Alright, lets have it. Show me your best SHTF rifle and tell me why you think its the best. There's always a lot of talk about these rifles and how they never fail. My rifles dont fail me either, but some here think they are only good off the bench. This bs coming from the guys that have never had to shoot against me. ha ha.. This can be a fun thread. Lets see what you got. I'm thinking one of my favorites is my Northtech defense. It shoots everything accurately. Yeah, I know it has a 20" barrel, but it gets the job done. Just for chidts and giggles:

Less than 8 seconds on target downrange in preparation for one of my AR shoots. Yeah, the bigshots from Portland and Vancouver got their chidt stomped that day. Just sayin :

This rifle is fast and smooth and has never had a hiccup. Not one in over 3,000+ rounds downrange with it. It likes just about every kind of ammo I've tried in it. It isn't finicky... Excellent for chidt hitting the fan scenarios, if you will...

Same rifle in the Carl Ross positional match. Its the High score rifle in that event, where guys like Formid also shot..


I like the idea of an AR10 for a SHTF rifle, but it just doesn't send rounds downrange as fast as the .223/556 does:

Its accurate enough and would make a hell of a good longrange SHTF rifle, but for up close and personal, I'd take my lighter ar15 over the AR10. Don't be bashful, post yours up. This isn't about shooting 10 shot groups, but if you can put them all in the x ring in under 8 seconds, I'll give you bonus points...

Uh, I don't have one. Out in the woods one day, I set it down to pee and couldn't locate it afterward. Still out there. Sad part is that it had my 60rd pmag in it at the time.....

This sounds much more like a "yall stop making fun of my bench rifles" thread than a "show off your SHTF rifles" thread.

Boomers envision a fox hole and sandbags. A sgt York sceniro.

In an effort to contribute, I'll offer this.

A SHTF rifle is a rifle that would presumably be used to fire at other people who also have rifles in a situation of societal collapse. And it will likely happen within 200 yards.

To accomplish that, the rifle, and you, need to have the following characteristics:
1--It's gotta be reliable. Not mostly reliable. Absolutely reliable, no matter what. Part of reliability is that it should be made of parts that won't break and are assembled in a way to eliminate the likelihood that it will fail.

2--You need to be able to see what you're shooting at. If you're going to encounter bad guys doing bad things, the likelihood of you encountering them in the dark is very, very high. A fighting rifle should have illumination. Preferably illumination with more throw than spill. I like mine as close to 12 o'clock as I can get it.

3--Once you can see it you need to be able to discriminate if you should shoot it or not. Societal collapse involves lots of good guys and bad guys all mixed in together, or folks that move freely between those two and look like each other. Or folks that are partially obscured behind cover or concealment. Magnified optics are great for that. Good optics are very reliable and work even without batteries. 4x on the top end would be good, 6x or 8x would be better. The low end being very low is more important than having 6x or 8x. A generous field of view and very generous eye box are more important than high end magnification. Set it up to work from 25-100 all the time from any position, and build up from there.

4--You need to be able to retain it. That nonsense in Kenosha brings that out. A sling isn't optional. I prefer an adjustable two point sling. I like the Magpul.

5--It needs to be "accurate". This is the bottom of the list. SHTF scenarios would theoretically be mostly defensive in nature. As such, a shot anywhere on a person, or likely even real close to a person, would be enough to stop them. As much as we don't want to admit it, a 3MOA rifle would be more than accurate enough for defensive purposes. By that, I mean 3MOA on demand from field positions. Accuracy is a function of the rifle and shooter. This is the thing we obsess over the most, which is probably the least important. We should probably obsess more on our field shooting than our rifle's accuracy potential.

6--It should be reasonably portable. 16" guns can work. Shorter is more better.
___________________

Everything else, IMO, is lagniappe. I want a reliable rifle, with a sight and light that lets me see what I'm shooting at, that I can keep with me, that I can use to hit a 6" target at 200 yards.

No Frills, with a if I can see it, I can hit it zero. Nuts on minute of center mass @ 300, even tighter from 50-200. Prone, kneeling or sitting. My problem is I shouldn’t be able to hit sh*t from those positions as I am a boomer, we can only shoot with sandbags, foxholes and high mag scopes as in 71 they were really prevalent in rice patties and jungle trails.😂

I've got a few that would suffice just fine, but this is the one purposefully assembled.

BCM 14.5" SOCOM upper
Primary Arms 3X ACSS
Cloud Defensive OWL
Troy handguards
Milspec trigger
H3 buffer

KISS. Bushmaster Dissy upper.

Me and my bud were just talking about getting 14.5 barrels of course with the pinned bird cage. I been told SBR tax stamps coming back in less than 30 days. I should get one..

My 14.5 is pinned/welded.

Wouldn't mind SBR-ing my 11.5" pistol though.

Tell me, how good is your grouping when someone is shooting back at you with a surplus 303 British?

My SHTF firearms need most-likely would be sitting on this rock on my land and thumping any unwanted visitors.







For that, the M1A pictured above might work, but so might my .340 Wby.

Don't forget your body armor and helmet boys and girls!

One of these. 6940 on left with aimpoint, 6920 on right with shaved fsb and velocity trigger. Mark4 2.5-8x

Good post. Not sure why the OP is harping on group size.lol

Lol

The 10mm rifle on the left below would be a nice option if I also had my G40 with me. They both take the same mags. Not really a 200 yd gun, but it's light and handy and uses the same ammo and mags as my preferred nightmare scenario handgun.

[img]https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/galleries/15600898/colt-ar[/img]
Sorry, but I couldn't figure out how to post from the image gallery. It's a Colt M4 with gray Magpul furniture, a Leupold VX-R 1.25-4x in a Burris PEPR mount and YHM BUIS, Rock River 2-stage trigger.

My old Colt I bought in the late 90s works for me.

It has an RDO zeroed for close up stuff.

And an ACOG for further out.

The drops/zeroes are written on the stock.













It wears the same 2 point sling I use on almost all my long guns, including bolt actions, and I am intimately familiar with how to sling up and utilize it optimally. The rifle also has a white light if needed. It also has a very skinny barrel, since I don't feel the need to carry any more weight than necessary.

Plus a bit of vet wrap on the buffer tube to keep my beard and mustache hairs from getting ripped out, as tends to happen.

The 550 cord and HK clips make for fast separation of the upper and lower for cleaning as well as the 550 cord is quieter than metal to metal banging against each other.

This setup may not be state of the art, but it is good enough for my purposes, and I have spent enough time behind it, and similar setups that I am very comfortable running it without thinking about it.

🦫

I’ve got a couple set up for hunting guns that I’ve leaned heavily on utility and reliability in any scenario. This one is a Sionics 16” chrome lined pencil barrel with a Troy rail with built in flip up iron sight. It has a Troy flip up rear to match and is sighted in at 200 yards. The Trijicon Accupower 1-4 scope has the segmented circle dot reticle with BDC marks that I’ve verified out to 700 yards. Its in a QD mount so I can utilize the irons if needed. It’s accurate enough to make solid hits yet weighs right at 8 pounds so it’s portable. Im known for walking several miles a day on my hunts and going as light as I can on my gear, without sacrificing utility, is important to me.

The SOPMOD stock while heavier than some, has tubes that store CR123 batteries for my light that attaches to the rail. I also have a little tube of machine gunners lube and a small parts kit stored too. The K2+ grip also has a tube that has CR123 batteries. Both scoped guns have Geissele SSP triggers. Both are well vetted but this one is my one TEOTWAWKI gun.

It’s not a target gun but I’m not a target shooter.
Here’s the other one that wears a LaRue pencil barrel and a BCM KMR rail. Everything else is the same. It shoots better than I do.

LMT New Zealand Reference Rifle in 5.56, sometimes with a can. SWFA 1-6 HD on top.

DW,

That rifle/scope combo is really all a guy would ever need.

Mac,

You were integral in the decision to set it up that way.

I polled a few people I know who know gunfighting, and all the lines crossed LMT, Colt and KAC, SWFA 1-6 and Nightforce.

I already had the LMT, and am a pretty diehard SWFA fan. The outcome was easy to justify to myself.

Another in the stable is this Colt.

It wears a 2.5-8 Leupold.



The elevation turret is custom set for MK262 using a 16" barrel.


Pretty easy to just twist the dial and get hits on steel out to 600, which is further than I am likely to be using it.




On 2x it is easy enough to shoot running targets up close.

Colt LE6920 SOCOM with a few add-ons:

B5 Bravo stock
Magpul K2 grip
Larue MBT2s trigger
Radian Raptor charging handle
Proctor sling
Holosun HE530G

Here is mine at the moment. Set up to shoot 62 grain FMJ and 77 SMK. I also have a 6.8 that is similar.



I have an upper and lower with a SBA3 brace awaiting a barrel, forearm and BCG. Nothing ordered yet, still trying to figure out what I want. Probably be a 11.5 or 12.5 with a Troy handguard.

16" SOLGW:

Geissele SSA-E trigger
Radian Raptor/SOLGW charging handle
MagPul Pro BUIS
BCM KMR Alpha 15" rail
MagPul MS4 sling
Knox Dead-Air muzzle device
Holosun HE530G and 3x magnifier

I've got a 6920 set up with a Trijicon as well, but this is what is up in the closet, ready.

My setup is based on my experiences, and my environment.

I like a slick carrier. Prone sucks with tons of crap under you.

Can isn't optional. I lost enough hearing shooting on a two way range.

D60 with Gold Dots. 2 30 rounders with stuff that will go through armor and barriers.

Comms set up with neighbors.

USPSA league with said neighbors.

Don’t know if you’d seen this or if it has any bearing/relation to your particular model but...
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog...arranty-with-new-zealand-defense-forces/

5.56, 20" HBar 1/7 chrome-lined, in a YHM floater. Primary Arms 1-6x24 ACSS.

Jackmountain,

Thanks for the link. I’m about 5,000 rounds into this thing and no problems yet.

Including 1,000 frangible through the can at Thunder Ranch two months back.

I bought it from the widow of original owner, a friend who died from heart failure before it became upscale to die from COVID. He probably put 3,000 through it before he died.

It’s a tank.

I have a few other M4s to fall back on, and extra bolts and BCGs just in case.

I think after the nuclear Holocaust the cockroaches will be fighting it out with LMT rifles.

Oh what the heck
Colt 6720 with G2S trigger and Aimpoint PRO, DD A1.5 rear sight. This is the gun loaded, dot on and ready to go should I need one now.

This one is a Colt 6920 lower with a Sionics pencil barrel, DD sights on the MI keymod rail. EOTech EXPS2-0 red dot. One other thing I forgot to mention is the Vortex flash hiders on my guns. After seeing all the shooters tracked down by muzzle flashes in the peaceful protests, I’d rather not be so easy to find should it come to that.


So tell me about the magnifiers.

Got water? Good terrain .

Got a well, and a stream nearby.

That's a beautiful piece of ground! I'll likely be stuck here just outside of city limits. Lots of shady characters around so my goal will be to follow Lewis Perkin's advice and not end up on anyone's radar. If someone seeks me out, I'll do my best to make them very sorry for that decision.

I’ve heard nothing but great things about LMT and would buy one in a second if I’m the market. Sounds like it’s a solid rifle. I’d read the thread you posted about thunder ranch and looked up that particular model then. Sounds like a well sorted And well suited rifle to rely on when your life depends on one.

Yeah. I still have a few play guns, but the for real fighting guns are for real fighting guns.

And body armor

And Individual First Aid Kits

And comms

Here's this one. It checks a lot of boxes for me.

13.7" SOLGW upper
Pinned SF brake with a Warden
Aero lower with a SOLGW trigger and Geissele LPK
Springco white-hot spring and H buffer
B5 stock, K2 grip, Magpul sling
SF Scout Ultra in a Frank Proctor direct mount
Steiner P4Xi with Magpul BUIS

A couple Rock Rivers

This is a drill that I think could be more useful than bench shooting for EOTWAWKI. This was a hit on a C-Zone and a hit on a 6" plate from each position. A good goal, IMO, would be a hit on the C-Zone within 3 seconds of getting into each position. I shot this at 100, 150, and 200 yards. From the last two positions at 200 I really struggled with the 6" plate. I don't believe I got a hit from the very last position for sure.

Bluedreaux,
I just wish I could get up and down half as fast as you. The shooting is secondary.


Thanks, Dinny

Miniguns are more fun and remarkably effective.

Blue you still like the nitrided barrel in the SOLGW upper? How many rounds do you think one of them is good for?

It’s fine. Running just like new. I have no idea how long it’ll last.

Watched Predator Sunday with my son who’s never seen it (15)
He’s still talking about Jesse Ventura and that mini gun.

Tell your son not to get too excited. There ain’t no way on earth that a man would remain standing due to the recoil.

Ol’ painless...

My wife would probably trade the AR for the TP if we ran out.

Come on DD, that is the GUV Jesse we talking about! He could it with just his mouth!😂
Still one of my all time fav's. Wore out 2 vhs and one dvd. Watch until they slaughter the rebel base go to sleep and wake up to Arnold covered with ash, flying off. Dont make them any more.

Are you bragging, or taking two big leaps out of the closet?

LOL

Worth repeating.

The rifle & TP reminded me I did have a pic of my best one.

Rock River lower with 2 stage match trigger. Windham Maine Bushmaster H-bar, chrome line, fluted. YHM flip up front w/tritium, MBUS rear. 1.5-5 Leupold.
Changed the stock to a MP CTR & added a Vickers sling.

You need that square body in the pic.

You ain't joking. Gunzo is holding out the last good thing.

Not a close up, but how bout 2 square bodies? Black Dog on the left, Black & Tan on the right.

10.5" LWRC Piston upper, SBR.
Light, 1-4 power scope.

I took mine for a canoe ride and they all went to the bottom of the lake. Sorry. Be Well, RZ.

Shame. Sorry.

This!

My SHTF weapons.

Nice view.

sorry guys i no longer own any firearms ,but you guys do have some great pictures of some neat firearms, Pete53

Daytime shtf

Nightime shtf

That pop machine looks cool.

Yes, the pop machine is cool LOL

Rifle Dynamics RD704 pistol in 7.62x39 with a Trijicon MRO. The EOTech 3x mag is mostly for target ID. Soon it will be married up with a TBAC Ultra suppressor.

Uhhh, no beers?

Lol.

Great pic.

Colt 6920
Acog TA31F 4x32
Geissele SSA-E trigger
Centurion Arms handguard
Troy covers
Daniel Defense FVG
BCM Sopmod 0
Silencerco flash hider for can



BCM pistol
Aimpoint H2
American Defense mount
Magpul Pro BUIS
michiganroadkill accessorized



Colt 6920
(top)
Modified to 6.8 SPC
Zeiss V4 4-16x44 full duplex
Seekins Precision rings
Geissele SSA-E trigger
MI handguard
BCM Sopmod 0
ASC 20 rd mags to feed it



Arsenal SLR107-FR



Romanian WASR10
(ally gun)

Geissele AKT trigger
Kreb's BHO safety
Bulgarian slab side BHO mag
Definitive Arms muzzle break
Hogue ergo grip



1956 Winchester Model 70 FWT .30-06. Swarovski Z3 3-9x36.

Beers are in the fridge next to it

LD,
I like the addition of the WASR10.

Great for those trips to the Bakara Market when you want plenty of firepower, but nothing so nice people would be tempted to kill you for your gear.

I bought a VPRA 40 today at Murdoch’s, $289.

Bakara Market. Lol!


AS, it's something I can throw in the back seat or over the fence to an ally and not worry about it. $300 about 15-18 yrs ago.

Not a place in the world quite like A'stan.

Figured that's where you took that shot.

Be well out there, brother.