WHEC724

I recently did the exact same thing as well, with the exception of a Remington 552 Speedmaster instead of the Henry. You can still get a Marlin 336 (non stainless) from Wallyworld for about $341. Some will recall me agonizing over an AR a while back, and ended up with this solution based on some really good feedback from this board.

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'Clinging to my guns and religion

raevan

I would suggest that you buy Marlin lever actions. They are reasonably priced, and easy to learn manual of arms. They are some of the strongest and most dependable firearms around.

Ammo is always available in 357 mag, 44mag, and 30-30.

obxned

Whatever else you get, include a few Mosin-Nagant’s. They are dirt cheap, indestructible, and pretty darn accurate. There is still plenty of cheap surplus 7.62x54R ammo available, and it is a powerful cartridge similar to a .308 or 30-06.

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http://www.obxammo.com/

There is only one gun law in this country, the 2nd Amendment. All else is bureaucratic nonsense that I choose to comply with or not at my discretion.

When governments make laws, they must consider the unintended consequences.

Daddy Warcrimes

A Marlin lever gun in .44 or .357 would without a doubt be a great SHTF rifle and I have considered getting one.

Unfortunately, while I could probably afford one or two, I'm not so sure about 5.

I have arms available for myself and Mrs. Warcrimes. What I'm really looking at is my two brothers, sister (she only has shotguns and a pistol), and their families out in California. When it comes down to it (training aside), 5 people with a bolt action beats 1 with an AR any day of the week.

I'm starting to have a bit of reservation about the Mosin-Nagant because of the recoil. It might not be a good beginner rifle. The price however is certainly right.

My hope is to keep it down to $100-250 per rifle.

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"and suddenly I can not hold back my sword hand's anger"

DW blog

mcp1810

One of the things I would look at is what range are you expecting to possibly be engaging targets at? If you are talking about clear fields of fire going out six hundred plus yards then a real rifle caliber would be called for. If you are talking about a cabin in the woods with a maximum range of one hundred fifty yards things are a little different.

Would some pistol caliber carbines like the Hi point work?

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Waiting on the research and verification.......

Daddy Warcrimes

A pistol caliber carbine would be just fine. I wouldn't expect my novice family members to perform well beyond 100 yards regardless of the weapon.

I would prefer something more like a .45 or .357, but .40 or 9mm would probably do the trick.

I do have a little reluctance about Hi-Point. My experience with their handguns was not thrilling but I've heard little negatives in regards to the carbines. Even if they are reliable, I still don't think they'd have the ruggedness of a military arm.

Excellent suggestion mcp1810.

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"and suddenly I can not hold back my sword hand's anger"

DW blog

Gideon

I'm keeping my AR15 because it's likely we won't be able to buy them in the furture. It's my gun if things get real bad. They can't be beat for versatility, i.e., close quarters out to 300 meters. Beyond that I really think a lever action in .357 or the new remmington pump rifle in .223 are excellent choices. I can appreciate the idea of stocking a quantity of rifles but I don't have the same family situation so for me and my kids we'd use what's in the safe.

joshe

I wouldn't worry about the recoil on a Nagant I used to shoot my carbine all day and never got too sore. just slap a new butt pad on there and the smaller folks should be fine. But personally I would get a few Nagant's and a few AK's/SKS for a sustained rate of fire from your group.

nutz4utwo

I came across this in another thread.

Corrosion Protection Products
How to Keep Your Rifle Rust-Free in Storage

Corrosion Protection Products for Rifles, Shooting, Benchrest Competition, Varminting and Firearms Storage

OD

As a fellow levergun buff, I thought you might find this interesting. Thunder Ranch With A Twist

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OD
"Slow down, you'll get a more harmonious outcome...."
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"The pistol, learn it well, carry it always ..." - Jeff Cooper