simonrichter
New member
Since there is a lot of talk about "survival rifles", and I recently I happened to discover where this persisting concept of a "zombie apocalypse" comes from (namely one certain TV series, I suppose), I spent some thoughts on the issue and invite everybody to donate his own 2 cents.
1.) There are two completely different concepts of "survival rifles":
A) a light backpack and / or take down rifle that you can still carry into the wilderness when you are otherwise unarmed (the latter either because of weight issues or because it is simply not your main concern unless something unforeseeable might occur)
B) a sturdy and low-maintenance allround rifle that can be held in store for any event where it may be needed (rough times of any kind).
For both, I'd say they should be:
- easy to operate, also for the occasional unskilled
- low tech (bolt action, maybe)
- sturdy but light (synthetic stock)
- versatile
I see, e.g., no point in declaring a full-powered battle rifle the ideal survival rifle - if you DO have the skill and training you need for proper handling of such a weapon, then it is most likely your main rifle for everyday use, anyway.
While for a survival rifle in the sense of A) everything is settled with an AR7, for B) I'd consider .22lr a little too weak. On the other hand, it has to be something where ammo is easy to get... Thus, I have chosen a .223 bolt for myself.
1.) There are two completely different concepts of "survival rifles":
A) a light backpack and / or take down rifle that you can still carry into the wilderness when you are otherwise unarmed (the latter either because of weight issues or because it is simply not your main concern unless something unforeseeable might occur)
B) a sturdy and low-maintenance allround rifle that can be held in store for any event where it may be needed (rough times of any kind).
For both, I'd say they should be:
- easy to operate, also for the occasional unskilled
- low tech (bolt action, maybe)
- sturdy but light (synthetic stock)
- versatile
I see, e.g., no point in declaring a full-powered battle rifle the ideal survival rifle - if you DO have the skill and training you need for proper handling of such a weapon, then it is most likely your main rifle for everyday use, anyway.
While for a survival rifle in the sense of A) everything is settled with an AR7, for B) I'd consider .22lr a little too weak. On the other hand, it has to be something where ammo is easy to get... Thus, I have chosen a .223 bolt for myself.