SHTF Rifle

[ejnogarb]

This question probably gets asked a lot: what kind of rifle, if you could only have one, would you want to have if you were forced to defend your family and neighborhood in a shtf, suburban setting.

Things to consider: auto vs. semi-automatic, ballistics, availability and cost of ammo, ergonomics, best bang for your buck, durability, and so on.

I'm looking at an AK-47 variant for cost and durability, but a lot of people like an SKS or M1 for different reasons.

 

[Deleted member 66305]

Unless you are willing to spend a LOT of $$$, auto is not a legal option.

 

[ByAnyMeans]

I don't think anyone can go wrong with a converted Saiga AK. It's the most accurate AK I have ever fired and it's a great all around gun. It will always work and can handle social work out to 300 yards. You could even use it to hunt in the SHTF scenario. The only thing it won't do for you is be a bullseye target gun. It handles anything else and does so with glee.

It is also great fun at the range and rather inexpensive to purchase or feed compared to others available.

 

[expvideo]

AK. You don't have to clean it to keep it running.

 

[benEzra]

Non-automatic, civilian AK. The $17,000 an automatic AK would cost would be better spent on other things.

 

[Timradcliffe345]

Ruger 10/22.

 

[ThomasT]

Hands down it would be my Marlin 357 lever action. If I have my reloading gear I can make it do for about anything. A shotgun to go with it would be nice.

 

[foghornl]

Under 150 Yds?

Marlin Lever action or the SKS

Farther out, say up to 400Yds?

US Rifle Cal .30 M1

 

[Sinixstar]

I personally would want a good stubby "tactical" shotgun to go along with it - maybe something with a foldable stock. The sheer level of devastation at short range that comes with that, as well as some of the utilitarian purposes it can fulfill (breaching, etc) would make it handy. If there's ever a situation where somebody besides you had to use a gun for whatever reason - shotguns tend to be fairly idiot-proof and depending on model - amazingly reliable as well.

 

[ejnogarb]

Interesting that someone would mention a Marlin lever. I would love to able to share the ammo with a sturdy revolver, but I worry about the effectiveness of a lever gun in a SHTF situation. I also don't know much about the ballistics of a .357 round through a rifle.

 

[hso]

This question probably gets asked a lot:

Yes it does and it has been discussed a lot with no conclusive answers (except that auto isn't a viable option and that a shotgun is probably your best choice).

The AK crowd will tell you about the reliability and simplicity and proven battle field performance and how cheap they are (or used to be).

The AR crowd will tell you about the flexibility and accessories and proven battle field performance and how inexpensively you can build one yourself (or used to be able to).

The AUG crowd will tell you about the elegance and ergonomics.

The SKS crowd will talk about the economy of the weapon.

Then the 7.62 NATO crowd will talk about all the battle rifle variants that shoot this round with greater range/accuracy/stopping power.

Get the AK and 4,000 rounds of ammo and sign up for a course with the money you save not buying the others.

Or get a lever action that shoots .357 mag so you have compatible ammo with your Ruger.

 

[taliv]

and taliv will tell you you need the best of all worlds: a full-auto AR15 with a 22lr upper and grenade launcher


edit: finding 22lr barrels with the grenade launcher cutout is a pain


edit2: hso, you forgot the shotgun crowd that will tell you you don't need any ammo, just rack the slide at the zombies and they will soil themselves and run away

 

[hso]

grenade launcher

Hmmmmm, grenade launcher firing beehive rounds.

 

[Sinixstar]

hso, you forgot the shotgun crowd that will tell you you don't need any ammo, just rack the slide at the zombies and they will soil themselves and run away

LOL.
I mentioned the shotgun "in addition to..."

 

[expvideo]

edit: finding 22lr barrels with the grenade launcher cutout is a pain

You can fire 22lr out of .223 barrel. You don't need a dedicated 22lr barrel.

 

[mljdeckard]

Except that there is a 3/1000" difference between the barrels. It will shoot, but it won't be very accurate.

 

[mbt2001]

Or get a lever action that shoots .357 mag so you have compatible ammo with your Ruger.

I would recommend that option for 95% of people. Stock up on the ammo needed and you are ready to rock and roll.

I prefer the carbine approach as opposed to a full sized rifle. I like a rifle to be handy.

 

[taliv]

I mentioned the shotgun "in addition to..."

and so you did

but never forget that nothing is idiot-proof, because idiots are so ingenious

 

[edrice]

This question probably gets asked a lot:

Yes it does and it has been discussed a lot with no conclusive answers (except that auto isn't a viable option and that a shotgun is probably your best choice).

The AK crowd will tell you about the reliability and simplicity and proven battle field performance and how cheap they are (or used to be).

The AR crowd will tell you about the flexibility and accessories and proven battle field performance and how inexpensively you can build one yourself (or used to be able to).

The AUG crowd will tell you about the elegance and ergonomics.

The SKS crowd will talk about the economy of the weapon.

Then the 7.62 NATO crowd will talk about all the battle rifle variants that shoot this round with greater range/accuracy/stopping power.

Get the AK and 4,000 rounds of ammo and sign up for a course with the money you save not buying the others.

Or get a lever action that shoots .357 mag so you have compatible ammo with your Ruger.

That was quite enjoyable. I would call that a very accurate executive summary of all the threads that have ever been launched on this subject.

That said, I still have the unmentioned Mini-14, but in case that should go the way of the obamaban, I also have two 1894 Marlins, one in .357 and an even shorter 1894P in .44 mag. Love the 16 1/2-inch barrel and that would probably be my first go-to. It is so handy and easy to maneuver.

Ed

 

[goon]

You'll get no definitive answer and you've picked about the worst possible time to ask the question.
Demand is up for semi-auto rifles and prices are also up. You'll be paying through the nose to buy a semi-auto HDR right now and the days of cheap ammo for anything are pretty much gone. I think someone just starting out right now who needs a decent rifle should just buy an SKS and as much ammo as he/she can afford and be done with it.
Another good choice is a Marlin lever action and all the ammo you can afford for it.

On the lever action, it's not as quick to reload as an AK but I'd choose a Marlin 30-30 over one just about any day of the week. The reason is simple: I hit what I shoot at with a Marlin. I've only ever shot one AK that I could make the same claim of, a VEPR K .223. Some guys have great luck with them but after owning five of them myself and firing countless others, I honestly just don't get what's so great about them. And before someone wheels out the legendary reliability of the AK, bear in mind that out of those five, two were "better" brands that had reliability problems from day one. OTOH, the cheap SAR-1 actually worked with total reliabiltiy. Go figure.


Also, in reading about some of the social crises that people have lived through the most interesting one I read was about a group of over a dozen people barricaded inside someone's walled estate. Angry mobs, killing, burning, pillaging, yada-yada going on outside and yet this group of people managed to hold off the mobs until things cooled down.

What incredible weapons were the people in the compound armed with?
One 1911 in .45 ACP and one old hand grenade, neither of which were used against the rioters during the entire incident.
I'd much rather have a Marlin or Winchester 30-30 than an 1911 and a hand grenade.

 

[Smith357]

Marlin Model 1894 Cowboy chambered for .357 Magnum. It caliber matches my sidearms, is plenty powerful enough to kill food or a BG, and will be one of the last rifles on the ban list.

 

[gvnwst]

edit: finding 22lr barrels with the grenade launcher cutout is a pain

Look at spikes tactical. IMy spikes barrel is cut for a grenade launcher

I am the AR crowd. So:

......I will tell you about the flexibility and accessories and proven battle field performance and how inexpensively you can build one yourself (or used to be able to).

That sums it up. The AK in either .223 (saiga), 5.45, or 7.62 seems to fit the bill, as you don't need the accuracy of the AR inside 300yd.

 

[texas bulldog]

hso,
there's one answer you didn't cover...

if i could have only one SHTF rifle, it would be...(drum roll please...)

...the one with which i am most comfortable and can get quick, accurate hits. (that answer works for almost any "which whatever for whatever" question, btw).

for me, the above criteria would probably have me using a marlin in .357 (go figure). otherwise, it would be an AR or SKS. i don't own an AK, and i don't plan to get one just to answer this question "correctly". i'd feel well served with any of the 3 at my current disposal.

 

[taliv]

Look at spikes tactical. IMy spikes barrel is cut for a grenade launcher

heh, my 22lr upper is only 7" or it might have had one

 

[ThomasT]

Since I first mentioned the 357 rifle one poster ask about the perfomance of the round out of a rifle barrel. So here it is.

A 158gr bullet will average about 1800fps from the Marlin barrel at the muzzle. At 100 yards the speed is down to 1369 fps. This is the same velocity you will get with a 6" revolver at the muzzle. At 250 yards the velocity is about 1000 fps or slightly faster than the +P 38 spl load from a 6" revolver at the muzzle.

You can find load data and get factory loaded ammo that will beat the 1800 fps by a bit but I won't push my rifle that hard. If I feel the need for more power I have bigger guns.

On the other hand making light loads that are suitable for smaller game is a breeze. A pound of powder goes a long way in this caliber with light loads.