Ideal Survival Rifle

If you fire 5 thousand and don't get hit from behind the wall are you a success?
Is it about how many of them you eliminate, or how many of them haven't eliminated You? Is there an Ideal Survival rifle for firing atop a wall without aiming?

 

Rhetorical off topic

 

So is it time to actually look at the kinetic energy that the cartridge you select for an "Idea Survival Rifle" can actually deliver at ranges that you probably will have to end conflicts at??????
Most urban grids on set up with about 8 blocks to a mile. (1/8 th mile 220 yards) Country estates really stretch that urban planning. Wilderness, well an 1/8 of a mile isn't even a good stretch of the legs. So perhaps the pedestrian .308 Win/ 7.62 x 51 mm NATO round that allows you to use a Standard Mil-Dot reticle efficiently with a 650 yard/600 meter zero while still delivering enough kinetic energy to solve most any shooting problem should be the minimum standard for an actual "Ideal Survival Rifle" ? I mean even the most congested of urbanites can at least see more than one block away?

 

The "legality" or rather permission from .gov to own and operate has zero input into my selection of the ideal survival rifle and if the SHTF then the very last concern of mine is going to be "legality". I prefer selective fire capability and 5.56 is both common and can take most game at decent range in North America, I would even venture "All" game in North America given select fire capability. I could be wrong but I don't think an Alabama moose or grizzly would stand a thirty round mag in the snoot. A 14.5" barrel is just fine without the required "permission" and tax, it burns most of the powder and delivers decent accuracy beyond what most would engage. Suppressed is even better, no reason to let the neighbors know what's for dinner. My go-to rifle will always be my M14 but that's just what I was raised with, if I had to pick just one rifle, then it would be an M4, not an M-forgery.

 

Wouldn't be interested in an MK 17 SCAR?

Having feed "Tony the Tiger" a 20 round mag of 7.62 NATO prior to stabbing him twice with my MK2, I've got a differing opinion.
MK 17 SCAR | US Special Operations | Weapons
MK 20 Mod 0 Sniper Support Rifle | US Special Operations | Weapons

 

So you're the vile so and so that machine-gunned Tony the Tiger! No wonder I can't stand frosted flakes.Yeah, those little jacketed pills punch right through stuff but When the SHTF, a much more useful type of bullet will not be of any concern to those of us not affected by the Geneva Convention.

 

And I still say there is no best survival rifle. Battle rifles are not suited for small game and small game rifles are not suited for battle. Living off the land requires a lot of ammo. Unless you are John Rambo and eat bugs while you snipe people with your dwindling ammo supplies. I never bought into the one gun thing and never will. The one gun thing goes along with the bug out thing and the on foot thing. How do those 30-30 rounds fit in the .308 ? .308 is one of the more rare of 30 caliber rounds here in Michigan. .32 special, 30-40 are also rare as are .300 and .338. 30-30 and 30-06 being everywhere. resupply. logistics. Ill never stop saying it. So you kill a guy with the last 308 round and now you have an empty weapon. He has a 30-30 with 25 rounds in his pocket. Do you sling the master sniper rifle over your shoulder and pick up the 30-30? Or do you drop the master sniper rifle and pick up the 30-30. Or do you scoff at the 30-30 and go on looking for .308? In this neck of the woods damned near every house has a 30-30, a .22 and a shotgun. .410, 28 gauge and 16 gauge are rare. Everyone has 20 or 12. Ammo for 380 , .25, and 32 pistols is rare. Most have 9mm or .45 38 is also pretty popular here. If I were on the road alone trying to survive I would want a popular round that I could find most anywhere to feed my weapon. In Michigan 30-06 or 30-30 and yes 5.56/.223 are very popular and I see a lot of 7.62 by 39 as well. .308? not so much . .308 is in stock more than 30-40 and .32 Ill say that much. But with all these bigger rounds and with shotguns weight is a huge factor as you can not just carry ammo. You need water, or water filtration which weighs less. I carry the life straws and one quart of water. I can refill my canteen from a mud puddle if need be. Food bars and or a way to take game or fish must be carried. Extra socks medical kit, some type of poncho shelter or light tent, fire starter, a good knife, Every way I boiled it down it still came to about 100 rounds of 30 cal versus up to 300 5.56 . Bulk and weight.

But all this mental masturbation on what I could carry had no bearing in my real world. A world that has grand children, women, and the disabled in it. I cant leave them behind and I certainly can not take them on the road on foot. Those are hard facts that everyone better come to grips with. The kiddies on the road hungry crying, women bitching about sleeping on the ground, too hot, too cold, the water tastes like dirt etc. etc. etc. Bugging out is a fools errand. single, alone yes its doable. Try and drag a family? certain death. You need a plan. An island or a cabin in the deep woods, a mountain top compound or a house on a little hidden lake. BT Post has one if not the best location on this message board. Alaska, Isolated and approachable only by float plane or boat. Once the gas dries up those modes of transport go away. I have jeep that runs on Propane and a Quad that runs on gas. Neither will get me far enough away from humanity to save us. I am stuck here in the lower peninsula of Michigan. I am forced to make the best of my A.O. So I did. I set out to make it as dangerous as possible for anyone to approach me. I made friends who helped me to do this. We all live here in this little hollow the land is on our side. Nature has provided what we need. I can use what ever weapon I need for the job because unlike the man who is on foot I am not limited to what I can carry. I have logistics, resupply am well fed rested and sheltered. I could not be any better prepared in this spot at this time. Would I like to be elsewhere? yes. I would rather be above the bridge in the yooper lands far from any neighbors and protected by a brutal winter and long roads leading to nowhere. I hope M118LR Makes it too his Island. I hope every one of you on this board survives any shtf scenario that comes your way. Just dont try and convince me that there is any one rifle that is gods gift to the survivalist. I can do more outside of the battle field with a simple .22 bolt action rifle than any other weapon bow, spear, trap, shotgun, centerfire etc.

Survival is not war. It is not quote "the Battle field" Survival is different in every A.O. and adaption is the key. That sniper rifle is worthless on the top floor of a 100 story high rise with no working elevator. If That were all I had? I would avoid any building like the plague. The opposite applies out in the open . A handgun is worthless at 700 yards to take an antelope and ten thousand scenarios in between. You can not cover even half of them with one gun. A long range shooter has one specific goal. Top make a long range shot. To eliminate a long range target be it human of animal. I have that in my arsenal. But it is not my most useful tool. I have light weight aR-15 and can carry almost 300 rounds but it is not my most useful tool. I have hand guns and shotguns but they are not my most useful tool. My little .22 marlin bolt action hunting rifle is my most useful tool. I can feed everyone here with it. The other weapons are for specific purposes to wage war, or defend. To repel invaders. To kill other men. Until it is proven that survival is war or war is survival that is my take on the ultimate survival weapon. If I ever have to fight to live. I want to be carrying the most powerful round I have but Im not using that for geese and squirrels, rabbits, birds, Deer, raccoons etc.

 

One last point. There are many in the world who can survive with no weapon at all besides a good knife. They are quiet, hidden and do not engage. The greatest weapon is the mind. and a 5 gallon bucket of 4 inch nails.

 

I infiltrated into the South China Sea with swim trunks and a MK2 Knife, but yet in the "Real World" those little natives still found a way to engage me. So I didn't get payback until Uncle Sam gave me a M14NM in the RSSG. Would you like me to provide the time and location of the next reunion of all the other folks that survived such "Real World" experiences?
Your opinion matters, but please don't nay say those that have lived through what you consider inconceivable more or less survivable!. I'm hoping that you and yours never need to experience a single second of what I've come "Home After". But if you should, I'll bet that you will do everything within your power to ensure that such experiences shall never again be endured by anyone that means anything to you. JMHO.

 

The Original 5.56 55 Grain Pill out of a 20 inch or 11.5 inch barrel at less than 100 yards was fairly effective on game that wieghed less than 14 stone. But Y'all better have a Ka-Bar handy for H-H if "Smokey the Bear" thinks you started the forest fire if all Y'all are toting is McNamara's FOLLY. Best Wishes. LOL
Contact me on the side once we can discuss shared experiences. Love to hear from you.

 

I am very fond of my Ruger 77-.22. It is extremely accurate, even with the suppressor and can drop just about anything around here and do it so quietly that it won't know what hit them until their little brains start squeezing out their ears, eyes, and nostrils. I have always had a soft spot for .22 LR and own several but my absolute favorite is an old Winchester model 63 or a Colt Woodsman. .22s were always a source of great enjoyment with my family while growing up. We would have neighbors drop by in the evenings and have some pretty amazing plinking competitions, then make some ice cream or bust a water melon and sit around the fire chatting. I was born into the "firearms" culture and it has always been a part of my life that has provided recreation, friendly competition, put food on the table, and made many friends, only seldom has it been a tool for defense and never one for aggression. I would hope that it will remain that way for the rest of my life, I would not want to envision a scenario where it was daily matter of life and death here at home. I have worked in hot zones on several occasions but usually had the luxury of going back to a walled four star hotel at the end of the day, rather than sleeping in the mud waiting for the hammer to fall. I have a 48' ketch that is my emergency backup plan if home fails. I have no arm-chair visions of a post SHTF retreat to someone else's AO to live off the land.

 

I would say a 22. Size and weight are easy to carry. I read it was the top sniper rifle in the Balkans. But whatever you have is good. I would recommend a bow and arrow and a slingshot as backups if ammunition runs out. Sounds funny but I sure don't want anyone shooting me with a wrist rocket with a chunk of steel like a nut or bolt or a bearing. I really like shotguns. lever action rifles matching pistol calibers like a 357 would be good. I laugh at gun magazines that tell us we need the newest thing being sold.Like your grampas hunting rifle isn't good enough.

 

The way I look at it , there is no resource for replacing spent rounds post SHTF. and face it, the more popular the caliber the faster it is shot up . Most folk don't have the discipline to make every single shot count, especially under fire.
The expectation of finding ammo laying around is fool hardy especially ammo that fit's your gun . Not saying I'd leave it there if I found any , I'd dismantle it and repurpose it .

 

My survial rifle is my Larue OBR suit case .308. Breaks down in a minute and rolls up in a canvas bag that fits into my backpack.

 

I like it!

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Caliber: 7.62x51mm NATO/.308 Win.
Rifle Weight: 8.2 lbs ;
Barrel Lengths: 14.5”
Rifling Twist Rate: 1/11.25 ;
Barrel Material: Stainless Steel ;
Barrel Life: 10,000 (approx) ;
Gas System: Direct Impingement with LaRue PSTTM port selector ;
Trigger Group: Geissele SSA Trigger ;

Accessories:

 

I might have to agree on the .22. Bigger calibers are preferred but a 10/22 tricked out and 10,000 rounds of ammo, you're still under $1500, throw in a can (even with the tax stamp) you're under $2K

 

My Ruger 10/22. It's not a battle rifle. I don't expect to fight against battle rifles.

I won't be fighting bears or a pride of lions. I'll be shooting jackals unskilled with pistols.

 

To a point I agree. But it is always better to keep the spray and pray crowd at an extreme distance and that takes a long range sniper.

 

A battle rifle it's not-for sure, but then again you only have one rifle. Not a situation I'd want to be in.

 

There are provisions for that, of course