[Carriage Hill]

Full article is here.

[Carriage Hill]

Long-term SHTF rifle caliber choices Ping.

[mountainlion]

Is this guy a salesman for oddball stuff?

[MrB]

.22 LR

Well, it used to be... when you could actually buy it.

[umgud]

I’m partial to the ‘06, but it usually doesn’t come in a platform suited for SHTF like the more manuverable and higher capacity AR/AK guns.

[driftdiver]

.22 LR
.45 acp
.357 / .38
12 ga
5.56
30-06
.308

[Sybeck1]

30-30 has brought down a lot of deer over the years

[mad_as_he$$]

For long term buying anything other than common Military use calibers is foolish.

[rey]

In such a situation the only caliber worth while is one you can get ammo for.

Here’s my assessment. Chances are you may not remain stationary so you may have to pack everything. Stockpiles of ammo, food, and clothing will not work. You will not be driving long. Pack animals, maybe, but you will eventually become a target.

There are great air rifles on the market, you should possess one. You should have a mold for making pellets or bullets. Lead is plentiful in car batteries. A compound bow will be indispensible and often arrows may be reused or made more easily than firearm ammo. You can quietly feed yourself with an air weapon and/or bow.

As far as caliber, what ever is most plentiful.

[SgtHooper]

223/5.56 Nato for the reasonable prices now and widespread availability because so many other have it; 22 LR for the same reasons, and 12 ga shotgun. 308/762 Nato is good, but pricey now. 338 is fine but on the high end. Anybody who buys oddball calibers and gauges for SHTF purposes is not thinking straight.

[Patriot95]

Everyone should have at least 1 Mosin Nagant. Surplus ammo is pretty cheap. I know it’s highly debatable, but I love my AK too and the ammo is much cheaper than for that AR.

[Patriot95]

Scratch the AK, I didn’t realize we were talking about hunting.

[DCBryan1]

Mine? Suppressed Ruger 10/22 with a John Norrell trigger pack......quiet and 1200 rpm

[ChildOfThe60s]

Let’s get realistic. Best ammo? That which you have a closet full of which goes into a reliable firearm.

AK vs whatever. You have an AK with 2,000 rounds *each* of hollow point, 154 gn soft point and FMJ. Or you can have a 444 and 200 rounds.

Something reliable with a decent punch and a LOT of it.

[central_va]

In a complete “civilization breakdown” scenario the fellow that can make his own ammo will be the last one standing. You can get highly accurate muzzle loading rifles with scopes that have a never ending supply of ammo that you can mold and make yourself. Black powder is the Long Long term solution....

[LibLieSlayer]

Which calibers do the Military and police use most? Those calibers are stockpiled in massive quantities. The 5.56 NATO round for a light rifle caliber. 7.62mm NATO (.308) would be a nice choice for a high powered round with fairly good trajectory and knock down power and if you need massive power... the .50 BMG is hard to beat and good for extreme range. There are many more fine calibers but if the SHTF... Cabelas is not going to be delivering nor Sportsman’s Guide nor Ammo Man nor Ammotogo.com nor MidwayUSA etc.

[NVDave]

If people would learn to reload, then we’d quit seeing articles like this one.

It isn’t rocket science, for cryin’ out loud.

[ßuddaßudd]

I hoard various caliber sizes, even the ones I dont use.
Excellent bartering material...

[DNME]

The “right” weapon for post-SHTF requires some outside-the-box thought.

First, availability of ammo. Stockpiles, by definition, do run down. You might want to consider a muzzleloader and bullet molds for making your own ammo, since even the biggest stockpile will slowly evaporate with target practice, use, etc.

Second, what is the purpose of your weapon? For putting meat on the table or civil warfare? The venerable .22LR is great for harvesting meat but pretty lame for shootin’ looters. Hunters can get by with a single-shot (think muzzleloader again) while combat shooting needs a vigorous repeater.

Third, how is your privacy situation? The sound of a gunshot may bring some unwanted attention, especially if there are “federales” nearby looking for dangerous troublemakers like you. Seriously consider a bow for your hunting needs.

Finally, what ammo will you be able to scrounge as the years add up? Odds are you’ll be able to find more 12-gauge ammo than you will 28-gauge, more .223 than 7mm and more 9mm for the pistol than .44 Magnum. Plan ahead for “field” resupply operations if CWII drags on.

[Rock Eye Jack]

22 lr
9 mm
223 Rem
30 06 Spr
12 gauge

and learn reloading

[Georgia Girl 2]

Remington 700 to ride into TEOTWAWKI? I don’t think my first or last choice would be a rifle with a known history of misfires. More like a Savage 10 in .338 Lapua Magnum. :-)