What gun for an offshore boat?

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I'm not sure at what range yer lookin to engage targets at, but I'll throw a few recommendations out:

1) semiautomatic: Yugo based AK-47 underfolder kit (built stronger that Romanian kits) in 7.62 x 39; CETME in 7.62 x 51; AR-15 chambered in .50 Beowulf; Ruger Mini-14 in .223 (light duty); Ruger Mini-30 in 7.62 x 39; DPMS AR's are chambered for a whole bunch of different calibers now...maybe one suits yer needs

2) pump: any used Remington 760 or 7600 in .30-06 or .308; .30-06 is more prominent & used ones abound; there is a company that specializes in accurizing these platforms & even offers 10 round mags...can't remember but a timely Google search should yield something for ya

3) lever gun: any used old Winchester '94 or Marlin 336 in .30-30; if ya wat something with a bigger boom then opt for a Marlin chambered in .444 Marlin, .450 Marlin, or .45-70;

4) pistol caliber carbines can be had in lever action, pump action, and semiautomatic depending upon yer needs & flavors

remember that any ole blued gun can be coated in a weather resistant teflon based coating & wood can be sanded & painted w/ fleckstone type paint or opt for synthetic stocks in some cases
 
I agree with effective and cheap.
I wonder if a stock Saiga 7.62x51 might not be a good choice.

If not that, maybe an old Enfield if you can find one cheap enough. Hack-job sporters turn up for around $75 and would work fine for this use and Ishapore 7.62x51's are still available for $180 if you just must spend more.

Maybe add a cheap pump action shotgun too. Although I don't ascribe the mythical status to them that some do, a pump action shotgun is a great up close weapon if you get stuck in that type of fight.

Two weapons may seem a bit much, but I'd think it'd be better to have two people shooting at a boat full of pirates than just one.
 
Do you really want to wait till a threat that has you outnumbered is inside 100yds before you engage them? You're not going to get good accuracy on a moving boat, that is obvious, but you may score some hits and you may deter them from further action before they get close and realize that you are alone on the boat. If I was going to wait till they were 100yds away I'd just have a derringer since it'd be best just to shoot myself in the head anyways. With the possibility of several people returning fire I'd want to put as much distance and ammo between me and them. You're not going to hit anything at 100yds either, it's going to be an exchange of fire with the odds falling to the person that misses least. If you think you're going to hit anything with a 12ga or AK with 5,6,7, or more BG's returning fire then you are teetering on suicidal or insane. I'd rather take as many shots as possible without having the threat within the range of their AK's and 12ga's. You're going to be outnumbered, you have to get some advantage and short of getting a 3" deck gun, distance is about the only advantage you can get IMO.
 
It occurs to me that the best of all worlds would be a PSL. Scoped with an excellent IOR scope with all the power you need at range, with range-finder built in, plus it's a reliable AK action, plus its half the price of most M1a's at the present, plus ammo is half the price of 308 at the present, plus it's as accurate as you can use in the scenario. The only possible negative would be the 10 round magazine. But use a 12 ga with buck for close up and still be orders of magnitude cheaper than the M1a.

Since the boat will be moving, the accuracy difference between the two will be irrelevant.

By the way, shooting first on the high seas would be a bad idea. If you engage someone at 100 yards, you can be considered the pirate as they could easily say, with justification, that they were merely fishing. Not uncommon for another fishing boat to be within 100 yards of you.

Ash
 
well, i would go with a regular AK, a few mags and a waterproof case, i would oil the heck out of it with Mobil-1 Syntethic OIL, same to the mags and mags springs, is not like you're going to have the gun exposed to salt all day long or use it as a fishing stick, if it's going to be used in a pirate scenario, (and some fun shooting) you'll be fine. just oil it more offen and use synthetic oil, after all is just an AK you can always get another cheap.
 
I say buy a 3 pack of cheap SKSs and when one gets a little rusty beyond repair, just replace it from your on-shore stock of SKSs...:D
 
Two Guns:

One 12 ga slug gun, with hardcast heavy slugs, for punching holes in their hull - so even if they retreat and get away after attacking you, they have something to remember you by, and may even be able to sink them (after they're gone).

One EBR type rifle that reaches out there a pretty good ways - probably a .308 rifle, semi-auto, with 20 rounders. You're not gonna be real accurate up and down on waves, so you need lots of firepower. A AR15, AK style, or similar wouldn't be half bad either.

Put a resistant finish on both and stay clear of Mexico.
 
Do you really want to wait till a threat that has you outnumbered is inside 100yds before you engage them?
Click to expand...
How are you supposed to know they are pirates until they are close enough to take aggressive action against you?
I doubt they will be flying the Jolly Roger, wearing an eye patch, have a parrot on their shoulder, and yell "AArrrrrrrrrrrr!!! Heave Too, Ye Scurvy Dog" !!

I think the Coast Guard would take a pretty dim view of you shooting at every boat that gets within 500 yards!

BTW: If I were picking a boat gun, it would be a Remington 870XCS Marine Magnum.
http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/shotguns/model_870/model_870_xCS_marine_magnum.asp

Then I would stock up on 00 Buck & Brenneke slugs.

A Brenneke through the forecastle or Small-Block Chevy water jacket would at least give them something to funk with besides you for awhile.
And you could get hits close enough to splash water on their party boat at least 300 yards away.
Brenneke's make big & impressive splashes!

rcmodel
 
I have to put in another plug for an extended mag 12 ga. You can load slugs (and even get a rifled slug barrel) if you are concerned about putting holes in their rig at longer distances. I also think that a small side arm (maybe 9mm, but I would personally go with a revolver caliber--.357 mag or .44 mag--for the reliability issue, as well as for the deeper penetration ability. A spare can of rem oil or WD40 ( as has already been recommended) is also a really good idea.
 
I have to wonder.. What do the Coast Guard and marine police patrols use for small arms weapons and how do they maintain them?
Click to expand...

We (USCG) use the Sig P229DAK, Remington 870, M16, M14T and the M240B from our small boats. As far as maintenance, a good cleaning and wipedown when you get off the boat. I have the luxury right now of being on the Great Lakes so it is not as big a problem. I'm not impressed with the finish on either the Sig or the 870. The new Sigs we got had rust after being shot at the range and not being cleaned that night since we were going right back to the range the next day. None of them were shot enough to get really dirty, maybe 50 rounds each that first day. I've also had shotguns that rusted IN the safe, in an armory after being cleaned.

My vote is for a stainless Mini 30 and one or two shotguns. Soft point 7.62 rounds, slugs, buck and even some Dragons Breath or flares for the shotties. Punching holes in a boat to try to sink it isn't much of a strategy because you have no control over what type of boat comes at you.
 
How about a Saiga 12ga/.
Reliable ak action and you can purchase 10rd magazines for it. You can have several loaded magazines ready for whatever. Unlike other shotguns all you have to do is change your magazine to change your load. Just a thought.

.308
 
15 miles off shore and nfa goes out the window! get a good belt feed..........I know I know storage 15 miles off shore would be your problem, I just thought you would like to know you can buy things like that for way off shore use.
 
i'd check more into the laws before you head of port out armed. i think i read or heard somewhere that it is illegal to enter the port armed due to some of the newer dept. ofhomeland security laws. i do alot of work around galveston & freeport, texas & i know a few boats have been searched by the cg & many places around galveston are off limits now
 
The marinized shotgun is definitely the logical choice, and not very expensive. Otherwise, a cheap Saiga or SKS, well oiled and looked after, is even cheaper. Classic Arms has some hard chrome Mosin-Nagant M44s that would give you both long range and a bayonet if you want to go that route. They run about $150, or you could just get two cheap Mosins and switch them if one rusts out.

Be careful about laws, however, not just U.S. but also Mexican if you are going to be in the Gulf. Would be a shame to end up in prison, American or Mexican, over something like that. I have read in articles on long-distance cruising that a single-shot shotgun for "sharks" or "emergency survival" is less likely to cause problems with the authorities in gun-unfriendly countries.
 
A lot has happened in this thread since I went to work! A lot of good points.

A few things:

He's been fishing the waters his entire life, has a GPS, and isn't going to stray into Mexican waters.

Crew served and deck mounted weapons are out of the picture!

I'm actually leaning towards the marinized shotgun but still think that if you realize you're in a bad situation, a quick 30 rounds at somebody's boat might change their mind to go after somebody less aggressive and prepared. He's not going to be shooting at a boat 500m away unless he's fleeing and they are chasing. Any engagement would start off at a fairly close distance. Also, not a whole lot of worry 25-35 miles offshore about what's happening to the rounds that miss.

My thoughts are that any engagement would be a lot of rounds and haul it away.

Keep the posts coming!

Mark

Mark
 
Has anyone tried using Cerama-coat on a weapon for seaborne use? I've heard it's pretty tough stuff - can't scratch it, etc.

Anyone?

My suggestion:

Maybe an old clunker M-1 Garand, refinished with Cerama-coat, loaded with AP-I rounds.

:)
 
Claude Clay.

I'll see your cannon, and raise you a phalanx:

smallphalanx.jpg


:)

I'm sorry, I see now that we've both been Pwnd by GarandOwner. :p
 
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