Any suggestions for a reliable survival weapon?

[StefkhanTheBarbarian]

I have a Lee-Enfield in .303 brit and i know those things last forever; my only qualm is ammo availibility. Anybody more experienced have any suggestions for something simple and common that could suit survival purposes? I also have a 10/22 but i feel like that would be difficult to kill anything larger than a coyote

Read More

 

[Greenbug]

A well placed shot from a 22 has put a lot of food on the table, don't underestimate the little round. Plus you can carry/stockpile a ton of 22 ammo for relatively cheap as compared to other ammo. A good AR in 5.56mm will serve as a good survival weapon for both personal/family defense and is capable of taking medium size game as well.

 

[StefkhanTheBarbarian]

Thats what my dad always used to say i suppose youre right. What are your thoughts on say a Mini-14? The desiggn is a lot more simple but still has the .223 round for some all around killin

 

[Greenbug]

Mini-14's are fine as a spray and pray defense gun, but lack the accuracy needed when attempting to shoot small targets like rabbits or squirrels. For a few dollars more..... you could have had an AR.

 

[nwwoodsman]

The mini-14 is a good gun to have on hand for plinkin', coyotes and maybe even a deer. However if the SHTF I would not trust my or my families life on it. If it breaks and the United States is in chaos there may be some issues sending it into Ruger for repair. If Ruger made more replacement part commercially available then I'd snatch one up. With the AR you can have an extra of everything you need and can pick it up today. Some people will talke about the 10,000 rounds they've put through their minis without a single hiccup, but it only takes once to turn that fine functioning firearm into a paperweight during a shtf situation.

 

[sheepdip]

how many of you guys hatin on the mini 14 have actually owened one? I have had one for about twenty years and can honestly say it has never jammed, failed to fire or any other problems at all. I can also tell you that you would not want me shooting at you out to 250/300 yards. may not be able to put one in the eye at that range but what ever I am shooting at is in serious danger of catching one or more hits.

 

[StefkhanTheBarbarian]

Yeah i hear what youre saying about the Mini but i just have always had doubts on an AR. I mean I know theyre everywhere and there are a ton of parts floating around but i hear all the time from friends in the service how much they hate their M16 and M4's. I know theyre a but different from the AR but theyre both Stoner designs. If i lived in Bend where i was born it may be a bit different due to the dryness of it, but here in Kelso where i live its almost literally like a jungle and always wet if not raining. It makes me wonder how the polymer would far and how often i would have to oil it to keep it ready; i hear grampas stories about Nam and how they were almost literally ALWAYS oiling their weapons and even still they failed sometimes. And aside from the fact our rain is cold and theirs was warm, the weather here is just like Nam

 

[Dan-Dee Sales Inc]

lever gun or or good bolt action. Just pick a caliber that everyone has ammo for.

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

Go with an AR chambered for 556 or an AK variant chambered for 7.62 x39.
Both platforms have plenty of spare parts floating around, common ammunition now that the 7.62 x39 has become so popular and inexpensive to shoot. And don't let folks talk you out of an AK platform by saying its inaccurate. The majority of folks who claim that don't practice anywhere near as much with their AK as they do
on their other platforms.

Past 250/350 yards you want a heavier hitting precision rifle anyways. Ever consider a PTR 91?
Once you purchase the rifle the only real costly thing is the ammo. Great for a zombie DMR.

Also, I don't condone the 5.45 x39 cartridge only because its nowhere near as common as the 7.62x39 nor is its magazines.

Same goes for the mini 14/30.. Magazines and spare parts for SHTF may be hard to come by versus the AK and AR platforms.

 

[knuckle Head]

<broken link removed>

 

[knuckle Head]

Glock 40 caliber according to this girl

<broken link removed>

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

Second post.
A .22LR will probably be the most common SHTF survival rifle along with the single/pump action 12g shotguns.
Probably want to look into that.

 

[Sun195]

Best survival weapon is the one you know how to use the best. If you can't hit your intended target, then it doesn't really matter what you've got. Practice, practice, practice - know how to use your weapon.

 

[bruzer]

Anybody more experienced have any suggestions for something simple and common that could suit survival purposes?

The Bible.

Ruger 10/22's are hard to beat. As far as the Mini 14 talk to a prison guard, they actually use them for protection. The retired guard I talked with had lots of great things to say about the Mini 14. I am no expert so good luck and stay safe,
Mike

 

[AMProducts]

Unless you're really looking for a reason to dump some money on a new gun, why not just buy some more ammo for the .303? I have a brit sniper variant no4, great gun, and I've bought a huge stockpile of ammo for it over the years. Other than being a little heavy, it's a great gun and a well proven design.

As far as some of the other things that have come up... the biggest problem with the mini-14 is magazines, I had one years ago, back when all you could get were those cheap-o plastic ramline mags that would split and fall apart after a few hundred rounds, or you would get the USA magazines (the crappy metal ones) which you would have to spend some time fitting the mags to the gun in order to get it to run right. However for an AR, I can get a magazine that I am reasonable sure will work with my gun used for $5, and new for $10, and it holds 30 rounds. It also turns out that every gun you're going to carry into combat is the result of a long series of compromises, accuracy, reliability, weight, price choose any two.

I am well drilled and practiced with the AR, so I would choose it every day of the week, but I wouldn't condemn someone for buying a sig 550, or 556 or even a Stoner 63... hell, I want a stoner 63, but that's another topic entirely.

 

[clambo]

My vote is....keep your 10-22 and augment it with a .30-30 lever gun. .22 LR will kill deer just fine. Remember when SHTF there are no more regulations or ethics. August nights with a flashlight in an apple orchard is when and where to hunt. There will be plenty of .30-30 and .22 ammo around....well, at least easier to find. Forget about imaginary zombie crap and my feeling is you're not going to be overrun by hordes of starving urbanites in Kelso either....you probably won't need an AR with 47 tactical lights and 3 sets of sights. Plus you can stock up on ammo for both....inexpensively....buy a carton of .22's and a couple boxes of .30-30's every paycheck till doomsday and you'll be set.

 

[Trailboss]

Depends on budget :

$800 New Mini 14 with 6 mags. Gives you 120 rounds without reloading mags, no need for spare parts. Mini 14s are known for running and running trouble free.

$1100 New Sig 556 with 7 PMags. Gives you 210 rounds without reloading mags, no need for spare parts. Known for accuracy, AK reliability, quality.

$2800 New AR with 7 PMags. Gives you 210 rounds without reloading mags. Price includes rifle capable of Sig 556 accuracy, all necessary spare parts, tools, manuals, special cleaning tools and a Mini 14 to fire while your AR is being cleaned or repaired due to breakage or being too dirty to operate.

 

[halmbarte]

how many of you guys hatin on the mini 14 have actually owened one? I have had one for about twenty years and can honestly say it has never jammed, failed to fire or any other problems at all. I can also tell you that you would not want me shooting at you out to 250/300 yards. may not be able to put one in the eye at that range but what ever I am shooting at is in serious danger of catching one or more hits.

I have. I also shot mine.

Get a AR and don't look back. It's like the LEGO of guns.

H

 

[Thebastidge]

Consider reloading equipment as part of your long-term strategy.

Polymer doesn't have any problems with wet, or dusty, or anything else. The part they had to oil constantly in Vietnam is the metal part, and that's because it was a jungle, hot and damp all the time. They had to constatnly oil sidearms and knives, too. That's what happens in a jungle- you don't oil metal parts, they rust in hours. Also, in Vietnam, they issued the M16A1 and remedied some design flaws in it with the A2. The A1 was designed iwth a specific ammunition (weapons platform, not just a rifle) and the ammunition was procured separately and turned out to be anemic for the platform. Modern ARs are more reliable, and have even overcome some of the powder fouling issues.

But that's just arguing religion to most people. Polymer parts just irritate some people for aesthetic reasons and you'll never convince them. But they don't rust, they don't rot, and they take an impact better than wood. That much is incontrovertible. But a polymer stock doesn't protect your action from rusting- nothing's going to do that except for maintenance.

Personally, I think the strategy for the coming Endarkenment requires a wholistic approach. You don't need 67 rifles and 42 handguns per person. If you've got the money and you like to collect, then go for it. If you don't have the money or interest, get yourself enough firearms for every adult and teen in your household. Try to make them as compatible as possible (ammunition, magazines, training) while covering the basics of hunting and self-defense within your budget, which also needs to include the other tools to keep you safe, warm, well-fed, clean and healthy. It's worth spending money to teach yourself skills that may be in short supply: basic medical care, health and hygeine. Basic mechanics and handyman stuff. How to cook and preserve food. How to grow and ofrage for your own food.

Hunting and gathering requires almost all of a person's time. That's why we settled down to agriculture and animal husbandry. It's unlikely that anything we see would get much worse than raiding Indians in the old west, and people managed farms and ranches then. The most likely scenario IMHO is just a general increase in corruption, crime and civil unrest, possibly a civil war, in which case being on the borders of such a war would be the worst and many people would never see much if any personal effect. Keeping your head down and living a quiet life with as little need or requirement for outside inputs would be the way to go.

In the next decade, I could see a time where being "well-off" just means having plenty to eat.

 

[StefkhanTheBarbarian]

Well you hit what I'm trying to keep myself ready for right on the head. I have most of the things you mentioned well prepared, well as well prepared as I can for only being 19 that is. I plan on investing a fair amount of money into additional traininf and preparedness once I enlist in the Navy, but now my only real question anymore is what weapon would be best. I like the Sig 556 and Ive been unimpressed with the ARs Ive shot, havent like the AKs Ive fired either; but my grandpas mini 14 was wonderful and I have friends in the Corps who have been issues the M14 EBR and they love it. But like I said, if something goes wrong with it I fear i would be screwed for spare parts or something