[CiviSheepDog1017]

alright so im in the process of saving up for my main SHTF gun. I rent a room from my girlfriends father, and we have begun prepping the house for a "bug in" instead of bug out. We see it as the alamo. He has a colt AR and plenty of hand guns and 2 shot guns (1 tactical 1 hunting). Ive narrowed my choice down to two rifles. the mini 14 or mini 30 from ruger. I like the appeal of a 30 cal round (7.62x39) BUT if s*** does hit the fan and there is an ammo shortage we would not be firing the same round so we would not be able to share ammo. Also the way i see it, is if we get invaded (however unlikly that may be) the bad guys will most likely have aks. and if i kill one i can take his ammo. im just looking for a few oppinions on which is the more logical weapon to get. do i want caliber diversity in the house hold, or the ability to share ammo?

 

[brice90]

.223 would be what i would get in your situation, just because you can go in with your girlfriends father for ammo- buy bulk whenever you have the extra cash (also 223 is lighter to pack around). On the same hand if we get invaded- why not just take the AK and the ammo from whomever is invading. Then you have an assault rifle and a rifle that would be good for accuracy.

As a side thought, I'd set up some of those tannerite exploding targets around the "alamo" , but you need a fast small bullet (.223) to detonate the target. From what ive seen on youtube and with my experience of shooting them- you don't want to be around one of those went they go off. (improvise some shrapnel and you got yourself a terrifying bomb).

 

[CiviSheepDog1017]

that is a fantastic idea! we have an ex-military family friend coming over in a few weeks to teach us how to make claymores from house hold materials <3 <3 idk if it would be legal to post that info but if it is you bet your butt i will be doing so hahaha

 

[brice90]

Nothing scarier than a well armed hillbilly :

 

[Bowser]

like the 556(223) for carry but if you need a bigger one 762

 

[Palma]

Nothing scarier than a well armed hillbilly :

Nerdy, city slickers scare me, they don't have to be heavily armed either.:

Invaders with AK's was a little much though. More likely to be armed with AR's.

 

[gggplaya]

doubt we'd ever be invaded,ever. America has way too much land mass, you'd never be able to cover it. Blown up yes, but not invaded. More than likely if SHTF, you'll be fighting your neighbors, do you think the police are going to show up for work if the economy goes south and large numbers of government workers get laid off? Or in a large scale natural disaster etc....? It's proven that when living conditions go down, crime goes up, and people get desperate, even the good people. A show you can watch on netflix is called "Jericho", it really does well to depict what it would be like if society broke down. Considering we're now borrowing money from china, Israel wants Iran to back down with possible war, and the government spends 9 trillion dollars a year but only collects 7 trillion. At this rate, it's best to pray for the best and prepare for the worst.

If i were you, depending on your funds, i'd get an AR for accuracy and rounds sharing. But a 7.62x39 wouldn't be bad for hunting. Plus bulk ammo is cheaper than .223. Don't count on finding any ammo, count only on what you can stockpile. An AR will get you more distance and accuracy, but an AK will give you more power for hunting, and to shoot at barriers/cars etc... So it might not be a bad idea to use both ammos. Later he can get an AK and you can get an AR.

If you are really feeling poor, you can buy an ak-74 chambered in 5.45mm. That ammo is dirt cheap to stockpile.

 

[Unobtanium]

Ammunition commonality within a group or house-hold is a very good thing.

 

[CiviSheepDog1017]

thanks everyone! im now leaning towards a mini 14 or possibly a saiga but deffinitly a 223 for defensive purposes.

 

[RogueSpear2023]

Build an AR, you can build one for around $600, and they are fairly easy to build if you can handle a hammer, a vise grip, and screw driver, you'll need an armors wrench but they can be had for as little as $20, and it's something every AR owner should have anyway.

Palmetto State Armory has stripped lowers for $80, send it an FFL pay transfer fee, of $20-30. Then buy their rifle kit shipped to your house, $500 put it together now you have an AR and you guys can share ammo, and mags.

 

[reverendg]

If you were to shoot an invader why would you just take his ammo? You could take the gun as well if you are low on ammo and his is a different caliber.

 

[Lost_ID]

Sounds like you need an SKS.
I've owned .223's and lots of .30/7.62 firearms and there is really no comparison.
The SKS is cheaper than the Ruger. Name brand guns will not shoot harder, nor faster, than the ammo is capable of.

 

[geonutts]

.223 is a great fast round...308 AP will be the ticket if total anarchy erupts and you long range deep penetration.....

 

[sailinghudson25]

Get an AR for several reasons. The magazines are atleast half the price. If you choose to buy spare parts, the AR parts are much cheaper. If one AR breaks, then you have spare parts to keep the other one going.

Reliability wise, there probably won't be any difference.

On top of it, a smith and wesson AR will probably cost a touch less than a mini-14.

 

[StalkingMoon]

Buy yourself 5 or 6 Mosin Nagants, and order 25 spam cans of 7.62x54R for a total of 10 000 plus rounds.....problem solved

 

[CiviSheepDog1017]

i found a great little combo. kel tec pmr 30 (which is a 22mag pistol) and a keltec rmr 30 (22mag rifle) they take the exact same parts and clips and the pistol weighs slightly more than a pound fully loaded.

 

[0002S]

that is a fantastic idea! we have an ex-military family friend coming over in a few weeks to teach us how to make claymores from house hold materials <3 <3 idk if it would be legal to post that info but if it is you bet your butt i will be doing so hahaha

Explosive talk no bueno on the forums

 

[777]

Who says unwanted intruders would most likely have AK's? The closest thing to an invasion this country will ever see in our lifetimes would be Nato trying to gain control after a meltdown of some sort and guess what they are packin'. 5.56 baby.
Yes an AK has more power. Yes it is dummy proof and ultra reliable. BUT when you are outnumbered and potentially surrounded do you want to be the guy going clack clack clack or the guy that sounds like the rest of the gunfire.
I would personally go AR platform too. The more you have in common in a household the better. I would focus on 5.56 ammo too. Higher pressures, better velocities. JMHO