Best SHTF rifle/carbine on a BUDGET

[Dave Markowitz]

Plenty of suitable choices:

• SKS
• AK
• Used, police trade-in Mini-14
• Winchester or Marlin levergun in .357, .44, .45 Colt, or .30-30

Far more important than the rifle is the knowledge of when and how to use it. Factor the cost of training and practice into your budget.

 

[MASTEROFMALICE]

It depends of what consititutes a "budget."

$120 can get you a Mosin Nagant with ammo
$200 can get you an SKS with ammo
$350 can get you an AK clone with ammo
$500 can get you a Mini 14 with ammo
$700 can get you an AR 15 with ammo

SHTF means something like an AK or HK91 is desirable but if you can only afford the Mosin then that becomes your SHTF rifle.

 

[Hokkmike]

AK, no question. Spend as much as you can afford, and stay with 7.62 X 39. Much less finicky than the AR's - better technology than the SKS. They are one of the few rifles with instant world recognition - and for a reason.

 

[Commander Guineapig]

Grim - that's one sexy SKS sir
Master - I love the pirce brackets.

I was thinking $600 for about everything I think.
Been looking at the WASRs and other AK knock-offs...
7.62X39 is also shared by the SKS as a general rule, correct?
Thanks for all the great replies so far!

GP

 

[Evenflo76]

Yugo SKS. Stock is fine. With most aftermarket mods you'll have to lose the bayonet, and add the guns value in USA parts to keep it legal.

For $200 you get old school reliability, don't have to worry about magazines and that gigantic bayonet is enough to make most gasp.

 

[GunTech]

If light an compact is a requirement, there's also the KelTec Su-16. It's more expensive, but uses AR-15/M16 magazines, weighs around 5 pounds and folds up for storage. It's not as accurate as an AR, but it pretty reliable IME.

 

[NCLivingBrit]

With $600 to play with, I'd probably buy a Yugo ($150-200) 1000rds of ammo (~$170) and a bale of stripper clips ($20, max).

With the rest of the money I'd pick up a nice used Mossberg 500 and some buckshot, to keep the SKS company.

I'd be tempted by the AK's though, the hi-capacity and idjit-proofing make them fine SHTF rifles, I'm just more familiar with how solid and reliable my SKS's are.

 

[Deer Hunter]

SKS + strippers + ammo.

All in all, around 300-350. Spend the rest on training. Learn CPR. Get in shape. Learn to survive in the wild. Learn self defense. Perhaps even buy food, first aid kits, and water. Do all those things that will REALLY get you prepared for a "SHTF" scenario.

 

[ernunnos]

Is anyone actually making a GPR these days, or did you roll it yourself? I'm a bit of a fan of the stainless Puma (Rossi) 92s. Pity it's difficult to mount a rear aperture sight, but the stock fiber optics are pretty decent for up-close. A lever gun with modern materials and a red-dot make a handy instrument indeed.

 

[GunTech]

I'd think a pump would be preferable to a lever gun. Easier to keep the rifle shouldered and on target for multiple shots.

YMMV

 

[ernunnos]

Show up at a cowboy action match sometime and count the number of shells hanging in the air over the heads of the lever gun shooters. Granted, they're using reduced recoil loads, but the limiting factor isn't the action.

 

[PAPACHUCK]

Deer Hunter's post;

SKS + strippers + ammo.

All in all, around 300-350. Spend the rest on training. Learn CPR. Get in shape. Learn to survive in the wild. Learn self defense. Perhaps even buy food, first aid kits, and water. Do all those things that will REALLY get you prepared for a "SHTF" scenario.

Absolutely spot on! Well said.

 

[Mikee Loxxer]

Get the SKS and spend the rest on ammo and stripper clips.

 

[offthepaper]

Deerhunter and Papachuck are giving you the best advise. getting yourself and your family through a SHTF scenario will depend on a lot more things than throwin' lead. Water, first aid, food supply, shelter, ability to navigate the perils (both natural and the other) and reach a point of safety are at least as important as being picky as to which FA to reach for. As stated already on this thread....

SHTF means something like an AK or HK91 is desirable but if you can only afford the Mosin then that becomes your SHTF rifle.

.

One last note, always a good idea to have a semi-predetermined plan as to what each family member should do, where to meet (if separated when SHTF), ect in advance of the actual event. You won't be able to plan everything, but a general idea of action in such a scenario can be valuable.

 

[tnieto2004]

SKS! no doubt

 

[otomik]

Ar-180b

 

[EdLaver]

A Saiga or WASR-10 would be ideal. They are large cap rifles at $350 being the highest.

 

[JWarren]

offthepaper wrote:

Deerhunter and Papachuck are giving you the best advise. getting yourself and your family through a SHTF scenario will depend on a lot more things than throwin' lead.

hehe... well, in defense of the rest of us, we answered the question asked. This topic or any number of "what ____ for SHTF" comes up routinely at 3 to 4 week intervals here. I suspect it has to do with the phases of the moon. It gets old typing the same thing over and over.

A quick search on SHTF will show 4,261 threads. Many of those will caution on having the mindset of believing all you need to get through a "SHTF" is a firearm. (see below)

Here is one that I worked on a while back that illustrates this point:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=252190


Besides, if you REALLY want to talk about SHTF, you need to go visit Zombiehunters.org

-- John

 

[Gord]

Your el-cheapo dehr rahfle of choice in .308. Never know when you might need to engage a gang of snipers behind an SUV (which is itself behind a concrete wall) at 1000m in the course of your normal day-to-day...

E&E? What's that?
What is this word "realistic"?

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

For a cheap, reliable semi-auto rifle, the Saiga line is tough to beat and is offered in many popular calibers. There are a lot of options outside the semi-autos as well.

However, as Dave Markowitz and several others pointed out, training is much more important than the type of bangstick you can afford. Definitely work some training into your budget.

 

[jpwilly]

My First SHTF was a SKS but you must consider what you'll be defending I lived in the country on 3 acres. If you live in an appartment you should probably get a Hi Point Carbine $179 NEW in 9mm or 40Cal. If you live in a subdivision it will work fine too so would a shotgun and pistol. If you are defending your home or business you'll have no need to take really long shots AND you will be held accountable for who and what you shoot. An SKS or AK is fine too but you will need to hit what you aim at those rounds will go through many walls!

 

[collateral]

I think the general consensus suggests the SKS.
I picked up a yugoslavian SKS for my first serious SHTF rifle. I trained with it every day and got to know EVERYTHING about it. I loved it so much I bought a second, and then a third.

If you're on a budget, but still want a serious rifle and a good supply of ammo to feed it, the SKS is IMO the best way to go. I've seen the chinese chest rigs go really cheap, the price on ammo is rising, but you can still get a case of x39 without breaking the bank.

I believe the SKS to be THE entry level combat rifle. It was made to be rugged and reliable, it shoots minute of Milkjug out to 300 yards, with practice you can reload extremely fast, it has that lovely bayonet, AND you can Mark Mcguire the crap out of somebody with it!

 

[islandphish]

Whatever you choose...it must be usable and effective at night. That means a hundred bucks or so for night sights. This is not an option, this is a must. You said shtf and shtf at night far more often than during the day.

I'm gonna repeat myself...

Night sights, nights sights, nights sights, night sights, night sights!!!!!!

Thx for listening...

 

[benEzra]

SKS + strippers + ammo.

Spend the rest on training. Learn CPR. Get in shape. Learn to survive in the wild. Learn self defense. Perhaps even buy food, first aid kits, and water. Do all those things that will REALLY get you prepared for a "SHTF" scenario.

Very good post. A Saiga in .223 or 7.62x39 would also be a good choice in the same price range, and a Saiga with a siderail would give you the choice of using an eastern bloc optic on the rifle as well (Kobra, etc.).

If you can afford to spend a little more and not short yourself on the essentials, you could do the same thing with one of the less expensive traditional AK's (SAR, WASR, etc.). But if you are on a tight budget, an SKS or Saiga (or pump shotgun, if you prefer) is undoubtedly "good enough."

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

That means a hundred bucks or so for night sights. This is not an option, this is a must.

I'd have to disagree that night sights are a must. Lights maybe. I've done some night firing at formal classes where we were out in West Texas and it was just black. No ambient light beyond the moon and stars. My experience is that a white dot or gold dot is enough to reflect ambient light. If it was dark enough that you can't use those sights, then you usually can't identify (or frequently even see) a target.

Now I've got tritium sights on most of my pistols and I've been a big fan of them in the past. But after doing some shooting in low-light, I don't know that they offer more than a slight advantage in marginal light - and when it is really dark, they can actually cut down your vision because the brightness of the dot can wash out targets that are just barely visible. When it is really inky black out, that tritium glows like a firefly (and if you happen to have a pair of NODS, tritium really stands out)

Any way, I'd much rather have a light and training on how to use it than tritium sights. A $28 Surefire G2 in a $10 mount will let you use irons effectively AND identify what you are shooting.

A Saiga in .223 or 7.62x39 would also be a good choice in the same price range, and a Saiga with a siderail would give you the choice of using an eastern bloc optic on the rifle as well (Kobra, etc.).

I really like the Saiga. An SKS can certainly get it done; but the Saiga is in the same price range and it offers more modularity, the ability to use AK accessories, reliable detachable magazines, and choice of caliber (5.56x45, 7.62x39, 7.62x51, 12ga, .410).