Defensive/Multi-purpose Rifle

[Dean1818]

SKS

Very rugged, accurate enough.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

I would be totally satisfied with the new Ruger Scout rifle for this role, but I have an older M700 Remington-turned-Scout Rifle in .30-06 that will remain my choice. It is so sleek, balanced, light, and fast, that I probably cannot do better. It isn't as chunky as the Ruger, and is probably lighter.

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[Shanghai Dan]

Pistol caliber carbines are such weapons. I know a lot of online communities have ingrained hate for PCCs, but next to the .22LR they could well be the most useful overall weapon class when you figure out reasonable real world scenarios, and look at the stats objectively.

I go with your reasoning as well... For me, my Henry 22LR lever is a great little game-getter/knockaround rifle. Light, accurate, not too threatening looking (unless it's pointed at you - and any rifle looks threatening then), and with 15 shots on hand - it'll put out decent amounts of lead without reloading. A single Spee-D-Loader gives me eight 5-6 second reloads.

For the carbine, I have a Kel-Tec Sub 2000 in Glock 9mm. Folded in half, it fits in a small case or backpack and is completely hidden. Open it up, slip in a 33 round magazine, and it's plenty accurate to 75-100 yards (3-4 MOA) for taking medium sized game or things on 2 legs. And it uses ammo AND magazines which are very plentiful - I can run nearly any Glock 9mm magazine in it. Simple blowback operation makes it easy to clean and maintain and hard to jam.

Best of all - both of them, combined, with 150 rounds of ammunition for each all ready to go (full Spee-D-Loader and 5 of the 33 rounders) comes in at just around 10 pounds - a very light weight on my 300 pound frame!

Compact, non-threatening (an old time lever action - no tacticool stuff here to look like a crazed TEOTWAWKI survivalist/dangerous militia-type guy), and cover just about anything I'd ever meet in the low-lying areas around Puget Sound!

 

[FlyingKiwi]

Wow! It took me about an hour of reading to catch up on this thread. Thanks a lot for everyones great input. I do realize that a battle rifle may be the last of my worries in a disaster. I am sensibly prepared with survival equipment and understand how useful a good .22lr is. I also think a battle rifle could become an essential survival tool. Or a Hunting Rifle, or a SMG, or Gas Mask, maybe a generator, or a fishing pole. Every disaster is different. However, I like battle rifles. If I need one I'll have one and if I dont need one... well at least I'll have some fun toys to play with.

 

[FlyingKiwi]

BTW
I've changed my mind again. I think I'll go with an AK74 as my go-to SHTF rifle. And would like to get an AR15 to play with for long range and circumstantial SHTF/Zombie/Aplocalypse rifle (sarcasim)
Thanks!

 

[shep854]

Careful there, FlyingKiwi. Change your mind too much, and you will still be standing in front of your safe when the zombies break in.

 

[Averageman]

The full sized "Battle Rifle" began to disappear not because of the greater performance of carbine with smaller caliber bullets.
The "Battle Rifle" disappeared because the machinegun developed and became small enough for squad sized units to manuver with.
Not having a machinegun handy I can certainly understand the desire to have a heavier caliber weapon to defend my property with.
Defending your property does not usually require forced ruck marches, carrying ammo for a squad or heavy commo.
If an AR is an Assault Weapon then for the average homesteader, the M1A/FAL etc could easily be called the Defence Weapon.
I cannot say the AK or AR do not have their role, but I do think in the defence the Battle rifle, be that an FAL, M1A or even a Garand is a better choice.

 

[shep854]

These discussions are great fun and yes, thought-provoking, but Tirod has a point: true societal breakdown would be horrific beyond imagining.
S.M. Stirling gave it a good shot in his novel, Dies the Fire and its sequels.
Granted, its premise is fantastical, but the chaos is well thought-out.
"Dies the Fire chronicles the struggle of two groups who try to survive "The Change," a sudden worldwide event that alters physical laws so that electricity, gunpowder, and most other forms of high-energy-density technology no longer work. As a result, modern civilization comes crashing down."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dies_the_Fire

 

[eye5600]

The .22 WMR cartridge is nearly ideal in terms of weight and power, is widely available, and can be had in several different application loadings, but . . .
* for some reason, finding a semi-auto rifle chambered for it is hen's teeth

The reasons have to do with the brass. It's not easy to get reliable extraction. I suppose the brass expands enough to stick a little.

 

[eye5600]

Reading between the lines, there are several possible SHTF or TEOTWAWKI scenarios. In some cases, the problem might be looters. In other cases, the problem might be having to hunt for food. (In a rural area, hunting might work out. Where I live, the squirrels, pigeons, and Canada geese would be gone in a week.)

In lots of cases, getting clean water might be more important than anything having to do with firearms.

 

[Art Eatman]

Let's let the Flying Kiwi do some thinking. We've given him enough input for now...