The worlds gone to hell and you can only have one rifle.......

Status
Not open for further replies.
A

Alex Johnson

New member
OK, here's the situation. The social order in this country has collapsed and you find it better to run for the hills. The area you choose to go is pretty much unpopulated and the chance of running into other people is slim, but possible. Due to situations beyond your control you can only take what you can carry on your person. As you are packing you take a long look at your gunrack (well stocked with your favorite firearms collected over the years). You have at least 300 rounds of hunting ammunition for each of your prize guns. You will be relying on your rifle for protection from man and beast; as well as, the foraging of food. The problem is that you know that repairs will be at best difficult, if not impossible, where your going. This makes your choice not only one of funtion, but durability as well, since the climate you are going will be harsh at best. Please note, that you have never been particularly skilled with the use of bows, or slingshots, so the rifle is your lifeline.

As you finish your packing you add 315 rounds to your pack, and with some discomfort, bring it to rest on your shoulder. You quickly walk to the rack and grab your rifle and head out the door to the start of a new life.
 
I don't own one yet. Yet being the operative word. But I would like a scoped, medium weight barreled DS Arms FAL. .308. Can carry the specified amount of ammo in 16 magazines.

Its not the lightest gun, but I'm big,so I'll get over it. It can kill anything edible on this continent.

Now I will cheat, my wife will take the Remington 870 (birds and other assorted criters). And since this is far enough in the future that I own a $2000 dollar sniper rifle, I will assume that each of my kids (that aren't born yet) will be packing something as well.
 
I would take my M4A3. Light, can carry a lot of ammo and perhaps scrounge more from various places, spare parts are cheap, easy to find and light, as are mags. I know it can take the local deer as it has before and I am confident that it will do the same for two legged animals.
 
I would like to say my Burris scoped Styer sbs .308...but in the event of scope dammage thereare no Iron sights...So any good bolt .308 with a quality scope and backup sights... (hmm maybe i will scope my Mas-36 .308 in a "scout" configuration?)

I like the .223, but if I could only shoot one rifle and had to take big game then a .308 will do fine for anything short of moose (maybe even that...)

All I can say is watch out for the rifleman! Semi-auto's are great...but when the conditions are the filthiest, the climate the coldest, butcher gunsmithing is in need, that is when I draw the line and opt for the good ol' BOLT action!

Peace
cool.gif
IZZY
 
HK-91 with detachable scope. With a 5 round mag, it's good for hunting big game and with the 20 rounder, defense of the farmstead.

Sounds like the scenario out of the book 1632 where a VA coal mining town gets transplanted back to Germany during the 30 Years War (where 1 in 4 Germans die during the course of that war). No thanks.
 
you want a rifle that can be resupplied with parts & ammo available in the field

AR15

dZ
 
Well, I cheated. While I rather doubt such a situation will occur, I can't categorically state that it never will. So, I did a bit of preparing ahead.

Mostly, I'd change my hours of operation, sleeping more during the day--not necessarily in the house. I'm a night-owl, anyway.
smile.gif


But I'd probably have the same bolt-action Ma Bell I most always rely on. I'd probably suggest adding some night-vision capability (wish I could afford Generation III!) to the "goodie-bag".

I reckon there'd be a bunch of secret stashing going on before I left, though. Even bad stuff settles down after a while.

Quien sabe? Art
 
Probably a model 70 in 30-06 although a good .22 might not be so bad, i'd just have to be a lot more careful with my shots.
 
I'd grab my FAL. Also a handfull of spare parts, bolt, hammer trigger and springs. They are easy to work on in the field and almost never break anyway. .308 is usefull against any north american animal. As long as your shots count 300 rnds should get you by for at least a year worth of food on the table and also the occasional defensive gunfight.
 
Only one? Jeez... talk about a heart-rending decision...

I guess mine would be my .303 Enfield w/ synthetic stock. Reliable and simple like a stone ax.
 
Living out of a backpack? Hmmm..... sounds like weigh twill weigh in importantly here.

I'll take my 16" Bushmaster XM-15. Sorry you guys with 12-15lbs of extra metal won't be able to keep up when I'm retreating!
smile.gif
 
Forgive me for being long winded. I could give a simple answer, but I think that the thought process that goes into it is just as important as the answer itself.

First off, if this were to happen, I would not be alone. My wife and two children would be with me and all would be capable of carrying one or more weapons each. With a variety of weapons the four of us would be able to survive better than a person alone. A person alone has no one to stand guard while he sleeps, cooks, or gathers firewood. No one to help with difficult tasks, to talk to, or to watch his six. I would rather be unarmed with a group of people I trusted than to be armed to the teeth and by myself. However, for the sake of arguement, I will asume that I am alone.

Also, as some have already mentioned, weight would be of a concern. For the same weight as 300 .308's you could carry 600 .223's and it would take up less space. I don't know for sure, but probably around 2000 .22 LR for the same weight. But if I were limited to only 315 rounds as you said, I would want them to be at least .308. Plus, after you ran out of ammo, a 14 lb. M1A makes a better club than a 7 lb. AR-15.
wink.gif


It better be accurate if you're limited on ammo. Since the possibility of having to defend yourself from people is small, maybe a presision bolt action in a magnum calibre would be a good choise.

Then, how easy it to maintane your choice? The AR's and FAL's IMHO are the easiest to work on. You can almost carry a spare AR in its own buttstock.

The area you chose to bug out to would influence you selection as well. If there were only small game available, a large centerfire would not be appropriate. Also, you did not say if we could have a handgun or not. A nice .22 handgun would complement a large rifle very nicely, while a large calibre handgun would be nice to have if you had a .22 rifle or even a .223. So many things to consider, you could keep yourself up at night thinking about what rifle you should buy, just in case.
biggrin.gif


I currently own an FAL, an M1A, a Remington 700 in 7 Mag, an AR-15, and a Mini-14, among others. But I wouldn't pick any of these as my first choise. In fact, I don't own the rifle that I would pick as my first choise.

I would pick an AR-10. One with the 16" barrel and the carry handle. I would put a collapsible stock and tritium sights on it. Also a see-thru scope mount and probably a Leupold 1.5 to 6 power VariX III on it.

I think that this gives me the best comprimise.

.308 caliber for large game and good range
Good sighting options
Good weight and handling
Acceptable accuracy (2 moa)
Good firepower
Ease of maintenance.

Did I miss anything?

Again, sorry for being so long.

Halffast


------------------
"I say that big talk is worth doodly-squat." Granny Hawkins from the Outlaw Josey Wales

[This message has been edited by Halffast (edited March 30, 2000).]
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top