In this scenario, I would simply take a little hike (I live near the water) to the Sound (Puget Sound) and fish for food. There are lots of edible fish besides salmon, eg. sole, pacific cod, rock cod, etc. I would eat all the fish/shellfish I need and trade the rest.

Too supplement food supply, I can hunt squirrels in my backyard with my little 10/22. A little runoff stream runs through it, so fresh water isn't a problem. Friends have property on Lopez Island which would be a perfect place to hold up. Lots of deer and no hunting pressure. Just for kicks, they once sat on their porch and counted 26 deer in about an hour.

Given the number of people buying them I suspect a lot of people will be using a Mosin Nagant for a survival rifle. Local gun shops have been routinely running specials for a MN rifle and sealed can of 440 rds of ammo for less than $200. On any given day at the local State run outdoor range 20%-30% of the shooting stations will have MN rifles on them.

A couple years ago a Big Box store had a sale on 3 barrel single barrel combo sets. I bought one with 223, 20 ga and 50 caliber muzzle loader and it all came is a soft case. For substance style hunting that will do everything I really need.

There's not much to go wrong or break on a Mosin or other late 19th design. I suppose that if the stock breaks, one can sit and whittle a new one. If spare parts were a problem and dubious reloaded ammo with cast bullets the norm... I'd expect a Mosin to remain in service much longer than an AR.

But.... if one wants to go about the idea of forage seriously, a few companies still make the classic of the genre used back in the days when folks really did wander the woods with a gun and a hatchet. These are the 20 gauge trade guns, flintlocks, capable of firing either shot or a solid ball. A more modern stainless steel action, synthetic stock, fiber optic sighted flintlock has been offered by T/C (I think it was). Down side was that I recall it having a rifled barrel.

Though it might be better to get a larger bore trade gun made. A bore of .75 or above tends to work much better with the sort of crude black powder made at home. Cast your own shot, make your own powder, find and make your own flints...

You will actually see guns of this type - sometimes made from plumbing supplies - in the Third World and other primitive areas where they actually do serve their purpose in furthering a hand to mouth existence.

I tried that organized evacuation.
I will stay home.
If everybody leaves I have a grocery store handy to loot + I got all the guns here.
I am too old to run.
Blessings

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TEXAS, by GOD

Here's my "worst case scenario" rifle:





Plain old Mini-14 with 8 factory 30 round mags. If I need more than that I'll just have to convert.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

good choice. ive had several AR's, some good, some bad. never had a Mini hiccup...ever.
i hate these SHTF type threads, i need at least one good shotgun, a 10/22, my Mini 14, the Socom, and a couple pistols. i sure aint running anywhere

I don't hear much about the mini 30. I would prefer anything over a 223 anything. Flapjack.

The main problem, as I understand it, with the Mini 30 is magazines. Like the Mini 14, it has a rep for not liking aftermarket mags. Until recently you were limited to Ruger 5-rounders and Eagle 10s. Now Ruger will sell you 20s, but they are 40 bucks each. That's a heap of money for a "battle rifle". I found a good deal, a couple of years ago, on Ruger 20s for the 14, and bought ten. But if I was going to war, ten wouldn't be enough. At 40 bucks each, I couldn't afford ten. AK mags run 10 or 15 bucks each. When you can get three 30s for the price of one 20, it kinda tips the scales away from the Mini.

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I always take precautions

If I was going to consider a Mini 30 I would just go ahead and buy an AK clone. Not much price differance and a more proven system.

My homestead defender has been a 625JM and 240 loaded moonclips of 230gr FMJ .45 ACP 'ball' ammo - now with a Governor to share those duties.



I finally broke down, several months back, and bought an AR - a S&W M&P 15 Sport - stock - all I need. Some ammo, spare mags and, and a tote,too.



I also have a few Nagants... but they are anemic 7-shooters with hard to pull triggers and slow, SA-like, reloading.



The Vic SAK, 'Farmer', is likely as deadly. I do keep loaded speedloaders and moonclips, stoked with PD ammo, in my office - easy access - for everything in the safe. I don't plan on leaving - although I have a 'BOB' in case of fire, etc.

Stainz

There is one downside to Ruger factory mags. That is the factory finish. While the mags will feed reliably, they are blued. Thus they are more prone to rust than the various and sundry mags that feature military style coatings. They also can reflect light. Easily enough corrected with some Duracoat or even a can of Rustoleum. I saw a stack of GBs that were sold by a state DoC when they traded them in. Pretty much all the 20rd mags showed signs of rust and pitting. Any Walmart should have cans of flat camo colored spray paint in stock, at least during hunting season.

Might not be a bad idea to paint a rifle intended for a Bad Day at Black Rock. Wood stocks often also allow reflected light and a quick paint job will help break up the outline of the weapon. Tends to look ugly, but once a person enters into the realm of BDBR guns, might as well do it up all the way.

The Mini-30 takes a lot of abuse, written abuse, that is. At least you can get a decent 20-round magazine. Unfortunately, you can't do that for a 7.62x39 upper you can run on your AR. That's a shame. It would make a nice combination that lacks only decent magazines.

I have nothing against the Mini-30. Mine works very well. I don't need fifteen magazines for it. If I have three or four, that should do it. My main concern is ammunition. If you buy high quality, reliable ammo, 7.62x39 is not cheap. If you buy the imported, junky stuff, you sometimes find you get about an equal number of clicks and bangs. Some of it I have had has been useless for anything except teaching youngsters how to clear a malfunction.

I do have a few for the SHTF scenario.
S&W M-4 5.56 w/a 22 conversion and more ammo for both than I can count.

Remington SPS 308 for longer shots...again way more ammo than I can carry.

Finally...I aint moving this'un again

Ammoman.com has some good Yugo Surplus 7.62 x 39 in brass cases, and copper jacket bullets. I've shot some of this and it's not as nice as US Commercial ammo it's a cut above the steel cased Barnual stuff. The downside of this ammo is that it's mildly corrosive and is berdan primed. Which is a shame as all those nice brass cases and not reloader friendly.
Price is cheap at $0.22 a round DELIVERED, at 630 rounds.

Palidin,

Since I kinda dumped on your thread, I have a peace offering. Somewhere in my magazine box, I think I have a magazine for your rifle. Send me your address and I will send you the mag.

Out
West

It should be good for a few more world wars...

I second the Savage .22/410 O/U, just the ticket to keep food on the table. I have been told they where used on WW II bombers as the survival rifle.

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always trust your cape...

Make sure that you have the bayonet for it. They make handy pikes if it comes to that.

I think the best plan is to stockpile some food, as much as you can afford, at least 3 months, better 6 months, maybe even a year...

Rather than stockpile MRE's or other "survival" type foods I think just having normal can goods, with normal store bought canned meat itemsd is the way to go. Ie get the same stuff you would normally eat. While you normally eat it, resupply your "stash". This way you are not really out any money. I know people that 10 years ago they bought $$$ In MRE's, and other survival "grains", and now there stuff is expired, so their money was spent and not "used".
By buying "normal" food you do not have that problem.
Long Long term Survival may dictate different tacticts of course.

Also you need enough water, toilet paper, etc...

Basically IF you can survive for 3 weeks, 3 months, 6 months or longer totally on your own, you greatly lesson your chances of "problems".

If you have everything you need and do not have to leave your house, then you are set for what ever trouble happens. It can be a storm, civil problems, whatever.

So IF you have everything you need, then yhou must have a way to protect it.
Again some sort of AR 15, M1-A, ie a Civilian, Military type rifle with a lot of ammo and a lot of extra magazines, and a good handgun, are a top priority.\

It does not matter what actually causes a Normal Disruption, of the daily way you and your family lives, if you can stay "at home" for 3 weeks, 3 months or longer, you will be way ahead of the game.

US population 310 million.

That's 310,000,000!

Deer: about 6 million
Dogs: 6-8 million
Cats: another 6-8 million
rodents: lets say 100 million
Others like elk, horses, wild pigs, a few million.

That leaves us all chasing a small protein biomass...

The only rifle anyone will need is one that repels humans!!

My 625JM in a sea of loaded moonclips was a response to a local range friend who said, some years ago, that he would remember we have six inside-only cats should the fecal matter impact the air movement device. He also said I would be an easy target, as all I have are revolvers - no reloads. Ha! Try 240+ loaded moonclips - 1,440+ rounds... Then the M&P 15...

BTW, anyone have a pan-only recipe for kung pao meow??

Stainz

After considering some more on this hypothetical...

For me a high-quality gas operated AR in .223/5.56. Piston jobbies are all the rage at the range, but I'll take the simplicity and compatibility of the traditional Stoner design. The rifle and the ammo are ubiquitous, lightweight, reliable, and effective. There is a reason we are still using this design since the 1950's!

Lots and lots of ammo....

Lots of dry good, long term food. The food needs to last until the majority of the unprepared, sick, injured, and weak are culled from the herd, leaving three camps of people; like minded civil, moral, democratic, survivors; marauders/anarchists; and regional fiefdom rulers and their followers.

AR all the way for me.

I'd say your rodent count is way low, but I get the point and I agree.

Out
West

"Armed humans operating in groups" and you are going to do what? You own a tommygun, or something? There may be a lot of sound advice in the old comment, "if you can't fight em', join em' ".

Out west
That was a total WAG.

Armyphotog
Another apropos saying might be "birds of a feather flock together"

I believe the reason that the "M-16" is still in use is political, give ne anything that is gas cylinder opperated, as long as it isn't a .223/5.56. Flapjack.

.470 Nitro Express for those rampaging zombie cloned mastodons.

And sasquatch. Once the rule of law collapses I'd expect bands of them to come out of the wilds seeking new forest prides to while away the lonely evenings. Shudder.

Though, strangely enough... the most useful/affordable (arguably) of the .470s probably would work reasonably well as an "only" rifle. Albeit a very expensive one.

The Heym series doubles can be had with spare sets of fitted bbls, the most useful of which would be a set in .30-06 and one in 20 gauge.

Hmm. I suppose a guy could get two sets of the 20 gauge tubes and saw one set off to make a "boomstick".

Heym is missing out on market share. They need a new advertising campaign to focus on the utilitarian Professional Hunter model double rifle as also being the perfect zombie gun, survival rifle, anti saquatch rifle and defense against wooly mammoths. (I can't remember if the group consensus held that they'd work against werewolves too.)

"Make sure that you have the bayonet for it. They make handy pikes if it comes to that." Posted by Gatorfarmer

You know that I do have my Mosin-Nagant spike bayonet, but I am still looking for the right mint bayonet for my 1964 Ishapore Enfield.

Yes, these post apocalyptic threads are somewhat silly in concept, but they do bring out some good gun pictures.

There are a lot of good things, that can be said about a S&W revolver in 45 ACP/AR and a bushel basket full of loaded full moon clips...