Bolt/lever/semi/single shot? Please, must be legal for you to own and use.
2 Wood/polymer stock?
3 Fixed or folding stock?
4 Weight limit - remember, you might be backpacking with it.
5 Sights, fixed/adjustable/scope only?
6 Optics or not/what kind?
7 Easy to carry spare ammo/magazines/speedloaders?
8 Ease of concealment from the curious sheeple wandering the same trail?
9 Amount of ammunition carried in the magazine/tube?

I have this concept I am kicking around, curious to see what others think.

I had a idea a few years back for a rifle to fill a similar role as yours. However I have no intention of leaving any of my firearms any where to include a cabin if I owned one. I'm not sure what surprises you might encounter in your geographical area, but possible problem bears are on my list of things to consider here. It sounds as though your looking for a general purpose/utility rifle.

I don't hike on established trails but I do like to take advantage of the vast amounts of public state land that is available here for camping. One can go way off in the boonies set up camp and not worry about being bothered at all. Most foks ideas of camping anymore is going to an organized camp site such as a KOA or some such as they are to lazy to actually walk into the woods to camp. So concealment is not a real problem, when camp is set up the rifle will stay in the tent.

My choice is a Marlin 1894SS .44 mag, it is light weight at 6.5 pounds holds 10 rounds, and ammo is readily available. I opted to mount a small low powered scope that wouldn't detract to much from the rifles handleing qualities. I am considering a set of peep sights though. One box of extra ammo is easy enough to carry and I consider that to be more than enough, perhaps maybe too much.

 

[txhoghunter]

AR-15 carbine with a collapsible stock. Two extra mags for a total of 90 rounds. Fixed iron sights for simplicity (no scope to lose zero, or RDS to lose battery). It is capable of protecting you from (more) dangerous game if need be much better than a .22LR

It works for the military in a survival situation

 

[coloradokevin]

Though you've certainly narrowed the playing field by eliminating the "End of the World" scenarios that are so popular around here, I still think you might need to define your purpose a bit more precisely. What "surprises" do you expect to encounter? Targets to plink? Small game to hunt? Large and dangerous predators? Violent and sociopathic humans?

If you are simply looking for a survival-style gun that you can use to hunt small game or plink with, then a .22lr would work just fine. They are light, easy to find, not scary looking, and cheap to feed. But, if your desires dictate a gun with which to hunt (or defend against) larger game, then you might want to step up in size. Naturally, you'll have a weight disadvantage with a larger gun.

For backpacking in country where you might expect to encounter large problem bears, for example, I think a .45-70 lever action rifle might work nicely. These guns are rather compact, they aren't the heaviest guns on the market (nor are they the lightest), and they pack quite a punch at ranges under 200 yards. Plus, their cowboy-looking appearance doesn't look "scary" to people who are passing you on the trail.

One magazine of ammo ought to be plenty for emergency situations, unless you want to draw this thread back into the usual zombie-driven territory. Personally, I backpack in the Colorado mountains most of the time (I live here, after all), and our most significant wildlife threat comes in the form of mountain lions and people. I carry a pistol (9mm, .40 S&W, or .45 GAP) and one magazine with me. To justify carrying an "emergency" rifle with me on the trail I'd definitely need a more defined threat, or purpose. I have occasionally backpacked with a lightweight .22 rifle for plinking/hunting, but I never considered this to be my defensive weapon. Also, the type of gun you might carry as a "truck gun", or keep in a cabin could be quite different than what you'd want to lug down a trail for 10 miles.

 

[jamesjames]

kel tec anyone?

Been looking at Marlin 1894s and 39A Mounties for this kind of application. I own one of each. An AR-15 also.

Having said all that, I need to ditto Browningguy's post. The Keltec SU16c fills the bill for a lightweight folding rifle that will fit in a pack or in a truck. At 4.5 lbs its definitely a light weight. Its not stainless, but has enough paint for a fairly rust resistant finish. It sure aint no battle rifle, but it falls right in the niche between survival .22 rifle and hunting/battle rifle. The .223 round is effective out to several hundred yards and yet is light weight. You're not going to wage war with this gun, but its nice to have a light weight rifle chambered for a real high velocity round.

 

[DammitBoy]

The high powered rifle bbl. is an 8x57 and i've been shooting 200 grain Noslers to 2,550fps for over 25 years, harvesting everything from moose and bear on down. It's VERY accurate,







It weighs right at 7 pounds, so it's a joy to carry too.

Who did you steal that from for $350!!!!

 

[bbuddtec]

Okay, first thought was SU16...
after reading the posts... hmmm
SU16

 

[dbro822]

Winchester 94 44 mag 16", light and fast handling with enough punch in almost all cases.

 

[D*N*R*]

It looks like a (over under)shotgun - .22 where is the high power rifle bbl. please explain.
((dammit boy))

 

[Sam1911]

It looks like a (over under)shotgun - .22 where is the high power rifle bbl. please explain.

It's 'drilling' (that means 3 barrels). In this case a double-barrel shotgun over an 8x57 mm rifle. The .22s are fired through chamber inserts.

 

[DM~]

Who did you steal that from for $350!!!!

I didn't "steal it, but the guy i bought it from did! He "took" it out of a castle durning WW2 while doing a sweep, looking for german soldigers. $350.00 was probably a little more than it was worth at the time...





Keep in mind, i bought it over 25 years ago, and secondly, it was a "user" drilling when i bought it. At least a "user" once i repaired the stock. Since then, it's been turned into what it is now, and that included a new stock.

As for the rimfire inserts, I have two of them for this drilling, one in LR and the other in WMR. They are made by Krieghoff and are "precision made" and shoot on par with a decent 22 rifle.

BTW, it's on it's 27th one shot kill on big game, since the first big game animal i shot with it. A big bull moose deep in the interior of Alaska,



It's the ultimate precision do everything weapon!

DM

 

[DammitBoy]

Consider me extremely jealous sir!

 

[armoredman]

That is a very handy firearm, sir.

 

[Kendal Black]

Beware the man with three guns in one!

 

[jeepguy]

i would go with my mini 14 ranch rifle, but i think a few would fit the bill. not in any order the m1 carbine, ak 47/74, 30/30, ar15, kel tec, 44mag or .357 mag rifle & matching handgun. pc caliber carbine & matching handgun. their is probably more i haven't thought of. i pick up my arsenal ak this weekend so my answer might change.

 

[DAdams]

Beware the man with three guns in one!

Indeed. That's a piece of work, artwork.

 

[451 Detonics]

Kel Tec SU16A with compact forend.

 

[harqueb.us]

If I was going to let it bounce around under a seat until needed, I'd probably go with a cheap SUB-2000 with a G17 magazine or two.

Otherwise, I'd tote my TimberWolf .357 pump rifle. It's quite a handy, compact, and powerful gun.

 

[DammitBoy]

That is a very handy firearm, sir.

And worth at least 3 grand to boot!

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

It's 'drilling' (that means 3 barrels). In this case a double-barrel shotgun over an 8x57 mm rifle. The .22s are fired through chamber inserts.

But the bore is still 8mm.