Best Indiana SHTF rifle...NO AK OR AR!

[bstewrat3]

T/C Encore, end of discussion.

 

[Thor]

End of discussion...then what's the point of the internet and so many firearms?

How about my Marlin 512 Slugmaster? Or 1895CB in .45-70? Sure I may not be able to get ammo free off he streets but I've got the cans full...

 

[Thor]

Or my Win 70 in .30-06 even. or... or....

 

[TheHive]

I would take the 10-22, its all I need to catch small game and no mater how far out the bad guys are, 3 or 4 well placed shot will take the fight out of them.
I can carry 1000's of rounds and mags are cheap.

 

[Vendetta]

Still take an AR. Just because random criteria can be done doesnt mean it should.

 

[Thor]

I suppose the OP didn't want it to turn into yet another AR vs AK thread...

 

[BOVindy]

Any 9mm Carbine that uses Glock magazines. 9mm would be common enough for trading, heavy enough for self defense against unarmored predetors, and large enough for effective short range hunting. It could also be suppressed, though you might have to load your own subsonic ammo. It might not have the range of some of the others, but the bullets and rifle would be fairly light, and the ammo would be common in the wasteland after the nuclear winter. (more common than 38s in those silly pipe rifles anyways). It's important to be able to move freely and keep your spirits up after the apocalypse hits, and a carbine fits the bill to a tee.

 

[Thor]

Most of these arguments will be irrelevant by the time I run out of ammunition...but they are fun anyway. By the time I have to resort to my swords most of the folks in my county will be out of ammo too...

 

[AJMD429]

For my 'do it all' or 'go-to' guns, I've come down to my self-labeled 'Night Scout' leverguns, and the first one I made was a .357 Mag Marlin, since that's what I had available. Then I wanted a larger-hole maker for inside-the-house use for my wife, and had a .45 Colt Rossi, so I used the '92 clone' to make that one. BOTH are nice and work well day or night. I wanted to make a .44 Mag one so I'd have all the 'pistol calibers' but in the process of making one out of my old .44 Mag Marlin, I converted it to .45 Colt just because I always wanted a .45 Colt in the Marlin action (which I do like better than the Rossi/Winchester one), and came across a $100 barrel with which to do so.


So - I have used both the 1894 and the 1892 actions as my primary/utility rifles around the home/farm, and both work well. Ease and flexibility of the sight-mounting is the strength of the Marlin, plus fewer parts that seem less individually-fitted. I'll likely not wear out any of my 92's during my lifetime though (but I do dread losing a small part if and when I actually need to take one apart totally).


Here's my three 'Night Scouts':


The first one - .357 Mag Marlin 1894 - Paco Kelly's Leverguns.com ? View topic - Making a Marlin 1894 Ranch Rifle or Night Scout gun

The second one - .45 Colt Rossi 1892 - Paco Kelly's Leverguns.com ? View topic - Rossi/Puma "Night Scout" is now finished...

The third one - .44 Mag (at first) Marlin 1894 - Paco Kelly's Leverguns.com ? View topic - .44 Mag Night Scout

The second picture is without the light attached (same light can go on any of the above). Folks snicker at the non-traditional sights and 'clumsy' light, but for ME it is far better than a night-sighted AR-15 for the kinds of varmints we deal with on the farm. A fancy EBR AR-15 with bulky night-sights would cost more than all three of these leverguns put together, and require hearing protectors if I dared actually fire it; I'm NOT going to go out to check the livestock wearing hearing protectors, and I want something light, compact, and durable, that won't shoot 2 miles if I did do the bad thing and take a poor-backstop shot and miss.


This was shot with the above .357 at midnight at 50 yards... 8)

Without the 'light' all three setups are pretty compact and handy.


The .357's light mount just 'snaps' on and off, as it is made of plastic electric conduit.

I actually DO have a similarly-set up (for 'night' use) Ruger 10/22 that does work well when I know the only varmint I may encounter is a raccoon in the chicken-coop, but for coyotes or 2-legged predators I'd want one of the leverguns.

Again, it "looks funny" and reminds me of the geeked-out stuff you see guys set up who don't actually shoot anything but imaginary zombies, but it has accounted for many, many possums and raccoons and feral canines at ranges out to 75 yards that I encountered at night, and would never have been able to humanely eliminate (one shot kills 90% of the time, rapid followup easy if needed) with ANY other setup I've tried. The lights I use are now Lowe's building supply store bought 'Coast' brand LED ones that I lock on 'spot' instead of 'flood' (by positioning the front 30mm ring so it keeps the sliding lens forward), and at 500 lumens for the larger-bell ones, or 280 lumens for the more compact ones, they will make a raccoon easy to see at 100 yards).


While if you can afford it, I'd keep an EBR around, since they do have more 'firepower' and are definitely going to appreciate in value as trade items, your choice of a .357 Mag levergun is PERFECT for most real-world scenarios right now. As to the Marlin vs. Winchester/clone, (or don't forget Henry, Savage, Ruger, etc...), both work fine. The 92's are probably 'slicker' and the Marlins are easier to put different sights on.

 

[BOVindy]

Have you ever considered suppressing one of those sweet lever-guns you've got there. With those short barrels and red dot sights I imagine a suppressor would bring a good bit of fun to the party.

 

[Cummins513]

Suppressed ruger 10/22 with some type of optic.
-Tons of ammo/mags for self defense (volume of fire)
-hunt small and arguably large game
-everyone has a 10/22 so parts would be easy to come by

 

[snowwalker]

I don't have a 10/22, but I have a few Marlins. My choice is a Glock 21 on a Mech-Tech CCU, a good choice for two guns in one (pistol and carbine).

 

[Jaybird1980]

I would take a Marlin lever action .357, easy to make bullets and reload to a variety of power levels

 

[tacticalmaster45]

Either a Benelli M1 w/20" barrel & extended mag or a Keltic CMR-30

 

[DragonGunner]

OK I'll play....scope is optional, HR 1955 M1 Garand 500.00......6000 rds. of ammo...should last an kill alot of zombies.

Hey I was the last post until the resurrection of this thread…..added a M14A1 Federal Ordance (m1a) to the collection, but with so many AP rounds I'll stick with my original choice. I would team up with they guys with .22's….they can shoot the squirrels and I'll take care of any bad guys who make the tragic mistake that hiding behind a huge tree, or behind a brick wall, or even 1" steel plating is cover for them…..its not.

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

Wow. That is a nice looking old rifle.

 

[frenchiectfd2203]

10/22

 

[rugertoter]

Old thread, OP probably has answered his own question by now, but I'll chime in here as well. Probably your best "all around" choice would be the Ruger 10/22 with a number of BX-15 or BX-25 magazines...and about 4 - 5 thousand rounds of ammo. Just standard HV stuff will work best, as I have found that Hyper Velocity stuff does not lend itself to very good accuracy...at least out of my 10/22. JMHO.

 

[Bapak2ja]

I still recommend the Marlin 1894c in .357magnum. 10/22 for back-up—or a Winchester 9422.

 

[Jkwrangler70]

I love my VZ58 as a SHTF rifle. Lightweight, accurate, rugged. That and a CZ527 and you have a killer combo. The 527 for midrange hunting and the VZ58 for everything else. Two light, accurate guns with a common caliber