Are you preparing for not-so-good-times ahead

[JD4570]

Uh, Q9, you forgot about the Moisin Nagant in 7.62x54R? Weapon is very inexpensive as is the ammo. Ballistics and accuracy of a .30-06. Something to think about folks.

 

[cupman]

I want a M6 Scout.

 

[JD4570]

As a survival arm, that's a very good choice.

 

[cupman]

Yeah I just want to play with it, shoot some beer cans or something. I got a 9mm and .38 special for protection but they pretty much just hang out in the desk next to my bed, waiting for intruders.

 

[Q9]

Uh, Q9, you forgot about the Moisin Nagant in 7.62x54R? Weapon is very inexpensive as is the ammo. Ballistics and accuracy of a .30-06. Something to think about folks.

I actually have one. Reason I didn't mention it is due to the extreme difficulty of mounting a scope and the rarity of soft point ammo in that caliber. However, you're right - the rifle itself, usually with a sling and bayonet, is about $130, and the ammo is about half the price of .308, less if you buy the sealed 440 round military cans of FMJ. You've reminded me that I now need to invest in a few spam cans of ammo, thank you.

Now, if you live in Russia or Eastern Europe, a Mosin-Nagant and an AK-74 would by far be the best survival guns to have, since they use those weapons' calibers for their militaries. I'd love an AK-74, ammo is ridiculously cheap and the 5.45 is an amazing combat round, however, almost our entire supply is imported from Russia. If certain people in the Oval Office throw a hissy fit, we could completely lose our supply of 5.45, with the exception of ludicrously expensive Hornady rounds. Hang on, I'm going to post a link to a site with an insane deal on 5.45 ammo.

 

[Q9]

Here we go. $140 for 1080 rounds of military 5.45! Probably a good varmint round, too.

http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?item=A54539R

 

[Bullitt]

If you buy two cans, it is $129.95 a can. That is very cheap.

The only drawback is the lacquer-coated steel cases. If you are shooting a semi-automatic and it gets hot, that lacquer is like a glue inside your gun. It is difficult to clean out. Some guns can shoot the Russian ammunition and some will jam.

But at that price, it is great for practice or shooting varmints. Just find a gun that likes that ammo, like an AK-47.


Here is .223 Russian-made TulAmmo. It is 500 rounds of 62-grain hollow points for about $110. That other ammo was full-metal jacketed bullets, which is required in the military to comply with the Geneva Convention.

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/AMM2902-1.html


Here is .223 from Silver Bear, which I believe is also Russian-made. It is 500 rounds of 55-grain hollow points for about $130, and they are zinc-plated steel cases. They don't jam as much.

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/AMM284-1.html


Here is what you should use if you use a .223 to hunt deer. It is about $18 for a 20-round box, but hopefully you only have to use one round. It states they recommend this round for mule deer and black bear, which I think is pushing it.

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/2WNX223R2-1.html

 

[bakerjw]

I had a friend who was all ga-ga about the 5.45x39 round. He was determined to get an AK that shoots it because ammo was so cheap. It's a decent round but I'll still stick with the general run of the mill 5.56 because I suspect that the surplus market will dry up eventually and prices will be comparable.

As for shooting Wolf, Silver Bear, or Golden Tiger out of the AR platform, that is an absolute no-no imho. I've heard too many stories about lacquer and sealants melting at high chamber temperatures and causing problems with extraction as the 5.56 has very little taper

Now as for the 7.62x39 round out of an AR, there are some rounds that are not lacquer coated that extract very well. The only issue there is replacing the bolt carrier every 2,000 rounds or so since it has to be machined out to accept the larger cartridge base. I still have a lot of 7.62x39 ammo around because you can never have enough SKSs in the gun safe.

If you want to look at an interesting round, check out the 300 Blackout. It was designed by AAC in conjunction with Remington. At first it sounds like a wildcat cartridge but was actually developed with certain aspects in mind. It is a 5.56 case necked out to accept a .30 caliber bullet. It loads into standard AR-15 5.56 magazines and uses the normal 5.56 bolt and bolt carrier. The only difference is the size of the bore and the chamber. It carries as much energy downrange as the 7.62x39 and most 6.8SPC aficionados hate it. box prices are very reasonable and brass prices are really good. With it's subsonic characteristics I'll likely build one or two up in the next year.

Anyway, just had to drop in my $.02

 

[bakerjw]

In reading some of the old posts I had to add 2 things. Military surplus ammo in sealed battle packs rocks. I tend toward Prvi Partizan because theirs are sealed plastic bags with carry handles. They are durable enough to be thrown in a pond and recovered at a later date.

I remember the good old days when an 880 round of milsup 7.62 Nato(.308) would sell for $70.00 to $80.00. Sick prices when you look at today's market. But alas my absolute go to gun if things go downhill is without a doubt my FAL. It was built from South African components which include sand grooves on the bolt carrier to keep grit and grime from staying in the upper receiver area and it will shoot until the cows come home.

 

[JD4570]

I have to admit I have a soft spot for the FAL but my favorite is an AK variant, but it's not a run of the mill AK. It's a Bulgarian Arsenal SLR-95 in 7.62x39m.m.. It has a Steyr hammer forged barrel, selected for straightness, a milled receiver and I Replaced the rear sight with a Mojo dial sight. Also the bolt lock up is about 4 onethousandths of an inch tighter than your average AK. Accuracy is about 2" M.O.A average. I also have a Chinese Type 56 SKS that averages 1.5"M.O.A, and I bought it year before last for only $175. Now if I could only find another one at that price!