Best Survival Rifle? Why?

[g3man]

I would love to hear everyone's opinion on what they view as the best most effective survival style rifles and why?

 

[bushcf]

I think it depends on what you are trying to "survive."

In most cases I would think the Remington 870 12 GA. is probably the best option for a wide array of survival. This is mainly due to the wide variety of rounds for different applications and availability of those rounds.

 

[Cerberus]

Are you wanting to limit this to rifles or any longarm? Are you talking about a "lost in the woods" type of survival, or a societal colapse type of survival, and prepared for the worse life can throw at me type of survival.

 

[Barry in IN]

As said, it depends on what I'm surviving.

If it's a power grid collapse/EMP, or a sudden petroleum shortage, or roads collapsing from something, where it's a survive-in-place kind of thing, the SCAR would probably be my choice because it could do anything from hunt to defend out to fair distance. Of course, if that's the situation, I'd have every gun I had now and wouldn't have to pick just one.

If it's a fill he SUV and head for relatives across the country, maybe the AUG because it's short enough I can leave it next to me when driving and manipulate with one hand to shoot out either window or even straight out the windshield.

If it's a walk out scenario, weight matters. It might be a light AR or even my Steyr Scout, depending on whether there are ravaging hordes or not.

If it's a case of having to stretch resources for as long as possible, maybe the Ruger 77/44. I can cast bullets for it or swage lots of other projectiles into proper shape, load it with a huge variety of powders from Bullseye to the faster rifle powders (and black powder) and very little of it. Cases last long. It's also the lightest of everything named. Having a bore big enough I can clear it with green stick might be a plus too.

Lots of questions to be answered before choosing.

 

[g3man]

I was actually looking for more the back pack variety of survival rifles but now that we started:
Lost in the Woods?? Back Pack Gun
Lost in the Ghetto?? Pistol/ Revolver
You against the world?? Nothing Belt Fed

Lets hear it.

 

[pokersamurai]

If I were choosing a rifle for the event that society collapsed and I was on my own for the rest of my life, I would choose a scoped .22 bolt action rifle (for simplicity, accuracy, and reliability) with as much ammo as I could stock up on.

A .22 can be used for hunting of self-defense if necessary (hopefully not). The rifles are inexpensive and you can stock up on ammo for cheap. Remember in a true survival situation ammo quantity is going to trump quality (or power for that matter).

 

[smokingman]

If I had only one rifle and was limited to only the ammo I could carry it would be a 10/22 with Stinger CCI ammo.
Lethal,fairly quiet,light,accurate,reliable,and I could easily pack 500 rounds of ammo in a small space with out being overweight.

 

[theundeadelvis]

.22lr. It can defend you in a pinch, get you food, and try carrying 2000 rounds of any other ammo as easily.

 

[netsecurity]

.22lr. It can defend you in a pinch, get you food, and try carrying 2000 rounds of any other ammo as easily.

Yes, for the long run you need ammo more than firepower. But, as I've mentioned in similar threads, if you must defend yourself 22lr has insufficient range.

 

[bdybdall]

How about .22 magnum? You can get it in a lever, bolt, or a semi-auto. You can still carry a lot of rounds and the power level is quite a bit greater.

 

[Arm America]

I would choose the M6 Scout. It's a two barrel single shot that shoots 22's & .410's

 

[netsecurity]

How about .22 magnum? You can get it in a lever, bolt, or a semi-auto. You can still carry a lot of rounds and the power level is quite a bit greater.

If the magnum can reach out to 300y accurately--which i doubt due to the mass of the projectile--then I would give it the thumbs up for security. So basically, I believe that if you can keep your enemy 300y away, then you at least have a fair CHANCE at surviving an armed engagement. If your gun can only reach 150y, and your enemy can easily kill you from 300y (which practically every center fire rifle can), then there's just nothing you can do about it really. You may as well have a BB gun or sling shot in such a scenario.

Of course a sniper could get you from 600y or more, but you're just screwed then no matter what. Part of survival is cover though, and wooded areas are far more likely to prevent a 600y shot than a 300y shot.

 

[atalon]

The best all around survival rifle style is the .22. The weight of the rifle itself and the amount of ammo you can carry for any given weight limit compared to any other round just can't be beat (that I know of).

 

[U.S. Patriot]

The one that works and you have ammo for.

 

[lumpagus1]

You did say rifle(s) well I'd go with 1 rifle...the AR-15, however, I'd use several different uppers. I'd go with a solid lower, like a Noveske Gen 2 or LaRue Tactical with the integrated trigger guard with a Magpul UBR stock. As for my upper choices I'd go with a .22, 5.56, 6.5 Grendel, and .458 SOCOM. I'm just going to pretend that ammo is endless which is why I chose 2 calibers that aren't really cheap nor in surplus supply. Each caliber has a specific function: .22 for small game, 5.56 for general purpose, 6.5 for medium sized game and longer distances, and .458 for large game and stopping power.

 

[Cerberus]

My choice for general survival would be the AR15 with 5.56 upper. It's sufficient at hunting and fighting if needed, the ammo is comparitively light and quite accurate. The .22lr is insufficient, it has limited hunting range and ain't the bestest for fighting, and any game that can be taken with one can be taken with more passive means such as snares.

 

[Tombs]

Yes, for the long run you need ammo more than firepower. But, as I've mentioned in similar threads, if you must defend yourself 22lr has insufficient range.

22lr is lethal well past 450 yards.

The issue is accuracy, while it's doable, it's not for the faint of heart.


My personal choice would be my PTR91... With the collapsible stock I can throw it in a backpack. Can afford to stock up and carry an awful lot of magazines, especially since they're all aluminium, and I can carry enough ammo.

I don't see the need in carrying 2000 rounds of ammo on body. You can easily carry twice that in 308 in a car.

It's nice to have some reliable fire power for range, primarily for hunting in a pinch.

Best survival rifle will always be subjective to where you live, where you're going, and what you plan to do with it. For that matter, a 9mm carbine might be a good option for a lot of people.

I don't think 5.56 is really that great of a round for hunting, though I have no experience with it. I would think even a 9mm would provide a more assured kill on a deer.

 

[Cerberus]

I don't think 5.56 is really that great of a round for hunting, though I have no experience with it. I would think even a 9mm would provide a more assured kill on a deer.

I know a guy in Kentucky that drops deer every year with .223/5.56. One shot kills. In fact he has used only ARs to hunt with for the past 12 years. One of the first I knew that used ARs. .223 is plenty for about any game you will encounter around here. The Inuits use .223 on just about anything they encounter up in the arctic.

 

[maxmayhem]

if i could only have one rifle then i would take the ar-15 with every mag i have full...and about 400 rounds...i would grab a 22 pistol and about 500 rounds...400 rounds is more than enough because if I am in a firefight where i have to expend 400 rounds i doubt i would live anyway ..if i did i would have a little left over to kill some bad guys before i died...22 is a great survival round for small game and accurately shot self defense...ideally my pistol would have a suppressor....in a situation like this..i would carry two rifles though...a shotgun, ar, 22 pistol, 9mm pistol...my family would each have primary weapon and sidearm if old enough

 

[flightsimmer]

I would choose the M6 Scout. It's a two barrel single shot that shoots 22's & .410's

Yeah, this or a Savage over/under 22LR/20 gauge if I just wanted a backpack survival rifle and maybe a good 4" .357 Magnum on my hip.