I'm looking for guns that would serve to arm my family and friends at a lower cost. It needs to be a rifle, I'm open to calibers. Iron sights, nothing fancy, but durable. Cost is not the most important factor, I know that you get what you pay for. Anyone have any advice? Putting my order for a Ruger P95 in today. Gonna bring that baby to the range after it goes through CA's 10 day jail.
Since you are in CA, I'd look at the SKS. Easy and fast to feed with stripper clips. Or, you could pick up an AK that takes single stack mags. Centerfire systems has them.
let the buyer beware Do due dilligence on SKSs or AKs before you buy. There are good ones of both and then there is some junk out there as well. I would hate to see you waste your money. . I didn't post this to start a fight. I have no dog in the fight. I own no SKSs or AKs. I do read extensively, and I am stating what I have read over and over. YMMV
open sights.... well you can go with a mini 14 or a Tanker Grand Cheapest would be a good ole lever gun
Tac is right. I do not own any AKs or SKS's, and I too read extensively, I also have friends who own these. Do your due diligence. It would really suck to spend $400-$600 or more and end up with a real clunker.
for the money vs the effectiveness and ammo cost, try looking into Mosin/Nagant rifles and carbines. Ammo is ballistically the same as a .308 (not physically, ballistically. they can do the same things) and they are running between $100 and $200 for good specimens.
Just thought I should point out that... since we are talking California... the SKS has been right at the top of the Brady Bunch, Ban This Gun rhetoric... if he were to buy one then it got banned he might have to surrender it... or face fines in the 200,000 range It's happened before...
Marlin 336C in 30-30 lever gun would prolly be a good choice for a rifle or a savage 99 in .308 if you can find one...
I like GrandPa Dave's suggestion... of a good old Lever Action... in either .308 or 30-30 for a starter weapon. Easy to use and learn on. Plenty of firepower inside 200 Yds. Ammo is cheap and can be found EVERYWHERE. Those Marlin lever guns are wonderful. Nothing fancy, just a plain and simple long gun. Second Weapon would be a 12 Ga. Pump Action Shotgun. Again, nothing fancy, just a plain simple Remington 870, Winchester 1300, or similar. You have the Handgun covered with the Ruger P85, so with those three you will have arrived at a Great Place to start out. Learn to shoot those, and THEN worry about getting fancy if you feel there is a Bigger Need. ..... YMMV.....
Ya know up where you are... or back in my old stomping grounds of western Wyoming the Marlin 444xlr makes for one fine back country rifle... big enough to bring down a Griz or better still a nice tender Bullwinkle
Up here the gun to have is the Alaskan Guide Gun... A lever action in 45-70 is the gun of choice for most Back-country Folks, who are packing, out in the bush. For KOmmiefornia though, just a 30-30 or .308 Lever Gun, will do just fine....
A nice pump action sounds good. Better than a bolt action. I was thinking about a Mosin Negant as well. Those have a clip. A local outdoor shop has GP WASR-10 7.82X39 on sale this week. I'm going to look at these Marlins. Anyone know about the WASR?
So Avarice...Have you a gun range close by where you can rent and shoot...May give you a better fill of what you want before you lay down some coin..?
Not for a goodly distance. I have access to AR-15s and a Mosin Negant. I've only shot the AR, and I find it comfortable. You guys are forgetting that this is not for me. This is the armory, this is for family when SHTF. I care about reputation for reliability, availability of ammo, and being able to buy 5 of them.
Avi - I have to agree with Huntinbull, to a point. If you have some serious experience with recoil, the Mosin Nagant is a good choice. Failing experience with recoil, not so much. They do tend to smack you around if care is not taken. For the money, very hard to beat, and milsurp ammo is inexpensive too. Now, if a bolt gun is what you are looking for, again, hard to beat, and rock reliable for the first few shots. (After that, they tend to get a mite stiff.) M-Ns are NOT a good choice for a newb to shooting. Regardless, if you can find a good one, SKS is not a bad choice. Refined? No. Durable and reliable? Yes. Vulnerable to the Brady Bunch? Absolutely. What you haven't said is your intended use, and the best advice will come if you say what that will be --.
Kool then...Buy what the family can handle... A 12 yr old will have trouble with a 12 ga. But do ok with an A.R. I would buy the same calib. that the military/L.O.E's are using...But that's just me...Good Luck...
Shooting people. This is only for SHTF. If it could double up and shoot a deer that'd be great, but not the purpose.
I think a SKS would fit the bill,it is reliable as a AK with better accuracy,low recoil,fairly reasonable price 250-300 dollars where I live and ammo is readily available.
Becarful with the Romanian WASR-10 so many different companies have had their hands on them. To make them US legal. I have owned a couple the mags rattle and the parts are brittle. Im hooked on the new Rossie Ranch hand they are lever action holds 6 or 8 and are in 38spl,357mag, 44mag and 45 long colt. My SHTF long guns are a Stag Arms AR-15, a lever action 30/30, Mossberg 590A Then a Ruger 10/22 for small game
