Best Battle Rifle for SHTF

What about the HYDRA www.mgi-military.com...

All ya gotta do is have a few different caliber accessory packs for it. That way you can train on different cal. cartridges without learning new weapon systems.

But, to play devil's advocate...what about the DPMS Panther AR-10? Got one with an ACOG and it's dead nuts on all the way to 800 yards with one to 1/2 MOA or less at 500 depending on the bullet weights. Penetrates zombies and you can hunt deer with it with a 5 round mag.

reply to post by SantaClaus


as some others who here who know their stuff have said------.308/7.62 NATO without a doubt..

dude seriously totally rule out the 5.56/.223 it is a crappy round ESPECIALLY IN SHTF!! those of us who have been "in the S-H-?-T" can attest to. There is a reason the milspec 5.56 uses a 30 round mag.. it usually takes between 2-4 hits to drop someone in an orderly fashion..

Since you are able to drop roughly $2k from your list of choices.. just be smart and choose .308..

1. springfield M1A ---check out their site and look at the choices
2. Ar-10
3. Fn Scar mk 17
4. m1 garand (battle tested tried and true)

these are your choices, far better than any crappy .223 little tikes toy.

go to wikipedia, and read up on the choices above and you will clearly see why SOCOM has basically tossed the lame .223..

another awesome site is ---boxotruth--- they do ballistic tests of rounds..

and as a handgun choose .357 (s&w) or 7.62x23 (t33, tokarev)..with one quality 7.62 NATO and one of these 2 handguns you are SET.. and won't need to buy and supply multiple guns and will be able to spend the cash on much needed NBC gear, MRE's, meds and first aid kits, boots, etc...

how many guys you seen with an armory of guns and ammo and maybe 1 or 2 pairs of boots?

If shtf does happen you will see 100's of guys (who thought they were smart) walking around barefoot, looking to "hunt" animals that have gone extinct (thousands of idiots who relied on hunting for food) within 3 mos. thinking "gee, maybe buying 10 guns wasn't the best idea, neither was failing to realize there wasn't enough wildlife to go around"

OOPs!!

i forgot to look at the new Keltec RFB in 7.62 NATO, it looks nice too..

boxotruth has recently done a review on it.. and yes, i love the boxotruth website, gun guys stuff

reply to post by rebeldog


Awesome info. Yeah I've stockpiled MRE's and footwear for a while now. I always said, I think a good pair of running shoes will be just as important as a pair of boots depending on the climate you live in, although I own many pairs of both.

It should be noted, that I think defense is pointless unless you have somewhere (or a few places) to defend. I don't like the idea of constant travel, especially until you've hidden long enough to get used to a new style of living.

I'll definitely keep round size in mind.. Its interesting a lot of youtube reviews compare the ACR and SCAR so often. I like both guns, particularly for their quick change barrel systems.

reply to post by rebeldog


Really the.556 is a joke? I own a Socom2 and a 700 5r in .308. I love my Ruger .556 just as much if not more then both of them. The.556 serves it purpose.

reply to post by rreeves5

Uh oh.. A video game guy.

The AK47 is the best rifle I have ever owned over all. It's durability, accuracy up to 300 yards, magazine capability, the energy of the round it fires , and just the look make it my all around favorite gun to shoot. If you want to maintain that durability, you do have to take care of your gun, as it's like any piece of machinery.

reply to post by SantaClaus



I also own a Bushmaster AR15 with some goodies, and still prefer the AK. I know that you're talking about "When SHTF" whatever that means, and something we probably won't ever see in America, but the AR is more practical for whatever you're talking about. Just because the ammo used would be more readily available in the US and a lot of 7.62x39mm in general being Russian surplus would be hard to find and would evaporate quickly. It's not going to have nearly (AT ALL) the stopping power of the higher energy round of the AK, but it's accuracy could probably make up for that. .223 is a fast round and shoots much "flatter" than the AK at 300+ yards.

There's also something about the sound of the AK that is just... powerful and distinct. It's the difference between shooting my .40 (more "practical", common ammunition, less recoil) and my 10mm (A beast in it's own, uncommon round, will level anything before it, and has a sound that really is kind of scary and "Awing.").

Get an AR platform and make it your own. Gun prices are still high, but you should be able to get a good deal on a long arm with upgrades and plenty of ammo for under $1800.

To each their own, but I'm going to disagree with the "good advice" part of this thread.

Buy an expensive gun that uses an uncommon NATO round , run off into the woods and see how fast that ammo supply replenishes itself. It's not going to for a very long time.

Stick with an American gun in the MOST common rounds considering a "SHTF scenario." .223x5.56, .40, 9mm, etc.. Something that shoots fast, flat, with a high rate of fire and if the time came where you'd be using NATO cartridges, than you can always exchange weapons in the field depending on the circumstance and availability of the ammo.

The .308 will do everything a .223 will do, only better.

Since we're talking battle rifles, even though I have a few choices, including my AR, I'm grabbing a forged receiver, Smith Enterprises M-14.

Reliable, durable, proven, accurate, effective.

And at distance, I'll be busting heads of AK/AR users.

reply to post by FarArcher


M-14's are works of art, which is why they've been used for over 50 years. I'd definitely consider one of these with a custom stock.

Chinese and Russians----and their customers-----use quite a bit of 7.62 based equipment and ammo.
Really depends on what type of SHTF scenario you are planning for.
For WWOMG!, I would think those rounds would be more readily available, given the forces you would assume to be on the other end of your sights.

For a natural or semi-natural occurrence, big solar flare or asteroid/comet strike, bets are off.
But there is still a large supply of 7.62 that should be available----if any ammo is available.

Keep a large supply of 22lr and a semi-auto for small game, or large game close enough to pump a dozen rounds into it and not have to chase it very far. (Or good enough to put a couple in an ear or eye)

10k rounds of 22lr fit in an amazingly small space, and will be worth their weight in gold when everyone else is down to bows and arrows.

A couple ammo cans of 7.62 should last you a few years, if you are smart and lucky.

No amount of ammo will matter at all if you aren't.

Evade-conceal-survive.
Not looking for battles of any type, so don't need a battle blaster.

reply to post by rreeves5


what do you mean pice of crap?!!!!?!!?! the ak47 imo is the best there is!! they will take all the $h!t you can put them through and them some, unlike the m4 and famas,. plus it packs a 762 39 round that is way more powerful than a tiny lil .223(.556 45) and if you are trying to stockpile ammo it is way easer to get large ammounts of 762 than 223... anyways, my perfect gun is an ak47 but with 762 54r ammo, that way i can shoot clean throu a car and still be able to kill some one so all i got to say is stop playin cod black opps and hit the range

I say go with the M-14 (or above listed M-1A) as it has stopping power and can fire very rapidly. It is also a fairly tough gun so you probably won't break it if you fall on it (which can happen). Also as others have said, find out what round is the most popular at the gun store (talk to the people) and try to aquire a gun that shoots that (if the M-14 doesn't).

reply to post by SantaClaus


In terms of a survival situation any firearm you have is better than the firearm you don't have. Beggars can't be choosers. Get what you can afford and learn it inside and out. Whether it is a .22 or a 12 guage, a .380 or a .50 Barrett. The best does not matter if it is unatainable for you right now. Get what you can get and make due. To contemplate on what could be is courting disaster... make for yourself what you can... this is the art of war and the way of life.


If you are planning to do battle you are in fact planning to die. You cannot do battle any other way. If you are planning to survive you are planning to be efficient.

Well im too good with my trusty .270 Win. Mag to dispose of it. I'm sure there are better for a mass effect, but if you come in my range, in stealth mode, you don't stand a chance, just ask my Skoal cans from 300 yards that have been hit since I was 15.

Hell all i need is a 12 gauge and a few seconds start if you wanna go deep.

reply to post by LastStand


That post was perfection..

If any of you are wondering if I truly believe this will happen... No I don't. But I do believe that this country, if not world, will crumble someday, and I believe to not prepare is just silly. I almost look at it like a Zombieland scenario. End times might actually be livable. It will be terrifying, but humanity does have a large amount of resilience. We sometimes find joy in small things when we're forced to.

If that joy comes from being VERY good at protecting yourself and your wares, then I'm all for it.

This one:




A friend agree'd that although this is a good Bug-Out Rifle, it's an excellent Bug-In Rifle!
A sniper or marksman on a high piece of ground overlooking an approach would ruin an attacker's day with this beast....

I have placed my family in an area where when the SHTF chance of having to fight roving bands of mutant bad guys is far slimmer.

I am not trained for combat but I hunt and shoot very well. If I feel your a threat, you are not safe within 600 yards of me & my rifle.

I do not foresee trying to take on an armed platoon.

So for me, a SHTF rifle is more about getting game and feeding people.

My Marlin 336 30-30 and my Ruger 10/22 are the main survival guns.

I do have rifles that will really reach out there and I have a couple of SKS's but they aren't the first ones I'll grab
when the SHTF.