SHTF Rifles 101

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i would say an ar of some type and if money is an issue then i would say get something along the lines of an olympic plinker model, they are cice guns an relatively inexpensive. you can't go wrong with an ak pf any kind but finding magazines for a 5.56 model ak might prove to be tough and hit or miss on reliability if you do find any.
 
I forgot, the .38 Special/.357 Magnum is also pretty popular.

In rifles I have noticed that SKS's and AK's are more popular with 18-25 year olds, and AR's a very popular with people older than that. I am sure this is because of economics. You do see more crossover of AK's into the 25+ crowd, but they are outnumbered by the AR's.

Interestingly enough, pistol caliber carbines are fairly common. This is again probably due to the low cost.

Of course, shotguns and handguns far outnumber the rifles in this area. Outdoor ranges are set up for clays, though they often have a small members only rifle range, while the indoor ranges obviously center on pistols (with some rifle support).
 
zinj,

hehe... I'm the oddball-- working this thing bass-ackwards. I had my first AR-15 when I was 15 years old, and got my first AK when I was 31 years old. Now, at 35 years old, I just want them ALL :)


John
 
Nice to see all the fellow Tarheels on this thread! (I'm in the New Bern area.)

If you're mostly worried about stuff getting banned and you'd like to have several self-loading carbines for family members, some handpicked Romanian AK's would be a cheap option.

med_gallery_260_23_20379.jpg


If you like the idea of .223 AK lookalikes but are skittish about .223 WASR's for reliability reasons, it looks as if Century is going to be importing some
Galils soon. The price may be high, though (too early to tell), and I have no idea about magazine prices/availability, but here's a link: http://www.centuryarms.biz/proddetail.asp?prod=RI1410-X


AR's are great, but pricey. As others have mentioned, lowers are relatively inexpensive, but you still have to buy uppers in order to have functioning carbines.

In rifles I have noticed that SKS's and AK's are more popular with 18-25 year olds, and AR's a very popular with people older than that. I am sure this is because of economics. You do see more crossover of AK's into the 25+ crowd, but they are outnumbered by the AR's.
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I suspect that this is a function of disposable income. It's a lot easier for the average 25-year-old to swing an AK lookalike than an AR.

I'm 36 and own a civvie AK and not an AR for financial reasons (my 7 y.o. son has immense medical bills, and a $379 Romanian AK was all I could/can afford).
 
people always talk about the ammo you can find when the shtf. imho there will not be any to find in a real shtf. you will only have what you have and can carry, or defend. so, buy what is dependable, and cheap (in that order). buy the ammo, and keep it in the closet. for me, i found the 7.62x39, for the sks, to fit the bill.
 
In your situation, go SKS. I would not hesistate to use one. Use the money saved to buy lots of ammo for a stockpile and even more importantly to learn to really shoot. Buy some reactive targets to keep it interesting for the kids. Its more important to know how to shoot then what kind of lower you have on your tacticool AR. Remember people did much more with lesser weapons back in the day. That reminds me I have an Appleseed shoot to go to this month!
BTW...the 10-22 makes a reasonable SKS trainer, for cheaper practice with the kids.
 
Sorry, this is a bit off of the subject but I thought someone mentioned this earlier in the thread and didnt want to start my own...

What are all of the rounds you can fire through your standard AR lower...One that fires .223?
 
If you mean by switching uppers, off the top of my head I can think of .22 LR, .223 Win/NATO, 6.8-mm Remington, .50 BMG. Probably .308 Win/7.62 NATO, 7.62 x 39...:confused:
 
Yes I meant by switching uppers...You can shoot .308 with it? That was really the one I was curious about...What is a good site to get quality stripped lowers from?
 
I think being able to share ammo between guns is most important to me...

I can't afford to stock up on 20 different types of ammo. So a few 7.62x39 guns makes more sense.
 
What are all of the rounds you can fire through your standard AR lower...One that fires .223?
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If you're talking about different uppers, I think at least .22LR, 9mm (I think), .204 Ruger, .223, .243 (I'm pretty sure), 6.5mm Grendel, 6.8mm Remington, .300 Whisper, .50 Beowulf, .50 BMG (single-shot only). Probably others.

I think the .308 and .300 RSAUM uppers require AR-10 lowers, with the longer magazine well.
 
I'm finding myself intrigued with the new Sig 556. I currently do not own any other rifles but have been considering some sort of AR, AK, etc. for home defense (longer range) and range shooting, etc.

What are your impressions (those that may have handled/fired/purchased) a Sig 556 as a SHTF rifle?
 
Look no further and go buy an AR15. Buy lots of ammo, practice with it until you are comfortable with Irons out to at least 200 yards then maybe think about optics. For SHTF and two legged varmints, you can carry alot of .223 ammo compared to a .30 cal, the .mil and LEO use it, so it is out there already for possible battlefield pick-ups, and for accuracy in semi-auto, it is the most accurate right out of the box...

FYI: I own .30cal battle rifles: Garands, CETME, etc. nothing against them at all (they have had great success in the past) but I still reach for the AR when there is a bump in the night or I am making plans for the SHTF situations.
 
.30 Carbine

Missing from this discussion is the M1 Carbine.

That's okay. I won't take it personally.
  • Given that you will not be "ammo shopping" when the "balloon goes up" and
  • given that you want something you can carry lots of, and
  • given that most of your encounters are probably not going to be at real long range, and
  • given that you want reasonable stopping power (say, .357 equivalent at 50-100 yards), and
  • given that you will want a high practical rate of fire, quick reload, and reliable machinery,
  • well, then, an M1 Carbine stacks up nicely for these criteria.
Well, at least, I wouldn't feel bad if I had one in a crisis situation.

Marginal for hunting, but there are, I'm sure, many hunters who've taken deer with it.
 
Thats funny you mention the M1 Carbine, Arfin, as I am going to order one when the CMP has them up. It should be a nice set-up about the same size as my .22.
 
There is almost an embarassment of riches and plenty of room for the imagination to run amuck. Never played golf but there seem to be quite a few clubs in those bags, all for the purpose of beating a little ball where someone wants it to go.

Lots of plusses to the SKS as a very reasonable low-bucks blaster. Mine happens to have a lousy trigger but works just fine and I will get that taken care of one of these days just because it is worth the trouble. If I had nothing else I would feel okay. Coupled with an old S&W Model 10 with good ammo, good to go.

Come to think of it, I once guarded stuff for Uncle to include nuclear weapons, with about the same level of sophisticated armament--just substitute M1 carbine for the SKS. (I prefer the SKS, BTW).

Mindset, practice, and ammo--in that order.
 
Never played golf but there seem to be quite a few clubs in those bags, all for the purpose of beating a little ball where someone wants it to go.
Click to expand...

My attitude towards golf is that since the one that hits the ball the least times wins, why hit it at all???


The M-1 Carbine is a decent rifle for SHTF. I consider it roughly the American equivalent of the AK-47 in terms of usage in practical applications. I've never had one, so I can't attest to its reliability, or accuracy.

Of course, I don't know if 30 carbine is as readily available at decent costs as 7.62x39 is (although you can hardly call 7.62x39 prices these days as decent).

Still, M-1 Carbine should make itself know on this thread.


John
 
DIENEKES has ended his post with a very key point. Whatever you wind up with, practice enough with it to become very familiar with the weapon and it's capabilities. For example, zero it at 50 or 100 yds, then shoot it at longer ranges without changing the sights to become familiar with the amount of bullet drop, and shoot it on windy days to learn how wind affects it. You should also try different makes of ammo and bullet weights...that will probably affect what you will buy in bulk to lay away for the uncertain future. You will probably also decide on getting certain mods for your weapon to increase its effectiveness.

If you want to have fun, do this with a .22 LR rifle or pistol...believe me, there's really a lot of difference in bullet drop and dispersion among brands!:what:
 
Continuing the above post, a buddy has taken issue with my advice...asked why I didn't recommend recording the zero at different ranges.

The bullet drop info is far more important. (By the way, you'll write this data on a piece of paper and cover it with clear tape on your gunstock.) In combat, you won't have time to change your sights. Say you have several hostiles maneuvering against you at different ranges...taking your eyes off the field and looking at your sights to change them is a good way to wind up dead! If the guy at 300-yds is carrying a sniper rifle, that's your first target...then you immediately switch to the closest guy or whoever shows that he knows where you are. So, you consider your bullet drop data at different ranges and fire. And that's why those mill-slash lines on your scope reticule come in so handy.

Adjusting scopes to hiit dead center at different ranges is over rated. The bullseye is simply an aiming point. If you want to show how good a shot you are, look at the size of the group somewhere below the bullseye...that's what is primarily important. Secondarily, you will adjust the sights to hit the center of the bull at different ranges, and record that next to your bullet drop data...but the bullet drop data is more important.
 
quote by obxned : I am leaning more toward an AK-type action rather than an AR, but the 5.56 is probably the easiest to find in event of weird stuff happening, and also about the cheapest to buy in massive quantities. Keep in mind, I probably need to get one for each of my kids, and that means more than ½ a dozen.


Get an ak for yourself , get a sks/ak for your older kids , get a .22LR semi-auto rifle/pistol for your younger kids if you think they can't take the weight/recoil of ak/sks . :)

if you are worried about ammo issue, get yourself an AR if it's within your budget. :)
 
I'm in TN and AK/SKS ammo is still very plentiful and reasonable. I'd recommend the SKS to almost anyone wanting a SHTF rifle that is on a budget. They are tough as beat h*ll and relatively accurate and as reliable as the AK's.
 
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