Any suggestions for a reliable survival weapon?

[badclam]

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.

Well somebody has to stand up for the AK platform so here I go. For less than any of the above choices you can buy an AK and 1000 rounds of ammo. The AK is known globally, and is considered by many to be the most dependable firing semi auto rifle in existence. The AR with .223 shoots a 55 grain bullet. The AK shoots a 123 grain bullet. There are many other offerings for both but the 7.62x39 is over twice as heavy. This gives the AK a huge advantage when it comes to penetration. Penetration helps to kill things. The accuracy of an AK is more than adequate for killing anything you need to kill. If you want to hunt rabbits use your 22. if you want a sniper rifle get a bolt action. You would be hard pressed to find a semi auto rifle that needs less maintenance or is easier to use. Ammo is everywhere in this country now.

My second choice woulds be a high capacity 12 gauge pump shotgun. With bird shot, buck shot and slugs. There is nothing on this continent it won't kill quickly. Ammo is everywhere and more common than rifle ammo. Its literally hard to miss anything within a 100 yards with 00 buck. It also makes the biggest holes in things up close.

A 22 will feed you, but won't quickly stop a threat.

 

[Thebastidge]

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

Be aware the military isn't very friendly to privately owned firearms. As a new enlistee living in the barracks or on ship, you'll be required to store all firearms in the base armory, under someone else's lock and key. I know- it's a sad state of affairs. I know people who've had to get rid of all their firearms when being posted overseas. You won't have a lot of money when you enlist, that's not the way it works, brother. But what you do have is almost all discretionary income. Even in the military "gun nuts" are looked at a bit oddly, outside of certain combat specialties and SF.

Spare parts are easy. Stock them ahead of time, you rarely need them. Knowing how to repair your firearm is as important as having the spar eparts. But youtube is a wonderful resource for learing things like that.

 

[StefkhanTheBarbarian]

Really? Sounds like quite a different place than when grandpa was a Chief. I suppose stocking up would be a good idea, just have to have a safe place to put em. I really appreciate your input though

 

[Spiritof77]

Did any of you graduate middle school? The grammar and punctuation in this thread is atrocious.

Break action shotgun, like some that Baikal makes. They are rad, and some models will break into two pieces, plus a tiny third. That makes it backpack-worthy, and they offer them in 12 ga. .22 will kill a lot of things, but a 12 ga will kill just about damn near anything.

 

[Thebastidge]

Some pluses for ARs: In any conflict that might erupt inside the CONUS, ARs will be ubiquitous. Whether it's civil war or invasion. That means you can re-supply with magazines, parts, and ammunition quite easily. A great many of your neighbours have been trained on it.

Pluses for AK: also mil-spec and depending on the conflict, the "bad guys" are likely to have them, which makes re-supply of magazines, part, and ammunition do-able. It's designed for dumb-arse conscript soldiers with no enthusiasm and very little discipline to be able to effectively use with little maintenance.

Handguns: 9mm or .40: 9mm is the standard sidearm ammunition of over 90% of the world's militaries, and a great many police agencies. See above re: supply of magazines, parts, and ammunition. Likewise .40 S&W is the majority of the remainder of LE agencies.

So no matter who you see as being the "good guys" and "bad guys" in a given scenario, these are the calibers I would be looking at.

All of these calibers are re-loadable with the proper equipment.

 

[aksu747]

If you want the ultimate survival rifle I would go with an AK,an AK will never fail you in any environment or conditions,also the ammo is pretty cheap and for a backup I would use a ruger security six,police service six, or a gp100 in .357 magnum.

 

[badclam]

Did any of you graduate middle school? The grammar and punctuation in this thread is atrocious.

Break action shotgun, like some that Baikal makes. They are rad, and some models will break into two pieces, plus a tiny third. That makes it backpack-worthy, and they offer them in 12 ga. .22 will kill a lot of things, but a 12 ga will kill just about damn near anything.

we aint got much lernin. but weez luv R guns

 

[clambo]

Since you're joining the navy....that changes things a bit as folks above have mentioned. If it were me and I was a junior EM again, I'd leave my personally owned weapons with my folks or a TRUSTED responsible friend. Dealing with base firearm regulations is a real pain as was also mentioned above. Also, in the even SHTF while you are enlisted, you're destiny is already in someone elses hands. There will be plenty of guns and ammo available....as your mission and chain of command sees fit.

The plus side is....you can afford to stockpile guns and ammo now and have a blast when you get out. I bought a new gun every other month when I was young in the service. Way more than I could ever afford to do now !

On a slightly different note....I still think a .30-30 lever action rifle would be a good addition to your .22. I'm not a plastic gun hater, although I do come off as one. I own a Glock and SR9 and like them just fine. I just don't care much for AR type rifles and I don't care much for all the gadgets and doodads people tend to hang on them. I'm a believer that simpler is better.

I agree with sticking to commonly available calibers. 9mm and 5.56/.223 are everywhere nowdays...but I wouldn't count on police or national guard for resupply. I don't see that happening except maybe by force. The time to stockpile ammo is now. People have mentioned reloading. Even though I reload myself, for SHTF I don't feel it's the best way to go. Too much gear and components that you may no longer have access to. It's a lot easier to pack around a case or two of ammo than trying to pack around a press, scale, dies, powder, primers, cases, bullets, etc.

Anyway, good luck in the navy !

 

[Redcap]

The Bible.

Ruger 10/22's are hard to beat. As far as the Mini 14. Talk to 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

 

[tfbit]

Exactly why I think serious preppers should have at least 500 rounds of .223 in stock. My AR is currently barreled in 300 Blackout but I have 1K of .223 stored (and still watching for awesome deals to buy more) and I've been looking for a cheap 5.56 upper.

Some pluses for ARs: In any conflict that might erupt inside the CONUS, ARs will be ubiquitous. Whether it's civil war or invasion. That means you can re-supply with magazines, parts, and ammunition quite easily. A great many of your neighbours have been trained on it.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

Join the Navy! Get an education! Make money! Buy lots of guns! By the way, in the mean time my mini-14 is a 1976 model. I can't calculate how many rounds it has run through. It was my sons first varmint rifle, with a 3-9 x 40 scope, for a while. It has never had a bobble of any kind! I own 3 ARs, an M1-A, AKs and a SKS and I'll never sell the Mini! Oh yeah, oil it!

By the way, thanks for joining up with the Navy! Best luck to you!

 

[mjbskwim]

A 22 rifle is a pretty good weapon. iraqiveteran?(you tube fame) did the DOD test,shooting it through a 1/2" pine board.DOD says if it will penetrate a 1/2 pine board,it has enough energy to be fatal to humans.
They tested the 22lr out to 300+ yards and it went through the board.

Now if you applied Bow hunting techniques and got 20-40 yards from an animal,a head shot with a 22 would kill most NA game.
With perfect placement and maybe not a grizzly.
A 223/556 cal gun will do this easily out to 100 yards.If you can do a head shot good enough.But the 22lr would be better for birds and bunnies,as to not destroy most of the meat.The small game is what you would be hunting most of

BTW,the masaad used the 10/22 in the Gaza strip to shoot the Palistines.

 

[fyrediver]

"Survival weapon" is dependent upon what you are attempting to survive.

Massive riots and civil disturbance? 12 gauge shotgun. Lost in the wilderness backpacking or bush plane crash? .22 rifle. Zombie Apocalypse? AR platform. Home invasion? Pistol/shotgun Mugging while out to dinner? Pistol

If you could only have one weapon I think a 12 gauge pump shotgun with a bird barrel and a shorter "tactical" barrel would be about the best all around firearm to have.

 

[Thebastidge]

"Survival weapon" is dependent upon what you are attempting to survive.

True.

Massive riots and civil disturbance? 12 gauge shotgun.

Eh. I prefer capacity in the "massive riots and civil disturbance" category. If I were trying to do REAL crowd control (like dozens or more) nothing beats a semi-auto with large capacity magainzes. Trying to scare off a handful of marauders, yeah, a shotty is pretty intimidating.

Lost in the wilderness backpacking or bush plane crash? .22 rifle.

Yeah, most effective at bringing down game with the least trade-off in weight.

Home invasion? Pistol/shotgun Mugging while out to dinner? Pistol

Honestly, home defense is where I see the shotgun being most effective. By definition it's a short-range engagement.

 

[HBIII]

Depends on budget :

$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.

Where would one find SIG556 and 7 PMags for this price?

 

[Trailboss]

Where would one find SIG556 and 7 PMags for this price?

I purchased mine a year ago for $999 delivered. Came with 1 steel mag and I bought 7 more PMags at a local gunshow for $13 each. I just did a search and the cheapest price I found for the Sig 556 was $1029 but back order only as none in stock. PMags appear plentiful for $12-15 each.

So it may cost a bit more ($20-$30) than $1100 now, plus the wait. Lots of folks stocking up due to the election. Not sure what will be banned afterwards.

tb

 

[Boats]

I'd rather have a decent bolt gun with great glass cowitnessed by iron sights than any intermediate round semi-auto rifle.

The extended fire fight scenarios of the black rifle fan club have never materialized during any American crisis since the advent of their rifle. Even in the LA riots or Katrina, you'd have handily survived both with either a pump shotgun or a 10/22.

 

[Mecanik]

The best survival rifle is the one you have ammo for. Don't focus too much on the rifle. The caliber should be moderate to small for weight and reloading reasons. You need to have reloading capability and if you have a 1000 rounds available to you then your just getting started. I've got a .357 mag lever action I just love and wouldn't hesitate to take it anywhere to survive off the land with or even defend myself. Not a battle rifle but if your going to launch an attack your talking a while different world. If it gets to that point we need to throw the book away and do whatever it takes.

 

[Decker]

I've got a .357 mag lever action I just love and wouldn't hesitate to take it anywhere to survive off the land with or even defend myself. Not a battle rifle but if your going to launch an attack your talking a while different world. If it gets to that point we need to throw the book away and do whatever it takes.

Agree. Love our .357 lever action.

 

[RVTECH]

I believe the Mini-14 to be a great gun, well built with reasonable accuracy and I have shot many, and I really want one - but I have to force myself at least monthly to turn one down for no other reason than the Mini being the most uncomfortable, clunky fence post I have ever brought to my shoulder! The stock sights are crude (which may be a reason for the reported minimal accuracy) the stock is terrible (aftermarkets are no better) and horrible balance. I am holding out for an early Colt H-Bar with the solid stock and at least an 18" barrel (20" preferred) and I will be in .223 heaven! Sorry to hammer the great Mini but I do not ever see any way to make one work for me.