Unrealistic zombie rifle expectations?

[exdxgxe4life]

Alright fellas. I've been raking my brain for months now and cannot find a good answer. I'm looking for the ultimate general purpose / shtf rifle out their FOR ME. Am I being too picky? What will I use it for? What else...running from zombies hoping to peg them at a distance, but be able to get them up close if necessary, and have enough firepower to stop a small mob all by myself.


Goals:
scopable, with with irons available
plenty accurate out to 250 yards
decent stopping power (anything more then a .223, closer to .308, or ultimate 45-70 ass kicker)
lightweight (under 8 lbs or less)
medium capacity (5+)
preferably American made (rules out the kick ass Browning BLR in .300 win mag)

So far the leader of the back is a bushmaster .450 "thumper." I can put irons on it, is scopable, decently accurate, good stopping power, a little heavy and good capacity.

Next in line is the newish Marlin 1895ssbl. It's got irons and is scopable, accuracy lacks beyond 150, stopping power is supreme, weighs 8 lbs, and has I believe 6+1 capacity

Next is Marlin 1894 is .44 mag. Comes with irons, and can be scoped. Accuracy at at 250 is waining, power is pretty good, 10+1 capacity is great and so is the weight.

Finally the savage scout. comes with good peeps, forward mounted scope is nice, great accuracy, good power, light weight, capacity sucks.


Any help/ideas/suggestions/opinions?

 

[Zombiphobia]

Ar-10
m1
g3/hk91
psl

 

[Classified00]

Best thread title ever ...

 

[killchain]

M38 Mosin Nagant Carbine.

5+1 capacity
Irons with sniper scope
7lbs
300+yd accuracy
7.62x54R cartridge will put down any bipedal monster

It's Russian, Deal With It.

 

[Dr.Rob]

I'd rule out 44 magnum. It drops like a rock after 125 yards or so. You run out of scope in a hurry.

We don't generally discuss fantasy scenarios here but frankly I never thought of a 45/70 as a defensive arm.

Since you brought up the specter of the lever gun as a "generalist's" rifle I'd suggest a Marlin 30-30. You can take game out past 200 yards, it ejects to the side for stable scope mounting and while it's not really suitable for room clearing in central Asia it's better than a sharp stick at spitting distance.

 

[Sky]

After all my guns were stolen I kinda went through the same thing wondering what an all round rifle and pistol would/should I get. What rifle would I use for game and even protection. Price of rifle and ammo was a consideration and my plans were for one rifle and pistol only...I am old so not as motivated as some of the younger guys.

Hate to say this because you might hear it from a few others but: The AR out to 300+ yards is really kind of hard to beat if you factor everything into your decision. Not saying it is the best but for me it was the best compromise.

With factory loads and a sighted in AR hitting a 10" plate is no problem at 300+; killing varmints at 350 yards works, just depends on ammo and shot placement.

A 40 round mag and a Grizz I might be scared but I feel it will stop him or just about anything else with enough hits. Someone from Alaska posted a thread about his neighbor killing moose with an AR...Again round choice has something to do with success.

Watch me get flamed for that!!! hahahahah

 

[Blue Brick]

1+ 91/30

 

[tyeo098]

Id go with the M44 Carbine.

You got that bayonet to work with too, and it folds away for easy storage!
Its just about 8lbs, little heavier than the M38 because of the bayonnaise.

Big 30 Russian can do a lot of damage too. You should see those paper targets run!

Plus... Its a Nagant!

We all know that if you run out of ammo, your rifle makes a good:

1. Club
2. Tent Pole
3. Or even Firewood!

 

[Z-Michigan]

Mosin Nagant.

 

[GunDungeon]

A pretyy easy anwser IMHO. M14 chambered in 30-06... with an 18in barrel... Enough stopping power at all distances and able to add forward optics. Reliable as all hell.
M14 fanboy

 

[Old krow]

Interesting title.

If I were looking for what you were describing I'd stick with a NATO round. The trade off for the 5.56 is that you can carry a lot more rounds with you, therefore the restraints on mobility are lessened. If I needed the stopping power I'd go 7.62.

My vote would go to an AR-10. Cheaper ammo, more ammo available, longer range, higher magazine capacity (in most cases), more guns chambered in that caliber, and sufficient stopping power for most things. It should meet all of the requirements that you listed and be able to find one made in USA. You could find under 8lbs, at least before you added anything to it.

 

[cmat]

Consider an sks.

 

[230therapy]

Has anyone tried an AK-47 with Aimpoint out to 250?

FAL with a rail and either an ACOG or Aimpoint would be nice.

Bolt action rifle in 30-06? Modify it to accept some sort of 10 round magazine?

 

[HorseSoldier]

M4gery. If it does not meet your zombie defense requirements, you need to revise your requirements.

 

[M91/30]

As much as id like to say a m91/30 Id go with a suppressed m4 carbine with accessories to fit the environment, as well as a fn5.7 pistol or even a .22 semiauto with interchangeable suppressor with the m4. And of course before you say they are sissy gun you must remember is rounds carried to weight and availability. but that wont stop me from picking up a good old mosin or m14 or whatever if i have the ability to carry it.

 

[230therapy]

This may fit your requirements:

http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/10FCM+SCOUT

 

[Panzercat]

The Keltec SU-16a say, "hi."

5.56mm NATO, good to 150m conservatively.
10 rnd magazine with extra storage capacity.
Folding stock.
Unloaded weight, 5lbs.
Iron sights, Picatinny rail standard, bipod
Made in America, sub $500 price bracket, variants available.



Not the purdiest gun you'll ever see, but it meets most if not all the criteria.

 

[bullturkey]

Remington pump action mag feed in 308.

 

[TonyAngel]

I do believe that you are confronted with what many have discovered. There is no such thing as a "do all" rifle. If the S did ever HTF, I'd want three rifles. A .22 with 5K rounds of ammo, an AR with 1K rounds of ammo and a .308 with 300 to 500 rounds of ammo. If I had to start dumping stuff to move more quickly and easily, I'd start with what is the hardest to deal with, which would probably be the .308, but it depends. I do know that the last thing I'd get rid of is the .22.

 

[True Grit]

AK-47 Kalashnikov hands down. This is the gun I would want with me if I had no idea what to expect. You could wind up in any corner of the globe and still be able to find ammo and parts if needed.

 

[Balrog]

If you are trying to decide on the best rifle for a total breakdown of civilization as we know it, why would you want to pick anything other than an AR or AK?

Ammo resupply for the 450 Bushmaster is going to be a big problem.
Ammo for a 44 mag/450 BM/45-70 is going to be heavy, and you can't carry a lot of it.
If you break your Marlin, it wont be easy to find parts. AR parts are very common.

I don't want to be stuck in some survival situation with a gun that shoots rare ammo and has difficult to find spare parts.

 

[Sky]

Hiya Tony; many feel that way. .22, AR or an Ak would be hard to beat if everyone was in a survival mode. Should be some spares laying around after a while??

 

[Robert]

As Dr. Rob pointed out, we do not do zombie or SHTF threads at THR. If you are talking about being prepared for the unseen and uncertain future and having a good general purpose rifle then that is fine, maybe change the title and wording of the original post. But if fantasy is your goal there are tons of other forums that can meet your needs.

For a general all purpose rifle I'd take a bold action, any would work really, in 30-06 or 308. Plenty of ammo to be had for both in a range of bullet weights. Not too heavy to carry for long periods of time. I assume a scope would be in use on anything other than a milsurp rifle so accuracy would be decent. And both are more than able to take just about any game in North America.

 

[RX-178]

The problem with the big caliber is that, no matter what weapon you use on a zombie, only hits to the central nervous system have any effect. The one advantage of the large round, with a (presumably) hollow point is that a COM shot can still damage or sever the spinal cord so at least your zombie is on the ground. Still a threat, but less of one.

Seriously, I agree with your choice of the AR platform for this. I'd personally go .458 SOCOM over .450 bushmaster, but either way you can keep a spare upper in a lighter caliber in addition.

 

[Nar]

Personally, I say a good SKS, 10 rounds of semi-auto goodness, and it uses a common ammo, if you wanted you could up the mag or get a mroe "tactical" body, and you can scope it too, but that's just me, i see some other good options here too.