The one rifle on an alien world

[AmishFury]

well if we can go sci-fi in this already silly thread... i'd bring along a BlasTech E-11b blaster rifle and a lightsaber

 

[ziggy222]

i would just take my super solor turbo powered ray gun lol.its dual purpose.i can also strap it to my back and use it as a jet pack as well.and in the butstock it has a handy light saver sword and all day meel pills.it also feartures the new light bending camo.lol

 

[Cosmoline]

The big problem (aside from xenomorphs) is going to be ammo. You can only carry a very limited supply of centerfire ammo with you. A CZ ZKM .22 LR with a couple three bricks of 500 would be just about right. Anything vulnerable to having holes in it can be killed by the humble .22. And if it's not vulnerable to holes, a .30'06 won't do you any good anyway.

 

[Loomis]

Sure. BUt what if the planet is inhabited by huge meat eating tyrannosaurus rexes?

Do you still want to go there with a 22 rimfire? Bolt action or semi? LOL

 

[Maelstrom]

Doesn't matter what weapon you bring, as long as you feed it an expanding rotational cone of Tungsten Nytrillium particles from your EXTREME SHOCK AMMO!

 

[Cosmoline]

I'll wager a .22 would stop a T-Rex.

Eventually.

 

[Loomis]

Before or after he bites your head off and eats it?

 

[robbor]

Easy

THE NOISY CRICKET!!!
Is this like one of those questions, what to use on zombies???
I always wondered what kind of person thinks about this kind of stuff, now if i could instead say go back in time.lol. The only think i can think of would be a 22lr, easier to carry ammo.

 

[innerpiece]

Id wait for the postcard.... then drop a bomb... a few big blue 52's... old school..

then let someone else with a creative mind go in and clean up with .50BMG's n .22lr's.. and plasma guns too...

while all this was happening, Ill be picking off squirrels with a mere .17HMR in my back yard, off the deck, havin Steak n Eggs for breakfast.. writing back to them, n tellin them to come back to reality...........

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

I wouldn't pick something as clumsy or random as a rifle. Perhaps a more elegant weapon from a more civilized age...

 

[Sylvan-Forge]

If I had the assistance my trusty Orbital Weapons Platform, I'd say a nice 12 gauge scattergun.

If not, a KAC SR-M110 SASS.

.

 

[Dookie]

BFG!!!!!

 

[Big Boomer]

I think I would be more worried about about:

1. surviving
2. basic needs, food, shelter etc.
3. problably the most important is what lovely diseases you could get that will kill you and quick.
4. can you even breath the atmosphere?
5. Alone on an alien planet doesn't sound like much fun except for an almost assured grueling death.
6. Gun choice? Anything thing that could kill myself quickly and spare me the agony.

 

[DRYHUMOR]

The aliens have been monitoring this thread, and will adjust their defenses accordingly.

 

[General Geoff]

Phased plasma rifle in the 40 watt range.

This is the best and only answer

 

[Dionysusigma]

If you guys were dropped down on an unknown alien world and were only allowed one rifle, what would that rifle be and why?

Let's see...

There's a lot of information given in this question that needs to be taken into account. I assume that each poster has their own rifle, and not the instance of a single firearm that has to be shared by all.

---

Let's start with the phrase "dropped down on an unknown alien world."

I conclude from this term that it's an emergency. There is a chance that we're there to explore, but since we haven't even taken the time to gather any info on the place aside from the fact that it's there and that it can be landed on, this seems hugely unlikely. Any standard operation begins with intelligence gathering, but since it's "unknown," there obviously hasn't been time for that. We can assume that it's relatively safe for us to be "dropped" on, otherwise we wouldn't be even trying in the first place.

We can also assume that it's some time in the future, as we're currently nowhere near the time that we routinely go near other planets, much less come across the contingency that we have to evacuate ourselves to them.

There's a lot to be gained just from basic information about the planet that can be had even before entering orbit, just by looking out the window. I'm going to assume that for some reason, we're in a hurry to get on this planet before satisfactory, detailed observations can be made.

1) How big is the planet? If it's roughly Earth-sized, chances are that gravity is also similar. This works a few different ways: (keep in mind that mass =/= weight)

If the planet is smaller, gravity is less. Life forms, if present, stand a good chance to be proportionally taller than what we would have here on Earth. If the planet is larger, the gravity is higher. Animal life would be shorter in stature.

On the other hand, if the planet is smaller but the life is about the same size, one argument would be that it'd built stronger than most of Earth-norm since greater mass would not be an issue. Or, life-forms could be weaker, given that the stresses imposed by gravity would be less, and therefore "Earth-norm" strength would be an unnecessary waste of limited resources on a world smaller than what we currently know can support life.
On a larger planet, the inverse of these rules apply. High gravity suggests less mass might be more advantageous, but strength would have to be more.

Gravity also, for the most part, affects a creature's speed; apply above arguments as necessary. The more mass it has, the more energy required to move it. Shooting at a slow, lumbering target is different than at a fast one.

2) How far is it from the sun? Distance affects global temperature greatly. Based on the limited knowledge of necessary conditions for life based on what we've seen here, the physical requirements for life vary greatly depending on what an acceptable temperature for a life-form is. The more insulation an animal has, the generally stronger (and therefore tougher) it is--compare what lives in tundra vs. what lives in the jungle.

3) Where on the planet are you landing? Earth surface temperatures, barring volcanic activity, range from -60F to 150F, primarily based on latitude, and secondarily on altitude. Vegetation, if any, also varies greatly from latitude to latitude. Vegetation is conducive to animal life, as it's a great source of food. Vegetation also blocks sight. A scoped rifle in a forest has limited use if you can't see much farther than 50m anyway. Barren deserts offer a much longer line of sight, and fewer possible creatures overall. Take consideration of climate accordingly.

---

Next, "only allowed one rifle." The fact that we're only allowed one rifle lends itself to the emergency aspect mentioned above. It doesn't say that we can choose whatever the heck we want, just that we would be allowed one rifle.

What I gather from this are two possibilities: one, that it's a military op. As stated before, there would be more intelligence available if this were the case, so we can rule it out.

The other is that the rifle itself is part of a survival kit or package that is designed to protect and sustain the survivor until rescue is possible. Because of the fact that it's a planet drop, it's safe to assume that it's being done in a pod of some sort, and not a suit.

This helps on many levels; size, weight, extra ammunition, maintenance equipment, etc. no longer need to be as minimal as possible, as a craft of that nature would be designed to fly a decent distance in case of an incident in an isolated corner of space. As such, it would also be designed to carry appropriate equipment for all possible climates, including unsuitable planets where the survivor is not able to leave the pod. Since the pod itself is designed for SERE in the depths of space, it's probably built several times stronger than a tank, in case of a nearby catastrophic explosion, encounters with space debris, harsh amounts of radiation, and so on. If there be dragons on this strange planet, simply either stay inside the capsule, or use some of your leftover fuel to go to a place where they aren't there.

With the recognition that the rifle is merely a tool to aid in survival, and probably not the deciding factor, there would be only room for one.
There are only two uses for a survival weapon: defense and food. This is an alien world, as already made clear, and you don't know what is living there, much less if it's edible. You are going to be eating MREs. You are not going to be hunting. At most, you will be collecting water and boiling it.

That leaves defense. Anything big, or anything that swarms, you can get inside the pod for protection. You aren't going to be clearing out buildings or populated caves--you don't even know if there are any. You are not going to be sniping, as the two Es in SERE are Evasion and Escape. That leaves altercations within 100 yards.

So something that can deal with creatures that can range from flimsy to very tough, no farther away than a football field, in conditions from desert to forest to arctic. I want something reliable.

Best fitting thing? Pump shotgun (pick your favorite company, as there won't be any spare parts to be found), 3.5" chamber, 20" barrel, and a selection of 2.75in #2 shot all the way to "DamThing" loads: 3.5in slugs with a sharpened tungsten core, explosive tip, or whateverthehecktheyinvent.

But then again, it's the future... so a phased plasma rifle with an adjustable yield might be the better option.

 

[Vaarok]

Mosin. It won't break, and if you only have one, that's my choice. Excellent hostile-environment/frontier/dangerous game rifle.

 

[Creade]

So, I couldnt help but read this.
I decided instead of getting into the Caliber wars, I would just post my favorite quotes so far!!

First we have "you can buy .30-06 anywhere"
Im not sure if its just me, but that made me laugh outloud.

Second "I wouldn't pick something as clumsy or random as a rifle. Perhaps a more elegant weapon from a more civilized age..."

You guys do a good job making me laugh.

 

[Coronach]

Ok. We now return you to real world gun discussion, already in progress.