Best battle rifle under 1800$

[Super77]

Revisiting this thread, because road rage is such a thing, now. I have been followed, twice, recently, by angry drivers, in vehicles which could easily outrun my V6 Tundra, so, “running away” was not an option. The plan, if one persists in following, is to calmly get off the road, and calmy park near solid cover, or, broken terrain that would favor The Prepared, but, then what? The G3 clone, perhaps with Spuhr furniture, is starting to look like a good idea, yet again.

Yes, of course, the Benelli, loaded with 12 gauge Tru-Ball Penetrators, is the answer, but, this is the Rifles and Carbines section of the forums.

Edited to add: Yes, I know, I would probably have to solve the problem with a big pistol, because I do not “keep” a long gun in the truck.

Drive straight to the police station or sheriff if possible.

[HCM]

Drive straight to the police station or sheriff if possible.

That is one of those ideas that sounds good but is rarely practical. Both due to proximity and the fact that there may or may not be an armed officer at the station. As Rex mentioned, it also depends on your ability to outrun your aggressors.

[Borderland]

@Rex G don’t you have a rattler or another pistol in .300 BO? That should do car windows and door just fine I would think and be a lot easier to deal with putting in or taking out of a car all the time.

FWIW around here we’ve seen a big rise in car to car shootings where they don’t wait until people stop or get out of cars they just open up with rifle caliber pistols or pistols with ‘stendos while both cars are still driving. Best I can tell from media reports (in reality not much) some of these are targeted, but quite a few seem pretty random.

That happens around here on I-5 more and more every year. Vehicles being hit from other vehicles while driving...... and the drivers having no clue why they were targeted. It's like the movie hit in Bullit. When you see the black Charger take the next exit.


https://youtu.be/FJZ-BHBKyos?t=494

[Borderland]

@Rex G don’t you have a rattler or another pistol in .300 BO? That should do car windows and auto bodies just fine I would think and be a lot easier to deal with putting in or taking out of a car all the time.

FWIW around here we’ve seen a big rise in car to car shootings where they don’t wait until people stop or get out of cars they just open up with rifle caliber pistols or pistols with ‘stendos while both cars are still driving. So I reckon situational awareness and good driving skills would be more important that shooting back in that scenario (that’s what I tell myself since I drive al it for work, though fortunately rarely deal with road rage)

Best I can tell from media reports (in reality not much) some of these are targeted, but a few seem pretty random.

We have 10 rd limit here after July 1. Buy those >10 rd mags while you can and document the purchase. We're going surfing with the CA dudes and roller blade babes in Ocean Shores baby.

I'll check it out the next I'm there. I hope it's worth it.

[Rex G]

@Rex G don’t you have a rattler or another pistol in .300 BO? That should do car windows and auto bodies just fine I would think and be a lot easier to deal with putting in or taking out of a car all the time.

FWIW around here we’ve seen a big rise in car to car shootings where they don’t wait until people stop or get out of cars they just open up with rifle caliber pistols or pistols with ‘stendos while both cars are still driving. So I reckon situational awareness and good driving skills would be more important that shooting back in that scenario (that’s what I tell myself since I drive al it for work, though fortunately rarely deal with road rage)

Best I can tell from media reports (in reality not much) some of these are targeted, but a few seem pretty random.

To answer the last part first, yes, many local road rage shootings appear to be random.

I do have a 10”+ Daniel Defense DDM4 V7P, with a LAW folder; 300 BLK. It requires a substantial backpack; it ain’t a courier-/messenger-bag gun. In my reality, it has not (yet) displaced a holster-able or bag-able handgun, on the smaller end, or a 16” M4-ish 5.56 carbine, on the larger end. (I have, recently, been windows-shopping for shorter uppers.)

Situational awareness and good driving skills are definitely The Way. Shooting would be Plan B, and that only when driving away is not practicable. My Tundra may be 2WD, but it has substantial ground clearance, so, climbing over curbs is on the menu of options.

Having said that, I just checked Midway dot com, and found Federal Premium Tru-Ball Penetrator 12 gauge slugs, in stock, for the first time in forever, so I ordered some, to refresh my minimal supply, which I bought in late 2016, to get ready for the Stupid Bowl, in early 2017. [That was a time when the radical Islamists were using lorries, to drive into crowded venues, in Europe. I worked for a PD that expected me to provide my own duty ammo, so, I was glad to do so.] Tru-Ball Penetrators are the ticket, when dealing with vehicle bodies.

Of course, the mostly likely “truck gun,” at any given time, is going to be a more-or-less duty-sized handgun, on my person, or, in a bag that I keep with me, when I exit the vehicle.

[Borderland]

To answer the last part first, yes, many local road rage shootings appear to be random.

I do have a 10”+ Daniel Defense DDM4 V7P, with a LAW folder; 300 BLK. It requires a substantial backpack; it ain’t a courier-/messenger-bag gun. In my reality, it has not (yet) displaced a holster-able or bag-able handgun, on the smaller end, or a 16” M4-ish 5.56 carbine, on the larger end. (I have, recently, been windothews-shopping for shorter uppers.)

Situational awareness and good driving skills are definitely The Way. Shooting would be Plan B, and that only when driving away is not practicable. My Tundra may be 2WD, but it has substantial ground clearance, so, climbing over curbs is on the menu of options.

Having said that, I just checked Midway dot com, and found Federal Premium Tru-Ball Penetrator 12 gauge slugs, in stock, for the first time in forever, so I ordered some, to refresh my minimal supply, which I bought in late 2016, to get ready for the Stupid Bowl, in early 2017. [That was a time when the radical Islamists were using lorries, to drive into crowded venues, in Europe. I worked for a PD that expected me to provide my own duty ammo, so, I was glad to do so.] Tru-Ball Penetrators are the ticket, when dealing with vehicle bodies.

Of course, the mostly likely “truck gun,” at any given time, is going to be a more-or-less duty-sized handgun, on my person, or, in a bag that I keep with me, when I exit the vehicle.

We aren't ready for long guns in vehicles in urban areas. The threat doesn't justify a long gun in vehicles in an urban area. A pistol works fine in these areas. Get a permit to carry if you need one and train. So many states are going to mag restrictions a rifle makes little sense. On the other hand states are moving to constitutional carry or carry without a permit. Take advantage of that if you can. If you need to get a permit, get one. If you can't than you might be the part of national problem.

[JRB]

On Road rage - just let people pass. Don't sit in the left lane of a highway at the posted speed limit. Pass with purpose and not your cruise control. Use your turn signals.
I personally try to drive as if my vehicle was completely invisible, and I expect every other vehicle on the road to keep doing what they're doing and not change their speed or actions in any way for my presence. I never expect or assume that another driver sees me.

That method's kept me out of serious trouble over the past ~25 years of driving.

I'd like to hear your impressions of the Savage rifles, both 5.56 and 7.62x51, if you would care to share.

From what I understand, our own @P.E. Kelley has some direct knowledge of Savage's MSR lineup and can also speak with authority.

[Rex G]

We aren't ready for long guns in vehicles in urban areas. The threat doesn't justify a long gun in vehicles in an urban area. A pistol works fine in these areas. Get a permit to carry if you need one and train. So many states are going to mag restrictions a rifle makes little sense. On the other hand states are moving to constitutional carry or carry without a permit. Take advantage of that if you can. If you need to get a permit, get one. If you can't than you might be the part of national problem.

Well, the thing is, there are, already, plenty of long guns, in vehicles, locally, especially if one counts the abbreviated rifles, that chamber rifle cartridges, but may be legal pistols. The weapons that are glorified in a popular, particular form what is said to be “music” is, according to some sources, the Draco, an abbreviated AK, usually chambered for 7.62x39. (I cannot confirm this, as I cannot understand a thing they are saying.) I collected, into evidence, plenty of 7.62x39 brass, during my time with Houston PD, so such weapons are not a particularly recent phenomena. (I retired in 2018.)

Notably, the geographic location of my two above-mentioned incident is Alief, a portion of the Houston area that is “home” to so many “artists” of this particular form of what is said to be music. Travis Scott, of mass-suffocate-your-fans notoriety, for example, calls Alief home.

We cannot simply avoid Alief drivers, and those of similar mentality, by staying out of the Alief area. We live in a “nice” area, but partially surrounded by not-so-nice areas, and we are located along the logical route between Alief, and another notorious part of town, in southeast Houston. They come to us.

Again, I will emphasize that the most-likely weapon, that I would use, in any defensive incident, is probably going to be a more-or-less duty-sized handgun, chambered for a duty-type cartridge.

[Coyotesfan97]

That is one of those ideas that sounds good but is rarely practical. Both due to proximity and the fact that there may or may not be an armed officer at the station. As Rex mentioned, it also depends on your ability to outrun your aggressors.

My agency had four districts. Three are substations and unless it’s shift change there probably isn’t anyone there. The only one I’d count on having an Officer at the station would be the Main Station/HQ. Id suggest getting on 911 and have the dispatcher give you directions to the responding Officers.