Pictures always make a thread more interesting. Here's my Scar-17...

Yes mate, .308 is my favourite round, pretty much bar none. In MY part of Australia there is nothing that can't be taken with it. BUT ammunition is heavy (less so the firearms themselves). That is why for me .223 is a workable compromise. I have two .308s in the safe at the moment, very different takes on the same theme, my Sako AII custom that is my hunting rifle of choice now and a Steyr SSG with a Leupold MkIV (6.5-20x) on top.

An interesting aside and other reason I raise the .38/357 686 is that with the .38 WC rounds that I have LOTS of (they are what I shoot most of in competition here) I can happily take all manner of small game reasonably quietly. Still the .22 is a better game get'er.

My current list is out of guns I have.
AR
16in BCM SAMR barrel, 15in BCM KMR rail, vltor mur, lantac enhanced BCG,
Raptor charging handle, AAC black out flash hider, aimpoint pro, Magpul pro Long range folding sights and Surefire 6p Defender LED on a scout mount.
Lower is a rock river with their match trigger, stock is a MFT minimalist,

Pistol. My g19 LAV edition,

Pack gun, Ruger MK 3 hunter with Burris FF3

If I could pick any rifle I'd try a scar heavy with a 1.5-6 optic
And the rest would stay the same.

I'd love to be able to suppress all of my options.

Originally I did have a stay at home selection as well, but removed it for brevity. I guess I could go ahead and list a Stay At Home battery as well.

BUGGING IN


Long Arm:
I would LIKE to list my AR15 or .308 but in actuality I think it would be one of my assault shotguns. Again, due mainly to range of under 70 yards in any direction (don't plan on standing out in the middle of the street, which would give me a clear shot of just one block). The shot gun with slugs is a very formidable weapon (Yes, even in 20ga). And that coupled with buckshot would do to keep folks out of our yard and beyond. Plus I have a FEW rounds stockpiled.

Pistol:
9mm for sure. I have a few I could draw from so if there were a problem with one of them I would have redundant backups. And again, I have quite a few rounds for this caliber.

Pack Gun:
AR15 for it's light weight in case I DID have to go outside for something and high rate of sustainable firepower. This would be a backup to the others I feel without compromising the "Firepower". It is the carbine length AR15 A3 with a 2 power Beeman scope that is VERY tough. I sort of wanted to list a pistol here, but decided since I was at "Home Base" there wouldn't be all that much need for another one whereas SOME reach and rate of fire would be more desirable. And for Foraging the Pistol OR AR would either one suffice as I would be checking out other houses in the area (There are only two couples younger than us on the block and unfortunately the others are all in their 70 or above) so their ability, even with all of us helping out they would probably be rendered ineffective in the first round of outbreaks unless there were time for us to "Band Together" in the sturdiest house with a basement.

Gun Dog - very solid choices.

Randy - I try to like shotguns, but can't warm up to them. Excluding inside the house, I prefer the capacity of a rifle. Effectively, this means a semi-auto with detachable box magazines containing a minimum of 20rds each. I do keep a Benelli M2 Tactical with a SureFire Forearm Light (and enough US made parts to comply with 922r thus allowing me to have a full length magazine) next to the bed for those unfortunate enough to breach Fortress Architect.

(I also keep a LWRC IC-Enhanced with Aimpoint T1 and Glock 19 with TLR-1 beside the bed. A man needs options).

GD - I have a Scar Heavy (have had several actually). They're great guns, but 7.62x51mm is a battlefield round. If you're in a friendly urban area over penetration could be an issue (along with the weight of ammo). If you get a Heavy don't use a variable power optic on it. The rifle is known for damaging them. Google "Scar eats optics". You'll find a lot of internet chatter, but I've seen a Trijicon Accupoint 1-4x with the guts rolling around inside, courtesy Scar-17.

ETA: I have a Trijicon TA11H-G on my Heavy, and think its about perfect. Regarding over penetration / suitability of the rifle...

US houses are made easily defeatable materials. This is a consideration if a "small scale problem" crops up. In a full on WW3 / TEOTWAWKI I'd like the penetration offered by the mighty 308.

1. Long gun.
My choice would be a quality AR (BCM) 16-inch barrel with a mid-length gas system. I would run it with the same setup I always use. Sporting an Aimpoint with iron backups. The Aimpoint over Eotech due to battery life. Much less to worry about with an always on optic with a year battery life. A forward mounted hi output light and a smaller low output light for navigation and low signature.

The main reason is I am familiar with them and I can work one exhausted and mostly asleep. I have used and trained with them literally for decades. Caliber is adequate (barely) and I can defend or take game, and have reasonable capacity. Plus ammo is pretty easy to find.

2. Handgun.
A full sized Glock probably a G-22 with a WML Surefire 300. Again it's a matter of familiarity. I have carried a Glock of one flavor or another for decades. With a G-22 you can carry a 9mm barrel and mags and also use 9mm ammo if you have it. So it is fairly adaptable without adding much weight.

3. I would probably throw in a 22 pistol, a Ruger 22/45 as a pack gun. A suppressor would fit in nicely with this setup. Assuming that I would have to carry all three guns and ammo another long gun just seems to add too much to the ounces = pounds. Pounds = pain equation. I think a Ruger take down would be better, but weight wins it for me on this front.

I sold the pictured BCM yesterday. I too prefer a midlength (9") gas system to a carbine (7") for obvious reasons. I've been trying to sell off my DI guns since I currently have a mildly concerning love affair with LWRC's piston system. I'll keep one Colt 6520 and 6920 (the 6520 is a great lightweight KISS CAR and the 6920 is iconic).

If I were selecting a DI rifle for WROL / TEOTWAWKI it would be a hammer forged BCM Midlength. Period. I've owned 3 BCM Mids (2 HF and 1 Non HF). They've all performed flawlessly. I cannot say that about the countless other DI ARs I've owned (including Colt).

IMHO, it is impossible to beat (overall) a Glock. I say "overall" because they are guns with better ergos; more accurate; more attractive finish/design; etc. However, there isn't a more durable, simple to use, easy to maintain, reliable and reasonably accurate handgun.

Selecting guns that you MAY have to rely on until the end of your days is a challenge.

While on the home front, I have my basic AR with a Vortex red dot and x2 magnifier with iron sites for back up. Have some quality hunting rounds to help put venison on the table and anything bigger than deer is rare in CT. Love my CZ 75bd, so there's my pistol.

If I need to go for a walk though, the AR stays and my CZ 22lr is coming.

But...wife is here too, so in reaility she is going to carry something!

This thread makes me think I should have a 22 pistol with optics. I love my buckmark, shoot it every week and pretty well- but doubt my ability with it to put meat on the table on a regular basis with iron sites.

I use to keep a Ruger Mk2 Competiton Target (6-7/8" slab side barrel) with a Leupold scope in my ruck. I could hit stationary clay pigeons at 35yards.

I now use a 10/22 take down with improved iron sights. I can hit shotgun hulls at 30 yards and a rabbit target at 50 yards.

Eventually I'd like to add a TacSol upper with a RMR Sight on a Mk3 frame.

I'm about thinking about adding an AR pistol to my armory. Essentially a MK18 with a pistol tube and brace since it falls under my CCW.
If I do another AR rifle it will be a LWRC. Only reason I'd have another DI upper is for 3 gun.
I'd like a .308 battle rifle. But my gun fund is broke till some time in 2016.
Some how I got 2 shotguns 3 pistols and a rifle in 2015.
I'm thinking of parting with 2 guns to open up other options in my armory.
I Haven't fired my Ruger GSR in over a year. And my 870 tactical isn't a gun if grab first for any situation.