SHTF Rifle - Under $400

Blackamos,

Sorry I was typing quickly and did not put a comma in between Mod 94 and pump gun. (Yes I know a Mod 94 is a lever gun - I bought one for $110.00 last year)

Congrats on your FAL - how much have you got into it?

My point was SHTF means different things to different people. To me it means, simple, reliable, common ammo, able to fill many roles.

An FAL will not bring down waterfowl.

As far as effective range - unless one is able to discern wind speed from the russel of leaves, knows how the wind speed will effect the trajectory of their round, can range distance, and is familiar with the trajectory of their round - what does range beyond 200 yrds mean to Joe Average?

With respect to FALs in general - they are good weapons. I may get one in time. However I stand by my comment - their price point is beyond their proformance.

DSA cost a bit more than a bushy (I know different caliber) and are not as accurate. DSA cost about the same a savage bolt gun and good glass - still not as accurate. Let alone if we are talking about a better bolt gun, HK or AR 10.

I use DSA b/c they are widely recognized as best of breed among the commercial builders. There many very good builders on a far different scale than DSA as well. All of which cost more than $400.00.

The original question was "for $400.00" - generally speaking a $400.00 FAL does not fill a wide enough variety of roles, is not that much more accurate than a mod 94 to say "oh thats the one"and is significantly more complex than either a pump gun or a mod 94. Both a pump 12 ga and a mod 94 can be had for less than $400.00.

I am not here to bash FALs.

Good luck to all.
 
SHTF rifle

Check out the new Gibbs jungle carbines. They come in .308, are fairly light and compact and have 10rd magazines.
Marshall
 
here is what I am currently doing taking my $400 and saving it till I can make it turn into about a grand then. I am going to track down an HK probably SL8.

I have heard that they are very accurate, I won't need to worry about spare parts, and the .223 is as ubiquitous as fresh air.
 
SKS's are running about $300-350.

I have a Romanian, and I really, really like it. They're not tack-drivers by any means, but they're quite a bit more accurate than the AK's. And 7.62x39 is only slightly more expensive than .22 LR! :D
 
Got into this thread late but, ...


for a SHTF rifle under $400 my primary concerns would be reliability and accuracy under rough conditions. So, I'd take a good look at the Gibbs carbines - either the .303 Brit "extreme carbine" or the .308 "jungle carbine." 10 rd mag with the .303 and, IIRC, 12 rds of .308 in the latter.

Both have reputations for decent accuracy, unlike, say, SKSs. Also, Enfields have proven their reliability in wartime conditions as opposed to the typical hunter's bolt gun.

I'm biased toward the .303 Gibbs because I have one. For a short barrelled carbine it's stunningly accurate. Guys at the range can't believe it, even after I assure them I'm just not that good of a shot. If the "S" ever does "HTF," the draw-back with the .303 is ammo availability, unless you've got several cases already stock-piled "just in case" the surplus suddenly dried up.

Hope this helps.
 
If $400 is your limit then go with an AK. Check out the for sale boards especially subguns.com. If you are patient you can pick up a thumbhole Hungarian or Bulgarian for under $400 and they will be much better than the SARs.
 
Went to the show... A real let down. A bunch of over priced crap. No Gibbs, no Cetme FR-8, high prices on the SKS/AK/SAR guns. I almost walked away with one of the Yugo Mausers for $189 though, but didn't. The price of the Marlin carbines in 357 and 44mag was almost $400.

I couldn't even find the powder I needed, or mags for my Kimber we $20 a piece for CM SS. Ended up going to the range and finding the same mags for $16.
 
One rifle for a SHTF situation....... AK or AK variant. Super reliable under any condition( no cleaning needed). Plenty accurate out to 200 yards. 308 bolt guns are nice but anything further out than a 150 yards, I'm gonna run from.
 
Here's my SHTF rifle...

sks33.jpg
 
Get a superb condition Longbranch Enfield Mk4
an inexpensive reloading kit, Sierra 174 grain match bullets,
Reloader 15 powder and have a field day.
Mine will SHOOT with the match bullets and
neck sized brass. Also a couple of spare 10
round mags. This was my first rifle and now 10
rifles later, I still shoot this for grins regularly.
 
FAL Accuracy Problem?

I have a FAL, built from new A+ grade Austrian STG parts on a DC Arms receiver.

With cheap milsurp, it does 5-round 2-2.5" groups with iron sights.

One day I slipped some Fed. Gold Medal match in there. Surprise! Did four 3-shot groups. Average 1.2". Two groups were in the .75" range.

This with std (sh*ty) iron sights and about a 6-lb trigger.

With the right components, the gun will shoot.

Yo
 
I just bought a Russian M-44 7.62x54 for about $85.00 including shipping from AIM...the FFL dealer I go through told me that he just got a few for a couple of guys and that they looked like new rifles (after you clean cosmoline off ) they came with the "mummy wrap" still on them...and right now you can get the ammo for dirt cheap as well...so I figured for around $150.00 I could have a great "trunk gun" and lots of ammo to shoot! I heard a guy from another post call the M-44 the "Makarov of the rifle world" inexpensive, accurate and dependable...and i've seen lots of after market stuff available for them (monte carlo stocks, scopes etc...) to really trick 'em out...sooooo...$400.00 could go a long way with one of these great old rifles!
Tony.
 
You want a SHTF rifle eh...... $400.00 go with what the rest of the world goes with an AK varient. Do not get a bolt action rifle if you do go with a Mosin Nagant. 8mm and 6.5 Swiss is getting hard to find. A bolt gun has alot of range and alot of accuracy but the rate of fire is horrible. Go with the AK varient lots of cheap ammo still few moving parts easy to fix can take a lot of abuse, and the springs in the trigger group are strong. If the frantic buyers have driven the prices of the AK varients up in your area. I would then go with a SKS Russian or Romianian so you can have the bayonet. Then buy a truck load of strippers for it. If you could find a deal like me and pick up a used post ban copy of an HK91 or FAL then go for it. Just get the metric FAL if you can. I am not a Mini-14 fan the pre-ban after market mags can be tempermental for the Mini's. For under $400.00 its hard to beat an AK varient. I would not go with an Enfield seeing that .303 is getting high and is a little hard to find stay away from 8mm, .303 theres not much left in those calibers but what is left is more than likely corrosive. I will also say the SKS in its raw form is all you really need. These guys that say awe well I can hit up too 500+ yards with my .303,.308,8mm and such aren't really thinking. Why in a survival situation would you engage a better equipped opponet at such ranges? These guys don't think about mortars,grenade launchers,sniper and heavy machine gun fire. Its better to stay low and sneak buy, if you are ever faced with a SHTF senario your weapons are for food gathering and defense which case a 10/22 is just as good. Think more about were you would find clean water. Best all don't sit around like some individuals and fixate on a SHTF senario go and enjoy life with caution of course, but it never hurts to be prepared. Oh and those who say they trian or got buddies they would attack with are full of crap too because a group of troops with A.P.C's could call air strikes and call in toe popping artillery. Don't get into that mindset it can kinda of consume your time trust me. I am not flaming or trolling anyone just bringing to life a few hard facts. One other thing depending on what part of the country your in may depend on the caliber you need east coast 7.62x39mm west coat .308 is just fine.
 
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