Talk About Your SHTF Rifle(s) - 07/26/16
I am really interested in knowing what others have for their SHTF rifle(s) and the reasons for their choices. Obviously, different factors will be more important to different people: Rural vs.Urban, Zombies vs. Rioters or a Tyrannical Govt., Real, Perceived or Imagined Threat Matrices, etc.
At the end of the day, I don’t think there any “right” or “wrong” answers . Just the fact that you thought about it and made a decision or a choice … is a big deal! I just think it would be informative and instructive to know what others have chosen / decided and their reasons. (Hopefully, this will not evolve into a “My Evil Black Rifle is Better Than Your Evil Black Rifle” discussion.)
OK. With that in mind, I’ll go first (but not necessarily in relative order):
1.PTR 91 KF .308: This is my EBR. Supposedly it is one of the better H&K 91 clones that is supposedly made on original H&K tooling. I have mine customized with a PWS muzzle compensator, XS front /rear Trijicon night sights, ambi safety, port buffer, heavy recoil buffer, Magpul “Tacticool” Adjustable Stock, and a Brugger & Thomet low profile rail. I use it with 2 scopes: a Burris Eliminator III 3-12 x 44 and a Leupold VX-R 3-9x40.
Pros:
A.Being .308 it does have a lot “oomph.”
B.Battle-tested H&K delayed roller block action.
C.Will happily eat just about any type of .308/7.62x51 ammo.
D.Wide range of ammo available.
E.Nearly indestructible: “Takes A Lickin’ And Keeps On Tickin.’”
F.Good choice of Mil. Surp. and after-market parts. Cheap mags.
G.Relatively easy to field strip and clean.
H.Good knowledge base / on-line forums, etc.
I.With good match grade ammo and the Burris Eliminator, can
easily reach out and touch someone out to 300-400 yards (or more).
Cons:
A.Heavy as hell … weighs 10+ pounds.
B.Mangles brass … the port buffer helps if you want to reload.
C.Without a port buffer, brass is ejected to the next county.
D.Action remains closed after last shot.
2.H&K SLB 2000: .30-06: This actually a hunting rifle and not an EBR or assault rifle. It is a gas operated semi-automatic, based upon H&K’s battle tested designs. (Not a lot of .30-06 semi autos.) Super smooth action, fast cycling, and comes with a 10 round magazine. The stock is wood, barrel is about 19” and it weighs in just slightly over 7 pounds. A sweet little semi auto .30-06 carbine. Somewhat rare in the US. Imported only for a year or so. Still sold in Germany by Merkel and Haenel (under license from H&K.) Mine has a factory Picatinny rail and I have installed a “Bump Buster” hydraulic recoil system from Ken Rucker. I use it with 2 scopes: a Burris Eliminator III 3-12 x 44 and a Leupold VX-R 3-9x40.
Pros:
A.While not a sniper rifle, it is extremely accurate for light carbine.
B.Like the .308, will happily eat just about any type of .30-06 ammo (including “Black Tip” or AP ammo … shooting AP ammo out of it makes it a light weight STOPPING MACHINE.)
C.Obviously .30-06 ammo is readily available just about any place, and has a lot of “oomph.”
D.Relatively easy to field strip and clean.
J.Like the PTR, with good match grade ammo and the Burris Eliminator, can easily reach out and touch someone out to 300-400 yards (or more).
E.Doesn’t look like an EBR or assault rifle.
Cons:
A.Magazines are extremely expensive (over $200.00 for a 10 rounder) and hard to find.
B.Factory parts are available (if you know where to look … from basically 1 source) but forget after-market parts.
C.So few were imported, no real knowledge base or on-line forums for info.
OK, who’s next?
At the end of the day, I don’t think there any “right” or “wrong” answers . Just the fact that you thought about it and made a decision or a choice … is a big deal! I just think it would be informative and instructive to know what others have chosen / decided and their reasons. (Hopefully, this will not evolve into a “My Evil Black Rifle is Better Than Your Evil Black Rifle” discussion.)
OK. With that in mind, I’ll go first (but not necessarily in relative order):
1.PTR 91 KF .308: This is my EBR. Supposedly it is one of the better H&K 91 clones that is supposedly made on original H&K tooling. I have mine customized with a PWS muzzle compensator, XS front /rear Trijicon night sights, ambi safety, port buffer, heavy recoil buffer, Magpul “Tacticool” Adjustable Stock, and a Brugger & Thomet low profile rail. I use it with 2 scopes: a Burris Eliminator III 3-12 x 44 and a Leupold VX-R 3-9x40.
Pros:
A.Being .308 it does have a lot “oomph.”
B.Battle-tested H&K delayed roller block action.
C.Will happily eat just about any type of .308/7.62x51 ammo.
D.Wide range of ammo available.
E.Nearly indestructible: “Takes A Lickin’ And Keeps On Tickin.’”
F.Good choice of Mil. Surp. and after-market parts. Cheap mags.
G.Relatively easy to field strip and clean.
H.Good knowledge base / on-line forums, etc.
I.With good match grade ammo and the Burris Eliminator, can
easily reach out and touch someone out to 300-400 yards (or more).
Cons:
A.Heavy as hell … weighs 10+ pounds.
B.Mangles brass … the port buffer helps if you want to reload.
C.Without a port buffer, brass is ejected to the next county.
D.Action remains closed after last shot.
2.H&K SLB 2000: .30-06: This actually a hunting rifle and not an EBR or assault rifle. It is a gas operated semi-automatic, based upon H&K’s battle tested designs. (Not a lot of .30-06 semi autos.) Super smooth action, fast cycling, and comes with a 10 round magazine. The stock is wood, barrel is about 19” and it weighs in just slightly over 7 pounds. A sweet little semi auto .30-06 carbine. Somewhat rare in the US. Imported only for a year or so. Still sold in Germany by Merkel and Haenel (under license from H&K.) Mine has a factory Picatinny rail and I have installed a “Bump Buster” hydraulic recoil system from Ken Rucker. I use it with 2 scopes: a Burris Eliminator III 3-12 x 44 and a Leupold VX-R 3-9x40.
Pros:
A.While not a sniper rifle, it is extremely accurate for light carbine.
B.Like the .308, will happily eat just about any type of .30-06 ammo (including “Black Tip” or AP ammo … shooting AP ammo out of it makes it a light weight STOPPING MACHINE.)
C.Obviously .30-06 ammo is readily available just about any place, and has a lot of “oomph.”
D.Relatively easy to field strip and clean.
J.Like the PTR, with good match grade ammo and the Burris Eliminator, can easily reach out and touch someone out to 300-400 yards (or more).
E.Doesn’t look like an EBR or assault rifle.
Cons:
A.Magazines are extremely expensive (over $200.00 for a 10 rounder) and hard to find.
B.Factory parts are available (if you know where to look … from basically 1 source) but forget after-market parts.
C.So few were imported, no real knowledge base or on-line forums for info.
OK, who’s next?