Best all-around rifle if you could only have 1?

[pacpiper]

I would think an AR-15 or one of my personal favorites....the Mini 14.

.223 is a very common caliber and likely to be in supply even in SHTF times.

I love my Mosin's (especially my M39) but I agree that finding Russian Milsurp ammo. would be tricky.

A close 2nd choice would be an AK-47 or SKS. Both are battle tested workhorses and use the 7.62x39 which again would be more easily obtained.

Anything in .308 is a good choice too.

Someone mentioned the 22LR is a first choice and I almost said that. I certainly would have it as my second choice.

GL

[S420merc]

I would go with a AK74 or AK47 in a SHTF
senario. I have a generator solar panels and
Can live completly off the grid. The main idea
Is to have a weapon that will go bang when u need it.
If you want to use .223 ammo get a Galil
it is an AK with US ammo.

[den9]

scar h in 308

effective at long distances, good combat gun, fun. it would be nice if i could hunt with one, but i dont hunt much anyway so it doesnt affect me.

[Legion_Prime]

GE GAU-8/A

[normanvin]

Best all-around rifle if you could only have 1?

Thompsom Contender or Encore. They have interchangeable barrels. This means you could shoot .22 in the morning. Shoot black powder in the afternoon. Then switch again and have a .410 for home defense at night. Change again in the morning and go varmint shooting.

Sure it may only be a single shoot. But look at all of the barrels you have to choose from.

[mpan72]

I was going to suggest a 12gauge pump shotgun but it was already suggested. I also think a .22lr or .22wmr would be good for shtf. That is what I own as far as longuns. I don't think there is one gun that can serve all purposes but IMO I would take either as my "only one".

[NightRocker]

For me the M1A / M14, M21. I like quite a few rifles but this is my first choice.

[y0rlik]

scar h in 308

effective at long distances, good combat gun, fun. it would be nice if i could hunt with one, but i dont hunt much anyway so it doesnt affect me.

While the SCAR 17 is indeed a fine rifle by all accounts (can't comment since I don't own one), I don't think at the moment it's a good SHTF gun. The lack of spare parts & magazines, in particular, are heavy marks against it. If you can't fix a gun when it's broken, all you have is a club, and with the SCAR 17, not a particularly effective club at that. Add to that its current price tag (if you can find one!), and you don't have a particularly strong contender. Currently, the OP will be much better served with a much more common weapon such as any of the other ones mentioned (military style semi-auto rifle, 12 ga pump shotgun, .22, etc.). However, in a few years if the SCAR 17 proves to be more than a passing fad, it may indeed be a good choice.

[Pete D.]

About ammo, in specific and in general:

to have all you could ever need now.

Agreed, though "ever" can be a very long time.

About gun choice: I have a bit of difficulty understanding why so many folk opt for semi-autos like the AK or the Mini 14 or the AR15. I know that they are wildly popular and effective in their given roles (I have owned them all - still have an AR and an SKS) There seems to be a feeling that, in the unlikely event of a complete societal collapse, that a weapon of that type and caliber is deslrable. Why is that? What can you do with an AK, for instance, that you cannot do as well with a bolt gun? I know, I know.....fire rapid follow up shots. That is a given. Is that the reason for the choice because I cannot think of anything else that a firearm of that type does better than a good bolt gun. Would I want to be in firefight with a bolt gun? No. Perhaps, though, the better question is would I want to be in a firefight with any weapon. No. If I cannot avoid.....I am not convinced that a semi auto is going to increase my chances of surviving, especially if I am faced with a superior force.
That unhappy situation, however, may well be less apt to happen than a need to hunt for food. If game is to be found, well placed shots may make the difference between eating and starving. As the AK and other military rifles have proven themselves in combat, so too has the bolt gun been the premier choice on the hunting fields.
So I base my choice on what I am most likely to need a rifle to do.
Pete

[717shooter]

Ill have to go with a few others here and say a good semi-auto .22. You already have your .45's for defensive work. A semi .22 with a large stock of ammo and a low power scope will not only be great for quiet hunting, but will also go double duty with defence. My vote goes for a marlin 795.