6 ARC and 6.5G are very cool cartridges, but I'd call them hobbyist/enthusiast cartridges.
Yes, 6 ARC was allegedly made for some special dudes. I have no idea how much it's been used or how well vetted it is.
Go into any Grendel thread and you'll find recurring questions of which bolt, has system, and magazine is durable and reliable with no hard consensus. You'll also find some comical recommendations of "these mags are great if you only load 10 rounds"
Getting a rifle chambered in the latest wondercartridge is OK if you're going to use it to hunt or whatever. But if you're going to get a rifle for SHTF (whatever that means for you), I think that the cartridge being commonly available is probably a more important thing to concern yourself with than whether you're going to wring a little extra performance out of the gun with said wondercartridge. 300 BLK is about as boutique as I'd go for SHTF.
Not going to lie my answer to this question is driven entirely by having a rifle that is fun to shoot and learn.
I've watched as an entire city collapsed around me. When the mobs hit the streets, the only solution was to stay indoors. If you had to move around, you did so with highly mobile, concealed, weaponry and pre-planned movement tactics and communication. Far more important to surviving in those areas was awareness and a well-maintained 4wd vehicle. In those times, having a Sig Rattler was absolutely preferred as was having a concealable double-stack 9mm pistol and several spare mags. Equally important was OC spray to used to divert people away. THE most important thing was to not panic and to keep an absolute low profile, a sub-fucking-terrainian, profile.
Simultaneously, among other far more important factors than which rifle for the hoard is: What are your pre-existing alarm and surveillance systems? Do you have off-grid power and water filtration capabilities? Are you storing a sufficient amount of gasoline for the gas station to be completely dry for 3-4 months? Do you have enough dry goods stored to survive for weeks without a grocery store run?
I ask that - because in my experience ALL of those things came before needing a gun. In fact, as I watched business and neighbor's cars burn, we had rolling blackouts, we had water supply issues, when the looters burned the only pre-existing grocery store within a 45 minute drive, we had to gear up and travel to the next state over for supplies. We lived that way for 7 months in an URBAN area with millions of people. When the meager rationed supplies for small towns dry up - the bread and fuel deliveries will go to the city, not the rural communities. So you need to be incredibly well prepared. And importantly, you are almost certainly still are not going to need a gun. During that time, I extracted my Rattler from its bag in anger exactly 0 times, and my 2011 from its holster in anger exactly 0 times. I never once had any need for any weapon or weapons system.
I'm saying this, not because I don't believe in the martial use of a firearm - but rather to point out that if you'd asked me in July of 2019 what I thought societal collapse would look like and then again in July of 2021 - You'd get two radically different answers. In one of them, I definitely thought having a gun and 8000 rounds of ammo was important. In the other - concealment and mobility absolutely reigned supreme.
I mean, the problem has always been that "societal collapse" is an extremely broad term, so needing very different postures for different societal collapse scenarios in different environments will always be a thing.Originally Posted by RevolverRob
That's interesting. But anecdotally during Sandy people were actively coming for your stuff ESCPECIALLY your generator. I know an alarming number of people that got bad people to go away without their genny because they didnt want to leave with lead poisoning.
Man. If I didn’t know better I might infer that Rural vs Urban considerations might favor different guns?
METT-T(C) or something like that….
Last edited by Suvorov; 04-17-2024 at 02:48 PM.
It doesn’t matter how badass your guns, body armor and night vision are if people a couple miles away can just fly a drone over at night and drop incendiaries on your property to burn you out.
It’s 2024, with the rifles you already have if I was going to spend money and time on preparing for the end of the world I’d be studying the drone.
im strong, i can run faster than train
Thats what shotguns are for!
It's all already been said, but, this is PF, so no horse is ever so dead it can't be beaten some more.
With the right ammo, I'd be completely content with an AR.
I agree VEHEMENTLY with the idea of an SBR/can combination being significantly better than a long barreled AR. My buddy's home-built SBR with an 11.5" barrel and suppressor can and does shoot sub MOA out as far as we can shoot at our range (600 yards). I wouldn't pick 5.56 for that shot if I had another caliber to hand, but I wouldn't buy another caliber to address that possibility.
I have an irrational love of the 7.62, and the SCAR-17 specifically, but if I was going to drop enough $$$ to obtain one and a bunch of 7.62 ammo and a .30 caliber suppressor and 7.62 specific magazines, I would instead drop the $$ and get one of the newest versions of Sig's Rattler and a .30 caliber can, to use as a dedicated "bag gun."
Having said all that, before I dropped anywhere near that kind of money on anything, I'd be buying a truckload of long-shelf life food, potable water, a generator, night vision, and a bigger dog.
A skilled user can get a lot done with a 14.5" 5.56 with decent ammo.
But I can do more outside of pistol range with a 16" 6.5 Creedmoor rifle than just about any other rifle/caliber combination on applicable targets out to 1k.
Selection of the tool is tied directly to the priority of needs list.
Director Of Sales
Knight's Armament Company
Reply With Quote