[Old Soldier]

Well as has been said there really is NO miracle rifle that will do every thing. My "survival" weapons are Browning 22 cal rifle, AR-15 with lots of magazines, M-1 Grand that I was "raised" on as a teen-ager and used it in Korea, Viet-Nam and I can attest that it did the "job" and along with AP ammo, and last but not least my Remington 870 "Police" shotgun with 00 Buck .

[Charliebonz]

A good mental exercise!

Reckon if I had to narrow down to one gun, it'd probably be a pump 12 gauge shotgun with 20 to 24 inch barrel. It'll take shot for birds & small game, buckshot or slugs for larger game and protection from carnivores and 2 legged varmits.

If I had to choose a rifle, it'd be a bolt gun in .223. Loaded down to 22LR velocities or 22Mag velocities for small game, full power loads with heavier bullets, 65 to 70 grains for up to deer size game.

I don't have one, but have often considered a Savage model 24F that, like a drilling, has both a shotgun barrel and a rifle barrel. I think they still come in 12 or 20 gauge with a choice of rimfire or centerfire rifle in different calibers.

Just my 2 cents!

[Bonoman6969]

I have been thinking about this alot and If I had to choose 1 and only 1 firearm it would be an AR15. Its light weight, Extremly acurate, great for hunting and self defence, Rugged. Not to mention ammo readily available.

[WILDCATT]

a Marlin 60.ammo is every where. gun is reliable accurate.you can kill deer if you hit it right. and in this kind of situation you will learn to hunt.an carry far more ammo it might not be good on bear but you would learn to avoid
confrontations.and you dont want to announce your presence.
I still like my M1 and the AR15 and carbine.

[MarkoPo]

Wow I thought this was going ot be a AR-15 vs AK47 thread. Since I only own 2 long guns, a Ruger 10/22 and a SKS, I would have to take my chances with my SKS. It has a 30 round clip for optimal capacity. It is fairly accurate up to 150 yards. Can take down deer easily and wouldn't tear a rabbit apart with a well placed shot. I wouldn't be afraid of coming across a bear either. I don't hardly anything could survive 15-20 well placed shots with a SKS, short of a rhino or elephant. But nothing in the USA at least. The .22 would be ok for small game, nothing bigger then a coyote, but wouldn't cut it if self defense ever came into play.

[bgeddes]

If it was a bad guy situation, I'm with Matt on the M60 boat. Long range, lots of lead in a hurry, and reliable.
Otherwise, 95% of the lost in the woods scenarios could be dealt with in .22 cal or some sort. Lightweight ammo so you'll carry it, and accurate enough to feed you. Middle ground, or unknown, I take a commonly chambered arm. SKS, AK or AR in the typical 7.62 or 5.56. Enough stopping power for two legged predators, combined with the ability to deliver quickly to multiple targets.

[Flint Rock]

If limited to one rifle I choose a Marlin 1894C in .357 magnum. Ammo is easy to find or reload, cheap, and effective against most things. I have used a .38 Special load to take rabbits (no kidding) and a .357 Magnum load (180 grain) to take deer. Plus we all know that the .357 has few peers when it comes to dealing with two legged problems!!! Light, fast handling, good capacity, low recoil and low noise signature, and accurate enough to do the job at hand.

[robocop10mm]

Some would say that a tubular magazine weapon is a poor choice in a survival situation. If the mag tube gets dented, you are screwed. I don't necessarily agree with that as the tube mag rifles were put through a lot of abuse in the "Old West" and seemed to do well. It is a valid point (IMHO) but not a huge concern.

[preventec47]

Nearly everyone has ignored the weight of ammo. If you want to carry
thousands of rounds to last the longest, the only thing that makes
sense is a single shot .223 with a cartridge adapter that would let
you shoot 22 long rifle bullets. Carry a hundred .223 bullets for
deer and occasional man defense and one thousand 22 rimfire
long rifle and one thousand 22 rimfire short bullets.

If defense against man were the priority ( lets face it if you cant
survive near term encounters then food in the future wont
be an issue) If that be the case forget the 22 rimfire and
carry a few hundred rounds of 223 and get the lightweight folding
Keltec 223 semi auto that uses M-16 magazines.
Anyone that suggests carrying shotgun ammo is nuts and any
ammo heavier than 223 is excess.

[jeepejeep]

To me there's nothing more versitile than a good 12 gauge shotgun. You can hunt anything from bears to bunnies,great manstopper, ammo is a bit bulky and heavy but I'll deal with that. With 2 barrels, a rifled barrel for slugs and a smooth bore barrel with interchangable chokes, you have all you'd ever need.