Thoughts on "survival rifles"

[ThomasT]

I guess one other gun I have that would work for a survival gun in the game gathering catagory is one of the remington imported 22/410 combo guns made in russia by Bakail. I think "Spartan" was the name of these guns.

Its what started me on a 410 kick and I ended up with five 410 shotguns and even made my own 410 reloader. This gun is a hoot to shoot and I was impressed about how well a 410 worked out to 25 yards or maybe a little furth, but not much. Plus it really lays the 22s in there. I could easily get by for a while with this little gun. I like it much more than the savage model 24 in 22mag/20ga I used to own.

Someone else is importing these now. EAA I think. Plus they can be had in a 22mag/410 combo. Here is a link.

http://eaacorp.com/portfolio-item/mp94-series-combo-shotgunrifle/

 

[Panfisher]

It would depend on what I was trying to survive and where I was trying to survive it. Stranded on a river in Alaska would require a different approach for me that would say a Hurricane Katrina in MS or LA, which would be different than surviving an ice storm in MO. If at home I will have plenty of "stuff" to survive at least for a while. In the wilds a bolt action .22lr rifle would keep me from starving, however it could easily be done with several different firearms from an AR to a lever action .30-30. Were I caught in a hurricane area with looters well I would rather have my AR or shotgun than about anything, but if stuck with only a 10/22 ruger I suspect I would still make out just fine. Riverbank in AK I think something along the lines of a Marlin 45-70 MIGHT make me feel better, plane crash I'll take a lighter and flare gun, if zombies take over well I should be safe if they eat brains! and would be too busy saying "you gotta be freaking kidding" to escape and survive. Survival is mostly an attitude and outlook than preparation for SHTF.

 

[AZAK]

Stranded on a river in Alaska

Pretty much my daily life for many years, and I wouldn't call it "stranded"; hard to get much better!

After years of pretty much daily hiking in the bush, I have to say, take whatever you like/enjoy. .22lr has been used to hunt/kill pretty much everything in North America; just not really a good defensive cartridge.

Trapping skills might outweigh rifle skills in the long run in my neck of the woods.

FWIW I generally always carry a handgun, 10mm or .357mag in recent years. And I often tote along a rifle, 300 h&H mag in the past, more recently a 30-06. Occasionally take a 12 gauge with slugs instead of the rifle. I have from time to time carried bolt .223 or 10/22 just for fun.

So long story short, I know... too late, 30-06 bolt. With rounds ranging from 125 grain to 200 or even 220 grain that one has familiarity with; read actually have shot and understand the trajectory of the loads carried. These days I do just that, carry a mag of 125 with me and a mag of 200 in the rifle. Works for me.

 

[BingoFuel]

I'd have to say that the FN PS90 is the getaway gun of our times. It's very lightweight, fires a cartridge that works in short- to mid- range. If well handled it can bring down a deer all the way down to smaller dritters. Can provide self/family defense. It's easily carried and handled. It has lightweight ammunition that allows the carrying of significant numbers of rounds.
The only downside is that there is little chance of finding more ammo 'out there'. But I presume that when you're in such situations, there is no ammo to be found regardless of type.
I should add that the PS90 and it's pistol friend (below) are both/each rather pricey, as is the ammo. But how can you put a price on safety?
The PS90 also has the feature of being able to share it's unique 5.7 ammo with a lightweight pistol the FiveSeven.
If these were unavailable, I'd resort to a lightweight AR/M4 design with both .223 ammo and an insert for shooting .22LR. It is not terribly accurate with the .22LR using the stock barrel but for short ranges it is adequate.
A mix of ammo with a bias toward more of the .22LR would do it.
B

 

[vandyatc]

I love my PS90. It can be carried in a discreet bag with 400 rounds loaded in mags and it looks like a computer bag. My FiveseveN conceals okay and packs plenty of punch!

 

[Hitme]

OK, Here's my 2 cents....I'd go with one that I own. A Ruger M77/357 and here's why: Will shoot .38, .357 ammo in all it's forms to include shotshells. It would be able to take everything from birds, squirrels and bunnies all the way up to deer. Ammo is plentiful and you can carry lots of it. If that's not enough maybe my 77/44 but the ammo starts to get pretty heavy and not as plentiful.

If I had to choose one I DIDN'T have. It would consider the .45LC/.410 combo.

 

[kawasakifreak77]

Lots of good thoughts here & just as many good suggestions.

Me & a couple buddies have had this conversation at work. My best guess (& this is just a guess...) is if for whatever reason I'm out 'surviving' I'll need my rifle to do two things: feed me & defend me.

Lots of rifles & shotguns will do that. I tend to like bolt guns. The .223 bolt gun idea is a good one. It's super easy to feed with enough power to defend one's self & I've never seen a bolt gun fail.

Same goes for the 77/357 although it might be a bit range limited. Obviously teamed with a good wheelgun I would feel great in the poo with 'em as I've had a .357 wheelgun since my teens. My LGS has a couple 77/357s & I've had to talk myself out of one because my plane is getting annualed. It would be the perfect mate to my 686.

12 gauge pump, very range limited but still I think a good choice, especially for feeding yourself, ie bunnies & quail, etc. I have an old 870 with the cylinder 18" barrel full of low flash buckshot for things that go bump in the night.

My choice is only by default, as I only have one rifle (besides a sigle shot .22) an AAC Micro 7. If I had to take off into the wilderness I would feel confident about it. It's not a common caliber (300blk) but seems to be becoming readily available & if it's a shtf senario we're not going to walmart to buy our bullets are we? I have more ammo than I can physically carry & am set up to make much, much more. I have a couple hundred rounds of that hot rod Barnes stuff for 'two legged varmints' & a couple hundred UMC subs for my can. Someone mentioned a suppressor earlier & I'm thinking that luxury would be a very nice one. It has no optics to fail as I had it fitted with iron sights. I can pick off clay pigeons one for one at 100 meters from feild positions, minus standing.

 

[Tinner666]

Wow! This thread sparked some memories. I spent some summers with my grandparents and uncles in NC as a child. One articular uncle would get a wild hair and drag me from bed in the middle of the night and say we were going fishing and camping. He made sure I had matches, Mod 60Marlin and I also carried a 22 pistol, a knife and a pocket full or 22lr. We'd go on a drive to somewhere and then take a long hike through woods in the dark. Set up camp and he'd disappear.
I really miss those trips! I'd make it cross country (alone), and back home in 3 days or a week and ready for more. I was 8 on my first camping trip.

PS, wife never once let me leave our kids with Monk. I don't know why.

Main point though is that 22 was good for rabbit, squirrel and stunning fish in the shallows. It held about 17 rounds, the pistol held 6. In a pinch, it'll take 20+ rounds or 22-shorts and act like a single shot. No biggie for surviving in the woods.

 

[Meeteetse]

When I was a young lad (1950's), I remember an old cowboy who had been ranching all his life. He had spent his life on the open range in the Rocky Mtn. states and in western Canada. I thought it was a romantic life style. Today we might call him sort of a Monty Walsh character. He had very strong opinions about everything which is probably why he never married. He had spent more time in a sheep wagon or a tent than a house. He owned two guns. A Marlin 39A (.22) and a Colt SAA in .45 Colt.

I remember asking him why he didn't have a high power rifle instead of a .22 and he told me it was because he didn't need to shoot big things unless they were up close. If they were close, his Colt could do the job. The .22 could kill a coyote or a mountain lion if it needed killing, kill a cow if need be and provide food for his table.

Now I know his thinking and his choices don't fit in the modern SHTF scenarios, but I think, if most of us were honest, similar choices could still do the job today. Long range sniping, and prolonged gun battles are figments of our Xbox imagination and the chances of mass rioting spreading across the country in waves is remote. Most of the people who plan to "run to the hills" wouldn't last a week outside their urban/big city because they don't have the skills regardless of the supplies they might be carrying.

Having said all that, I decided 50 years ago that a good .22 rifle and a large bore handgun would always be nearby for me. My personal selection has changed several times as manufacturers have tempted me with new choices. I've tried leverguns, bolt guns and semi-auto .22's and I have varied from SA to DA and semi-auto handguns. I own several possible combinations that I can choose from, but the concept remains the same, .22 rifle and large bore handgun. Until SHTF or EOTWAWKI actually happens my choice is as good as any. I have made one addition. I also have a Winchester 94 in 30/30 cause I actually like to hunt, although I understand that the old 30/30 can't do the job in the modern world cause the deer, elk and antelope have changed. Oh well, I'll just have to hope I can keep fooling them.

 

[Art Eatman]

With four pages, Meeteetse has summed it up pretty well.