If you had $1000 to buy a MBR?

[Utah1]

Have you factored in ammo? I don't know how much you shoot, but I put over 2500rds through my Garand last year. My friends all put that or more through their ARs.

I'd put at least half of your money into ammo, unless you already have a large supply of what you'll be shooting.

 

[RaferJanders]

Enterprise Arms sells FAL for a grand,
I own a nice one but my AK is what is in arms reach when I sleep at night, If I cant stop the those pesky coyotes with forty rds, Than I go and get my FAL para with a thirty rd bren mag or my G3 depending on my mood!
Happieness is a belt fed weapon

 

[Deepskyy]

Now, are you talking about HD SHTF rifle, or I need to move around and put down game and/or human threats to your safety and that of your family. If it is option 2, I would go for a Franken AR in 5.56, 5.45X39 (Smith and Wesson MP upper, ammo is MUCH cheaper than .223 right now) or 6.8SPC due to weight, bigger ammo capacity, and manuverability of the AR especially with a 6position stock. I'd rather not have to be humping a Garand around day in and day out over hilly and wooded terrain, when I can just use an AR.

 

[JShirley]

If you had $1000 to purchase a MBR type rifle for SHTF situations, what would you buy and why?

I would buy any sturdy Mauser or 1917 actioned rifle in .308 or .30-06 I could find for $300, and spend the rest on ammunition and other important stuff like, I dunno, a good cleaning kit and gun case.

Why? Because you need a good, sturdy rifle that can do many things well. And the best firearm is useless if you can't bring the fire.

John

 

[Geno]

Ian said:

The AK has a well-known "scary" look, which makes it a good deterrent, compared to the less threatening M1

Ian, youv'e never seen my MIL have you?! For what it's worth, I would suggest an M1 Garand.

Doc2005

 

[Ignition Override]

Some SKS were originally designed to use AK mags, but many sellers have guns which were probably converted and many of these have problems.
Check Gunbroker "SKS" with large mags in the photo. The vast majority of the SKS were only built with the fixed 10-rd mag, but you could never forget to bring the mag (as long as you have loaded stripper clips kept in a bag attached to the gun). A careful, thorough German friend was really embarrassed when he forgot the mag for his AR-15.
In an emergency, it would be easy to forget for an AR, M-1A1, G-3 etc.

If not this correct type of SKS, from my unique perspective, it depends on how much ammo you want/can afford to buy, then the rifle.

Otherwise, as most self-defense issues for civilians appear to happen at a very short range, an AK. Criminals do their best to sneak up close to people, as they almost always use handguns.
This is not Iraq or Afghanistan, where an M-14 is used mostly against much more distant targets, offensive and defensive.

Even after a local disaster, when would a regular civilian here need an offensive capability, except for hunting? After the SKS, AK + ammo are acquired, if you are resolved to shoot further, why not later also buy a Mosin Nagant ($80-130) which uses powerful, cheap ammo, if you don't already have a mid-range rifle?

 

[Funderb]

I'd go for a hakim and a crapton of ammo.

 

[USSR]

Don

 

[High Planes Drifter]

Bulgarian AK , and a bunch of mags, and ammo.

 

[TRGRHPY]

Look, spend the least amount of money possible for a .22 and here's why: If/when the shtf, you only need to take out the first bg and confiscate his weapon, ammo and other supplies.

Rinse and repeat as necessary.

 

[burningsquirrels]

$1k for rifle, ammo, and equipment? i like ARs but if i had to get outfitted for $1k i'd have to swing for a garand plus ammo and maintenance accessories.

it really depends on the situation i guess. if i had to head to the mountains and disappear... then i'd take a remington 700 low end model for about $450 in 308, budget scope, ammo, and a long barreled 22 pistol (any, $200, for hunting small game and defense) with a zip-loc bag of ammo and a hip pouch, and maintenance accessories for both. then just as someone else already mentioned, take the first bg's weapon.

but if i was with a large group of people, i'd take the garand with $400 of ammo and misc stuff.

 

[Gryffydd]

If/when the shtf, you only need to take out the first bg and confiscate his weapon, ammo and other supplies.

Yeah...I wonder how long it would take you to fill up a collection of Hi-Points, Ravens, Tauruses(OK, that last one is a joke, don't hurt me)
Personally I'd like to have something *better* than what the other guy has.

 

[Travis Bickle]

Garand or FN-49. In this market, that's probably all you're going to get for $1000 or under.

 

[eye5600]

Mini-14.

 

[CapnMac]

MBR choice

Might depend on which SHTF.

Jack-booted thugs a bit different than zombie hordes.

Ditto One-man-stand, or Farnham's Freehold, too.

For the grand, I'd suggest a Ruger. Start looking for a Ranch Rifle Mini-30, that gives some anti-zombie knock down, and allows a person to keep going unttil one can upgrade (following the advise of the SMAJ in such cases).

A mini-14 might suffice, but there's that magazine hassle (which has some workarounds). The 5.56 Ruger is not that much handier than it's 7.62x39 brother. Would be very tempting to find the 6.8 ranch rifle, but, that becomes a budget buster, with harder-to-find mags, and even-harder-to-find-at-Academy ammo.

Garand from CMP remains my first, best answer to this question, though. Partly because you need to join a shooting organization (or be former military) to get one. That implies getting range time in, too. I'd rather find a neighbor with eleventy dozen thousand rounds through his LTR than one with an unfired FAL by my side, come SHTF.

But, that's me, my 2¢; other's differ.

 

[Brian Williams]

Get a Garand.

 

[Big Bill]

I'd buy a Savage 111 FCNS in .300 Win Mag and trick it sniper tactical. You'd also have enough for ammo.

http://www.savagearms.com/111fcns.htm

Or, a Weather Warrior in .308..

http://www.savagearms.com/16fhss.htm