which one for Bug Out?

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kmrcstintn

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I find myself starting to reduce my firearms inventory (selling to pay for other interests) and I have hit an empass...I have 2 semiautomatic rifles in different calibers and only want to retain one as a 'Bug Out/SHTF' rifle...which one?

1) Ruger Mini-14 stainless Ranch Rifle in .223 remington w/ wood stock & 4 x 20 rd factory mags

2) Springfield Armory M1A Socom 16 in .308 winchester/7.62 x 51 w/ synthetic stock & 2 x 20rd factory mags and 1 x 10 rd factory mags

both are iron sight rifles and I like them equally, but not sure which way to go...I have a variety of scoped 'hunting' rifles and a shotgun, but I will be limited on what can be transported and what needs to be left behind due to space inside the vehicle; thanks for your feedback
 
Id keep the Springfield for the fact that it is a better weapon system, regardless of the fact that its the same action. + added stopping power and violence of action put down range.
 
FMJMIKE said:
Of the two you list I would pick the Mini-14 because it is lighter and is in a caliber that is easy to find.
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I don't think there are many places you're going to come up with .223 and not .308

I'd keep the M1A, its less handy as the rifle and ammo are bulkier, but you're getting a substantially more powerful round and what I believe to be a better platform.
 
What's the weight differance, and how good are you with them? Are you confident in both short and long range useage, can you get them into action equally fast from a slung position? Are you concerned enough about using them for bug out that you would buy more magazines/dedicated carriers for same?
 
Choose the one you are more accurate/comfortable with, as someone on TFL puts it "You dance with the date you take" or something to that effect. Both are excellent systems, but keep the basic spare parts, extractor/ejector, or parts that fail/break easily handy, b/c if it breaks, the gun is useless.
 
@Punisher

What makes you think that? if anything, the most common source of ammo will be what is looted from stores and arsenals, which could be anything. Also, more hunting rifles than ARs so loose ammo or boxed will be the most common, especially .22lr.
 
Nerds :p


Sorry, I don't mean to be "low road". But every time I see one of these threads, it reminds me of this dorky zombie preparation website my friends and I used to have :)
 
If you truly believe that you need a "Bug-Out / SHTF" rifle; and are really that worried; then you'll never be satisfied with just the one over the other.

If you owned a house/property that had a large enough piece of property, and you lived in an area that you thought could potentially require such protection, then the mini-14 is the better choice being you don't have an AR15. The mini-14 will give you a lot more rounds per magazine, at a much lower price. And because deer, elk, antelope, bears, etc... are not going to cause a SHTF scenario where you have to bug out; and only 2 legged creatures; the .223 caliber is plenty good enough.

Personally, neither weapon is going to bring you any life altering amounts of money if you sell them. And being I don't subscribe to the Armageddon philosophy, I'd keep them both and have fun with them. And if by chance there was a SHTF scenario, it would be happening to most everyone in your community. You could then either give the extra rifle to a family member for their protection, or sell it then when the market will be sky high. I have at least 10 guns, who's sole purpose in life, is to be sold on the black market when gun bans go into place (unlikely); or as trading material during a natural disaster.
 
Target matters

What/who do you suppose you will have to use it/them on? A bunch of thugs running a roadblock/checkpoint or will you be the one manning the roadblock/checkpoint????

Offense/Defense

Defense: I like the 30 Cal's abilities: penitrate vehicle parts like windshields, radiators, tires etc. That puts them on the same turf as me very fast. Sure, a .223 can do that but will it pennitrate as deep?

Offense: If I'm needing to get through a checkpoint, making them deploy out of their positions from far away (economy of force) is my choice. I can maneuver with both but the .223 can fly as fast and can walk lighter.

Sorry, I can't help you. The two are both essential, both can do both, one is lighter, one is heavier. There has to be another way to make ends meet.

I'd rather eat road-kill than give up either one, and I have. :D
 
Ditto Christcorp:
You could then either give the extra rifle to a family member for their protection, or sell it then when the market will be sky high. I have at least 10 guns, who's sole purpose in life, is to be sold on the black market when gun bans go into place (unlikely); or as trading material during a natural [or man-made] disaster. "man-made" = my addition
Click to expand...

....but if I had to choose one, I would keep the .30 cal.
 
Question: Why does everyone think the common calibers will be the easiest to get? Same for NATO rounds.
 
I would keep the M1A. I think it has a slight edge in reliability as well as a pretty good increase in stopping power, and .308 is probably one of the most common rifle rounds in the US (though it will be expensive to keep any real quantity on hand). The Socom also has a short rail up front should you ever change your mind about optics. I didn't think it would help much at first, but after firing a friend's Socom 16 with an aimpoint, I'm sold on the idea.

.308 will also be better for hunting or defense against animals. I remember a few people who went through Katrina commenting about the problem with dogs roaming the street. .308 will also punch through most intermediate barriers better than a .223 would. I'm not saying make a habit of shooting through stuff, but if you're ever in a situation where you really need to, a .308 will have an edge over .223. Mags and parts will also be more readily available (pre-shtf) than those for a Ruger.

Overall, I think the Socom 16 is one of the better choices for a shtf/natural disaster rifle. But if you really want to part with it, I would be happy to give it a good home :D

Edited to add: I would also consider buying a few more mags just in case. 2 (full sized) mags really isn't all that much when mags are the leading cause of failure.
 
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I agree with christcorp, if you are planning for shtf then you are going to want things to barter with, an M1a is not ideal for this but post shtf it would be worth it's weight in gold.

Extra rifles are never useless, empty hands are in a gun fight.
 
Based on the information you have given, here's what I think you should do.

If you can, I would keep both of them. No single weapon will do everything you need it to do, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. This is one of the most important things to consider. A Mini-14 is lighter, handier, and you can carry more ammo for it. However the .223/5.56 cartridge does not have the same performance as the 7.62/.308 round, especially at longer ranges and in terms of penetration. The M1A is heaver and you can't carry as much ammo.

A SHTF/bug out situation would be an escape/evade scenario where you would try to avoid confrontations as much as possible. This means that your weapon would be used against another human being in a purely defensive manner when you are unable to simply flee. If a threat is far away, it would likely be easier to avoid them, so you wouldn't need a long range weapon. Your sole objective is to survive and get to your bug out location, not to start a shootout. So, in theory, the Mini-14 should be sufficient, but who knows what can happen. You may find yourself needing to reach out and touch someone for some reason, which is where the M1A would be superior to the Mini-14. You may also want to punch through thick cover like a wall or tree, and the .223/5.56 has a hard time with this. With the .308/7.62, on the other hand, that's no problem. If your vehicle breaks down or is otherwise rendered inoperable, then you might have to hoof it to your bug out location while carrying lots of gear. In this instance, you would want to have the lighter weapon.

So if you keep them both, just grab whichever one you need based on your specific situation and how you anticipate needing to use the weapon. Or, you could choose one as your bug out gun based on the pros and cons of each weapon as well as the environment you will be in. Then stash the other at your bug out location ahead of time.

For the Mini-14, I would recommend getting lots of M193 spec ammo because, besides being cheap, it fragments more consistently than the M855. IIRC, this is because it has a lighter, thinner jacket. According to the AR-15.com Ammo Oracle, the M193 also penetrates better than the M855 at shorter ranges. The fact that M193 spec ammo is FMJ means that it will also penetrate better than hollow points and ballistic tips.

I hope this was helpful.
 
I have a 30 cal preference

I would keep both. "The Springfield Armory M1A Socom 16 in .308 winchester/7.62 x 51 w/ synthetic stock & 2 x 20rd factory mags and 1 x 10 rd factory mags".... is alot heavier so do you want to have more .223 ammo and a lighter weapon in the "Ruger Mini-14 stainless Ranch Rifle in .223 remington w/ wood stock & 4 x 20 rd factory mags" or the 308? I would cache one and carry the other, or have your girlfriend or someone carry the other. Both would be great as 223/556 and 308/762x51 are all over the place. Some are down on the mini14 cause they are not ARs. They are light and the wood stock looks less threatening to alot of people...so less nervous people watching to see what your up to with a black "assault" rifle? There is a reason the us military went away from the M1A and went to the M16 one of which was ammo and weight. Even now with return of the larger 308 rifles most have the other. Just take what you can carry and shoot well, really well. I would save the other for a raining day if it was me? JMHO.
 
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thanks for the input; I will try to respond in a way to address everyone; I have more trigger time with the Mini-14 than the M1A; the Mini-14 is 7 lbs empty and the M1A is 8.8 lbs empty; considering the Mini-14 cost me @ $725 new vs the M1A cost me $1500 lightly used, I would think the Springfield would fetch several hundred $$$ more when sold; my 50 yd & 100 yd accuracy is @ equal for both;

I'm not a fan of AR's (I had a Bushmaster during the ban and it was very finicky with ammo and mags--traded it; I bought a DPMS in 2009 and the barrel wasn't assembled correctly--shot 8" to the left @ 25 yards; sent it back for a new barrel--DPMS said it had something to do with the way the gas port & block were assembled on the barrel--sold it);

the availability of spare parts is something I hadn't considered...I'm gonna have to look into that (this is where an AR makes more sense, but I have a crappy history with the ones I owned); everyone's input has good advice...lots to contemplate;

if I had to make this decision today...since I have 2 different .30 cal hunting rifles, I am leaning toward keeping the Mini-14 for social work and lugging a hunting rifle along for hunting/long term survival off the grid
 
You can put a deer or anything else down quickly with the Springfield. SHTF means you will need food. Just a thought!
 
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