Best next gun purchase for a young family

[viperjody]

Like the Mosin Nagant bolt gun and the Tokarev auto and revolvers, the AK was designed to be used by a peasant army with little understanding of the gun or how to maintain it. Look at it's proliferation in Africa in the warlord/pirate armies.. those people have no idea who M Kalashnikov is, many of them have no cleaning kit or any access to spare parts except by pillaging another gun, yet his rifle continues to work down there day after day, year after year

You have got to be kidding me... you think these countries chose the AK platform because it was reliable? No way... it is purely a financial decision. Mockmed says to jihad, so we can buy 8 AK-47's or 1 AR-15.... what should we do? Ummmm I guess we should go with the 1 AR. Not! The AK has a purpose... Cheap! You get what you pay for... And as for reliable... in my experience with any AK platform, it is so unreliable... Jamming, FTF, etc... Accuracy sucks unless you are bench top. My AR is MOA benchtop and I have $800 into it and my $2000 AR's are sub-moa and I have NEVER had a FTF or FTE... those that do, have a homebuilt POS or a cleaning issue.

 

[Just Jim]

The assumption seems to be that all men are equal so the gun will make the difference. Watch some competition and you will see men with the best guns still lose. I am not sure that the gun makes the man , it takes a good man to get the most from the gun in my opinion. Choose your weapon but hope you don't run into a better man

jj

 

[viperjody]

JustJim, I completely agree with you... however put an AR in the hands of lay person as I have and they do well... Put an AK in that same persons hands and yikes... The nice thing about the AR, one can learn to shoot it with a .22 or .223 and then switch to a 7.62 round.

 

[Just Jim]

JustJim, I completely agree with you... however put an AR in the hands of lay person as I have and they do well... Put an AK in that same persons hands and yikes... The nice thing about the AR, one can learn to shoot it with a .22 or .223 and then switch to a 7.62 round.

I don't take the side of one weapon over another. All of them have been used all over the world. While everyone shoots better with a better gun it's the man behind it that really will make the difference. Good tools don't make a man a mechanic, he has to learn that.

jj

 

[viperjody]

Yeah, but this thread is based on certain criteria of the user, which falls into a category of users with little experience with an assault rifle. Not an experienced marksman. I do take sides, because I have an opinion based on experience. There is a reason I DO NOT own any AK, SKS or likewise and if you offered me one for free, would not take it. I don't care how good of shooter you are... the platform sucks...

 

[Just Jim]

I have spent alot of time at the ARPC range and watched alot of better men shoot. I was useing my new to me Mosin 44 and the men from benton county swat snipers who were training there came over and shot my mosin. Of the three one hit very well with it and two were no better than I was. Maybe not a platform you would use but the guy from Benton county could make good hits with it.

Again I like better guns for sure but if I don't have one available I will make do the best I can with what I have, and hope I don't run into a better man. If you are the 142nd fastest gun in the west you don't want to run into 141 LOL

I am trying to keep a general view for the original poster. For me to say any gun is the best then the poster ends up wasteing money cause it doesn't work for her makes us look bad. She will have to determin what is best for her. Then she will have to train and be good with her choice. Just my opinion, everybody has their own choice.


jj

 

[viperjody]

Your statement ring true to anything in life... I consider myself a very good driver on the race track.. I have tracked cars like the mustang and BMW m3, but step into a platform like the Porche or Ferrari and it is a different animal all together... it takes time to develop... but put a novice track driver in an 2005 mustang with automatic tranny and i bet they will learn and drive it a lot better on track than say putting them in a vintage dodge hemi with a blower...

 

[Pauly]

Yeah, an old 30-06 may be a bit much. The girl I live with handles here savage .308 but my Enfield is too much for her.
She won't admit it, but she won't shoot it any longer.
I have large male friends who get too rocked by it too.

When I said AK, I meant standard 7.62x39mm.
It's about the same ballistics as a 30-30 & the ammo is cheap.
Kids all over Africa are proving that anyone can handle an AK in 7.62x39.
It's proving more effective in the current conflicts at range due to the heavier weight than the .223.
We have military leaders admitting that our troops are "out-gunned" while using the .223 & that's a shame being as out troops are wearing body armor while fighting people in sandals & nightshirts.

Everything I listed was listed because the ammo is cheap & easy to stock up on without breaking the bank.

 

[viperjody]

that's is exactly why I bought my $400 colt 7.62x39 AR upper.

 

[Just Jim]

It would have been easier if she would choose a cartridge then we could argue best platform She didn't ask which is the best 50 cal or best 7.62X51 or we could have argued which IS the best caliber. Women allways start trouble

jj

 

[viperjody]

HaHa.... That would be a tough discussion... the 7.62 round is a great round.... but perhaps the newer 6.8spc is the best of both worlds.... I have one of those for the AR platform as well and me likes it! If I am laying down fire suppression to warn off intruders, creating cover, or in a CQB situation, then the .223 would be great. I think of 7.62 as 100 yards plus or larger targets such as game. 9mm upper would just be for when I run out of ammo in the others..

 

[Blitzkrieg]

You have got to be kidding me... you think these countries chose the AK platform because it was reliable? No way... it is purely a financial decision. Mockmed says to jihad, so we can buy 8 AK-47's or 1 AR-15.... what should we do? Ummmm I guess we should go with the 1 AR. Not! The AK has a purpose... Cheap! You get what you pay for... And as for reliable... in my experience with any AK platform, it is so unreliable... Jamming, FTF, etc... Accuracy sucks unless you are bench top. My AR is MOA benchtop and I have $800 into it and my $2000 AR's are sub-moa and I have NEVER had a FTF or FTE... those that do, have a homebuilt POS or a cleaning issue.

Fail, again

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Yeah, but this thread is based on certain criteria of the user, which falls into a category of users with little experience with an assault rifle. Not an experienced marksman. I do take sides, because I have an opinion based on experience. There is a reason I DO NOT own any AK, SKS or likewise and if you offered me one for free, would not take it. I don't care how good of shooter you are... the platform sucks...

Tell us about your experience as well as your age. I bought my first AK 47S in 1985 and my first AR 15 the next year. I am 50 and a life long gunner and reloader

 

[viperjody]

Wow you boys are smart naming all those rounds and all... BFD.... IF you read the entire you thread, you would know the discussion I brought up was about the AK and the predominant round is a 7.62x39, so it does not need to be said over and over what we are talking about. The discussion is not about the best round as there is no right answer. The US Military orders 2.0 billion rounds of 5.56, .308 and .50 call each year... what do you think will be more available in the US in a SHTF scenario? 7.63x39 or 5.56? 7.62x39 maybe plentiful now because it is imported now, but that may not continue.

As for my experience, I have been shooting AK's and AR's for nearly 20 years. I have reloaded both calibers and I have owned both AR and AK's (and MAK90, SKS, etc). I was here before the ban fad and I am still here.

 

[Bulletsrrfriend]

If the AK is such a great platform, why has one never been used to win a major 3 gun competition?

 

[Bulletsrrfriend]

I am not an AK hater. It is just that in watching some matches and researching what the competitors use, none of the top competitors use an AK. Is it due to being able to control the rifle while putting rounds on target fast and accurately? Even the guys using the high cap Saiga shotguns have not won a major match.

 

[Just Jim]

sounds like you guys ought to have a contest to see which is best LOL Need an RO?

jj

 

[viperjody]

I'm down.... come to my range... outdoor, up to 600 yards and no round count rules

 

[Bunny]

The husband of this other family is ex-military and is leaning towards buying an AR 15 because he is already so familiar with the M4. He does not have an assault rifle yet; so I don't feel the need to match my purchase to his future purchase. But ideally I would like to have a buying plan whereas magazines and parts would be interchangeable for most of the rifles at the retreat. Same goes with shotguns and pistols eventually; but my current focus is on rifles. It was actually the husband of this other family that suggested asking the gun community their opinions as he is really only familiar with the M4 and he doesn't want to "underthink" all the options. Oh, and there will be 2 small/average sized women and 2 average sized men. We are all physically fit, in our 20s and 30s and have experience shooting. I took a 6 week pistol class; but I have no experience with rifles (I won't count my .22!)

So, I guess that brings you up to speed. We don't have an endless security budget; but I am planning on spending about $1,000-$1,500 at the gun show next weekend and would like to get a rifle, spare mags and a few hundred rounds ammo. So the cheaper the rifle, then the more mags and ammo I can afford which is a good thing! thanks for sharing your knowledge and opinions; keep 'em coming!

To the OP, it sounds like you already know the answer to your question. I would do as much research as you can and sit down with the other family and discuss it. Especially with the husband. If you want the ability to share mags and he has prior rifle knowledge and experience, you may consider your options to conform to the caliber/firearm he feels most effective with. It sounds like he currently has the most experience and the rest of you can always learn.

I don't think it really matters which rifle or caliber you choose, as long as you train and condition yourself. The more practice and experience you get, the more effective you'll be with anything.

If you're concerned about ammo availability, just stock up. If you can, buy in bulk with the other family. Because realistically, most civilians won't be in a position to acquire ammo in a SHTF scenario, especially if you have children and dependents. Unless you're a combatant and on the move, the opportunity most likely won't present itself or fall in your lap. Just don't rely on it.

Also, like a few other people said, make sure you take enough time to research and know what you want before you buy. Not everything is a good deal at the gunshow, or anywhere else for that matter. Ask questions, call people, shop around, google and compare everything, watch a lot of youtube vids, and fire some if you can. And when you feel like you've made up your mind, do it again just to be sure haha. And choose what you like and what's right for your needs. GL on your decision.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/ has a lot of good info on caliber and stopping power

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Wow you boys are smart naming all those rounds and all... BFD.... IF you read the entire you thread, you would know the discussion I brought up was about the AK and the predominant round is a 7.62x39, so it does not need to be said over and over what we are talking about. The discussion is not about the best round as there is no right answer. The US Military orders 2.0 billion rounds of 5.56, .308 and .50 call each year... what do you think will be more available in the US in a SHTF scenario? 7.63x39 or 5.56? 7.62x39 maybe plentiful now because it is imported now, but that may not continue.

As for my experience, I have been shooting AK's and AR's for nearly 20 years. I have reloaded both calibers and I have owned both AR and AK's (and MAK90, SKS, etc). I was here before the ban fad and I am still here.

You said you wouldn't take an AK or SKS if you were given one and now you've been shooting them for 20 years.. many of the comments you have made about the AKS are patently untrue and are injurious to the purpose of the original poster who is trying to simply obtain the best, most reliable, cheapest to shoot/own, basic "shoot the bad guys and make them drop" weapon for the money. That is the AKs