Best SURVIVAL rifle

[DM~]

Dented tube and no tools??? (with tooks it's easily fixed)

I'd wittle a hardwood stick that i could just push down the tube and use a rock to tap around the dent to take it out. That didn't work?? Then i'd do the same thing i'd do if i had lost magazines or failed magazines. I'd use it as a single shot. A single shot is what i fire in a hunting situation 99.9% of the time anyway...

You have "guns"? Then sell one to buy the Browing, it will make your "wish" come true!

DM

 

[USSR]

Well, if you're gonna survive, you're going to be living in a house (sorry all you delusional living-in-the-forest types). And if you're living in a house, you should have access to a choice of firearms you may need at any time to survive whatever particular situation arises. So, there is no one BEST survival rifle, just as there is no one best rifle period. Why do you think we have so many of them?

Don

 

[NEW TO THE GAME]

Thnx guys. Didnt realize how manu diff answers id het by asking what i thought would be a simple question. I ha r to admit when i asked i wasnt even thinking about urban type survival situations. I was thinking lost in the woods, cant go home, need to eat, and maybe defend myself against a bear or a personfor that matter. Having more than one gun makes sense especially since i now see this IS no perfect gun......for any situation. But u all have really opened my eyes to other options as well as some interesting choices.

 

[Fishman777]

Best survival gun...

I guess that depends.

If I could only have one, I'd probably opt for a 10/22 td.

If I could have two, I would probably add either a Mini-14 or a shotgun to the list.

 

[BLB68]

Dented tube and no tools??? (with tooks it's easily fixed)

I'd wittle a hardwood stick that i could just push down the tube and use a rock to tap around the dent to take it out. That didn't work?? Then i'd do the same thing i'd do if i had lost magazines or failed magazines. I'd use it as a single shot. A single shot is what i fire in a hunting situation 99.9% of the time anyway...

Good points.

You have "guns"? Then sell one to buy the Browing, it will make your "wish" come true!

DM

I don't have any I want to sell. =)

It's more one of those things on my "would like to get one of these days" list. I'll add it to my small number of guns, rather than get rid of something else I like.

 

[BLB68]

Thnx guys. Didnt realize how manu diff answers id het by asking what i thought would be a simple question. I ha r to admit when i asked i wasnt even thinking about urban type survival situations. I was thinking lost in the woods, cant go home, need to eat, and maybe defend myself against a bear or a personfor that matter. Having more than one gun makes sense especially since i now see this IS no perfect gun......for any situation. But u all have really opened my eyes to other options as well as some interesting choices.

Well, for a bear, you really want bear spray. It'll work on most other animals, too. You'll have an easier time hitting with it to boot.

For a back packing gun, you'll want something relatively light weight that can break down into a pack. A ton of suggestions made in that category already. I think I'd tend to avoid packing a double barrel shotgun or shotgun/rifle combo due to weight, though the new Savage 42 may be pretty light since it has a plastic stock. But a shotgun is a good all around tool. Look at the H&R/NEF single shots. Otherwise, I'd default to a .22LR takedown rifle of some kind.

 

[Float Pilot]

For a rim-fire I modified a Marlin Papoose take-down rifle. Making the butt stock a storage area.

For areas with large bears (during the correct seasons) I carry somthing much larger in caliber.

 

[kBob]

Float Pilot,

I really like that. So did you just hack off the existing butt plate, find a slip on pad, and install the snaps? Looks great.

Also interesting choice of a "pocket knife" I slip a little Swiss Army Knife keychain type in side the match safe I throw in with our camping stuff. teenie blade, nail file, and scissors. Rather than strike anywhere I use regular matches or life boat matches and have one of the striker sides of the match box in there with them. Even with the teenie knife in there I get over a dozen matches and I use the extra space at the bottom of the match safe to hold a wad of cotton from an asprin bottle which I have tied a bit of dental floss to so as to be able to pull it out. If I am out of matches the cotton lights easily using the sparker on the side of the match safe and the nail file blade on the teenie knife.

OOps, got to go transport a pony. Later.

-kBob

 

[DM~]

Thnx guys. Didnt realize how manu diff answers id het by asking what i thought would be a simple question. I ha r to admit when i asked i wasnt even thinking about urban type survival situations. I was thinking lost in the woods, cant go home, need to eat, and maybe defend myself against a bear or a personfor that matter.

I answered your question with "that" exact thing in my mind. I've been out in the bush, gathering what i needed to eat, so i answered with exactly what has worked for me.

As for that bear... Trust me, if it's a survival situation, that bear better be looking out for me, as i'm coming for him! When it comes to survival, everything becomes food, and i'm always on the hunt!

And YES, i have shot a bear with my "survival" weapon!

DM

 

[steady shot]

I have a Kel Tec SU-16 and a Marlin Papoose. I would consider these two my survival rifles.

 

[Onmilo]

I love combo guns for use as everyday guns in a rural setting, just bought one of the new Savage 42s.
I don't consider combo guns the best choice for a survival situation.
One is none and two is one and I believe a person would be best served having two individual long guns in that type of situation.
A pump action choke tubed shotgun in 20 or 12 guage with a variety of tubes and a selection of shells, including rifled slugs as well as a .22 rifle would be a best choice scenario.

The guns should be made of stainless steel of feature a rust resistent finish and hard to destroy polymer stocks.
If you choose to scope the weapons ALWAYS have a manner of back up iron sights available.
This line of thinking allows that should you break one of the weapons, you will still have a back up long gun to rely on and explains why I also keep a small axe AND a knife of heavy enough construction it could be used as an axe in my own kit.

 

[-v-]

In a survival situation? I'd rather have GPS rescue beacon, and sit tight and wait for help to get to me, but that's not a "sexy" answer. I guess as others have covered, depends on what situation you are talking about. In most modern survival situations a rifle will be of only very limited use. A signaling device (cell phone, sat-phone, or GPS tracker), portable shelter, first aid, and emergency food/water are all going to be more useful then a rifle. If you're caught in a bad blizzard while hiking, fire and shelter are a priority. Squirrel hunting should not be. Same with plane crash, or just strait up getting lost in the woods. Being able to effectively live off the land is a skill that must be practiced, and if you are not well versed in it, emergency rations and a distress beacon will have a much better "return on investment" then a rifle.

Some sort of mass riot scenario? I'll take a rifle, several hundred rounds of ammo, and as many of my friends with rifles as I can get plus robust transportation. If they are rioting here, I want to be over there.

As for best survival rifle? I'd say take one of those single shot kids .22lr bolt actions, and see how much further you can strip it down and lighten it. They are already fairly small and light to begin with. As FloatPilot showed, the stock can be converted into a nice little carry compartment, which is damn neat! My take is just about anything that is light and small and won't create a hassle to carry/have is a good choice. For wildlife defense, I'd say a can of bear mace is going to be a better tool then a gun. Works on other things then bears too.

I'd shy away from anything bulky or heavy. The heavier and bulkier it is, the better chance it ends up being left behind at the house/car/safe.

 

[InkEd]

I'm going SGL-21

 

[VA27]

You gotta plan ahead. Find out what firearms are illegal for hunting in the locale where you will be lost. When you find yourself lost, simply shoot the first animal you see with said illegal firearm and begin to field dress it. A game warden will be along before you're done to cite you and you can grab a ride back to civilization with him.

In National Parks or forests you don't even need a gun. Just build a fire and wait for the Ranger.

 

[bigfatdave]

You gotta plan ahead. Find out what firearms are illegal for hunting in the locale where you will be lost. When you find yourself lost, simply shoot the first animal you see with said illegal firearm and begin to field dress it. A game warden will be along before you're done to cite you and you can grab a ride back to civilization with him.

I like this plan
I could just take my Henry Mare's Leg out of a case and have twenty clowns come out of the woodwork to tell me how it is illegal
Or I could take an M1 carbine out of a case (or the 10/22 I rigged up as a trainer for same) and have a veteran wander along to tell me war stories and put a magazine downrange, then give me a ride home.

I like the last one best, particularly with Veteran's day coming up. As a newer vet I always always enjoy helping an older vet enjoy a few rounds of .30carb, and I gladly take the war stories in payment (I come out ahead on that trade)

 

[TheCracker]

If you are talking wilderness survival I would defiantly say 22lr. The Ruger 10/22 would be great.

For a zombie appocolyps I would want a semi auto in 223. Lots of power and the ammo is still light.

Some have said 12 gauge and I totally disagree. You would run out of ammo. To soon and need to save your payload for capacity for survival gear.

 

[K1500]

Mmmm...

10-22 TD
Mini 14 or AR
Bolt action .30-06
12 gauge
.22 handgun

Drat, you said just one. Assuming you count switch barrels and drillings as more than one, I would go with a scoped 10-22.

 

[mac66]

I think a 22 rifle of some sort would be fine in 99% of all survival situations. I have several set up as truck/trunk guns just in case a family member were to get stranded somewhere. I do think a firearm is a bit over rated for survival situations though. The best way to get food is to forage, fish and trap, not shoot.

 

[CHighfield]

AR7, 10/22, or... rmr-30 10/22 takedown might be the one, but then again the AR7 is its own waterproof case.

 

[geologist]

12" SxS 12 gauge with external hammers and modified chokes. Very small and handy.

I have sub adaptors for .22 LR and .357 Magnum. All of it plus the ammo and a sling fit into the Samsonite briefcase for keeping a low profile.

 

[jmorris]

In a survival situation? I'd rather have GPS rescue beacon, and sit tight and wait for help to get to me, but that's not a "sexy" answer.

its not sexy at all. If we start talking "practical" this will turn into a "what kind of fishing pole thread" and we won't see ideas like the one in the last post.

 

[Ramone]

I chose 9mm over .22LR- a little heavier, but still pretty portable:

 

[Rexster]

Regarding money, well, better to choose something I already own, that is fairly light in weight, and for which I already have a supply of ammo. That means one of my Browning BLR rifles. Both are chambered in .308 Winchester. One is the late-1990s Lightning, and the other is a Takedown. Some may argue that a survival rifle should be chambered in .22 LR, and while I do not disagree, my S&W Model 17 revolver is my preferred .22 LR firearm, which has largely kept me from feeling the need for a rimfire rifle.

The Takedown would be the better choice if the survival rifle is best kept stowed in a pack or other compact storage method. This is especially applicable if I am also toting my Remington 870P.

An alternative, especially if the survival circumstances point to the need to handload ammo in my spent cases, using a small hand press, would be my Ruger No. 1, chambered in 45-70 Government.

 

[badinov]

For woods survival 1.Cold steel carbon v srk 2. Wrist rocket smal game 3. Any ak varient for any other situation you might encounter one loaded mag is sufficient.I didnt have any bear grease for my underfolder so i had to spit in the chamber to make it run. On the other hand i spit in a bears face and had to run cause i had a ruger 1022.And make sure to bring plenty of paracord incase you have to hang yourself on the 2nd. day

 

[Cee Zee]

Dang there's a lot of people that think a 10/22 is better than a Marlin 60 on this board. But of course in the rest of the world about double think the opposite. 11 million to 5 million is a big advantage and that advantage goes to Marlin. And that doesn't take into account the fact there are half a dozen different models of a 10/22 and only one 60. Yes they put different stocks on 60's and some have stainless barrels but other than that they are all the same. That's not true of the Rugers. There are several distinct and different designs of that rifle. So the fair thing to do would be to pick just one Ruger model and compare it's sales figures to the 60.

The Marlin 60 is by far the most popular semi-auto .22 ever made but people here are stuck on Rugers for some reason. I guess it's because people here like to tinker more than the average Joe who just wants a rifle to do what rifles do.

I'd say take one of those single shot kids .22lr bolt actions, and see how much further you can strip it down and lighten it. They are already fairly small and light to begin with. As FloatPilot showed, the stock can be converted into a nice little carry compartment, which is damn neat! My take is just about anything that is light and small and won't create a hassle to carry/have is a good choice.

Now that makes sense to me. Or I would take a Marlin 795, which is pretty light and takes box mags or I would take one of the new Savage kid's rifles that weigh very little and are very accurate. Weight means a lot if you're hiking for your life.

I'm assuming a survival rifle here is a rifle used to survive if you broke down 100 miles from the asphalt in the middle of Alaska or somewhere similar. I'm thinking "Survivor Man" type stuff or the other, better shows along the same lines. Other scenarios certainly require other guns.

A good .22 can feed you if there's game of any kind around from rats and mice up to whitetail. Yes you can kill a whitetail with a .22 if you hit the right spot. If it's cold you could bury most of the meat and survive for weeks off one kill. If it's really cold you could just pack the meat with you.