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

[Tydeeh22]

how bout a mosin nagant? or a bolt .308, or a good ole rubber band and some pebbles..

 

[EvilBlackGun]

It's only ...

... very fond memories. HOW hungry can YOU get? Also, re post #91, don't harvest interlopers who are so far off that somebody else may get to their goodies before you can. I heard this good one on road-kill patties: "Slid Deer Patties. Quickly scrape up deer, and quickly take it home." Yummy for Slid-Deer-burgers.

That's disgusting...

 

[jeremy]

Winchester model 1892 in 45 Colt...

 

[paddling_man]

I'll keep my 30-30. Three or four of the following in my backpack and I'll be fine.

Duke Body Trap 110 BT Mink Muskrat Weasel #400 America's Farm & Home Store

Duke Body Trap 220BT 7" Raccoon #420 America's Farm & Home Store

There are a couple of folks I've seen who make these from titanium for light weight. Pricey but good.

 

[dtkw]

I'd use my Remy 700 BDL in 30-06 for long range targets. Hit them before they could come close. If they come close, any of my handguns would do. If there are a lot of them, then I have to cheat, using the ARs.

 

[jason765]

Marlin model 60, .22lr is a handy little round. No mags to worry about an and ammo is light enough to carry tons.

 

[w_ADAM_d88]

I'm going to say lever action 30-30. In SHTF, who cares if it's legal or not to hunt with a 30-30 in Indiana.

 

[Ted]

That's disgusting...

.....and still wonders why about his mental illnesses.

 

[cg21]

going to have to check out these ruger minis now...

 

[OneBadV8]

Hell, how about a CMP M1 Garand?

30-06 is pretty common. You'd just want to install the bleed off attachment to shoot commercial ammo through it.

 

[jeepville]

I would go with a mossy 500 or a lever 30/30

I have come across 2 deer while hunting in indiana that have been shot with a .22 which is really sad I think its the poachers weapon of choice. The first was a buck with a head shot that didnt kill it so it was laying sick in the woods with an infection coming out of the wound had to call a dnr officer to get permission to put it down. The 2nd was my doe last year she had a 22 slug in her nose she seemed healthy and fine still but had taken a shot from a 22. Both times it just made me sick that someone was so careless to break the rules and potentially leave the animal hurt.

 

[Mosinguy]

.....and still wonders why about his mental illnesses.

Did he just give us advice at the end of his post talking about eating people?

 

[.45 Dave]

Did he just give us advice at the end of his post talking about eating people?

I'm guessing in a SHTF situation his place is going to look like the cannibal's farmhouse that Denzel Washington and Mila Kunis came across in the "Book of Eli" movie.

 

[phred]

This or my SKS. I'll put my Ruger MKIII in my backpack.
O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc. - Firearms, Shotguns, Rifles, Accessories, and Precision Machining

 

[Blythes]

He said under $500 and for taking game, the .223 isn't something I would want to shoot a deer with unless I was 100% sure I could get a headshot off.

.223 is used around the country for taking deer in states that allow it and it's quite effective, head shots aren't required.

The Myth: The .223 is too Light for Deer

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Had a case, 15 years ago, where a farmer took over 80 deer with a .22-250.

 

[Shootin'IN]

OK, it has been said before but the Mosin Nagant M38 or M44 is the gun you should use.
Because if "300 yards is probably the max distance you'll be shooting" that is an easy iron sight shot for this gun.
If the "Ammo must be common" this is and it is very cheap so you can buy it cheap & stack it deep!
If the "Parts must be somewhat easy to find" why would you need parts for a gun that doesn't wear out!
I guess that covers the "Reliability" issue too!
The "Optics" issue you could do an easy scout mount but why? You are only shooting 300 yds or less there would be no need. If you are wanting to watch your prey use your binoculars.
And if you have "only $1000" budget you could buy 3 or 4 & have money for a bunch of ammo.
There is another plus for this gun is that if the ammo runs out you can use it for a club, something to prop the side of your house up, or in the case of the M44 you could use it for a shisk-ka-bob for cooking over the open fire.

 

[CountryBoy19]

-Because of forests and hills, 300 yards is probably the max distance you'll be shooting.

Ya aint ever been up to Nurthen Indiana have ya?

I have a 500 yard shooting range at my parents place in NE IN, and that's just because it was the most convenient place to build a backstop (there are no natural backstops in N IN, you must pile the dirt up yourself). I can easily stretch my range out to 1100 yards by cutting down about 10 trees to clear a line of sight, and building another backstop further back on the property. If it weren't for the dang pesky roads that we can't shoot across, I could shoot as far as any gun physically could without hitting these mysterious obstructions called "forests and hills". Bout the longest I could possibly get in my parents area (if they owned enough land) would be 2400 yards (shooting diagonal across a 1 sq mile block).

Sorry for the thread jack...

I'll say a great SHTF rifle for that AO would be a R700 set up for long range shooting.

 

[teddy12b]

Sorry for the thread jack...

That's not a thread jack. Most people really don't understand just how 300 yards really is. If things ever get bad I don't want to watch a deer walk off at 400 yards because I could make the shot for any number of good reasons.

 

[gunowner930]

OK, it has been said before but the Mosin Nagant M38 or M44 is the gun you should use.
Because if "300 yards is probably the max distance you'll be shooting" that is an easy iron sight shot for this gun.
If the "Ammo must be common" this is and it is very cheap so you can buy it cheap & stack it deep!
If the "Parts must be somewhat easy to find" why would you need parts for a gun that doesn't wear out!
I guess that covers the "Reliability" issue too!
The "Optics" issue you could do an easy scout mount but why? You are only shooting 300 yds or less there would be no need. If you are wanting to watch your prey use your binoculars.
And if you have "only $1000" budget you could buy 3 or 4 & have money for a bunch of ammo.
There is another plus for this gun is that if the ammo runs out you can use it for a club, something to prop the side of your house up, or in the case of the M44 you could use it for a shisk-ka-bob for cooking over the open fire.

There's plenty of choices now for under $1000. However, if self-defense is even a secondary requirement, bolt actions rifles or carbines should be eliminated from consideration.