Rifle for Bug Out

[grunt soldier]

i would say you need to play with a couple different guns, a ak, m4, maybe a m1a scout or something similar and see what your most comfortable with. i can tell you all day long that my ak is best but it may be to short for you.

but my bug out gun with be my m1a socom 11. its gas piston, dead on out to 500 meters, still small enough to clear rooms with (16 in barrel), packs a good punch and is just plain reliable. the one downside is that the gun and scope weigh about 11 pounds. to me that isn't a problem but some it may be to heavy for.


as to the other person who asked about the 22. everyone should own a couple. i have a tactical solutions 10-22 all done up with a red dot and it weights like 3lbs fully loaded and is dead on the money out to 100. the ammo weighs nothing. you can carry 2k rounds like its nothing and everyone has one so easy to find more

 

[devildog178]

An AR is an excellent choice. Light weight, decent power, low recoil, ammo is everywhere. Plus you can throw in a .22 conversion kit for cheap practice.

 

[hidesert]

I have a SA-M5 (AK) in .223 or a SLR105a1 AK74. Mags and ammo are light. A G19 for a secondary.
A 10/22 with a scope/ NS scope and suppressor may be one of the most valuable guns to have.
Dispose of hostiles without disclosure. Wounds of any kind may be life threatening, a bullet wound more so. This goes for the bad guy as well as you. Staying out of intense firefights for you and your loved ones is critical. A discreet, unknown shot, disabling, dissuading, or killing a potential threat or threats undetected will improve movement and survivability.

A .22 for me is a key component weapon. The right set up is a force multiplier.

 

[Tranquillity308]

I'm shocked that only one person slightly mentioned the 7.62x51/.308 Winchester cartridge. If someone is "bugging out" you never know the conditions and situations, so you need a round that can hit at both close and relatively far (300-500 yards) ranges, and you'd want it to be able to penetrate cover. Both the .223 and 7.62x39 cartridges cannot do that. The .223 is great for certain applications, but past 200 yards or so it lacks the speed (and fragmentation) to do the damage it was designed for. Also, the 55/62 grain bullets do not penetrate well. The .308 can shoot through small trees, and still puts out tremendous energy at targets 800 yards away!

 

[teddy12b]

Most people don't think in terms of long range shooting. I agree with what you're saying though.

I shoot 223's for long range practice, not long range effects. Shooting steel targets gives you a real good perspective on the downrange power of different cartridges. I personally am transitioning from 223 long range to more 308 based just because of that. I just sold a 223 that was a no-brainer to make hits out to 700 yards with. It had outstanding accuracy and was a good caliber, but at that distance it'll still punch a hole but not have much energy behind it. If you had to pull the trigger on something while bugging out, odds are good you need it to go down right then and there.

 

[Regionnus Rattis]

The term "bugging out" has a full menu of definitions, depending upon the situation. If I have some time available, then I will have a shotgun, rifles, pistols, and ammo. But if all I can do is hightail it out without any means of transport, every member in the family is grabbing her 10/22 and several thousands of rounds, which are already ready to go in a moments notice.

 

[Kase]

I'd run with an AK, 30-06(or something close to it) on my back, and a rimfire pistol on the side. It doesn't get much more versatile than that

 

[JTinIN]

I'm shocked that only one person slightly mentioned the 7.62x51/.308 Winchester cartridge. If someone is "bugging out" you never know the conditions and situations, so you need a round that can hit at both close and relatively far (300-500 yards) ranges, and you'd want it to be able to penetrate cover. Both the .223 and 7.62x39 cartridges cannot do that. The .223 is great for certain applications, but past 200 yards or so it lacks the speed (and fragmentation) to do the damage it was designed for. Also, the 55/62 grain bullets do not penetrate well. The .308 can shoot through small trees, and still puts out tremendous energy at targets 800 yards away!

Down side of most 308's is they are a little bit heavier / larger to carry and use. While I like the 308s, for a faster handling rifle that is more of a large side arm either an AK or AR works a little better for me, in particular if I am going to have it on me 24/7. However, that said a friends DSA FAL carbine was not bad and was an interesting option.

Friend of mine younger brother was looking at one of his HK91s to carry for duty. After a day of shooting where he had to carry it all the time .. he went with an AR ;-).

Lastly some of the 75 gr rounds help with the .223 and if someone is 300 plus yards away, maybe time to keep still and let them pass during "bad times".... or load the belt ;-)

 

[Tranquillity308]

Down side of most 308's is they are a little bit heavier / larger to carry and use. While I like the 308s, for a faster handling rifle that is more of a large side arm either an AK or AR works a little better for me, in particular if I am going to have it on me 24/7. However, that said a friends DSA FAL carbine was not bad and was an interesting option.

Friend of mine younger brother was looking at one of his HK91s to carry for duty. After a day of shooting where he had to carry it all the time .. he went with an AR ;-).

Lastly some of the 75 gr rounds help with the .223 and if someone is 300 plus yards away, maybe time to keep still and let them pass during "bad times".... or load the belt ;-)

True, I understand the weight issue. It does boil down to personal preference. I have a PTR91 and it's fairly heavy, I think it's about 9.2 pounds unloaded. Ideally, you'd want more than one gun in a situation like this anyway. If I could choose anything, I'd pick a .308, an AR, a shotgun, a couple pistols, the works!

 

[RichardR]

If I could only take a single long-gun with me as I was bugging out, it'd be a shotgun.

 

[teddy12b]

if someone is 300 plus yards away, maybe time to keep still and let them pass during "bad times".... or load the belt ;-)

Completely agree. My reason for wanting to take shots in excess of 300 yards is deer. I hate to see a supply of food walk off because I didn't have the equipment to make the shot.

 

[Smitty506th]

Why do people always talk about "a" bug out long gun. I am going nowhere without an AR and a 12g. I also have a 10/22 for a second person as well as three handguns (to split between us). There is no ONE SIZE FITS ALL when it comes to a weapon (tool). Sure you need to evaluate the ammo (weight) and think through what to pack but no rifle, shotgun or handgun can solve all of your problems. If you are packing to much then dig a hole and store it or just dump the excess, I would rather pack more and need to cache/dump than not have a vital tool at my disposal.

You may only need to bug out to a rally point where you will meet up with friends or family and when you link up there may be a need for more weapons, ammo or supplies. I say get fit and either carry your go bag or practice with its weight at least once a month to better refine your gear and you.

 

[dom1104]

Ar15. Breaks in two. fits into a backpack. shoots 5.56 and 22lr.

Doesnt get any better than that.

 

[indyk]

me 7.62x39

Im comfortable shooting skeets at 200 Yards with My Arsenal 7.62x39, It would serve as my limited range DMR with attached optics and Close quarters rifle. 100%

The 7.62 is not finniky with anything NOTHING, there's no clogging or dirty gas systems, Theres not alot of misc parts to worry about malfuntioning.
Rain, snow, mud, sand, dust, freezing temps will not affect it, It can be taken apart and cleaned in seconds, if it even needed it.

The only concerns I have with this rifle is the abundance of 7.62x39rounds that could be randomly...found. Ya im gonna have plenty but what happens when I run out???

so

I would also take a belly feeder 12 with me, I own an autoloader but theres that chance that it can malfuntion, so I would take a 500 or 870 with me also.

hopefully I will never have to "Bug out"

 

[teddy12b]

Why do people always talk about "a" bug out long gun. I am going nowhere without an AR and a 12g. I also have a 10/22 for a second person as well as three handguns (to split between us). There is no ONE SIZE FITS ALL when it comes to a weapon (tool). Sure you need to evaluate the ammo (weight) and think through what to pack but no rifle, shotgun or handgun can solve all of your problems. If you are packing to much then dig a hole and store it or just dump the excess, I would rather pack more and need to cache/dump than not have a vital tool at my disposal.

You may only need to bug out to a rally point where you will meet up with friends or family and when you link up there may be a need for more weapons, ammo or supplies. I say get fit and either carry your go bag or practice with its weight at least once a month to better refine your gear and you.

I agree. I plan on staying home, but if I had to leave I'd be leaving in an SUV packed to the gils with food, supplies, and every gun I could put in there, but the gun I'd keep the most handy is probably my 308.

 

[EvilKidsMeal]

i agree with anyone who said a .22lr small, lightweight, easy to carry thousands of rounds. it can kill most things you would run into with well placed shots. and IMO anything outside the range of a .22 is not worth messing with. carry a pistol with a bigger caliber on top of that and i feel like i'd be set.
if i had the transportation or other means of carrying as many guns as i could then of course i would do so. but if i had to bug out on foot where going undetected is important then i would chose a lightweight .22 with multiple magazines and a few thousand rounds of ammo, and a pistol for things that a .22 might not fair as well against.

 

[randyb]

If anything happened, I'd probably just grab my Saiga. I have a big enough variety of shells for it that it seems pretty versatile.

Is there anyone here with one of those M6 survival rifles? They seem like they'd be good for a SHTF scenario.

i have an m6 and its a fun gun, but not one I would prefer in a SHTF. Tot he orignial point the Bug out gun for me is an AR. It could be argued a good levergun like in 30-30 or .44 mag. might be a better option as it doesn't scream assault rifle. Another go to gun for me is the .22 LR. If I was walking out, the AR-15, XDM in 9mm and a buckmark .22 would be the three I would carry.

 

[Bondhead88]

I appreciate everyone's input and I think everyone has a valid point to their opinion. having said that i was looking info for a bug out gun. Which needed to be light weight keep my weight and ammo necessity down.

There are reasons to have other guns stored and usable and usually at rally points or hold out places.

I would agree that there would be many additional long guns needed at those ponts or if there was more than one person bugging out then (maybe) different types of guns could be taken and used.

 

[MilitaryArms]

How could you not love that?

 

[motoman]

bugout probably means the world as you know it is over. you are not going to be able to meticulously clean your ar15 which would be required for it to work. the ak47, m14 or 308 type rifle would be without a doubt the weapon you would need. maybe not what you would want but what you would need.