Looking at AR-15s

[mpstan]

Hi all,

I'm researching AR 15s for the same reason most here are.... personal and home defense if things go to "mad max", and becuase I'm afraid that if I wait much longer I won't be able to get one.

Never owned one; right now I own a 12ga shotgun, 2 .270 deer rifles, and my favorite, a 6.5x55 Swede chambered Tikka deer rifle.

Because of my last selection, I started hand-loading. As far as AR-15s go, I'm thinking about the newer 6.8mm version, which should have better stopping power than a 5.56 but less recoil than an AR-10 with a .308.

If I'm not afraid to handload, are there other negatives to considering the 6.8mm?

Thanks!

[Nowhere Man]

I'm of limited means, but the basic rule of thumb is if you are in that boat, a pump action shotgun would be nice and versatile. After that a handgun, it will serve as a backup to your shotgun or if you cannot have the shotgun the handgun will fill the gap as a last ditch defense. If you have better means, the shotgun will be the backup and you get a rifle, perferrably 5.56mm NATO or 7.62mm NATO, the lighter caliber first.

Myself, I would love to have an M1 Garand or I wish I even had the KAR-98 7.92mm Wehrmacht rifle my grandfather brought home from WWII. I'm a bit of a World War II buff. I'd love to even have one of the Henry rifles I've seen advertised on Retro Television Network, some of those are based on the old level action Winchester or even the M1860 lever action rifle that was used in the Civil War.

[Nowhere Man]

Good points about deer hunting too, i a survivalist book I have, “Life After Doomsday,” the author recommends hunting with semi-auto weapons like the AR-180 (AR-15) or HK-91 because when you shoot that deer, everyone within 5 miles will hear you and will look around to find you. Depending if they are good or bad, well the latter, the weapon functions for self defense too. I know you can make improvised silencers as well.

[Kickass Conservative]

Get a Stag Arms Model 5, 6.8. You can buy a 5.56 upper, so you will basically have two guns in one.

Problem with 6.8 is the ammo. It ain't cheap, and it ain't plentiful.

The Stags are reasonably priced and very dependable with a lifetime warranty. Like everything else, they are about two months or more in back orders. If you find them anywhere else, the price will be significantly more than list.

[Paine's Ghost]

I have an LWRC with 1148 Rounds of .223
Sig Sauer .40
Beretta 25
Shotgun
I have a cross-bow (silent hunting)

We believe we can make it exclusively on our food storage.
See http://www.nitro-pak.com/
We have several Nalgene barrels for water and a stream running through our property. A lake is nearby
We have water prurification devices.

I own a Wrangler and Harley and a rugged go-kart (all have survival capabilities.
We have survival radios

My basement is deep below ground and our safe room could survive anything shy of ground zero.
We have two dogs, Doberman and Lab

My son and oldest daughter are blackbelts.
We OWE nothing
We take survuval seriously.

[buccaneer81]

Good points about deer hunting too, i a survivalist book I have, “Life After Doomsday,”

Great book. I bought it back in college in 1983, and I still read it once in a while for ideas. Not sensationalistic, but very much to the point. The only outdated pages are those dealing with full scale nuke attack targets.

[jim-x]

“Myself, I would love to have an M1 Garand...”

here ya go:
http://www.thecmp.org/m1garand.htm

[Kitanis]

I still have my fathers KAR-98 that he brought back from the war.

he refinished the stock on it once.. I sort of wished he hadn't but it is original.. and the serial number on it indicates it was made sometime in late 1943 or early 1944.

I also have his PPK that he brought back.. but I need to get a new extractor for it.

[Kitanis]

I still have my fathers KAR-98 that he brought back from the war.

he refinished the stock on it once.. I sort of wished he hadn't but it is original.. and the serial number on it indicates it was made sometime in late 1943 or early 1944.

I also have his PPK that he brought back.. but I need to get a new extractor for it.

[Jack Hammer]

Don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade, but at this point you’ll pretty much have to take what you can get. ANY sort of military style 5.56 or 7.62 rifle is almost impossible to find.

[Radio_Silence]

Just buy a Lewis Machine & Tool MRP(Monolithic Rail Platform). It’s a bit pricey but is mil spec, offers a free float rail system, and the ability to switch between calibers in a couple of minutes. It’s the Swiss army knife of AR platforms and is high quality machines and super accurate.

For standard ARs I’d go with a Colt 6920 or Std MRP Defender 2000. Skip everything else.

[BlueDragon]

There isn't that much recoil to .308, there is no reason to shun it. It's basically a shortened 30-'06, and will more-or-less do what an '06 will do (nothing to be sneezed at) out to 200 yrds, maybe 250. Which is where '06 comes into it's own. Noticeably flatter out further...with more remaining ft. lbs energy remaining at longer ranges.

.308Winchester for most all intents and purposes IS 7.62 X 51 NATO. The civilian .308 sporter rounds are generally a bit hotter, and have easier to re-load boxer primers than the military berdan primer, but otherwise work well enough interchangebly. A big plus, like other posters here have mentioned already. Belted 7.62 NATO can be broken down from the linkage holding them together and feed into most any .308 Winchester chambering. The military has many train loads amounts full of belted 7.62.

I do wish that most all civilians were issued and trained with .308. Otherwise as far as any future militia goes, we have an overwhelming variety of chamberings, if we all bring our favorite hunting rifles. Heck, I'd be tempted to bring a 7mm RemMag. Flat purty fur out there...but a bastard to reload for. One of the 'touchy' ones, problematic, with only small margins for error, and that's not to mention the bulges that one can end up near the belt, when full length re-sizing.

If one is going to reload one's own brass --- avoid beginning with, or learning the basics using 7mmMag. Both .308 & -'06 are much more forgiving. And safer though all guns & bullets & re-loading, are potentially dangerous, of course.

Another thing perhaps not to overlook when comparing the fairly new 6.8 mm with the fairly venerable .308, is there is as much reloading data concerning the .308 as there is any other chambering --- and like 30-06, MORE data than many any other chamberings, applicable to, I would wager, the particular 6.8 mm chambering you are considering.

For the .308 & the 30-06 Springfield, it's the same bullet(s), for starters (ok, .308 usually only goes up to 180 grn) and all the bullet AND powder manufacturers have extensive experience with them, and publish up-to-date data concerning them. All of which makes it easier to build up loads safely, and change loadings, primers, make of brass (even who made the brass, can make a difference) or particular 'bullet' in combination with all of the above. But just change one thing at time, or sort-of basically start all over when changing powders particularly, primers also, remembering too that Remington and Winchester cases are not necassarily exactly interchangabe with different powder/primer/bullet combos. Performance can and will vary. It's been proven. Like, before I was born (and I'm getting old!) Be careful. Follow the book(s), and that IS plural.

[Kirkwood]

I hate it when people take a perfectly good thread on a gun question and decides to turn it into a completely different topic that has no relevance to the question being asked. I also hate it when the thread-turner assumes that the thread-originator is a complete idiot or has the intelligence of a 3-year old, when that is clearly not the case. If you want to discuss general emergency preparedness, then why don't you go start your own thread instead of hijacking one on a totally different topic?

[Southack]

Yawn...

[RDasher]

Firefox with Image Zoom also Zooms out... works slick.

[RDasher]

Should be plenty of SKS’s around. Great little rifle for not much $$. 7.62x39 ammo

[Jack Hammer]

Yes, RUSSIAN SKS rather than Chinese. A personal favorite of mine is the M1 Garand, still the same excellent rifle that defeated Nazi Germany and the Japanese Empire, and quite available. The 30-’06 packs a big punch, too.

[smokingfrog]

Buy an AR15 lower. We know you really want the 6.8 right? Why not get it now why you can. Something in a longer barrel (stainless maybe) for long distance shooting. If you’re loading your own ammo, the extra expense is not that big a deal. Why not get the 5.56 upper too? In a short barrel for CQB, of course. Cheaper ammo for plinking and fun, and a good house gun.

[fso301]

Whatever you buy buy as a private sale. Whatever you already have that you bought from an FFL holder, come up with a good story as to why you no longer have it.

[rjamesca]

If you are of limited means, avoid the nostalgia stuff. You will have difficulty finding ammo for the K-98, and a Henry Rifle is very ineffective. Originals were in 44 Henry rimfire (extremely weaK) and most reproductions are generally 44 mag. & loading is cumbersome. These calibers are a poor choice, when .270, 30-06, 7mm Reg mag, & 308’s are prolific & more effective.

[FreedomCalls]

I hate it when people take a perfectly good thread on a gun question and decides to turn it into a completely different topic that has no relevance to the question being asked. ... If you want to discuss general emergency preparedness, then why don't you go start your own thread instead of hijacking one on a totally different topic?

Not to change the subject, but does your scroll button not work? I just scroll past the stuff I don't want to read. No one's forcing me to read this stuff. It must be difficult there where you are, what with your scroll button all broken and someone forcing you to read every comment in a thread.