[Shade]

Originally Posted by Shade

Our main cartridge for SHTF is the 5.56 NATO we reload to NATO
pressures.

Is it the "best cartridge" don't wanna beat that dead horse. It has a
bunch of pro's and con's. Biggest pro's for use were availability and
cost. It is also an effective round for security and hunting. The women
and kids can fire it too, if needed, without issue. We do not have large
dangerous game. Our biggest predators are the coyote and the 2 legged
dirtbag.

[TooStrongTerry]

Originally Posted by Shade

Is it the "best cartridge" don't wanna beat that dead horse. It has a
bunch of pro's and con's. Biggest pro's for use were availability and
cost. It is also an effective round for security and hunting. The women
and kids can fire it too, if needed, without issue. We do not have large
dangerous game. Our biggest predators are the coyote and the 2 legged
dirtbag.

Yeah thats how it is here. Coyotesand dirtbags. Alright i think ill do that.

[TLuker]

Originally Posted by TooStrongTerry

What caliber would u recommend? Likei said im in the market. I want one that is plentiful probably .223 or .308. .223 is cheaper and i can fill a fridge with it...but .308 goes BANG if u know what i mean

I like both but if SHTF I think the .223 would be better? Ammo is lighter, cheaper, and will still get the job done. You can also use a lighter rifle in general (a carbine) because there is less recoil. A semi auto will get off more accurate rounds faster because of less muzzle climb, and a bolt action will usually drive tacks. The .223 is also pretty versatile. It wouldn't be complete over kill on small game and can still take down big game.

.308 has much more effective range and a lot more punch, but I don't think that out weighs all the advantages of the .223? I prefer the .308 for big game and shooting over 200 yards, but that's about it.

And another round to keep in mind for later on is the .22 mag. The more I shoot that the more I like it. It's illegal to deer hunt with in my state, but if it weren't for that I wouldn't think twice about trying it on a deer within 200 yards (head shots).

[TooStrongTerry]

Originally Posted by TLuker

I like both but if SHTF I think the .223 would be better? Ammo is lighter, cheaper, and will still get the job done. You can also use a lighter rifle in general (a carbine) because there is less recoil. A semi auto will get off more accurate rounds faster because of less muzzle climb, and a bolt action will usually drive tacks. The .223 is also pretty versatile. It wouldn't be complete over kill on small game and can still take down big game.

.308 has much more effective range and a lot more punch, but I don't think that out weighs all the advantages of the .223? I prefer the .308 for big game and shooting over 200 yards, but that's about it.

And another round to keep in mind for later on is the .22 mag. The more I shoot that the more I like it. It's illegal to deer hunt with in my state, but if it weren't for that I wouldn't think twice about trying it on a deer within 200 yards (head shots).

Dude on my other post Hocka mentioned 22 mag. I was thinkin maybe my shotgun and a 22 mag for backup. Cheaper all around. But i haveno experience with em and round price are still up there...

[TLuker]

Originally Posted by TooStrongTerry

Dude on my other post Hocka mentioned 22 mag. I was thinkin maybe my shotgun and a 22 mag for backup. Cheaper all around. But i haveno experience with em and round price are still up there...

The .22 mag is a really good round and the more I use it the more I like it. It has all of the advantages of a .22LR (except price), but it has that extra ump a .22LR is missing. It doesn't have the capability of the .223 further out but it seems to be a good general purpose round. The one thing that gives the .223 the advantage for me right now is I don't know of any really good semi auto for the .22mag? But they do make some good lever and bolt actions, which might be the way to go anyway?

Like I said before, none of us know what we would need if SHTF so we're all just guessing. The biggest thing is to pick something you have confidence in.

[Mosin]

In Africa, SHTF all the time- AK

Russia SHTF during ww2-Mosin

Soviet Union collapsed, Russia and Eastern Europe- AK

SE Asia, SHTF-AK/SKS

Baghdad fell, SHTF-AK

South America has seen its share of SHTF- AK/FN FAL

Afghanistan got invaded by Soviets.-Enfield, AK, Stinger Missile.

I guess the moral to the story is, make due the best you can, with what you have.

[WhaleNoises]

Originally Posted by Mosin

In Africa, SHTF all the time- AK

Russia SHTF during ww2-Mosin

Soviet Union collapsed, Russia and Eastern Europe- AK

SE Asia, SHTF-AK/SKS

Baghdad fell, SHTF-AK

South America has seen its share of SHTF- AK/FN FAL

Afghanistan got invaded by Soviets.-Enfield, AK, Stinger Missile.

I guess the moral to the story is, make due the best you can, with what you have.

Or get an AK lol

[mountainskytop]

I am waiting fir KelTech to start shipping their RMR30 Carbine .22WMR this month and getting first user reviews. I think they have SOLVED finally the .22WMR autoloader problems with that cartridge!

[John_Deer]

In a self defense situation I would much rather have a rifle than a handgun. A carbine or semi-auto is more useful than a bolt action. Self defense is usually a close quarters, things happen quick situation. If someone was holding my wife with a gun to her head and I had to take them out instantly. I would rather have a marlin model 60 than any handgun. I know I can drop them like a bull in a pen. The handgun I am not that skilled with and from the bragging worthy targets I have seen not many people are that skilled, even the highly trained award winning shooter.

[Colby]

Originally Posted by John_Deer

In a self defense situation I would much rather have a rifle than a handgun. A carbine or semi-auto is more useful than a bolt action. Self defense is usually a close quarters, things happen quick situation. If someone was holding my wife with a gun to her head and I had to take them out instantly. I would rather have a marlin model 60 than any handgun. I know I can drop them like a bull in a pen. The handgun I am not that skilled with and from the bragging worthy targets I have seen not many people are that skilled, even the highly trained award winning shooter.

Yeah, I get your meaning. But are you preferring a Model 60 due to lots of previous experience and practice with it? It being only 22LR really limits it in the situation you describe - it seems. Tell me if I'm wrong...

I'm guessing you are thinking of a near perfect head shot with the 22 in that hostage situation. What if you didn't have a good head shot view? That 22 is not gonna do much to an arm or leg shot. But a larger caliber might - 223, 243, 270, 30-30, ... in rifles. Larger more powerful would tend to tear a big hole that would be very difficult for the bad guy to ignore.

I tend to agree that a handgun shot would be questionable - with the short sight radius. Though not impossible.

But one of the previous posters remarks about having 15 in the pistol mag makes a lot of sense - if a number of footsteps are coming up the stairs - whether you think it's too late or not - you don't give up at that point (as one poster seemed to imply) - you always try. But you need something to try with - and a high capacity handgun would be the key in that situation.

I don't happen to own a high capacity gun myself. But I'm thinking. I, too don't care for Glocks and their funky "non-safety" and short trigger pull. No thanks. No accidentally shootings for me.
But I did see a Ruger 95 that I had never heard of before, that has a lot of good characteristics. It's not a pretty or fancy gun - but it is reliable, by all accounts, long trigger pull, single and double action, exposed hammer, 15 round mag, a real safety, in cheap common 9mm ... all good things in my opinion. Oh... and it's cheap... does that count?