Some outside the box defensive rifle options

[jaykellogg]

The AR pipeline has been sucked dry, but they are still legal and I would bet the restrictions are weeks (or more) away. I will say it is probably still possible to get a new Colt. I would not plan on doing an AR build anytime soon. I plan on taking one of mine to the next Gun Show. 5.56 ammo is at 80-90¢ a round right now, but it'll come back down too. I don't foresee the Gov't doing anything about the ammo.

 

[NFrameFred]

When I went through a phase of interest in old military rifles back in the early 90's there were scads of Enfields to be had cheap. I wound up with a SMLE MK IV and a P14 that had apparently been stored in a desert climate since WWII. They were properly packed in cosmoline and wrapped for long term storage but the petroleum preservative had dried in many places to an almost varnish-like consistency.

Broken completely down to parts, I sat for almost a week with a tub of gasoline, various brushes and whatnot and slowly rehabbed the components. The wood was refinished (hey, they weren't collector's items and I had less than $75 bucks a piece in them), the guns re-assembled and they went off to the range with a "ham can" of Turkish boxer primed reloadable ball ammo that , when it arrived, made me wish I had ordered several more at the time. I had called back immediately and the price had doubled . . . somebody figgered it out . Anyhoo, at 200 yards off the bench both pretty much shot to point of aim with the peeps set to standard battle range and shot groups that could be covered with your hand. The ammo came on stripper clips so just like someone who practices with single stack mag changes and speedloader drills for revolvers, the lack of a huge magazine is no impediment to having a very suitable cheap rifle for serious use at serious ranges.

The rifles sell for at least two to three times what I paid now, but they can still be a bargain if you find one that wasn't ruined with corrosive primed ammo.

.303 is easy to load and not hard to find suitable components for.

 

[sps282]

Mauser 98 would be a good choice although ammo may be a little hard to find.

 

[REVL33]

Remington 7615
Pump action .223 on the 870 platform.

does reminigton still make these rifles any more I am willing to bet if there is a ar ban you will see more ruger carbines m1 style rifles become the norm hopefully with ar Mag's like the keltec but in a more robust platform hopefully. I am not much a fan of the ar platform anyway I would much rather have a m1a or mini style rifle my go to is 870 357 mag if it really hits the fan then I would be a sig 226 with my 556 carbine.

 

[jdh]

Cheap 303 has all but dried up. BUT a No. 5 is a true joy.

M44 M-N carbines can sill be had for about $100 and ammo is still cheap and plentiful.

30-30, okay but make my lever a Marlin 336 in 35 Remington.

 

[cmort666]

A good lever action in .44 or .357.

Either Cimarron or Rossi, with the former preferred. 16" barrel.

If I ever have a real job with real pay and vacation again, I plan to buy a Cimarron Model 92 clone in .44 Magnum for deer hunting on a friend's farm in Missouri. Perfect companion for my 6" 29-2 for hunting or my 4" 29-2 for self-defense.

 

[mg357]

m1 carbine its short and compact and has very little recoil also there are a lot of them around on the military surplus market.

 

[REVL33]

with all the aw crazyness I was looking just a couple weeks ago at some lever action in 357 and it seems the new ones are getting really bad reviews on quality any one know of a good make that has a loading gate and not tube load that is high quality.

 

[GatorFarmer]

Surplus M44 carbines in good shape seem to fetch 200 to 250 around here. The long 91/30s are still to be had at a reasonable price. They would be handier if shortened. Which...is what the M44 evolved from.

In the last days of bolt action rifles as military issue the general trend was to make them small and handy. The French even cut down sole old Lebels circa 1935.

There is a guy who sells 1913 rail mounts for Krags so that you can put a red dot on them. I emailed him a couple of times since I keep a utility Krag mgself. One theory was that you at least would not lose your detachable mag and were less likely to dent or damage the magazine compared to a lever action if roughly handled.i think the idea has some merit.

I also bought an 1884 Trapdoor that had been cut into a carbine and came off an Indian reservation. It had the benefit of being legally and antique the same as my Krags (not all Krags are pre 1899 of course). Thus no hassle to obtain and unlikely to be regulated at the present time. Only one shot but a potent shot and an interesting walking around rifle.

I had a 7615 for a while. The front sight fell off when I got it home. There were complaints about them being picky about mags. I did not keep mine.

M1 carbine ammo was sold out or selling out when I was browsing online. Still I wish that I had kept one around.

 

[kudzu3]

Mine is a 94 Winchester trapper .30-30.

 

[Faulkner]

I'm prepared to outfit a defensive squad with M1 carbines if I need to.

 

[Xfuzz]

M1 would be my FIRST choice.
However, I assume if there is a "ban" the
M1 will be included.
THAT is a painful thought.
I have a coupe AR's but they just aren't my
kinda longgun.
Good lever gun is hard to beat.

 

[Fishslayer]

Was looking at a Remington Mohawk in .308. Bolt action, sure, but with an 18.5" barrel if your shot misses the blast will take the BG out of the fight...

 

[GatorFarmer]

The Garand escaped the ban last time around - as did the Mini 14 and M1A once the bayonet lug was removed. Even ARs with fixed stocks and bare muzzles were easily had. Still... this time around for bet hedging I am thinking other than a semi might be nice to have. I am also worried a bit about a ban on post 1945 military calibers now that I think about it....

 

[kamloops67]

WINCHESTER 92 in 357 mag loaded with 158 gr LRN 38 spl.
i would choose this for a defense rifle if im defending my home where innocent bystanders could be found within in a 360 degree sweep. these loads will not penetrate as many walls as 223 s etc. but if im out in the woods id like something fast, flat and final,a mod 700 in 7mm mag

 

[NYlakesider]

A good friend of mine keeps a Ruger .44M carbine close by. It’s one of the first made and he has put a lot of rounds through it and has taken a bunch of deer. He will not bother to go through all the bovine excrement necessary in NY to get a CCWP. He does not hand load but keeps a decent amount of rounds at his house.

I told him that there are a lot better guns for things that go bump in the night responses. He says yes it’s a bit slow to reload, but at normal household distances it’s quite powerful, small and easy to stash holds five rounds but be instantly available if needed.

That gun shoots much more accurately than you would expect and he has shot it so much it’s like an extension of his arm. It’s small and light enough that it can be fired with one hand (Like an oversized pistol) leaving other hand/arm available for whatever.

Not my choice, but he is good with it/feels very confident and that’s all that matters!

 

[REVL33]

The Garand escaped the ban last time around - as did the Mini 14 and M1A once the bayonet lug was removed. Even ARs with fixed stocks and bare muzzles were easily had. Still... this time around for bet hedging I am thinking other than a semi might be nice to have. I am also worried a bit about a ban on post 1945 military calibers now that I think about it....

I would hope that the mini or the m1 m1a would not be subject to such a ban I think they will go after the Ak ar type just my opinion but you never know with these gun grabber types .

 

[A10]

Model 70 in 30-06 with a good 3-9 or 2.5-10 scope on it. Ammo is available, you are good to 1000 yards, and if one was of a mind to, one could take out a BG then walk up and get HIS guns......just sayin....not that I'd ever have such a nasty assault weapon as one of them......

 

[David LaPell]

I like the Model 94 or Marlin lever in .30-30, very fast and you can get ammo cheap and reload it cheap. One gun I never thought of until I really looked at it would be a Model 70 Featherlight. The one I have here that belonged to a friend that I am looking after would be ideal. This one has a receiver sight on it which for here in the Adirondacks would be ideal. It is light and fast and in the right hands would be a force to be reckoned with and in .308 would not be a slouch for power. Another choice not commonly seen would be a Remington Model 7, or the old Remington 660. If you can find one maybe a Remington 14 carbine in .35 Remington would not be a bad choice either. There are a lot of choices out there that are not AR related and cost a heck of a lot less.

 

[NE450No2]

I have had a bunch of phone calls from buddies, asking me what to get.

I give them my standard recomendation, get a good 16" AR 15, with the collapsable stock. But now finding one???...

So as an alternative, and for those in a weapons restricted zone I recommend a lever action in 44 Mag, 45 Colt, or 30/30.

Also a M1 Garand from the CMP is a great choice.

For the wife and kids, a Ruger 10/22 with a bunch of 10 round factory mags, and a bunch of 25 round mags with steel feed lips.

If you can find the Remington pump in 223 that takes AR mags, get one.
The pumps in 308 or 30/06 are good to.

Then when/IF things get back to near normal, get some AR15's, and a bunch of mags and ammo.

The "scab" guns you have bought in the meantime, can become second echlion guns...