Firearms for Preparedness and Survival Part 4: The Centerfire Rifle

[biathlon]

There are a whole lot of other considerations in what you choose to carry. I personaly do not care for pistol grip rifles as I grew up with traditionaly stocked guns. I also live at 7,200 feet and frequent places well above 10,000 feet so weight is a major concern for me. Right now my absolut favorite rifle is my left hand Savage 308. Just over 7 pounds ready to go, sub minute accurate, more reliable than an AK, i can feed it anything that says"308 winchester or 7.62x51" and my hands are real familiar with it. My second favorite is my left hand BAR. Same ergonomics, quick follow up shots, slower twist barrel but very accurate with lighter points, same caliber, just as accurate. My little Keltec would be the super lightweight carbine of choice as it does not throw brass in my face and is also traditionaly stocked.

Anyone really interested in this should get Bostons Gun Bible.

[Bill Foster]

A good subject. I have always followed the idea that different tools are used for different tasks. When I owned my 240Z, I had a set of shiney metric wrenches from Snap-On. When I had my MG, I had a hammer, a pair of pliers, and plenty of curse words. First, I am on a budget. My choice of defensive tools are military-style and inexpensive. If I am deer hunting (or moose hunting) at my bugout location, I would use my 8MM mauser with an optic. If I am patrolling for tresspassers, such as dogs, bunnies, and the like, I have an SKS in-hand and a 1911 on-hip. Just inside the door of the house, an 870 express for those close up and personal meetings. It's a quiet area, folks keep to themselves, but I have surprised a tax assessor and a visiting preacher before. It's funny, the tax assessor went pale and shook when confronted about tresspassing; the preacher was calm and a likeable man. I suppose their intentions had something to do with their demeanor. Bill

[Spock]

Now here is where things start getting tricky. The rifle. Entire books have been written on this subject and the debate is ENDLESS. Unlike hand guns which are usually either a revolver or semi auto. The rifle comes in many different action types. Single shot, bolt action, slide action, lever action or semi auto. Even amount the single shots you have break action, falling block, and bolt action rifles. I'm going to go into depth on each action type thats what google is for but for segment we'll focus on the most popular type today, the semi auto.

In some places you simply can't have a semi auto rifle, if you live in one of those places, move.

Seriously. Your government doesn't respect you or freedom so why should they get your tax dollars?

The semi automatic rifle is the most popular rifle type in the USA at this time. From ruger 10/22s to AR-15s the semi auto is dominate. When I first got into guns all the gun writers in Guns and Ammo magazine would cover bolt action hunting rifles and only occasionally a semi auto. Go pickup a gun magazine now. Now its all about the semi auto and specifically about the semi auto military type rifles.

A couple of years ago a hunting show host named Jim Zumbo declared that AR-15 rifles were the guns of criminals and terrorists or some such nonsense. He was fired within 48 hours after making that statement. Now there is a magazine called AR Guns and hunting. Its dedicated to those who use ar-15 and ar-10 rifles for hunting. Remington even sells ar-15 and ar-10 rifles setup specifically for hunting.

Since our discussion is about firearms for preparedness and survival we will be talking about semi auto military type rifles.

Wait why not a semi auto like the Remington 7400? Rifles originally designed for civilian use are not designed with ruggedness and field serviceability like military rifles. I once took apart a Remington 7400. I couldn't even take apart all the way without tools. It also lacked features like a chromed bore and chamber which aid reliability and longevity. Parts for rifles designed for civilian use are also harder to get as they must be purchased from the manufacturer. Military rifles are designed for parts interchangeability even between countries of origin (like using an Israeli charging handle on a Belgium FAL ) who use the same platform. Rfiles like FN AR and the Remington 7400 simply can't do that.

So what brand do you buy? Its not about brand its about the platform. The major platforms that should be considered are:

AK-47/74
AR-15/10
MIA/M14/m1 carbine
G3/HK91
FAL

There are others like the Remington ACR and the FN SCAR however parts availability are limited to those manufacturers.

So what platform is best? that depends. If you live in Wyoming and are a large person an M1A or FAL might be a good choice. If you are of smaller stature an AR-15 might be a better choice. If you live in an area of thick vegetation a 7.62x39 AK would probably be better.

Just like the handgun your environment and you dictate what works best for you.

Another aspect to look at is this... what else can I use this for? Is it powerful enough and accurate enough for hunting? Can this serve a dual role?

Example 1. M1A as a main battle rifle but also using it with a magnified optic as DMR and hunting rifle.

Example 2 AK-47 in 7.62x39 as a brush rifle for both defense and hunting of deer sized game.

when thinking about and considering your choices take into consideration dual roles.