SHTF Rifle Poll

[Gunfighter123]

I have a Colt ar-15 , two AKs, and two SA M1As -------- for my wife,she gets a AK , my daughter gets the AR and I would pick the short M1A Socom.
I like to keep AT LEAST 1000 rds. of ALL calibers plus I reload for all but the AKs {got 2 unopened cs. of that}.
The short M1A will still do head shots at 200yds and will go thru most cars, body armor etc.

 

[Caimlas]

I've got enough rifles for my immediate and local extended family, should the need arise - both 7.62x39 and 5.56NATO (and in a couple other calibers). I figure: better to have a little diversity so that in the event of ammo unavailability/scarcity, we've at least got something for defense. .22LR is always likely to be available for food acquisition.

As for 7.62x39, I'm not fond of the AK. Yes, it's durable, but it's also heavy for small people without a lot of upper-body strength (ie women and children). And, personally, I have a difficult time shooting one without an American-made stock because the "Russian bloc" stocks are too short without winter clothing; combined with the general setup of the AK, I find it awkward. Not so much the case with the SKS, which feels more natural to me.

I'd like to get a .308 AK for those "reach out and touch something" situations - a little more firepower in the same basic package. The price on one is close enough to that of a 5.56 AR that it's justifiable now, and a .308 AR is still lighter than an M1A. IMO, weight is a big factor for SHTF.

There are also a lot of other viable options for 'diversification' such as shotguns - like the Saiga 12 or a common Mossberg.

A very real SHTF scenario is a war with China. I think that they would nuke us first then invade, probably in the west coast area or possibly thru Central America. Their forces all use an AK47 variant. During the vietnam war, the clack clack clack sound instantly identified an enemy as firing an AK47. I would much rather be firing an AR15/M16 in this type of scenario as I would be recognized as a "good guy" by the sound of my rifle.

In that (less likely than several other scenarios) scenario, you'd soon be hard-pressed for ammunition for your AR, even if you were well-stocked. In such a fight we'd likely be over-run and killed off pretty quickly due to sheer numbers, I think; but, failing that, we'd also quickly pick up the enemy's weapons when we're able.

Also, if you're drastically out-numbered, I can see a tactical advantage to using the enemy's weapons: the enemy might not identify it as hostile fire until they come under direct, personal fire (especially if there's a secondary front with ARs or similar).

 

[Caimlas]

China lacks the ability to project forces to foreign lands right now. China also lacks a blue-water navy and therefore they would have absolutely no naval or air support. The US navy would destroy them far before then.

How many 'cargo' ships come into the US every day from China? It takes an average of 11 days for these ships to traverse the Pacific to our shores; an additional 4 to 10 days in customs, depending on the season (ie Christmas). Add on another week or so for loading/unloading (liberal estimate, I think).

Now, these cargo ships can hold upwards of 10k containers; let's say conservatively, 6k containers for an average cargo ship, or maybe 5500 if they contain people. Conex containers - the long ones - are 8'x8'x48' with the smaller ones being 20' long. A Chinese jail cell is about 10'x10' and will hold 8-12 men for weeks with enough room for some basic exercise (stretching, push-ups, running in place) in shifts.

Assuming maybe 50% of the container capacity gets used for storage of munitions, food, light vehicles, and gear, this means they might be able to fit 20 men in each 48' container - for a conservative total of 100,000 equipped fighting men in a 6,000 container ship. There are container ships now which have twice that capacity.

Now, how many cargo ships from China sit in our ports which have not been scanned or otherwise inspected? Get two or three of these into dock at the same time, and I imagine there'd be problems - shipping ports are kind of designed for the quick transmission of materials, and I can imagine this not only aiding in such an invasion, but making for an ideal staging point. Get two of these ships docked and they, almost immediately, have a substantial fighting force on the ground, allowing them to unload other (waiting) ships.

Unconventional? Sure. But seemingly feasible in my mind if our forces are distracted elsewhere in the world.

(Sorry for taking this so off-topic.)

 

[Golden Hound]

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHH!!! The Chinese could be listening!!

 

[SCMtns]

I voted M1A, because that's what I have for 1) fun and 2) the extremely unlikely events people here are talking about. I don't actually spend much time worrying about total breakdown of society, and in the event that it did happen I'd be a lot happier to have a large creek full of clean water 300 feet below my cabin, a water filter, and months' worth of food (all of which I do).

I don't stockpile much ammo. How many people am I really going to shoot? And if I did shoot that many people, would I even want to continue living? It'd be really messy. If I didn't bury them all pretty quickly, the stench would make a bad situation even worse.

Living in northern CA, where they take your gun and most likely keep it forever if you actually shoot somebody with it, there's no way I'd break out the M1A for anything less than a full-on collapse accompanied by... what? Large groups of rioters coming out to my hard-to-find part of the mountains and swarming my little cabin? I'm a lot more likely to break out my Mini 14 or 12-ga pump if the courts are still functioning, or might soon be functioning again. Much cheaper to replace. I won't spend the rest of my life pissed that the cops got either one.

If I could have an AR out here, I'd have at least one, but my vote for a true SHTF is still a .308 autoloader. I'm just fortunate that the morons' attempt at a semi-auto ban took the form of a cosmetics ban rather than a function ban, so I can own one of the few .308's I'd be interested in anyway. 5.56 is nice enough and will do a lot of jobs pretty well, but there's nothing like 7.62.

 

[hangemhigh87]

For a short term scenario like most folks who posted before me, some type of AR-15 or AK variant.

If the GOV ends up to be a problem, not a solution, and overt possession of military type semi autos becomes a problem, then go with a bolt action .308 or .223.

Keep lots of ammo on hand regardless of what caliber you choose. Learn to Cache.

 

[Kalashnibud]

With the political environment the way it is today, that may be a reality. I know there are millions of unhappy people at this moment. They'll even be unhappier if there is an executive call to disarm Americans.

Could it happen in these United States? You betcha!

 

[TonyDedo]

None of the above. My SHTF firearm is and will remain a Mossy 590A1 shotgun. I prepare for 'realistic' SHTF scenarios; natural disaster, terror attach, civil unrest or anything that's going to keep police and fire resources preoccupied. Feel free to shun me, but I just don't buy into the the 'Red Dawn' or Zombie attack scenarios.

And in the former scenarios, I cannot fathom a situation where I need (or could justify using) a firearm with the range and firepower of those listed.

Seriously, I challenge you guys to name a situation where you'd need an AR or AK where a shotgun wouldn't suffice. When the hell do you anticipating needing to take 100+ yard shots, or running through 30 round magazines? And once order is restored and they haul your ass before a judge, how do you expect to justify your use of deadly force?

Even in Texas, I guarantee if you pick someone off at 100 yards, your ass is going to be behind bars.

As much as I'd like to be fighting off Communist invaders with my AR, or taking out Zombies at 600 yards with my M14, I have to remain realistic about my disaster preparation needs. I have a .45 and a 12 gauge and enough defensive ammo to keep both well stocked. Beyond that, money, food & water, gasoline and a generator are my disaster prep priorities.

 

[BHP FAN]

Tony,I too have a 12 ga. [mine's a Winchester] and a .45,and those are great choices.The man asked about rifles,though,and if you were hungry and saw a deer at 200 yards,could you harvest it for meat with your 12 ga?I do think your choices are the best for a hurricane Katrina type event though.

 

[TonyDedo]

Tony,I too have a 12 ga. [mine's a Winchester] and a .45,and those are great choices.The man asked about rifles,though,and if you were hungry and saw a deer at 200 yards,could you harvest it for meat with your 12 ga?I do think your choices are the best for a hurricane Katrina type event though.

I doubt I could SEE a deer at 200 yards, let alone shoot it.

But I live in an urban area and it's difficult to foresee a situation where hunting for food would become necessary. I have a good supply of food and water on hand, and I don't think there's much in the way of game animals nearby. But for those of you in the woods, maybe it's something to consider.

 

[BHP FAN]

Yeah,I have the Pacific ocean about a mile to my left,and a gazillion acres of Redwood forest to my right,and my brother just got back from a three week deer hunting trip out on Buck Mountain...so,I could knock over a deer or bear if I had to.The problem would be most of Northern California and Southern Oregon would be trying to do the same thing.Maybe I'd be better off with a fishing pole?

 

[Ignition Override]

I don't have any of those.
Between my Mini 14, 30 and SKS, the SKS.

But if criminals (in an extremely unlikely scenario), are one day known to shoot often from cars at homeowners, one of my Mosin Nagant 44s might be better for this situation. These will penetrate, maybe damage an engine/fuel tank.

How much minimum ammo in a given caliber would you guys keep long-term and never touch
(ganz und gar verboten), in order to have as "life insurance"?

 

[BHP FAN]

200 rounds per caliber would be a good starting point.

 

[Monkeybear]

I voted PTR 91.

Well the two possible ways the S can HTF where I am at is either:

A hurricane. In this case I will be outfitted with a pair of SHTF Tactical 5.11 pants.

or

Riots. If some event occurs that induces rioting my plan is to hole up inside and thus I will likely be wearing pajama pants.

I have two bags. One has 5 loaded G3 mags and the other has 40. In all honesty I think I will die of old age before shooting a single round from either of them, but they are there.

 

[youngun82]

AR15, XD45, 870, .308 Bolt ..... that would pretty much cover any senerio. Main thing is to have alot of ammo. Otherwise you got some nice looking clubs.

 

[KINGMAX]

Ammo !!!

AMMO will be the issue when The SHTF Day comes along. I believe that if you look around the AK in 7.62x39 wll be out on the battle field in force. I think w/ that in mind, you will be able to pick up ammo and replacement parts needed to get yourself going. (just MOHO)

 

[jackdanson]

found a navy arms jungle carbine in .308 for ammo commonality between our fire team

Usually I go with an AR with an acog + 3x aimpoint zoom mod, 2 vertical grips, 3 surefire lights, 2 lasers, an m203 replica that shoots shotgun shells, 5 beta c-mags, and a modified vibrating bayonet.

I also have ninjistu skills, which means I have claws made to climb up trees.

 

[theotherwaldo]

I figure, one of each, plus whatever looks interesting.

 

[Justin]

This thread is over a year old.