[supergus]

I have a Mossberg 500 with tactical light, pistol grip and buttstock shell holder. I also have a .45 auto and a S&W 686 Plus 7 shot. Oh yeah, and my wife's J-Frame .38 +p. I was considering getting a mid range rifle; I don't think I need one that'll hit out to 600 yds.(or do I?) but something that'll hit out farther than my Mossy. Do I need a rifle or should I save my $ and start socking away ammo for the guns I already have? Gimme some thoughts.

[Dillinger]

Well, I guess that kind of depends on your wallet my friend. There is no real answer for this question. After all, you can only carry so much gear.

My personal opinion is that every one interested needs a weapon for each category.

Pistols are to fight with until you can get your hands on a rifle/assault rifle/shotgun.

Shotguns are good for getting small game in times of need and great for clearing rooms / hallways.

An "assault rifle" has some duplicate measures as the shotgun, but it also features sustained fire capabilities.

A good boltgun, in either .223 or .308, will have plenty of ammo available and it can reach out and touch most things that you would "need" to touch should the need arise. If your assault rifle and your boltgun share the same ammo, you can save trouble that way. The downside is my custom loads for my .308 are not what I would want to run through a semi autoloader, but I could if the need did arise.

But, if money is tight, don't over extend yourself and make sure you have plenty of what you need for you and yours. There is more to consider than just weapons and ammo.

JD

[bkt]

What Dillinger said.

Handguns are what you use to get to something more powerful. Shotguns are fine for close-quarters issues.

A mid- to long-range rifle is a must-have, IMO. Many older milsurp rifles are outstanding at long range and the ammo isn't a bank-buster.

[matt g]

A good medium to long range gun is always a useful tool. You might want to pick up an M14, CETME or FAL when you've got some spare cash. If nothing else, the larger round will ensure that you make quick kills when hunting and the high capacity, box magazine will be useful in defensive situations.

[G21.45]

My, 'Bible' for this sort of thing is anything written by FerFAL. As far as I'm concerned, one of the most interesting comments he ever made is to the effect that inside a hostile urban environment - or anywhere you are subject to circumspect paramilitary scrutiny - no rifle (or shotgun) is worth anything unless it is, (1) short enough to readily wield inside an automobile, and (2) able to be easily concealed inside a coat and underneath your arm while moving about in public.

Unless you live somewhere like on a farm in Iowa, the ability to hit beyond 300 yards ain't worth much. Instead, it's better to be able to walk through town in the middle of the day while well armed without some sniper (official or otherwise) taking you out because you're the only target who's plainly sporting an EBR for all the world to see.

[Quasi]

Good thread. What about a defending your home scenario, not from the single burglar, but from urban unrest / looters? I have a Mossberg 500, but it seems like a rifle of some kind might be more useful for, say, keeping the zombies at bay in a SHTF scenario? Can you get anything decent for under $500-600?

[Dillinger]

Originally Posted by Quasi

Good thread. What about a defending your home scenario, not from the single burglar, but from urban unrest / looters? I have a Mossberg 500, but it seems like a rifle of some kind might be more useful for, say, keeping the zombies at bay in a SHTF scenario? Can you get anything decent for under $500-600?

Yes. Yes you can.

JD

[RL357Mag]

Originally Posted by supergus

I have a Mossberg 500 with tactical light, pistol grip and buttstock shell holder. I also have a .45 auto and a S&W 686 Plus 7 shot. Oh yeah, and my wife's J-Frame .38 +p. I was considering getting a mid range rifle; I don't think I need one that'll hit out to 600 yds.(or do I?) but something that'll hit out farther than my Mossy. Do I need a rifle or should I save my $ and start socking away ammo for the guns I already have? Gimme some thoughts.

Get the ammo as well as other important SHTF items like dry & canned food, water, water purifiers, generator, etc.etc.etc.! Unless your defending a country homestead you shouldn't need a rifle, but if you feel the urge, any gunshop should have a used surplus bolt rifle for under $200 that will perform as designed. Or you can get an SKS or (gag) and AK-47 for $100 more! Depends on where you live, where you are going or staying, and how well trained you are. A good shotgun can throw a slug out to 75 yds. or more, accurately. Do you need more?

[ScottG]

You already have the 686 and the wife's .38. The perfect companion to those would be a nice levergun. Get yourself a Rossi/Puma/Navy Arms Winchester clone in .357/.38. Very good mid range shooting the magnificently lethal magnum or the special. That way you can interchange ammo between guns.

If you could, pick up a milsurp. Some of them are starting to get harder to find and more expensive. The Swiss K31 is a very accurate weapon. I can hit large plate sized targets out to about 100 - 200 yards. The ammo is a bit pricey, but you stock up in advance. Another option would be a British Enfield. Again, ammo is not that rare, but a little expensive. However, from what I've investigated, it seems that the bolt action is very smooth and easy to manipulate. In fact, during WWI the Germans were said to have thought when the Enfields were being shot at them, the rate of fire was so fast they believed they were facing machine gun fire. It has a ten round mag, twice as much as most other bolties.

If you qualify, you might want to check out the Civilian Marksmanship Program and look into getting a M1 Carbine or the storied Garand itself. (the greatest battle implement ever devised.... had to get that in there!) Surplus ammo is plentiful and relatively cheap.

[CA357]

I think a .357 carbine like ScottG suggested can work, but I'm going to suggest a Marlin 94. That's strictly my personal preference.
I think a better choice in a levergun would be a Marlin 94 chambered in 30-30. It's a true rifle cartridge, will take most game in North America and is a proven manstopper at range. A great advantage to a levergun is that they look all American, kind of cowboy and don't have the evil black rifle look.