Survival Rifles

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When it comes to Survival Rifles, the best option will largely depend on the intended use for the rifle.  This page will discuss some of the options available in the context of wilderness survival and personal survival situations.  There are essentially only two uses for a survival rifle:   1) To kill game for food.   2) For use as a personal protection weapon.

For hiking, backpacking, canoeing, or even flying over remote areas for example, or situations where you dont actually intend to use the rifle except in an emergency, smaller and lighter is usually better.  A lot of people choose to carry a handgun, which is ok for personal protection, but in most cases not a very good choice as a survival weapon.  Chances are, if you have to use this weapon in this scenario, you will be trying to feed yourself.  If you have to hit a squirrel or other small game from any sort of distance, you need the accuracy that only a rifle can provide.  The best choice for this situation would be a lightweight compact .22LR caliber rifle.  Here are some good choices to fulfill this need:

.22 Caliber Survival Rifles:  (Click images for more info) 

Taurus Model 62 stainless pump action carbine   Henry Survival Rifle.   Springfield Armory M6 survival rifle / CZ M6 survival rifle   Marlin model 70PSS All weather "Papoose".   Ruger 10/22 CRR   Ruger Charger

 

Now, while a .22LR is a great survival rifle, with its light weight and light inexpensive ammo, and compact size... If you find yourself about to be mauled by a bear, cougar, Lion, etc...  you might as well just throw it on the ground.  Option 2 would be to use it to take yourself out with a head shot and avoid the unpleasant experience of being semi-consciously disemboweled and eaten for lunch.  There are other scenarios, such as accidentally running across a not-so-legal alcohol producing operation, or marijuana farm, for example, where you might not get a warm welcome, and be forced to defend yourself.
SO... if you plan to go hiking, camping, or otherwise romping through the woods in an area that is potentially inhabited by predators, human or otherwise, may we suggest option 3:  Pack a larger caliber rifle.  Again, some people prefer a large caliber revolver such as a .44 or .357 as a survival gun, but if you choose to carry a weapon, a larger caliber survival rifle will not only protect you from predators, but will make life easier if you find yourself lost or stranded and need to kill game.   Keep in mind that with bigger caliber weapons, comes bigger heavier guns,  bigger heavier ammunition, and bigger heavier price tags.  Here are some choices for this category of survival rifle:

Larger Caliber Survival Rifles:

Kel-Tec Sub2000
Marlin Model 1895
SKS Assault Rifle
NEF Handi Rifle
Remington 870 XCS
Ruger Ranch Rifle

Readers Rifles

Do you own a survival rifle you would like to share with our visitors ? Post a picture of it here, and tell us about it. Why do you choose it as your survival rifle ? Have you made any modifications to it ?

(I protect the privacy of my visitors, you do not need to post your name if you dont want to.)

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

Russian Mosin Nagant Model M91/30 
It's fairly long, but is excellent as a hunting rifle. Chambered in the 7.62x54R, it has enough power to take down a moose (it is commonly used for this ...

M1 Garand  
I love my M1. This isn't a light rifle but it is very well balanced, helping with off-hand shots. Its very accurate and hits plenty hard enough to take ...

Remington Rimfire 597 ss 
Really strong and very reliable. I would take it over anything. Its got a ten round mag and i use the iron sights. Ammo is cheap and there's plenty of ...

Winchester 9422 22 WMR (still available used) 
This is my second post, one of my favorite rifles, and of course another rimfire. I believe the 22 mag is totally underrated and this rifle in particular....

Marlin 336SS  
I bought the 336SS based on availability of rifle, decent ammo to care of most problems, cost and availability of ammo. I have plenty experience with M-...

model 54 30-30 
Perfect combination of size capacity and just enough power along with a 10 round bullet band and a strap it fills almost all survival purposes [doesnt ...

baikal combo or savage combo 
for me a combo rifle is the best choice I know the savage combo is out of production but baikal produce a lot of interesting combo like :
22lr/...

FN FAL 
The FN FAL has been called the right arm of the free world. It was adopted for military use by nearly 90 countries, and is chambered in the accurate, hard-...

SKS Yugo 
Nice little rifle, very accurate and easy to use. Although i would like to point out that it is NOT an "assault rifle." An assault rifle has selectable ...

ruger 10/22 
stainless steel with composite stock its got a tasco 3x9-40 scope on it and a sling i also keep a spare 25 rnd mag on the stock its pretty light and makes ...

Marlin 45/70 or shotgun with slugs 
An AK or SKS takes a 7.62x39 round which, in my opinion, is a horrible choice for anything besides its intended purpose-a cheap military bullet. It has ...

Mossberg 500 Persuader .12 gauge  
I bought it for home protection and if I ever need to defend my castle or family in a crisis situation. Good firepower with 8 shell capacity. Reliable....

chinese sks from 1990 
i traded a 303 british enfield for this Chinese sks in 1990. The sks was brand new never been out of box, just arrvied at the store. This sks cost $75....

Mosin Nagant M91/30 
i have a 1943 izvesk Mosin in 7.62x54r. mine has a 4x24 PSOP russian scope side mounted on the reciever.
these rifle maybe be larger than an SKS but ...

M1 Carbine 
Makes an excellent little rifle for survival. It is small, compact, and can be made more so with a M1A1 or similar folding stock. It has enough power for ...

fr 7 spainsh mauser 
What a great weapon ,it cheap to shoot 308 cal short barrel low to matain has bayonet with sling got it for buck fifty good for all around shooting and ...

Remington nylon 66 rifle / 30-06 Win lightweight McMillanStk2x7 Leopld 
The Eskimo Scouts of WW2 fame wanted a 30/05 bolt rifle and a Colt Woodman 22 pistol and their own knife. No one is a better survivalist than them. I have ...

stoeger 2000 
A shotgun hands down. It is the most versitile. No offence .22 fans, but theres a reason cops don't carry .22s. Buck shot and slugs have a proven track ...

Marlin 39 TDS 
This rifle is a variation of the Model 39 lever .22 and is no longer made. It has a 16" barrel and a slimmer fore arm and weighs 5lbs. It came with the ...

My options based on my experiences... 
I've gone with a variation of the M-4 carbine in .223/5.56 caliber. My M-4 has a low power optic on it which is a 1 to 4 power Millett DMS-1 Tactical Scope....

Browning 92 lever rifle in .357 magnum 
Having grown up on a ranch in South Texas I became aware early on in life of the importance of firearms, especially when working and roaming in the brushlands....

Mosin Nagant M44 
Cheap. Russian made in 1947 in the Izhevsk Arsenal. Paid less than $100.00 and added a sling, a leapers tri-rail with a mildot scope mounted forward ...

Ruger Mini 14/30 
The problem when talking about the best "survival rifle", is that it really depends on the scenario. Are we talking about throwing something in the backpack ...

AK-47 
The reasons i like the AK-47 is it's overall durability, relative cheaper pricing of the gun and ammo, and most of all the clip accessories that are available....

NEF Handi Rifle .223 
I own a H&R Handi Rifle and i think its great. Its very accurate and although its barrel weight can be a bit hefty after a long day of hiking it makes ...

SKS Tactical Carbine  Not rated yet
My SKS is a Chinese (or Norinco) model SKS with a single piece gas block. This takes away some of the parts that I feel are not needed. For an idea how ...

Henry AR-7/ AR-7 Industries custom  Not rated yet
Henry AR-7 Survival,, black teflon coated. AR-7 Industrie's target crowned 161/4 bull barrel with 3/4 length aluminum heat shield/ forend. AR-7 industrie'...

Marlin 1895 in 45-70  Not rated yet
I have many rifles but I use the Marlin as my primary survival Rifle in 45-70 caliber. I back it up with a Ruger Redhawk in 44 mag with 300 grain bullet....

Mauser .300 win mag  Not rated yet
Iown an Interarms Mark X mauser action rife in .300 Winchester Magnum.
It is the perfect survival rifle to go ALONG with a .22 of your choice.
It will ...

MY Rock River AR 15  Not rated yet
It has a 16 inch barrel, is very light, and shoots the amazingly versatile 5.56 round. It is widely used as a varminting round, but is absolutely powerful ...

Best overall survival rifle is...  Not rated yet
To me, the best overall survival rifle is a civilian legal clone of an AK-47. The rifle should have a folding stock and a side-mounted 4X or 4 power magnification ...

Savage 93FSS .22WMR  Not rated yet
Light, rugged, simple and accurate. The .22mag ammo adds a little weight but nothing like centerfire and adds considerably to punch without being damaging ...

Marlin .44 Cal Lever Action carbine  Not rated yet
Kept it over the years. First used as a Whitetail Deer brush gun for short range in heavy cover. I also had a S&W model 29 (yeah I know its a heavy sucker)...

marlin model 60 sb  Not rated yet
I see it as the ultimate survival rifle as it is proven, sturdy, stainless all weather barrel and has no magazines to lose or get damaged tromping around ...

Kel-Tec SU-16 (any variant/color)  Not rated yet
The B model has very good sights. Foldable and will fit in a backpack.
5.56 NATO or .223 can be used. Will store two 10rd Mags in the stock.
Gas piston ...

Winchester Model 94AE Trapper, .357 mag. cal.  Not rated yet
The versatility of this rifle is it's strength. For "survival" scenarios, this is the one I have.

Size: It weighs 6lbs. 10oz.(with a sling). Not ...

Henry .22 lever action rifle  Not rated yet
I use this because I can shoot shorts, long, long rifle, which makes for the ability to have lots of ammo on hand. I have killed deer with a head shot ...

My marlin model 1894 carbine.  Not rated yet
I think it would make an ideal survival rifle because mine holds 10 rounds of 44 mag or 44 spl its fast light weight and easy to manuver i use mine for ...

my AK47  Not rated yet
I really love my AK. Were going to marry next month. It saved my life back there in Vietnam and now it's always by my side. So if you see a dude kissing ...

My Marlin 1894 .44 magnum  Not rated yet
One of my favorite survival rifles is the lever action Marlin 1894 in .44 magnum. It holds 11 rounds of ammunition. The Marlin 1894 comes with ballard ...

Ak47 standard rifle (Any variant aside from the thumhole stock version.)  Not rated yet
Its still fairly readily available, ammunition is still inexpensive, Its powerful enought to take down just about any medium to large game animal with ...

Hi Standard 7-18 12 gauge Riot Gun.  Not rated yet
When using the right ammunition, for the task at hand, this weapon, in my opinion, is second to none for close quarter survival purposes.

Taurus Thunderbolt .357 magnum  Not rated yet
14+1 capacity. 26" barrel. The new leverevolution ammo is faster and more acurate than most. Safe, simple and fun. Probably longer and heavier than ...

m6 survival rifle  Not rated yet
Great over and under design featuring a 22 chambered for either long rifle or Hornet round over a .410 shot gun. There is also a in gun storage placment ...