View Full Version : Which rifle for survival is best?
I am looking at a mini 14 or a Ruger pc9 ? Cost is a factor (I do plan on buying a few thousand rounds of ammo)but,I do want the rifle that I would bet my life on.I already have a glock 9mm but i am worried about the stopping power and range of the 9mm round in the pc9.Whats your thoughts or is there a third alternative that might suit my needs,Thanks
redherring
10-19-2006, 21:22
I am looking at a mini 14 or a Ruger pc9 ? Cost is a factor (I do plan on buying a few thousand rounds of ammo)but,I do want the rifle that I would bet my life on.I already have a glock 9mm but i am worried about the stopping power and range of the 9mm round in the pc9.Whats your thoughts or is there a third alternative that might suit my needs,Thanks[/quote]
Between the two carbines you've mentioned, I would go with the mini-14, especially if you get it in stainless steel.
I would suggest a good third alternative rifle would be an SKS, you can still pick up a yugo model relatively cheaply, is extremely simple to field strip, has been battle proven to be reliable, and although the cost of 7.62 x 39 has been rising, is still cheaper than most centerfire rifle rounds.
Dorkface
10-20-2006, 04:27
Of those two the mini for sure. Its an intermediate powered rifle where as the PC9 is only a pistol .cal oversided handgun. :)
The SKS is also another good option. Around here you can get them for $150 still in camosole(sp?) from a store.
Of the two you mentioned,Definately the mini-14.
I have both of them and while I think the PC9 is fine for home defense and shooting at tin cans and water bottles, I would not want to depend on it for survival. It is plenty cheap to shoot though.
I just think you get much more for your money with the mini, which by the way, is pretty close to the same for either rifle.
The sks is a 10 round fixed box magazine is it not ? Seems the reload time would be very slowww..........I have considered an ak 47 but the price of aks are getting high.Last year you could get one for about 250 now they are well over 400.Plus I have heard that sks and aks have a lot of muzzle climb and are not very accurate.Thanks for the replies guys,Keep them coming still not sure.
Boogyman
10-20-2006, 09:02
Depends on what you mean by "survival".
If you think you'll be attacked by zombies or have to fight off the Chinese invaders, go with the Mini.
If you only need to feed yourself in the wilderness, I'd trade them both in for a .22 rifle, and carry a .44 Mag handgun for bears... ;)
Well then, consider this. The effective range of the PC9 is 75 to 100 yds. The mini is more than double that. These two weapons are as different as night and day. But both are a lot of fun. Just buy one and get the other next time.:lol:
I agree with Boogeyman on this one. Before you pick a rifle for "survival", you have to define its use. A gun to ward off hordes of zombies may not be the best choice for exterminating a groundhog that's eating your garden, and for harvesting venison steaks, possibly neither of the others would be the best choice. For that matter, for urban survival before the collapse of civilization, no rifle would be very convenient to conceal on your person, so the optimum weapon in that case would be a handgun.
Hey eckmann. I just noticed you are in Western NC too. Small world huh?
I'm in Asheville, what about you? Do you know any good places to shoot. I've got a friend about ten miles away that lets me shoot over at his place but its not the greatest. Most of the time I end up driving about and hour and a half to a public range in SC. Nice place but I sure wish I could find something closer. Any ideas?
kid_couteau
10-20-2006, 13:38
Hi
I would go with the Mini 14
Like Boogeyman I think that a 22 rifle and a shotgun would do better for foraging
But if I am thinking baddies and foraging I would go with the Mini 14 because I can down load my ammo to around 22 magnum speeds and use it for small game. It wont cycle the action but while foraging small game I dont care. Actually I would rather it didnt cycle the action so I can save my brass for reloading. And the Mini is still good for fighting.
Just an opinion
Kid
ryan_kalani
10-20-2006, 15:12
Of the two you mentioned,Definately the mini-14.
+1. No contest.
I am thinking more toward the breakdown of civilization,maybe a chinese invasion,maybe some zombies from nuclear fallout.A rifle for one of these type of possibilties.
ryan_kalani
10-20-2006, 18:15
I am thinking more toward the breakdown of civilization,maybe a chinese invasion,maybe some zombies from nuclear fallout.A rifle for one of these type of possibilties.
I thought you limited yourself to those 2 rifles <_<
As I stated earlier I would consider a third alternative in this price range.Thanks
Splinter
10-20-2006, 19:18
Well, unless you live out in the sticks and have a lot of open land, anything outside of 70-100rds is very unlikely. At any distance more then 100yds or so, staying undetected is your best bet. Because of this, anything more then the mini14/sks is probly a waste. People will not be traveling by themselves so a LR bolt action will be of no use. My mini has gone bang every single time, with every non wolf ammo, so I dont see the need for anything else. I also have a rem 870 for indoors, and it would make a great food collector as well.
Boogyman
10-20-2006, 19:59
Zombies, huh?
ryan_kalani
10-20-2006, 20:25
As I stated earlier I would consider a third alternative in this price range.Thanks
AR-15?
WhiteWulf
10-20-2006, 21:34
The mini would be my pick of the two listed rifles. But I would go with an sks or ak-47 for a survival rifle. Not only will the 7.62x39mm kill any human you might run across it will kill any animal on the North American territory. Also every man needs a good 12 gauge and a good 9mm handgun. I hope all you guys living in the Ashville aera will make it out to the gunshow tomorrow. Last one this year should be alot of individuals selling what they have cheap for extra christmas money and such. A word of advice, stay away from the dealers they will burn you a new one.
BlenderWizard
10-21-2006, 13:36
I would suggest a good third alternative rifle would be an SKS, you can still pick up a yugo model relatively cheaply, is extremely simple to field strip, has been battle proven to be reliable, and although the cost of 7.62 x 39 has been rising, is still cheaper than most centerfire rifle rounds.
Yes.
The SKS is also another good option. Around here you can get them for $150 still in camosole(sp?) from a store.
Hell yes.
BlenderWizard
10-21-2006, 13:38
As I stated earlier I would consider a third alternative in this price range.Thanks
SKS - ~$100 - $250
How bout just get two of those for the price of the mini or pc-9?
"The sks is a 10 round fixed box magazine is it not ? Seems the reload time would be very slowww"
A bunch of pre-loaded stripper clips will remedy that problem.
BlenderWizard
10-21-2006, 20:58
"The sks is a 10 round fixed box magazine is it not ? Seems the reload time would be very slowww"
A bunch of pre-loaded stripper clips will remedy that problem.
Yeah, loading a stripper clip is as fast or faster than attaching a fresh mag in the magwell of most rifles.
What do you guys think of the Mac-90.I seen one in used condition(some scratches and a small amount of rust on the barrel) for 350.Are these as good as the AKs ? As far as sks's go "stripper clips" I might as well use my Mauser 98K.The sks will not give much more firepower than this WW2 bolt action.
Dorkface
10-21-2006, 23:03
I would say the SKS has way more "fire power" then a bolt action. The ability to dump 10 rounds quickly and reload back to ten quickly vs the blot action is alot.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firepower :)
garza1290
11-20-2006, 06:16
Of the two mentioned I would choose the Mini-14 (stainless). However, if I was in the wilderness and not fighting off the chinese or the undead, I would strongly consider the SKS. I must admitt, I only have one right now and its a Yugo so it's a bit to long and clumsy and not as handy as the PC9 or Mini. I've seen pics of smaller sks', think they were chinese....now that would be ironic.....fighting the chinese with a chinese rifle. Anyway, for hunting purposes, the occassional bear, or camp protection I would choose the sks.
gunrun45
11-20-2006, 07:50
How about a third option like a nice lever action rifle in say 44 amg, 45Long Colt or the time honored 30-30.
Sorry to throw another wrench in the works. I do like my lever guns though :)
If I was going to choose from the types of rifles above, I would have to go with either a mini 30 or the MAK90. They're both in the same caliber as the SKS but I'll be the first to admit that my beloved mini-30 is hard to find larger capactiy mags for.
The MAK's (or just about any AK for that point that isn't "bubba'ed") are of typically high quality as long as someone hasn't really put the hurt on it big time, its disgustingly reliable almost to a boring point, shoots a balistically sound intermediate size cartridge that is plentyfull and loaded in modern cartridges and is pretty cheap. Oh yeah, you can modify it with tons of "mall ninja" stuff if you want and have a VERY abundent suply of cheap but reliable mags for it.
I own a CA AW registered MAK 90 and it's fine. Its no fancy tricked out ubber cool slick rifle but it does its job well and that's what counts in my book.
Here's the biggest thing and it was mentioned earlier. In what form are you wanting to survive? If you are trying to survive against humans, it is totally different than just surviving in nature. Then there is the a line between the two which is more taken over by the survival against humans and that's the side I aire on if I need to make the choice.
FORM=FUNCTION!!! It is the biggest matra in the world of firearms. Honestly between the two, I would 100% vote the mini-14! Here's a great quote for you that I think applies wonderfully to this decision. "Handguns punch holes in stuff...rifles and shotguns f*** s*** up." If it is for survival against humans, you have 3 strong options in my opinion. Mini-14 or 30, AK-47, and AR-15. Past this point, it's usually up to personal preference. All are great options. With a good side-arm and a shotgun (I prefer pump due to simplicity) you'll have the perfect survival setup for pretty much anything.
If it is survival in nature and humans (particularly humans with firearms of their own) are not an issue, I suggest a good, intermediate caliber bolt action rifle. My personal preference especially weighing with cost, is the Mosin Nagant M38 or M44 bolt action carbine in 7.62x54r. You can pick one up in perfect shape for $80. Mine and other typical M44's will shoot a strong 2 moa. The intermediate caliber will take down pretty much anything that you'd be hunting and will take down a bear with ease. The bolt action will never fail either and surplus ammo for it is cheap...cheaper than .223 surplus ammo.
MAJORMINUS
11-21-2006, 06:09
Depends on what you mean by "survival".
If you think you'll be attacked by zombies or have to fight off the Chinese invaders, go with the Mini.
If you only need to feed yourself in the wilderness, I'd trade them both in for a .22 rifle, and carry a .44 Mag handgun for bears... ;)
I'll take a .22 for "survival". You can kill a moose with a .22 with the proper shot placement. Personal defense is another matter.
I'll take a .22 for "survival". You can kill a moose with a .22 with the proper shot placement. Personal defense is another matter.
How about a .22 Mag-almost twice the power of a .22 LR. You could still carry 500+ rds.
semper Fi
For general purpose defense/survival I'd recommend the Mini-14. Here's why:
1) It's a very reliable rifle - I've never had one malfunction ever with my Minis.
2) Although I love the SKS, 20-30 round mags are always faster, especially with the moderately trained (i.e. familiy members). Invest in some LEO ruger mags and never look back - they run 100%.
3) OK .223/5.56 is not the best round out there, but is very common, cheap, and does the job. I mean, you'll have multiple 20 round mags brother. Also, 7.62x39 is only good out to 150 meters or so, you'll get another 100M out of a scoped Mini in .223.
4) You can actually hunt with a Mini, go out with an AK and you'll look like a fool (no offense AK fans). A Mini does not attract a lot of attention like an AR, AK or even SKS. It is also easy to scope.
Actually, if you plan to hunt a lot with this rifle, I'd consider the Mini-30. The PC-9 is a fun little carbine. I sold mine as I realized it had little use for me, too short range. 100M max. But, if you own a Ruger 9mm pistol, then I could see some uses as a "truck gun" or whatever. The Norinco SKS is another good choice in a pinch. Still, if I could only have one rifle, I'd choose the 580 series Mini-14 in stainless.
Regards,
5L
Thanks for the input guys.I purchased a Saiga in 223.Now I am debating to convert it to the ak platform.It only has 10 shot mags.I can buy a thirty round converted mag for 50 bucks a pop or install a feed guide and then purchase gali mags at about 10 bucks.After I install the guide I dont think it will feed factory mags any longer.OH well.......
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