If you need a hunting rifle, get a hunting rifle. If not and you have someone else who can handle a rifle, get an AR and pistol for them. If you don't need a hunting rifle and it's just you, get spare parts.

 

Before the accident I didn't have a caliber that only 1 firearm shot

Still not sure why I thought it was a good idea to load them all on that old boat...

 

That's as sad as my story and these flash floods in the deserts that will come down old river beds from miles away. God I am so fortunate and lucky that I was able to get out of there, me and the dogs were spared, but it swept my guns away right out of the bed of my pickup. They are most likely buried in that canyon, but good lord that's a lot of area to search.

 

Could stock common wear items rather than a complete rifle. Springs, extractor, firing pin, etc. And depending on how many rounds you have, maybe more items. If the rifle is an AR, maybe a complete bolt carrier group and barrel(s). Depending on rate of fire, and expectations, barrels will wear out eventually.

Maybe as few as 3000 rounds it might not have that gilt edged accuracy, and no longer be 1/4 MOA capable. 6000 could be where it's just not very accurate, but could be pushed to over 10 000 rounds for acceptable battle/hunting accuracy.

 

I think you'd be better off with a second 5.56 rifle so you have a way to shoot the ammo you stockpile should anything happen to the first 5.56 rifle. There's nothing on this continent 5.56 won't kill, and it's always going to be one of the cheapest ammo available. Redundancy and backups for whatever you have standardized for is better than diversifying into a new caliber that isn't going to be very inexpensive or easy to find meaning you're probably never going to have nearly as much of a stockpile, and every round of that you buy you could buy 2-4 more 5.56 rounds.

 

Plenty of ammo, as long as you have the green.

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Yes, unless you live in a jungle or a deep bushy forest, get a long range rifle.
However...maybe not 6.5. I’m sure it will come back, but right now, it’s almost unobtainable. Unless the rifle comes with ammo...don’t bother.

Look around your AO, find what ammo is there, and buy a gun that fits.

If there isn’t any ammo, maybe build a long barreled AR upper, or find a long barreled .223 bolt gun, and start the process of finding heavy bullet ammo. I can get heavy reloading bullets in my AO for basically the normal price. Of course, the ammo isn’t there, nor are primers or powder, so if you don’t have components, you won’t be loading it, but at least you’ll be able to shoot your stock piled ammo with it until you find some.

 

Follow your interests...If it is big game hunting then get a suitable rifle for big game hunting. If military calibers interest you, then perhaps a Garand, AK, M1A1, or 30 carbine would be more in line with your interests.

The big expense with firearms is ammo, you'll probably shoot several times the cost of the firearm in ammo before you even begin to encounter any wear or breakage.

 

I am building a collection of firearms and ammunition. I have two rifles that shoot 22lr, one that shoots 5.56/.223, a couple of 9mm pistols, and a 12 ga and 20 ga. I have ammo for all of them.

I have my eye on a 6.5 creedmoor bolt action hunting rifle. As I build my collection, what attention should I pay to duplicity? I think that having more than one way of sending a particular round down range is a good idea. Like, I’ve got several thousand rounds of 5.56/.223 ammo and it would suck if the only rifle I have that’s chambered in that caliber took a ****. Does it make sense to get another 5.56/.223 rifle instead of the 6.5 right now? Or does having multiple platforms make more sense. I guess the thing about SHTF for me is it could happen tomorrow or not in my lifetime, and I’d like to be best prepared. Thanks!

Your collection sounds super and this new prospective firearm sounds okay. A bunch of the guys at the range rip on that particular round all the time so it must be good lol

Sometimes it's good to stock a little pile of SKSs or AKs. Never know who's going to end up by your side. They might need a rifle. Two or three is great for this.

 

first, never post what you own, you don't know who is taking notes. My thoughts which of value to only me are that one should have at least 1 22lr. A shotgun, and a centerfire rifle. A hand gun is great when you have the first three bases covered. for a shotgun a 12 or 20 will do all the work it is normally requested to do. As for a centerfire? Look at what your are going to do with it and how often you will shoot it. My personal feeling is the a centerfire is for hunting/food procurement. I am not an arm chair warrior so I don't need an AR or AK. As far as the round you choose, look at the local store and see what ammo is available. I have a 6.5X57 rifle. Great rifle, shoots flat and is accurate. in a time of chaos it would be a poor choice. Where is one going to get ammo? Same with a 7X30 waters. Asking the people on the board is not a good thing to do as we each will give you our favorite round and some do not know the difference between caliber and round.

 

It doesn’t matter if they take notes, 80% (internet stat) of what we buy left a paper trail, and when it comes down to it, they’ll be searching your house because you were turned in by a leftist, not because they are reading a list.

 

A 75gr .223 load will down a good sized deer. It’s not legal in most states but it’s an option after SHTF. Your 12 and 20 gauge will work fine too.

I typically have multiple copies of my fighting rifles or close approximations of them, one for my bedroom, one for my kit, and then spares. I also have spare parts too. Post-SHTF usefulness of a bolt action dwindles IMO as legality of hunting with a semi-auto is a non-issue and there’s plenty of semi-auto rifles in 6.5 creedmore that will maintain a very good level of accuracy.

My suggestion is to get a 6.5 Creedmore AR-10 instead of a bolt action if you really want to branch out to a new cartridge. Aero Precision makes a good one that won’t break the bank. If you decide to get something in 5.56 or .223 that is also a good option.

 

To my way of thinking you have 4 of the 5 categories covered, the 5th being that larger caliber, more powerful, at longer range rifle.
"Might" not be needed if you live somewhere the game doesn't get bigger than deer and hogs, the ranges aren't far, and you don't think you'll need to punch through much of an obstacle or "turn cover into concealment" for whatever it is you're shooting at.

 

I was thinking similar. Ad a 308 or 30-06 to the pile and call it good. Maybe tack on a 357 revolver if you swing that way.

 

I think Id focus on duplicates of what you have, as far as the AR and the 9mm handgun you favor. That, and make sure you have the accessories covered too, mags, red dots, etc, a way to carry and keep your mags handy, discret cases, holsters, whatever. The gun is just one part of the whole package, and accessories can add up quickly, especially if youre buying decent stuff.

Once you have that squared away, then move onto something different.

You dont need anything really fancy to hunt with. Walmart has plenty of workable guns.

If youre not already a long range shooter, and dont plan on putting in the time and effort to get reasonably good at it (it takes some time, effort and money), I wouldnt waste a lot of money on something like that. The gun, assuming youre investing in good stuff, is a start, but its only the start.

I wouldnt waste a lot of money stocking up on a bunch of spare parts either. Do some research on what might be an issue for what you have, and get something to cover what "might" be an issue. I say might, because Ive really only had issues with one or two heavily used guns with high round counts. Most people dont shoot what they have enough to actually start to wear things out.

 

Get a good bolt gun. That is more important than redundancy, in a sense. Instead of derialing what you buy, take $30 and buy a AR-15 replacement small parts kit. If you have a breakage, 95% of the time this will remedy the issue.

 

Buy as many guns as you want and can afford. That said, consider a 9mm rifle like a Ruger PC9 or an upper for 9mm.

 

My only issue with when it comes to using as many common accessories and parts as you can for 5.56 rifles is that when it comes to magazines, it's easy to standardize AR-15 mags, especially when the rifles people are likely building a personal standard around are AR-15s. The problem is, AR-15 magazines are actually of a rather poor design when compared to other options that unfortunately won't be compatible with AR-15 rifles. I think everyone is faced with the decision of whether to stockpile what is common and inexpensive, or what performs better, but may cost more, and whether or not that more common and inexpensive options are good enough for what you need them for, even if they aren't ideal for every situation.

Unfortunately, most of us are not in a "money is no object" situation, so value comes in to play, and outside of 5.56 and 7.62x39, nothing comes close to either one in value.

 

I am building a collection of firearms and ammunition.

If you're building a collection.......get both!

Problem solved

While I prefer something with a little more oomph than the CM, there's no laws or rules when it comes to limits on guns or ammo

 

I have a few different calibers but stock mostly
22lr 22250 308 357 45 auto 45 colt 45/70
I have a few different weapons for each caliber.

 

As stated above, you can get a decent hunting rifle at Walmart or a big box store. Personally, I would recommend .308 or .30-06. Ammo for any firearm is difficult to come by right now, but these are fairly common rounds. I like bolt action. Get a good scope.

The 6.5 CM shoots straight and has less wind resistance than .308. Supposedly, it is a good 1000 yd round. I added a 6.5 CM upper for my AR-10, but haven’t taken it to a range with more than 100 yards. I know that people hunt with it, but I have not. 6.5 CM ammo is more expensive than 308 or 30-06.

I enjoy shooting, but it can be an expensive hobby. I started with a fairly common list (e.g., .22LR, 9mm, 5.56, .308, and 12 ga.). I had thought that I wanted firearms is the same calibers as our military and police carry. I added .45 ACP and .40 S&W to the pistols as I saw them around. Then, I added a few more rifle calibers just for fun. I may pick up an AK at some point along with a many others on my wish list.

My wife recently came to me and told me I needed to stop buying ammo because I was out of room. That made me nervous, because though I am good with most of the calibers, I am very short on three of them. I mean, how can I face the end of the world if I only have a few boxes of X.

Here is where the problem lies with our plans: ammo and firearms are heavy and take up space. Are you planning to be mobile or static? If static, you are probably not going to be engaging in lots of fire fights, and hunting does not require lots of ammo to make meat. If roaming, you will find that you do not want all of that weight and cannot give up the space for all of the rifles, pistols, shotguns and ammo. A rifle weighs about as much as a day’s water supply if not more. If you have more people, you can distribute the different weapons and ammo, but the 1000’s of rounds that you collected will not be carried.

Just something to keep in mind.

 

I am building a collection of firearms and ammunition. I have two rifles that shoot 22lr, one that shoots 5.56/.223, a couple of 9mm pistols, and a 12 ga and 20 ga. I have ammo for all of them.

I have my eye on a 6.5 creedmoor bolt action hunting rifle. As I build my collection, what attention should I pay to duplicity? I think that having more than one way of sending a particular round down range is a good idea. Like, I’ve got several thousand rounds of 5.56/.223 ammo and it would suck if the only rifle I have that’s chambered in that caliber took a ****. Does it make sense to get another 5.56/.223 rifle instead of the 6.5 right now? Or does having multiple platforms make more sense. I guess the thing about SHTF for me is it could happen tomorrow or not in my lifetime, and I’d like to be best prepared. Thanks!

Might I suggest that you get a couple replacement "Uppers" from Palmetto State Armory,,, in case your rifle dies in action. 556 will kill anything you are hunting. Saying that I have a lot of hunting rifles too,,, I tried to stay in the 30 cal range to make reloading easier,, 7.62 x 39,,, 30-30, 308, 30.06, 300 weatherby, 300 win mag,,, are all 30 caliber and will take the same bullet ( I have a bolt action 30-30) not a tube feed lever gun which requires a flat head bullet) and most rifle powders have recipes for every caliber and bullet weight.

Uppers are cheap and not considered a firearm,,, get them while you can, stay simple, get ones with a carry handle if you have never carried a rifle all day, you will thank me.

 

Get what you want and like.
You want 3 .223's, get them.
Only one, good also.

Both variety and consolidation have their points and places, but it all ends up with what you want and can afford.

I have become a firm believer in "some guns, more ammo".
But look at your area, what do you need to get through the day/night?
Around here, a scattergun is hardly ever taken outside of the house so its not a requirement.
And the .22's have been collecting dust, not just because of the ammogeddon, but because we haven't been out after small game in years.

Here, I can get by with a big-bore hunting rifle, an AR for home use and deer and antelope and a couple of pistols. So that is my basic list for here.
Where I grew up, a .22 pistol and rifle, and a shotgun were the big hunting guns, and going with a shotgun that had both the short deer barrel and a long hunting barrel, you had everything covered except for your defense pistol.

Look at where you are, figure out what you need and go from there.

 

The OP has a good variety but needs a heavier round for hunting purposes. Yeah, you can take a deer with 223/556, but a 308 or 30-06 is better. Those rounds will also take larger game, such as elk or moose or wild pigs, which 223/556 isn't the best (or even a good) choice for. So a bolt rifle in a common 30 cal variant would be my choice. 6.5CM is a fine round, but I still think common calibers are the best choice for a SHTF rifle.

 

At this point in history, 6.5 is just as common as .308 or 30-06. At least, it is in my AO.

Of course....NONE of those are for sale in stores, when I go looking.

 

At this point in history, 6.5 is just as common as .308 or 30-06. At least, it is in my AO.

In a certain subset of younger buyers that is probably true. However, in the big picture I don't think anyone would argue that 6.5CM rifles outsell 308/762x51 rifles. And there are tons of those rifles already out there. Which means tons of ammo to buy or trade for in a SHTF scenario. Throw in the popularity of 308/762x51 as a semi auto alternative and I don't think there is much argument to be made about which is the more popular choice. I will grant that 30-06 is in decline and 6.5CM could be competitive with that in popularity.

Of course....NONE of those are for sale in stores, when I go looking.

Not for me. 308/762x51 is available in almost every store I go into now. Under normal circumstances its the cheaper round. Even under current circumstances its the cheaper rounds. Cheapest brass 308 on Ammoseek right now is 61.7c/rd. Cheapest 6.5CM is $1.65/rd.

Your choice.

 

I own way more guns than I need. Thankfully I have lots of amm on hand for what I own. But if for some reason I had to start over here is what I would get. A 30-30, a 20ga shotgun and a 22 rifle. I could have killed every deer and elk I have killed with a 30-30 except one deer at 250 yards. And I had a lot closer shot at that deer and blew it.

A 20ga shotgun is all I need for flying birds or small game. A 22 rifle for very obvious reasons. I could add a 357 revolver and a good air rifle. If you don't want the 30-30 lever gun then a bolt action in 30-06. I don't feel the need for some 223 battle rifle. I am not going to get in a big gun battle. Zombies aren't real no matter how much some would like them to be. And auto's throw away my reloadable brass. So you have my thoughts on a basic gun system.

But to me the most important side of owning a gun is to be able to reload for it. In the 30-06 I could load full power loads to kill anything in the U.S. and most of the game in Africa. Or I can load it down to small game loads and mid power lead bullet loads and save my expensive jacketed bullets. Same thing with the 357 mag handgun. And I load different loads for my 20ga shotguns like a two 50 caliber ball load that would kill a Buffalo if the range was close.

 

Zombies aren't real no matter how much some would like them to be.

Id qualify BLM and Antifa as "zombies".

 

When I took firearms to the cabin for a stash, I took a single shot 22lr, a single shot 12 ga and a 7.62X54R nagant. also a 50# compound bow with 18 arrows. All came from a stash in the barn. I also stashed 100 rounds for each. That will get me through a year or two of hunting. When I visit the cabin I always bring a pistol and rifle anyway. One should always have a stash. Kind of like having a behind the seat weapon

 

When I took firearms to the cabin for a stash, I took a 7.62X54R nagant.

EDUCATION TIME! The Nagant is a revolver was never chambered in 54R! It was chambered in 7.62X38R, please make the correct statements so you don't look ignorant. I'M BEING NICE!
You need 5 platforms, 1 pistol of your choice,1 shotgun of your choice, a .22 rifle, a med-range rifle in the caliber of your choice, and long range rifle in a large caliber. AND, maybe even get a rifle to go with that pistol caliber, and a .22 pistol to go with the .22 rifle. Good Luck

 

Duplicity?

Guns will not lie to you. Gun salespeople might.

To get a good answer, you must first know enough about your subject to suspect what might be a good answer.

Example: it would help suggestions if you told us what you wish to hunt and maybe even where. Then we would know about the size of vulnerable targets and the ranges at which you expect to be proficient with a certain cartridge that would have the energy and accuracy to harvest such a target.

Some here are capable of using a .22 LR to harvest small fur bearers out to 75 yards with fair expectation of success.

If you expect to gather larger animals, larger calibers are probably indicated, and then likely distances should be considered. Shooting medium sized deer much past 100 yards will call for a telescopic sight, for instance. If you wish to hunt responsibly, just hitting a game animal is no longer acceptable, it has to be a solid hit in an area likely to result in a clean kill. That requires more effort than just hitting a gong at whatever distance.