Which rifle will be the best all around?

[Spots]

Hey guys I have been doing some thinking and wanted to get some opinons. Which rifle would you pick if you were only going to have one rifle? Uses would be deer hunting, truck gun, range toy, SHTF rifle, and all around woods gun. My choice have been narrowed down to two.

Choice #1 AR-15

I have a custom AR-15, chambered in 5.56. It is a good quailty model, magpul flip ups, etc.

AR pros
Semi auto
Higher capacity
Light weight
Ammo and mag prices qnd avaliability
Familarity with the platform

AR cons
Gas system that has more tendency to foul up
5.56 is not a heavy hitting round

Choice #2 Ruger Gunsite Scout
GSR pros
Bolt gun simplicty
Good ghost ring sights
10 rd mag
.308 better for long range and heavier hitting

GSR cons
Lower capacity
Heavier
Bolt gun so slower in a bad situation
Harder to find mags and ammo


Please give me your opinon. I could sell my AR for $1400 or so and have seen GSR's in the $800 price range. That would leave $600 for optic, ammo, and mags.

Sent from the backwoods of Nowhere Edited March 20, 2013 by Spots

[Poor_Dog]

Well you and I know which side of that choice I landed on...

[Spots]

Dang. I wish all the guys who voted ar would give me a reason I could inject that into my descision making process.

[austin7.62]

+1 for the Ruger. I am not an "AR guy" though.

[c.a.willard]

556 wouldnt be my prefered deer round but i think it fits all your other needs better than the ruger.  The round is also capable of taking deer size game so it is not truely a detractor.  I think the reality in SHTF is that small game would likely be much more of a food source than a large game animal.  If i was limited to one rifle in tennessee I'd want a round that i could shoot squirrel, rabbit, coons, and anything up to a deer without destroying to much of the meat. 

 

As far as the gas system getting fouled up i wouldnt really worry about that to much worse case is you dont have the ability to clean it, so you remove the gas tube and effectively have a bolt action  but for it to get that gummed up takes a lot more rounds than most people think.

[gunwhatgun]

I voted keep the AR, BUT, we all know how much you want the gun site scout. It was your choice before you got the mini you had for a bit. We also know the the "best all around rifle" is a very personal choice, what suites me does not suite you, and the fact of the matter is that you want the scout bad. Get it, if it is not right for you sell it. You have only had the AR for a short bit and you have it listed, it is not right for you, that's ok, it will be the right gun for someone and they will be lucky to have it. What's important is that the gun you choose be right for you, you have to have confidence in it and be comfortable with it, no matter what type it is.

[hipower]

I voted keep the AR, BUT, we all know how much you want the gun site scout. It was your choice before you got the mini you had for a bit. We also know the the "best all around rifle" is a very personal choice, what suites me does not suite you, and the fact of the matter is that you want the scout bad. Get it, if it is not right for you sell it. You have only had the AR for a short bit and you have it listed, it is not right for you, that's ok, it will be the right gun for someone and they will be lucky to have it. What's important is that the gun you choose be right for you, you have to have confidence in it and be comfortable with it, no matter what type it is.

 

A great awnser for you, Spots. I know it doesn't help much on the face of it; but as g-w-gun said in a nutshell, it's your choice. What do you really want. That's all that matters.

 

And I didn't vote on this. I don't have near enough experience with any rifle to give advice to someone else on such a personal choice as a rifle.

[Spots]

Ive been buying and selling to decide what I want. I dont have the money to buy them all so I have to sell one to buy one. I hadnt thought about the small game capability of the AR and that is a big aspect of survival. And I have only seen a few m16s so nasty they wouldnt function at all, so I know its not as big an issue as most think.

Sent from the backwoods of Nowhere

[espacef1fan]

Take deer hunting our of the equation, I would pick the AR everytime. 

Just my 2 cents.

 

I cant see any of the other situations where the bolt gun would be better. I also cant think of any situation where you would be engaging past 500m in a REALISTIC scenario, defensive anyways. If you need a second heavy hitting gun..just get a mosin and keep it handy.

[TrickyNicky]

Take deer hunting our of the equation, I would pick the AR everytime. 
Just my 2 cents.
 
I cant see any of the other situations where the bolt gun would be better. I also cant think of any situation where you would be engaging past 500m in a REALISTIC scenario, defensive anyways. If you need a second heavy hitting gun..just get a mosin and keep it handy.

This.

I'd keep the AR and just wait until there were funds to buy a decent bolt in a heavier caliber.

I haven't voted yet but just to help seal the deal what all do you currently have gun wise? A little inventory of what you've already got would make the decision clear IMO.

[espacef1fan]

This.

I'd keep the AR and just wait until there were funds to buy a decent bolt in a heavier caliber.

I haven't voted yet but just to help seal the deal what all do you currently have gun wise? A little inventory of what you've already got would make the decision clear IMO.

That why I recommended a Mosin. Cheap as dirt, shoots straight enough to get a deer at a reasonable range. Round is big enough to do it. That or head shots with the AR on the deer?

[bajabuc]

You can't take the AR to the store in the truck...if you hadn't added Truck Gun to the mix the AR would be fine.  since you did add truck...get you a bubbaed Mosin.  If it gets stolen, they'll bring it back.  You'll never see the AR agin if it walks out of the truck.

[RED333]

You can't take the AR to the store in the truck...if you hadn't added Truck Gun to the mix the AR would be fine.  since you did add truck...get you a bubbaed Mosin.  If it gets stolen, they'll bring it back.  You'll never see the AR agin if it walks out of the truck.

Thinking man here,

AR and Gun Scout are to likeable, they will get legs.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Keep the AR and get a 22 conversion for small game. A DI AR will go thousands of rounds without cleaning, I have done it. The 223 round is more than capable of taking game in east Tennessee. And in a true SHTF situation ammunition and magazines can be found in the back of nearly every patrol car you see. And the 223 round is the most popular centerfire round with government agencies as well as with most civillians anymore. Ammunition is small and lightweight so you can carry more. Most tactical gear you might come across is AR compatible. Optics are readily available and do not require a special mount. You can clear a house with an AR, not so much with a bolt gun.

 

The biggest advantage to the AR is you already have it.

 

If you want something with a bit more range pick up a Mosin but honestly a AR with a scope will exceed the range of a Mosin with irons.

 

Dolomite

[frankmako]

both rifles make a good gun. but for a all around rifle i would look at a 30-30 and/or 35 rem lever gun.  the lever action rifle got the job done before the other rifles were born.

[Will H]

I would sell the AR and get the Gunsite Scout.  First I must say that with the great amount of failures I experienced with the M16A1 and M16A2 in the army, included twice when I needed it to NOT fail, I am biased against the platform.  I have never owned one and will never.  I still say anything that needs a forward assist has a design issue.

 

Aside from that I come down in favor of the Gunsite because:

The AR will freak out any two legged sheep you meet.  We can say this don't matter, but when you are just out trying to enjoy yourself it could be a fun ending problem. 

The AR is grossly under powered for bigger game

The AR is unreasonably loud for the power it produces

The GS will be more dependable as far as working when dirty

The GS will be less fragile in the backcountry

 

Just my .01...  not even worth .02

Edited March 20, 2013 by Will H

[TMF]

I've fired somewhere around 1/2 a million rounds out of AR/M16 series rifles and have never, ever had a malfunction which wasn't due to magazine issues or the bolt breaking. It requires maintenance more than other rifles in its class, but with the proper maintenance it will not fail.

[DaveTN]

.308 is my rifle round of choice. I have rifles for all applications so it’s impossible to pick one that will cover everything. But if I could only keep one I think it would be my .308 AR.

308 + AR = the closest you will get to a gun that can handle most applications. But thats not a choice, so I didn’t vote.

[Guest ochretoe]

For any "one gun" situation I would vote lever action .357.  I know it's not one of your choices but it truly is a do-all gun.  Hunt small game with 38's, big game with .357's clear a house or self defense, plunk out to 150 yds.  with iron sight and further with a scope and it is compatable with several pistols.  I hope I never have to pick one rifle, but if I do it will be my Marlin 1894.

[Jonnin]

Neither?

an ar in 223 really only excels at one thing: putting a lot of medium power rounds downrange in a hurry.   The caliber is marginal for big game, probably fail for bigger game outside TN but here, its marginal.  Its too destructive for dog sized or smaller animals. Outside of an attack by more than 10 enemy, the AR falls back to a short range target gun, due to its accurate platform and cheap ammo. 

 

A 308 bolt is excellent for target and big game, but useless for defense and small game.

 

That leaves me to point in other directions for a pure all arounder.  A 12 ga shotgun, with slugs for big game and various shot sizes for everything from a robin to a deer, for example, though obviously this fails at target shooting.   A mid caliber semi auto, like 300 blackout or ar-10 or even a 9mm carbine are more general, suitable for defense, up to deer sized game, and some fun shooting activity at the range.  

 

My advice is to list what you want to do with your gun.  Then pick an appropriate caliber and platform to meet that need.

Edited March 20, 2013 by Jonnin

[jeff43]

SKS or AK.They always work.I do have a AR,but it would pick the AK or SKS for a rifle to depend on.Just my opinion.
Jeff

[TrickyNicky]

I went ahead and voted, keep the AR. There's a guy on here selling a .22conversion you might think about snagging up as well. Amos hard to find just now but once you lay hands on a few bricks you'll be glad you got it.

Keep saving and get a larger caliber upper or a decent bolt gun and you'll have your bases covered.

[Jonnin]

I went ahead and voted, keep the AR. There's a guy on here selling a .22conversion you might think about snagging up as well. Amos hard to find just now but once you lay hands on a few bricks you'll be glad you got it.

Keep saving and get a larger caliber upper or a decent bolt gun and you'll have your bases covered.

 

IMHO you can cover the bases for under $2k.  One abused milsurp rifle, $200.  One used shotgun, $200.  One used pistol, $400 tops.  One semi auto rifle, $1000 tops hopefully half that.  One .22 pistol or rifle, $200.  Not the best stuff, but it will cover every need.

[Caster]

Keep what you have, learn to use it well and take great care of it. It'll be there for you.

Get you a mason jar and start saving. Then buy you a 300 blackout upper. All your magazines and bolt carrier group will work. Properly loaded the 300 blackout will perform as well as any 30/30 within certain limitations, namely cast bullets. Nothing bests the 30/30 for cast bullets.
Trust me, a 150g Hornady SST loaded over a healthy charge of Lil'gun will put a deer in his grave...errr uh, your hungry belly lol.

Get another mason jar and do as Dolomite said and get you a 22 or upper. The modular system will allow you have many more options. If you need more punch it's out there. You don't need 308 for modest TN ranges. The 6.8 SPC, 458 SOCOM, 6.5 Grendel and a few others all fit in the platform you already have. AND THEY WORK WELL. Though pricey on ammo if you don't reload, the 6.5 Grendel will take deer at pretty much any range ole Spots will ever be hunting. ....and if it'll take a deer, it'll take down those pesky bipedal long pigs too.

I may not have served my country and seen combat but I've shot enough to know, those who say the AR is a problem have nev shot one, use cheap garbage rifles and parts or are too stupid to do a little maintenance. IMHO, they aren't 'high maintenance' either. I mean, God forbid a man break his rifle down, clean and grease/oil that stupid thing once in a while!!! Edited March 21, 2013 by Caster

[Caster]

...and as far as the truck gun part? Lock your truck, secure the weapon out of sight. Be mindful of where you park. Get creative and build you a lockable "behind the seat" case that you can open quickly.
The theft part boils down to something me, you and everyone else should be diligently doing everyday any way. Keep your mind on the here and now and pay attention to where you are and what you are doing. That lesson isn't just for Jedi ya know!