Which One Do You Grab?

Which One Do You Grab?

  • SLR-95

    Votes: 57 25.3%

  • RRA LAR-6

    Votes: 74 32.9%

  • M1A

    Votes: 94 41.8%
  • Total voters
    225
Status
Not open for further replies.
Assuming the RRA has been set up for reliability (i.e., you had someone stake the gas key and castle nut, since RRA doesn't often do that right from the factory, and you paid the extra $40 for a chrome-lined 5.56x45mm barrel), I'd take the RRA.

With a loaded 30-round magazine inserted, the AK will weigh nine or ten pounds in that configuration, plus 300 rounds of 7.62x39mm in an ammo can (almost twice as heavy as 300 rounds of 5.56x45mm) plus eight loaded magazines at nearly two pounds each. The AR is lighter (even with RRA's heavier-than-average barrel profile), the ammo is lighter, the magazines are lighter.

I would make sure I had a small squeeze bottle of Mobil 1 and some spare batteries for the light and optic (if necessary).
 
Well, by an impending disaster I was referring to earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, fires, massive civil unrest, any situation that could cause you to leave your home for the sake of safety so that you don't have your own house collapse upon you.
I voted for the SLR-95, as much as I do love my M1A and RRA, I just feel the SLR would be the most reliable, it is the cheapest of the three, it's also the lightest and most portable and it's caliber, although not the most accurate, is accurate enough to engage threats well within most distances you'd be accosted from and devastating enough.
I'm not so worried about ammo availability with it as its popular enough to be stocked and horded by many.
I don't even feel that I'd need a backup pistol if just having the SLR, but I just couldn't run out the door without my Glock 21, I simply don't go anywhere without it.
 
Without a doubt the AR - but bring your 5.56 upper too just in case you run out of 6.8...zombies generally show up during and after disasters.
 
I voted the AK, but if you really gotta go and its getting that bad i'd probably take it and the M1A. All three pictured have a sling and with a half decent backpack you could shove one of the ammo cans in it and tote the other one in your free hand I suppose.

I didn't pick the AR and not just because I dislike the platform but because you probably won't be able to run across much 6.8spc ammo out in the wild. 7.62x39 and .308 are very common. Even tho I dislike AR's I would take it as a second choice in 5.56 due to light weight and common ammo.

As for everyone saying the AK would be recognized as a terrorist weapon by the general public, put a quad rail, foregrip, and telescopic stock like the AR has on it and I'd bet about 75% of that same "general public" will incorrectly ID it as an AR.

Edit: If motorized transport is available take it all.
 
A lot of people seem to think that if you have a AR you will be seen as a "good guy".
That might be true with the average person you see on the street but it would seem that in any disaster the police and military dont like it when you have any gun. And if I lived in the city(Like I would if I had a choice) I would get out and go to the family farm before the military and police start performing gun grabing raids.
And when it comes to sitting on the roof that would work if you were just holding off thugs with rocks and clubs, just hope they dont have guns and start shooting, talk about fish in a barrel.
Okay im done.
 
I just feel the SLR would be the most reliable, it is the cheapest of the three, it's also the lightest and most portable
Click to expand...
It may have a very slight edge in reliability, and it may be cheaper, but it's not lighter if you factor in the weight of ammunition and magazines. Only four loaded 7.62x39mm magazines together weigh as much as the RRA does (~1.9 pounds each); loaded AR magazines are closer to a pound each. It doesn't matter much if you're driving, but if you're walking then the weight adds up.
 
I have seen a lot of these threads, taken a lot of Advanced Tactical Shooting courses, and thought a lot about my defensive weapons and situation. There is no other area that I know as-well-as I know my own house/property and surroundings. I know exact yardages in all clear directions of fire.

The overriding problem with leaving is, if I abandon my home, especially leaving two firearms and 300 rounds each, surely they will be stolen and probably used illegally. If conditions are that bad, likely to the roads are already bad and full of unknowns. In my opinion, and for my family, staying put is the wisest option.
Click to expand...

The OP didn't make very clear what the disaster was, but the main reason that I would leave my home in a situation like this would be to insure a food supply in the future. This would (to me) mean hunting and farming in a rural area. So I'm going to assume that I had to leave on foot (The road ways may be impassible in this scenario) so I'd take the AR (in 5.56mm) due to weight.
 
Inside the US you are more likely to find more .308 win ammo than 7.62 x 39mm...and that .308 will reach out and touch somebody even with open sights beyond the other two.Take the 6.8 spc or the 7.62 x39 and you are limited to a city block. Probably ok unless you live in a suburb or the country. My block where I live has obstructions and is longer than 300 yds...so I would take and voted for the M1. (And I would have my two sons carry the other two)
 
The real question.....why do you leave the house? Unless it is burning down, you have food, water, shelter, clothes, medicine, you know the layout, and you have three weapons with lots of ammo.

Night vision glasses and a NV scoped rifle would sure be nice. You can't shoot what you can't see.

Decent body armor with pockets for ceramic chest plates would be nice, too.

"Those who beat their swords into plowshares will plow for those who don't."
 
For your choices, I picked the M1A.

Main reason is ammo availability. 300 rounds can go real fast, especially in any sort of long term survival situation. You also never know when you may have to dump your excess ammo, and then scrounge for more at a later date.

Personal choice for bug-out is my AR-10... lightweight but packs a punch, ammo is common, reliable, and it has that "good-guy" look. I also have the most experience with the AR platform. Unfortunately with magazines at $40+ a piece, I don't have enough to make it practical.

Current go to gun is a worked over WASR-10 with 40rds in the gun, 10x30rd mag chest rig, and a 100rd drum in a shoulder pouch. Heavy as hell but 440 accessible rounds, so I can fill up my ruck with gear I might actually need, like food, shelter, warmth, and clean water.

guns006.gif
 
I'm a fan of the M1 because of it's effectiveness and club like abilities. It may not have the intimidating look of the modern weapons but they used to use it for a reason.
 
Exactly what are you basing this opinion on? And how can you state this opinion like it's absolute fact?
Click to expand...

Not opinion, common sense.

the M1A is a heavy weapon with heavy ammo that is far overpowered for a neighborhood engagement. You will have fewer rounds, a less agile and less controllable weapon at the gain of??? Also the one pictured has neither a Light nor an Optic. Making it sub optimal as well.
Unless you are engaging targets at extremely long ranges it has no advantages.


The Rock River is a Non standard caliber that could be hard to replenish in a protracted situation. In addition I hold all RRA guns suspect in a SHTF environment. This is covered in other thread however so lets not derail this one to much with that discussion.



The AK is a smaller and lighter than the M1A, fires a powerful round that is fairly easy to come across and is as reliable as you can get. In addition the ammo is about half the weight of the M1A so it will be easier to carry a larger load long distances if need be. Although the one pictured needs an Aimpoint Micro, it is still the best option as presented.


If I really had my choice I would go with a Quality AR in 5.56 with an Aimpoint and light. However that was not one of the options listed.
 
NOTA

If I'm planning a nice trip as a refugee, I'll be discretely armed with a handgun (and possibly a folding carbine) ... not a un-concealable anchor like a full-size rifle.
 
Oops, I didn't notice that the Rock River was a 6.8; my comments were based on thinking it was a .223. That makes it a slightly harder choice if you're postulating some sort of TEOTWAWKI scenario, I suppose. 6.8 reduces the weight advantage vs. 7.62x39mm that a .223 RRA would have.
 
The LAR has the advantage of an Aimpoint optic, and based on that alone I would grab it first.
 
This is a great thread because the choices listed are all "good", but not ideal.

I agree that the Aimpoint alone puts the RRA AR at the top of this short list.

In a rural setting and with a medium powered optic, the M1A would be very attractive.

If the AK had an Aimpoint, I would choose it over the RRA because of the reliability and ammo availability advantages.
 
Since your AK has a milled receiver I'd go with the M1A as I believe they weigh about the same, and since I'm not saving any weight on the rifle I may as well get the benefits of the bigger round. I don't plan on carrying more than a few magazines for the rifle so the ammo weight isn't too much of an issue, my tactic in these situations will be "shoot and scoot" not extended firefights with gangs or some other kind of Rambo fantasy.

If your AK had a stamped receiver I would choose that. My rifle of choice for riot/disaster etc. situation is a stamped AK variant with a folding stock and red dot. Accurate enough at the ranges I'll ever use it, reliable, and can fold to a very small size for discreet transportation.

I don't believe having the same rifle as your government is an issue, if you are seen carrying any kind of weapon you're going to be attacked by them regardless of type. Unless you're planning on disguising yourself as a cop or military (which probably won't work anyway because they'll wonder why you're running around by yourself) this is not a specific benefit of the AR platform.

This is another benefit of the AK, you can put a folding stock on it and make it very small, can't do that with an AR.
 
Last edited:
I wouldn't grab any of those if I owned them or take them all in my truck. I'd grab a Glock M23 and a 22 rifle with ammo for each.
 
The M1A is the best mix of friendly--doesn't look like an assault rifle--yet powerful, reliable, and packs a lot of firepower.

AR15 in 6.8 is second choice, that AK is a distant third. I have shot all these types of guns, and my personal choice is a Mini-14. I really like 5.56 in a M1A lightweight-compact low recoil type package.
 
:barf: I do not like any of the choices. If I had to leave my home, which is rural and on a natural lake it would be to go to my even more remote cabin a couple of hundred miles north of me. To do that, I would take a 9mm semi-auto pistol (a couple of them any way), a ton of ammo, and a very accurate, silenced, .22LR with a strong scope. With that I could put the hurt on the bad guys without them knowing...Once I get to my cabin, I would have quite a bit more choices and being very secluded (five miles to the nearest paved road), it would require more defensive armorment.
 
Of what I have my Winchester 94 .30-30, slung across my back, my Mossberg 500 with the plug taken out and plenty of #1 Buckshot and my Ruger Security 6 .357.
 
most who had their druthers in 'nam would have picked the M1 without a moment's hesitation...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

D
  • Locked
Armed militia protects its New Orleans neighborhood
2
Replies
38
Views
3K
LawDog
L
P
  • Locked
Katrina: more lessons learned
2
Replies
32
Views
5K
Kodiaz
K
4
  • Locked
Turning Tragedy Into Travesty
Replies
3
Views
367
NCP24
N
Back
Top