Best General Purpose SHTF Rifle

[lhengen]

I have several hunting rifles, but with the current hostility of the government towards legal gun owners both in Canada and the US, I am entertaining the idea of acquiring an MSR (Modern Sporting Rifle) while I still can. Would have loved to buy a Ruger Mini 30, but sadly I can't any more. I was initially thinking of a milsurp rifle, but they are so expensive these days and you can't mount scopes and other accessories very easily. Looking for suggestions on caliber and make/model of an MSR that has decent accuracy for a semi-auto. I am thinking 7.62 x 39 simply because it's closer to a 1 gun for all purposes than a 5.56 since you can't hunt large game with a 5.56/.223 in Canada. Cheap and available ammo is also a major consideration so I can practice at the range. Looks like prices may be starting to come down, but I'm not all that optimistic. There is enough unrest throughout the globe these days that I think most ammo will remain expensive and the government will likely limit what we can buy and make reloading harder and more expensive.

So what gun would you recommend in the event of a WROL situation?

[Deathrawt]

sks would be my choice

[383SB]

Its a shtf rifle, use 556 to hunt if you want and use whatever else until then. Buy what you want and what you think you can carry more of

[PatchRat]

Its a shtf rifle, use 556 to hunt if you want and use whatever else until then. Buy what you want and what you think you can carry more of

Exactly.... You specifically stated WROL and then act concerned about laws... Also, there are plenty of places in Canada where you can in fact legally hunt big game with a 5.56. If we ever truly find ourselves in a situation where there is no rule of law, anything you have on hand will be the right thing to have. There will be no replacement parts or warranty service, so keep it as simple as possible. Multiple SKS's is a decent option, but so is a good bolt action.

[lhengen]

True I did state WROL. I was thinking though that until that point I would like to be able to hunt with the rifle in order to be more proficient with it. A 5.56/.223 is not legal in my area for hunting and I don't think I would venture outside AB in a WROL scenario. Regardless of whether the SHTF or not, I would personally not hunt big game with a .223. I was looking for one general purpose gun with ammo that I could grab and go in a hurry, rather than pull out the contents of my safe.

Right now I have a Winchester Model 100 in .308 that I really like. Not the most accurate and of course no easy way to mount a flashlight or other accessories. Together with a bolt action and a .22, that is my current WROL/SHTF combo.

Thanks for the input.

[Northern Shooter]

AR10 is the idea weapon system for SHTF. From a Canadian context, any modular semi auto .308.

Tavor 7, APC, Famae etc. Going to cost you $3500+

[gorby]

My feeling for SHTF would be semi-auto .22 in a folding chassis. Easily conceivable, carry 300 rounds no problem, usable for small game, and could be used for self defence... and being unrestricted there is no record of ownership.

[wannabe]

3030 winchester if I lived somewhere without G-bears

[nowarningshot]

My feeling for SHTF would be semi-auto .22 in a folding chassis. Easily conceivable, carry 300 rounds no problem, usable for small game, and could be used for self defence... and being unrestricted there is no record of ownership.

My thoughts exactly. You can be just as forthcoming and transparent as our federal government, cheap to shoot. Range to wrol distance, and in a emergency situation.....laws are suspended....behind the ear of a deer.

[Bartok5]

If it is SHTF time, you want an AR10 as your reliable, accurate, and hard-hitting SHTF one-gun-to-do-everything platform, hands-down. That gives you single-shot hunting accuracy and knock-down power for all North American game animals as well as 2-legged predators, plus firepower in the event that those critters bring friends to the party. Any of the big names will suffice - Stag Arms, Colt USA, Daniel Defense, Bravo Company/BCM, etc, etc. They all make reliable and accurate aR10-style .308 AR platforms. Just make sure to get one that takes standard P=Mags as the most common magazine available in Canada.

You obviously won't be able to purchase a legal AR10 due to the current firearms ownership climate within Canada. That leaves you with 2 choices - on the one hand, you can ignore the law and purchase one of the many illegal AR10-style rifles floating around which were NR before the ban, so the government has no idea where they are or even if they exist. Of course, I would never counsel breaking the law, and such is forbidden here in any case. So don't risk your remaining freedom by going the illegal route. Instead, purchase a legal facsimile for the time being, then obtain the real thing when the SHTF and laws are out the window anyways. For a currently legal and obtainable option I recommend the Troy PAR 308. It is a pump-action .308 rifle with an AR10 form-factor that functions nearly as quickly as a semi-auto self-loader. Rugged and reliable (so long as you do your part), the Troy PAR 308 is an excellent choice for hunting and target shooting while you await WROL to kick-in. Check one out at a LGS to get a feel for the platform. I quite like my own.....