With the current political situation should I do something I have not wanted to do, and put off doing in buying me a AR 15 or maybe two along with some 30 round mags?
It means putting off the purchase of a Garbi 28 gauge along with a 410 to accomplish this.
I have said for a long time that I need to purchase one or more but I really don't think I will be using it that much. So I stayed on course buying and builing my collections in the side by sides.
The last thing I want is to wake up one day and this country be in absolute melt down and have no way to protect my family.

If you need a ar15 to protect your family you are all screwed. Protection, in a close quarters situation, is handled very well with a 12 ga. shotgun. Unless you are repelling a zombie attack an ar15 does not improve your chances. So buy what you want unless you foresee a zombie outbreak.

If you're going to use it for something like 3 gun, competitive plate shooting, and long range target shooting, go with the AR 15. If you're worried about the collapse of civilization and the rise of anarchy, you should consider an AK 47. Thinking down the road, in a post apacolyotic world it is likely that gun cleaning and materials for firearm maintenance will be scarce and likely to be controlled by the local warlord or feudal authority. The AK 47 will really shine in that environment as you could clean it with sand, mud or raw sewage and it would still fire every time you pull the trigger.

An Israeli Galil would be a good option as well, but parts would be more scarce.

When experiencing a meltdown situation, you want to be able to replenish your ammo supply by taking it away from an aggressor. Will that aggressor be a Russian soldier with an AK-47 or an American soldier or policeman with an AR-15? Right now, we're kind of in the middle. Your chance of using more than a few hundred rounds before being eliminated is very slim.

.223 is actually fairly anemic. .308 would be the far-better option for old guys who don't run and gun well. In a dystopic future, it's pretty hard to predict what you'll need. Medical supplies might be nice to have. Food.....not fun to contemplate.

I've heard that a .308 is better to protect yourself from someone who is shooting at you from behind something, a more likely situation.
Karl

This is craziness. Buy the sxs. Go to the movies if you want to experience dystopia, apocalypse, or zombies because it won't happen in real life...Geo

IMO: ANY good high power rifle or shotgun would serve the purpose of providing personal defense if what you're concerned with is your immediate family and household. You should have an adequate supply of ammunition on hand and Id recommend a supply of critical spare parts.
Beyond this point it would depend upon the situation.

IMO and I want to stress this is just my opinion; there are going to be "Issues" no matter who wins in November. What form these will take and the extent is anyone's guess at this time.
Jim

Ok the end of the world and zombie attack aside is your real question is should you buy it before buying it becomes impossible. Perhaps. But what is to prevent an executive order from being made to outlaw position of high capacity clips or even the Ar15? This is why the continued executive orders being accepted as law is so dangerous to me. And God help us if the Supreme Court ever decides that they carry the same weight as legislation passed and signed into law.

Direct rule by the President scares me much more than zombies, economic meltdown or any other potential natural disaster. You have about 150-175 million people living in cities and surrounding areas who could not feed and support themselves for more than two weeks without massive help. Unlike during the Great Depression when a strong majority of the population lived in rural areas and could to a large extent feed themselves today we can not. So one Ar15 more or less will make little difference.

So it comes down to how important is an Ar15 to you and what you think the chances are that it will be declared illegal by executive order and will you comply. If it is just an itch to own it I would pass. If you are concerned about protecting your family buy it and spit in their eye later if needed.

There are literally dozens of choices. Range determines a lot. Close up a 9mm carbine will suffice. Further out, not so much. Semi-autos are not the only quick repeater. The old 94 Winchester can hold its own through one tube full.

I hate to even think about this but it is now in our face. Regardless of what anyone tells you, a 4473 is and audit trail.

We don't live on bread alone. Either way, the AR15 or any other gun won't make a difference whether you live or die. Guns alone will never take down the greatest democracy the world has known. This is craziness, as Geo says.

This is craziness. The veep proclaimed all we need to protect our home and family is available at the double gun shop. Don't mention building a collection though, that might be flagged as an arsenal. Oh, and just for clarity, unless you're a Canadian optics maker, don't use a system for reloading.

Really? Tell that to the unprepared people who experienced Katrina. Disaster preparedness is a good thing and an AR is one part of it.

During hurricane Ike, we went 3 weeks without power. Some of the unprepared got goofy and unpredictable. I learned a lot from that experience, both about people helping people and the darker side as well. A crash course for sure.

I am much better prepared now, in many ways. When all the marbles hit the ground, the biggest mistake was underestimating the amount of fuel it takes to run the generator for an extended time. We are now dual fuel capable and I can go approx 3 month if managed properly. My AR never left my side for 3 weeks.

I'll never forget cooking my son's birthday cake on the outside grill.

Take it for what its worth.
But then again, I guess we can all sit on our asses acting like baby birds waiting to be fed.

That's it, King. Run for the hills, the Highland way. Or just show 'em yer bright red arse!

_________________________
FREEDOM!!!!

I've had ARs for years, until a few years ago. Mine were very accurate and used for target shooting. If it all goes downhill, which isn't going to happen, anything is better than nothing, but unless you live in a wilderness where you've got room to stretch out the range and expect to be a rural warrior, an AR is whistling past the graveyard. IF you buy it for apocalypse purposes, that is. For a fun gun, they're great. They're accessorized easily, and a lot of people will take a $800 rifle and bolt on $600 worth of sights, rails, etc.

I'm not a prepper, figure if the SHTF, I'm going to be either outnumbered or outgunned with any shoulder-fired weapon. So I spend my limited dollars on something even more fun...flintlocks, shotguns, Savage 99s, etc.

I was given an AR lower and some parts by a friend when he moved to CA. I had little interest in it but I keep acquiring parts here and there. One day I got bored and finally put it together.

It almost pains me to say it but, those rifles are nice. I never thought I wanted one until I had one. I don’t have any thoughts about societal meltdown but you might enjoy the AR. Fun and cheap to shoot.

No weapon you can buy will protect you or your family in case of real calamity. I'm quite familiar with the AR; had one in the Army. I figured out pretty quickly that infantry weapons don't mean much without infantry.

The only weapon that might pull you and your family through is your brain. Be less 'prepared' and more knowledgeable...Geo

Purchase a Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle in .223 with a walnut stock and blued metal and a few 20 round magazines. Shopping around, (CDNN Sports in Abilene, Tx) you can get this rig for under a $1,000, probably less, with 3 or 4 magazines. The walnut and blued steel does not look as "sinister" to some people as the black AR does. One rides with me all the time for coyote control around the ranch. You will find out it is a hoot to play with just shooting for fun. Buying .223 ammo in bulk is not a problem and relatively inexpensive compared to some ammo. For dealing with a home invasion, a shotgun is the best, provided it holds more than two rounds. Past 25 yds or so, a criminal with a handgun has the shotgun outclassed.
The Ruger mini-14 is dependable, built like a tank, and entirely accurate enough. A tricked out AR with all the bells and whistles and unnecessary attachments you do not need.
And, as one person said, there is nothing wrong with a good lever action rifle.....a Marlin in .44 magnum holds 10 rounds and reloads fairly quickly.
During the LA riots years ago, the only thing that kept the criminal looters from cleaning out and torching some Korean businesses was the people standing on the roofs of those businesses holding AR-15's in plain sight. (the LA cops being unwilling to enter that section of the city)....the gutter trash rioters immediately turned away from their intended targets.
Certain elements in this country have stated there will be riots and demonstrations before the November election and even more if Trump wins. Such threats are not to be taken lightly, nor is the threat of Islamic terrorism attacks in the U.S. Get a Ruger mini-14.

Good idea to buy now, the price's will be going higher-and less selection the closer we get to Nov elections.
You can buy S/S's later,that market is getting more and more flooded as pointed out in other thread and the prices will continue to slide down
On the low price look at CORE-decent trigger of the money.
Then RRA, and Sig 400 (the enhanced sell well) would be the next step up.
Buy lots of mags too Magpul Pmags are strong sellers.

Be sure to send King lots of pics when you do,so much fun P/O liberals-especially that one in Canada,so he can see what the Second Amendment is really about.


If Billary gets in and they ramp up the Syrian islamic terrorists and other Illegals as planned to bring the country closer to new world order you will be happy you get your black rifle.

I am adding a AR "pistol" to the collection next,has nice short barrel and "arm" brace.Even better then SBR-no tax stamp and can be kept loaded in the car on a carry permit unlike a rifle

You can get into an AR for a lot less than $1K. I don't like Mini-14s at all. When I worked in LE, we bought 33 of them for patrol rifles and while adequate, weren't much fun. Not very accurate but that's been a few years ago; I understand they're better now.

Ruger used to hold onto their magazines like they were silver plated, but that's also opened up.

As far as offending others with a sinister black rifle, I didn't go around showing my ARs. No one saw it unless they were at the range where it didn't matter.

The agency I was associated with is upgrading to ARs. Everything is easier to get for an AR, including magazines, they're generally more accurate and aren't as subject to fouling as our Minis were. After firing Wolf brand ammo and then not cleaning the rifles' gas cylinder/piston very quickly, they would rust shut and had to be literally kicked open. Minis are a little trickier to take down, too.

Not a Ruger fan, as I said earlier.

Dave, what's all this fretting about Clinton? Everyone here knows it makes no difference who gets in: "the Second is an inalienable right." It can't be changed, it's there forever and a day. Keep cool!

California has just banned even possession of mags capable of holding more than 10 rounds, and sale of rifles and pistols with detachable magazines. In other words, all semi-auto pistols. You will now need a background check, for fifty bucks, just to buy ammunition.

Your main problem during a collapse of our society would probably be gangs of people looking to take your food, meds and anything else they deemed necessary to their survival.You want to engage at a distance so the rifle would be the first choice and a semi-auto with high capacity mags would be ideal.Defending yourself at home you might want the shotgun or semi-auto pistol. Anyone serious about self defense is not going to use a lever gun unless that is all you have. You will be avoiding contact with any military or leo personnel at all costs.

Just look at the two posts prior to this for understanding the reality of the situation:

First we have the resident anti-2nd Amendment Troll posting more of his dishonest LULLING:



Then we have the reality of what happens whenever Liberal Left anti-gun Democrats take the reins of power:



As Dave K. says, AR's and AK's and ammo for same won't be getting any cheaper as the election gets closer. Prices have stabilized since the mad rush when Obama tried to ban them in 2013, but we all know what anti-gun Hillary is promising to do.

In his 7919 posts here, has King Brown ever offered any useful double gun information, or has it all been anti-gun crap and bloviating about his imaginary friends like JFK and Martin Luther King?

If you are undecided/confused about which weapons system(s) you should have for optimal performance in a self defense scenario look at what our Special Operations soldiers and sailors are using. SOF is not constrained by the usual Government Procurement BS and are adequately funded to get what they need when they need it.

+1. Good post, George. I'm surprised that people who lived through the 60's think that things are more likely to fall apart now. Cities were burning back then. Huge anti-war demonstrations, with a relative handful of antiwar radicals turning violent. A huge civil rights movement, with a similarly small but violent radical fringe. Most people quickly decided that making love was preferable to making war.

Corollary to Murphy's Law. Anything bad you prepare for will not happen. Everything bad that does happen will catch you unprepared so stay on the balls of your feet...Geo

Hurry keith, build a bunker and hunker down! The great U.S.A is about to end!

Maybe one of those snub nosed thing'a ma jigs will protect you from your oppressive government, or roaming bands of culture changing immigrants!

Your like a 50's era cliche'

D.

Years ago a fellow from Argentina wrote what he did after the Argentinian economy tanked and the country fell into chaos. His views as far as guns went:

Shotguns are great for protecting your household. Every household should have at least one.

High-powered rifles, because of their ability to shoot through things such as cars and walls, are good if your dwelling is under attack. For instance, your attacker shoots at you from behind his car, you shoot back at him through his car. Every household should have at least one.

Handguns were only useful to carry with you at times such as a trip to the store where your long gun would cause a disturbance. Emergency weapons to hopefully keep you alive until you can get to your long gun. Every person in a household should have at least one.

He’d basically turned his living space into a fortress and suggested things such as answering the front door by calling down from an upstairs window when someone knocked on the front door. He came up with that one after a neighbor lady was assaulted and raped when she answered her front door thinking the nice man in the uniform was a city utility worker.

FWIW I agree with the earlier posters views on AK 47’s. Give me something that reliably fires whenever I pull the trigger, mud, sand, dirt and water be damned.

Steve

An Armas Garbi in 28 gauge, how can you resist. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

And we want some pictures too!!!

There are some very good points in the above post and everyone reading this forum IMO should heed them. \
To The Naysayers:
We came very close to an armed rebellion last year over that grazing issue. Personally I am hopeful that no matter what the outcome is in November that cooler heads will prevail and everyone will begin to adjust to the situation.
However: Being prepared for what I see is an unlikely major disruption, but if it were to occur, would in all probability immediately affect food supplies it doesn't hurt to be prepared. IMO: You should have at a minimum at least a 3 month supply of food on hand.
Jim

The best all around choice would be 7,62x51mm Springfield Armory M1A SOCOM 16.