What is the next Prepper / Survialist whatever rifle or go to gun?

[Brutus57]

I had a Long Branch No.2 Mk IV, never fired given to me by a dear friend. Unfortunately it was stolen during a move and I didn't discover it till later. Beautiful rifle with a brass butt plate.

Brutus

 

[Member 34319]

I've noticed the single shot shotgun market has disappeared too.

My vote will go to the Hipoint Carbines drying up and getting more expensive.

They are low hanging fruit at cost vs value.

Other than that. AKs and ARs will likely go up in price over the next couple of months.

 

[etrain16]

Sticking with the inexpensive theme, I would also second the 12 gauge pump as a great, inexpensive, effective and versatile option. An H&R Pardner pump can be had for around $200, is compatible with many Remington 870 accessories (such as stocks, forend grips, etc.) and isn't super heavy. Of course ammo is heavy, but relatively inexpensive until you get to slugs and buck, but 12 gauge is also very easy to reload, even for beginners.

I just can't think of any other current examples of low-priced, high power guns like the SKS, etc. that are available today. Maybe that will change at some point, but for now, seems the low price options are a bit limited.

 

[HuckleberryFun]

It seems like a game of whack-a-mole in that when I find a hidden gem of a firearm or ammo that is relatively cheap it is suddenly "discovered," and gets jacked up in price and limited in availability. Did the big pharma guys buy up the gun industry?

Like the Terminator in the first movie, I'd like to be able to get a "phased plasma rifle in 40 megawatt range," but I'll settle for the .45 long slide, autoloading shotgun, and the Uzi. I'll be nicer to the proprietor, though. Still looking for John Connor...

 

[The Heretic]

Yeah - supply and demand.

Even old surplus rifles like the FR8 Mauser, SKS, Enfields and such, have gone up in price.

I guess I am kind of lucky in that I picked up some of these rifles when they were relatively inexpensive.

I tried the FR8 Mauser and found that you had to be pretty picky with them. A lot of them were rather battered. Then they were "discovered" and the price went up. I gave mine to a friend as it wouldn't feed reliably due to wear and field use. Nice little carbine though.

I prefer the Enfields.

 

[HuckleberryFun]

Heretic, Enfields are great, especially the SMLE type. Practiced hands can throw the bolt in a blur and empty the magazine with aimed --accurate enough-- fire pretty f-ing fast. Ive seen it done.

 

[AMProducts]

As @etrain16 said, shotguns are great, but the ammo weight penalty is always going to hold them back. For people in a lot of places, like california where all the new scary gun safe space limitations are coming in, a mossberg 930 is pretty much exactly what you need as a replacement. Since my family situation requires me to be in california quite a bit, I'm adding a 930 to my collection for this purpose.

Offhand I can't really think of much that's the new SKS... VZ58? They're pretty rare though...

As for @The Heretic 's recommendation, 100% on the SMLE, No4's are kinda pricey, but they're solid guns, however if you're looking for a cheap one, the ishapore no1mk3 are all over the place and sell for maybe $150. However they're somewhat hard to find. There is the Ishy no1mk3 that was done in .308. They used to be sold in the back of SGN for $75.

In reading through this thread, all I could think of was "wow, I havn't read shot gun news in years" I should see if I can pick up a copy somewhere.

 

[Medic!]

Yeah - supply and demand.

Even old surplus rifles like the FR8 Mauser, SKS, Enfields and such, have gone up in price.

I guess I am kind of lucky in that I picked up some of these rifles when they were relatively inexpensive.

I tried the FR8 Mauser and found that you had to be pretty picky with them. A lot of them were rather battered. Then they were "discovered" and the price went up. I gave mine to a friend as it wouldn't feed reliably due to wear and field use. Nice little carbine though.

I prefer the Enfields.

Amen! Glad I bought mine when I did.

Painful as it is to buy at todays prices. Better to pick up the ones you want.
They will look cheep in 10 years.

 

[HuckleberryFun]

Amen! Glad I bought mine when I did.

Painful as it is to buy at todays prices. Better to pick up the ones you want.
They will look cheep in 10 years.

If you can even get them in 10 years...

 

[Ura-Ki]

What about a visit to the local Shops looking for a el cheepo hunting rifle off the local GS shelf? I was wondering just this the other day when down in town at the local shop and looking through the stash of rifles, What if I were a first time guy that found him self needing something, what could I find here today that would work? Here, we still have plenty of Enfields, several 03's, a bunch of used deer rifles in various cal. and a bunch of shotguns of all makes and models from the last 100 years! I came away with the thinking that IF I were that guy, I could still do pretty good for under the $600 mark, but the $400 would be a bit of a stretch! Any rifle will do the job, and finding one in a mil spec cal. would be the best plan! I see local hardware stores and gas stations still have a supply of the common ammo, so the plan to have a common cal would be the first thing to look for. One thing that struck me was the amount of rifles in small cal. like .223/5.56 and others, a .223 bolt action would just about be perfect! Say a nice Howa or pre crap Rem, or Win, a person could do pretty good! I picked up a nice used Tikka in .223 a few years ago for under $400 with a half way decent scope. I took the scope off and fitted a modded set of Win mod70 sights to it and have a nice little rifle for general all round use!

 

[The Heretic]

At one point, IIRC, there was a manufacturer in Ozzieland who was trying to sell new Lee Enfields modified to take an AK mag and shoot 7.62x39.

If someone here in the USA did that in stainless, and it was good quality, with a Hogue stock (optional folding or collapsable butt-stock) and Scout scope mount, I would buy it.

I like my CZ 527M, but there is no way it could be modified to take an AK mag - too thin.

 

[JeremyK]

Sorry, but I'm stuck up in the AR15 platform, since Uncle Sam taught me to use it, care for it and love it. They can still be had new or used for the $600-$700 range and have lots of aftermarket support. On top of being a proven design and ergonomic, the 5.56 cartridge is readily available and can be had fairly cheap if you're not picky about what you feed your rifle. It is also a very modular design and with a few tools can be easily tailored to suit an individual's needs. Just my $0.02.

 

[JeremyK]

... But if you wanted something that hits harder and could be used to pound tent stakes with, a moisin nagant could also be a viable choice. I'm not prejudiced though, as I feel almost any long arm you could get your mitts on would prove invaluable in some kind of social collapse.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Nothing "wrong" with liking the Ar 15 series ...They are indeed good rifles.
I just carried one for too long to really want one now.
I like the idea of a bolt gun in that caliber.

Also a good solid used "deer rifle" in that class of caliber , is hard to beat as a "just have one 'cause I'm on a budget gun".
Pick your poison as to "deer cartridge" .243 , .270 , .308 , .30-06 etc .. they all are great choices.
Out of a used but taken care of rifle you would be hard pressed to find a a better choice of general purpose rifle.
Andy

 

[OutlawHoss]

My first thought is that a SHTF firearm (and one's selection of such a firearm) should be as immune to trends and other external circumstances as can be, not what is popular at the moment. Nothing is 100% impervious to outside influences or ideal for every moment (ammo availability, usability in multiple scenarios) but the more factors that can be eliminated or prepared for, the better. As well, it should have some built in multiple-use qualities, as I'm a big proponent of 'two is one, and one is none' philosophy. I think a shotgun comes in the top 3 of 'should haves', based on my observations only. It's not as sexy as an AR or most other MBR's, but it can be pretty darn diverse platform with an adjustable choke barrel, an integral scope mount slug barrel, and a set of chamber inserts (other guages as well as centerfire pistol/rifle and .22 rimfire inserts). True that inserts make a shotgun into a 'one shot wonder', but it is still one shot more than not having a gun chambered in a round that happens to be available. I also like to apply the cowboy double concept to the guns I choose, as then I only need to reload one round to feed two guns, two different use guns like a carbine rifle and a pistol. Flip side is if you run out of that round, that's two guns out of service.
Anyways, not exactly what Joe is asking, but I'd say for around $300, a shotgun gives someone a lot of options.

 

[Ura-Ki]

+1 for the Scatter Gun! Believe it or not, a nice short barreled side by side can be a really effective multi use tool, especially with the inserts as Hoss recommends! With a combo of inserts and chokes, a person can do quite a bit with one, more then most folks think possible!
Those little Stoger Coach guns with the screw in chokes would be a really super duper do all tool!

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Just to be a knuckle head I'd make the case that it was the smoothbore that "won the west".
All the way from flintlock fowlers in the eastern frontier to breech loading "farm guns" of the 19th century.
You come across smooth bore references in way too many first person accounts to not realize just how common they were.
Andy

 

[Ura-Ki]

Some thing I just thought of, Why is it you cannot find a good Bolt gun in .223/5.56 with a faster twist then 1/9? I would love to see or build a bolt rifle with the new Wylde chamber and 1/7 twist! That would really open the horizons of that round in a bolt action, allowing the use of the heavy bullets and adding in effective range! A think a plan is forming! Hey Velzey, ideas, opinions! Me thinks a Savage 111 with new barrel and other "battle rifle" items might be a really cool do all utility rifle!

 

[OutlawHoss]

Just to be a knuckle head I'd make the case that it was the smoothbore that "won the west".
All the way from flintlock fowlers in the eastern frontier to breech loading "farm guns" of the 19th century.
You come across smooth bore references in way too many first person accounts to not realize just how common they were.
Andy

They would be, and one could argue, still are the most effective weapon in regards to it's high degree of efficacy with the least amount of training, especially in moments under duress; if a person can pick one up and fire at least one shot in the general direction of a threat, their chances are better than with a commiserate amount of familiarity with a pistol or rifle, to speak in generalities of course.

 

[etrain16]

My first thought is that a SHTF firearm (and one's selection of such a firearm) should be as immune to trends and other external circumstances as can be, not what is popular at the moment. Nothing is 100% impervious to outside influences or ideal for every moment (ammo availability, usability in multiple scenarios) but the more factors that can be eliminated or prepared for, the better. As well, it should have some built in multiple-use qualities, as I'm a big proponent of 'two is one, and one is none' philosophy. I think a shotgun comes in the top 3 of 'should haves', based on my observations only. It's not as sexy as an AR or most other MBR's, but it can be pretty darn diverse platform with an adjustable choke barrel, an integral scope mount slug barrel, and a set of chamber inserts (other guages as well as centerfire pistol/rifle and .22 rimfire inserts). True that inserts make a shotgun into a 'one shot wonder', but it is still one shot more than not having a gun chambered in a round that happens to be available. I also like to apply the cowboy double concept to the guns I choose, as then I only need to reload one round to feed two guns, two different use guns like a carbine rifle and a pistol. Flip side is if you run out of that round, that's two guns out of service.
Anyways, not exactly what Joe is asking, but I'd say for around $300, a shotgun gives someone a lot of options.

I'm down with the shotgun + insert idea - I've got them myself. A single shot/break-barrel 12 gauge and a set of the Chiappa X-Caliber inserts. They allow me, from one gun, to shoot: 12 gauge, 20 gauge, .410, .45 colt, .44 mag, .38 special, .357 mag, 9mm, .40 SW, .45 acp and .380. While it's only single shot, it makes for a lightweight, compact and very versatile gun - more for things like hunting than self defense, but I have to say, it's really cool and a load of fun to shoot. The Chiappa set are longer than some, 8", are rifled for the non-shotgun inserts and have o-rings to keep them from spinning in the barrel when the rifling engages the bullet. I posted about the Chiappa X-Caliber adapter set last year: Chiappa X-Caliber Adapters