[alfred10]

I am looking for a rifle to use for diaster situations. I want it to be reliable enough to go bang every time. It doesnt matter if I can pick flys off at 10 zillion miles if it doesnt feed. I know everything needs to get cleaned but want a weapons system that is as reliable as possible.

I respect the M1A as a piece of history and it will allways have a place in my collection. Haha have to after the ammount of CMI mags I bought The purpose of this thread is to find a rifle that will be dead nuts reliable while not losing accuracy.

I started with an AK47 but am unimpressed with its suppresed capability and 300 yard range.
I currently use a Colt 6921 as a SHTF rifle. I am considering the switch to a Sig 556 Classic or Swat full size model. How close is the Sig 556 reliability to that of an AK47? How close is the accuracy potential and effective range compared to that of a Milspec M4 with the same shooters behind both rifles?

I am considering switching from an M1A to a Fal based on reliability reasons. I orginally went with the M1A based on the amazing acuracy. I bought an M1A standard and now am either getting a DSA FAL or a M1A match.

How close is the reliability of the DSA FAL to the Ak 47? How much more reliable is the FAL and M1A?

 

[restoring]

The man to talk to is ullie. Hands down the best answer man here.

That being said, after quite a bit of research, we chose the 556 as our SHTF-EOTWAWKI rifles. We also chose them for the fun of shooting, but they are our go to rifles if everything goes sour.

From what I've seen IRL and here on the boards, FTF on the 556 is almost always due to faulty magazines or bad ammo. Throw out any SIG mags or use them as targets. Secure a bunch of P-mags and mix in some high quality metal mags too. Maintain quality mags and they shouldn't let you down in the pinch.

The SIG will eat whatever you feed it. It uses NATO ammo (5.56mm/.223) which is very easy to find compared to most other battle rifle calibers and because of it's widespread availability will likely be one of the most easy to procure in a SHTF-EOTWAWKI scenario if you run low or out of stockpiled ammo. The 556 will run the common 55gr rounds beautifully, but it likes the heavier stuff even more.

The 556 also uses the most common magazine platform - the M16/AR15 magazine. You can find them everywhere.

Adding a good cqc fast acquisition sight (I favor the Eotech with the AA batteries - good sight and easy to find battery size) or good glass is very important no matter what rifle you go with.

The only downside I can think of is that the 556 is not as common as M4geries/AR's so repair parts should be secured ahead of time as you shouldn't count on being able to get your hands on them later. But then, getting your hands on any repair parts would be dicey at best.

The SIG rifle platform (55x) is very reliable, and doesn't need babying like some others (although some of us baby them anyway while we can)

You see a lot of griping about the rifle on here, but that's because people talk about what's wrong so we can overcome/fix it.

The 556 is a good rifle.

Make sure you consider a good handgun or two (we like .45 acp) and a good battle/tactical shotgun.

Get what you need as you can, because there's no telling how much longer anything will be available.

 

[LebbenB]

How close is the Sig 556 reliability to that of an AK47? How close is the accuracy potential and effective range compared to that of a Milspec M4 with the same shooters behind both rifles?

In my estimation, having used both platforms, the Sig is very close to the AK in terms of reliability, with the AK getting the nod because of the clearances between moving parts in the Sig are so much closer than the AK. Accuracy bewtween an M4/(well-made) clone and the 556, all things being equal, is pretty much a dead heat. Some detractors will point out that the moving mass on the top of the barrel of a gas piston system degrades accuracy, but modern piston systems mitigate this effect much better than "legacy" systems like the M14 and FAL.

How close is the reliability of the DSA FAL to the Ak 47?

Again, very close with the AK47 being slightly superior in terms of reliability for the same reasons stated above vis a vis the Sig. Western rifle designs tend to be a compromise between brute reliability and fine accuracy, because marksmanship training in western armies tends to be more intensive than in Russian/Chinese-style armies.

I bought an M1A standard and now am either getting a DSA FAL or a M1A match.

Match rifles are finnicky beasts. Since they're tuned for accuracy, it's imperative that the operator uses the best quality ammo, mags, and lubricants to get the rifle to function reliably. Match rifles are also much more maintenance intensive. You can blow off cleaning a modern assault rifle for thousands of rounds, if you're of a mind to. You can't do that with a match rifle or pistol because of the tight tolerances and clearances of the barrel, chamber, bolt and trigger mechanism. Fouling alters the lock-up of the rifle and reliability - as well as accuracy - suffers.

You have a Colt 6921; it's a fine rifle for everything from bad breath distance to ~500 yds. The Sig 556 would also be a great choice. I wouldn't feel undergunned with either platform. And DSA makes a great FAL.

 

[KobraKommander]

My 556 swat is my go to gun also.
I mounted an eotech 517 on mine. I plan to add a magnifier to it and needed to ability to operate the eotech from the side.

 

[johnw91498]

In my humble opinion, it all depends on what kind of disaster situation you are in.

If it's a situation where you have to be around people, having a rifle will instantly put a target on your back. In this scenario, I'd rather have a pistol that is easily concealable.

If it's a situation where there's an approaching army/terrorists/zombies, I'd bug out and get to a place where I can hide my family. For this situation, my RRA AR-15 is my weapon of choice. I like my Sig, but there are several short comings that don't stack up against the AR.

 

[2Loud4You]

I buy my guns to shoot and have fun with. I don't judge them by how many zombies they could kill. Short of a natural disaster, it's unlikely I'll see a SHTF scenario. IF that were to occur I would try to stay in my home, if possible, where I could use all my guns. It's cute to talk about the zombie apocalypse and I even have a "Zombie Hunter" patch but I realize how unlikely that is.

I admit I have very limited experience with "assault rifles" so I can't really compare them beyond what I read here on the internet. I have my Sig 556 and if you want to consider it one, my Thompson 1927 A-1. Both fire commonly found rounds (.223/5.56 and 45acp respectively) BUT the Thompson is much heavier and it's mags are not as easy to come by. I think that's an aspect you missed, weight, both rifle and ammo. If you have to move, you have to carry it.

All that being said, I wouldn't be afraid to trust my life to my Sig 556. I've got plenty of mags for it, a comfortable sling and the Eotech 517 is on the way. Fact of the matter is, unless you have family and/or friends to help and watch your back, you'll likely be overrun anyway.

PS. Glock 27 on one hip, S&W 460 Magnum on the other. You want guns that go bang, right? Those do, well, the S&W goes BOOOOM!

 

[Clyde]

I agree that it depends on the circumstances, but right now, if I had to react to a natural disaster, here is what would ride in the truck with me where I could get to it real easy, when I am "buggin' out" to get to where I plan to "bug in" since both would be easy to use in/out of a vehicle and both are very reliable:

 

[Clyde]

If you limit the question to a rifle only, and only one rifle to choose from, here is my answer right now (at least until the SCAR 17S arrives) -- Springfield Armory SOCOM 16 rocking an Aimpoint Comp ML3 and a 25 round magazine:

 

[GoodGuy]

Consider a bolt action rifle chambered in .308 Winchester (7.62x51). A Remington Model 700 ADL with factory "open" sights would be a good choice. It will reliably do 99+% of the things a centerfire rifle needs to do.

 

[bigtrey37]

What kind od situation are you talking about? Commies, Zombies, Vampires or Y2K?

 

[Balzac72]

I personally believe that the 308 caliber in a PAW/EOTWAWKI/SHTF scenario limits your ability to survive. After speaking to my brother about his first military engagement in Afghanistan (ambushed in a valley), I became convinced that carrying large quantities of ammo is the ONLY way to go. For that reason, I'm a believer in the FN 5.7x28 and 556x45. He explained that within 10 minutes of being pinned, he had gone through almost 500 rounds of ammo and had to call in some 500lbers to provide their exit. He had one mag left when they were resupplied.

Because of that, I think that IDEALLY (not in NY) a 50 rnd FN mag (P90 or AR57 platform) would be ideal. Bullets hitting you will do their job of stopping you. But sometimes suppressive firepower is what allows you to simply "get away."

I have an AR57 upper with 50 rnd mags in my friend's PA home for when we shoot there. Other than that, I would take my AR15 with piston driven upper as a SHTF rifle because of parts availability and lower weight. My SIG556 would be my weapon of choice if not for it's greater weight to hump around.