A bunch of cheap, or a few nice?

[1nderbeard]

I have always had a hard time justifying any high end firearms. I have a handful of ar15 rifles. Most of them in calibers other than 556/223. I have one upper I spent some money on as a hunting platform in 6.5 Grendel. The rest are all "budget" or "entry level" stuff. Aero, PSA, Anderson, BCA, Etc. I've figured if there was some sort of weapons ban or societal collapse 1 is none and multiples are always better.

With that mentality, are you looking for a high end survival rifle or several lower end items? Honestly curious about what other people think about this idea.

Don't tell me both.

 

[Magyars]

I've always believed in buying the best quality you can afford, be it a car, clothes etc. and especially a firearm.
I prefer to trust my life to quality...after carefully evaluation.

 

[Usmccookie]

I started out with multiple budget guns.. ars& hand guns.. I've started to realize the utility of fewer/higher quality over many/lower quality.

I would rather have my bcm set up exactly how I want it, knowing I can trust it when shtf. I still have my budgets, but I don't touch them anymore. They just don't bring nearly the same satisfaction on any level except when bragging about how many guns I have... which I don't...

 

[Creedmoor]

A poor man can afford only the very best,
For he can only afford to buy it once.

Edit,
Inaccurate firearms are boring.

 

[indyjohn]

I have both. Each fulfills a given need. Many different needs in my view of things.

If I need to give a friend or neighbor a defensive tool, I have one for that. If I need minute of angle out to 600 yards, I have a tool for that too.

 

[1nderbeard]

A poor man can afford only the very best,
For he can only afford to buy it once.

Edit,
Inaccurate firearms are boring.

I get that...How accurate though does a SHTF rifle need to be? Minute of man at 50-100 is sufficient? As long as it goes boom, MOA is a luxury at most ranges of engagement.
Just playing Devil's advocate for sake of discussion.

 

[Creedmoor]

I get that...How accurate though does a SHTF rifle need to be? Minute of man at 50-100 is sufficient? As long as it goes boom, MOA is a luxury at most ranges of engagement.
Just playing Devil's advocate for sake of discussion.

Engagement distance depends on the environment one is in and skill set one carrys.
Our bottom end AR's are Colts, Hydra-Matic's, RR's and recently BRC gunfighters.

 

[snapping turtle]

I have one for me and what I call a buddy firearm.
the buddy can be anything. (I use a 12 gauge pump mostly as a buddy firearm) and it comes along with a primary firearm and a handgun.
I guess what I am saying is keep the budget guns for those who will need them and have none. Ethen Allen supplied all his troops in the revolutionary war. Boots socks coats weapons ammo and food.

AR’s don’t have to be top end to be useful in SHTF. Knowing how to use it and when to use it is. You can not be on security detail 24/7/365. You are going to need people. I know a mechanic who is very good at his trade. He has zero ability as a warrior/gardene/medic/coms guy. He does have eyes and hands so he can stand security watch when I sleep and he can fix stuff I would have no idea how to do it. He will need a rifle when the time comes.

 

[hooky]

I don't think you need to spend a ton of money to have something reliable.

What's the difference between that Anderson stripped lower and the <insert premium brand here> stripped lower? IMO, good quality internals on a lower and a solid barrel are more important.

Cheap glocks run forever it seems, but so does an HK or Sig.

I think it comes down to what you can trust that will run and has parts you can stock.

 

[jd4320t]

Other than my 300blk SBR and two 9mm AR’s I build and buy all of my AR’s in 556 and of similar and interchangeable parts. I’ve always tried to buy decent mid range quality stuff.

What’s hot and “good” in AR’s changes every year or two and I don’t get caught up in it. Buy something and run it and see if something breaks. Most likely it won’t. Guys on here and everywhere else you ask will tell you such and such is junk and they’re usually wrong.

The important thing is any rifle can have an issue. If you don’t use it you never know. Just like any pistol you would daily carry.

 

[Creedmoor]

I have one for me and what I call a buddy firearm.
the buddy can be anything. (I use a 12 gauge pump mostly as a buddy firearm) and it comes along with a primary firearm and a handgun.
I guess what I am saying is keep the budget guns for those who will need them and have none. Ethen Allen supplied all his troops in the revolutionary war. Boots socks coats weapons ammo and food.

AR’s don’t have to be top end to be useful in SHTF. Knowing how to use it and when to use it is. You can not be on security detail 24/7/365. You are going to need people. I know a mechanic who is very good at his trade. He has zero ability as a warrior/gardene/medic/coms guy. He does have eyes and hands so he can stand security watch when I sleep and he can fix stuff I would have no idea how to do it. He will need a rifle when the time comes.

Good point, even if both of my sons were home three of us would be taxed to defend ones property. We would intermingle with two neighbors to fill each others voids.
We all have surplus if it was needed.

 

[JTKelly]

I have always had a hard time justifying any high end firearms. I have a handful of ar15 rifles. Most of them in calibers other than 556/223. I have one upper I spent some money on as a hunting platform in 6.5 Grendel. The rest are all "budget" or "entry level" stuff. Aero, PSA, Anderson, BCA, Etc. I've figured if there was some sort of weapons ban or societal collapse 1 is none and multiples are always better.

With that mentality, are you looking for a high end survival rifle or several lower end items? Honestly curious about what other people think about this idea.

Don't tell me both.

Ten junk ones is worse than none because when you REALLY NEED it any one of them will get you killed. Get one good one you can count on and take care of it.

 

[Creedmoor]

Other than my 300blk SBR and two 9mm AR’s I build and buy all of my AR’s in 556 and of similar and interchangeable parts. I’ve always tried to buy decent mid range quality stuff.

What’s hot and “good” in AR’s changes every year or two and I don’t get caught up in it. Buy something and run it and see if something breaks. Most likely it won’t. Guys on here and everywhere else you ask will tell you such and such is junk and they’re usually wrong.

The important thing is any rifle can have an issue. If you don’t use it you never know. Just like any pistol you would daily carry.

Its smart not to get caught up in it, the ones that do should hump that rifle and gear around for a bit and all that Bling will end up on the side of the trail left behind.
Its like seeing ones daily carrys, and all of it is all shiny like a new pennys.

 

[bwframe]

My rifles are frankenguns, home built with a variety of good and budget parts. BCM barrels and BCGs, Geissele triggers, MI, Magpul with Palmetto and Anderson lowers.

I liked the idea of "making payments" on the relatively expensive builds a part or two at a time, (and would recommend it.) I can't see throwing money at a factory rifle, then adapting it to my own configuration. Worse yet, not adapting it because it was blah, blah brand on top of the risk of killing the expensive name brand value with better parts.

I would strongly suggest thoroughly ringing your rifle out, while learning how to run it in a class or three. Never know, I've seen guys with expensive factory guns have to finish the day in classes using the instructor's gun.

I took my first class using the instructor's rifle, before I even had an AR. I would certainly recommend going that route also. Maybe multiple classes with borrowed rifles? You will learn a lot about what you'll really want, before throwing bad money at good intentions.


.

 

[Michigan Slim]

I have my Colt Match and a cheap PSA. Looking at my yard distances, I'll grab my shotgun full of my home cast #4 buck.

 

[rosejm]

I will also echo these points:

• This is my rifle. Those are my buddys'. There are many like them, but this one is mine.
• Spare parts are inexpensive.
• Tool requirements are limited/defined by your skill set. Thus, improve your marksmanship.
  • There's no reason to accept anything less than minute-of-man at 400 yards, even with bargain basement tools. Nearly everyone can do significantly better with practice and slightly better equipment.
• Whatever you choose, run it. Hard. Learn its weaknesses and yours, then fix 'em.

 

[d.kaufman]

 

[Basher]

TL;DR - Buy the best you can afford (as a complete setup), then run it to verify it and learn it.

I’m a quality over quantity guy, having been “burned” a few times when I was young and just getting in to the game. That doesn’t mean it has to be a KAC or some other Gucci brand, but a quality rifle (or quality components). The best you can reasonably afford to buy and set up. Having a KAC with irons will work, but in today’s day and age, an optic is an immense force multiplier and very much worth the investment.

Same goes for a quality light (if we’re talking a “you can only have one” rifle that will be used for HD purposes, a light is a must!), quality mags, and grips/stock/rail covers that work for you. The rifle is a system, and if you blow all you money on one component, you’re shooting yourself in the foot (unless you’re taking the “upgrade as funds allow approach”).

For most people, something between an Aero and BCM will fill their needs just fine. Nothing wrong with an Anderson lower (I guess) if it’s built out with quality components and you vet it’s reliability.

Which is the next point: regardless of what you build/buy, you need to run it through some comps/classes to verify it runs, it’s accurate, and it’s set up properly for YOU. I have a Frankengun I built back around 2010 that still rocks a non-free-floated MagPul MOE handguard (purchased before MLOK was a thing), an Aimpoint PRO, and a LaRue Po’Boy magnifier setup. Is it old-school? Yep. But having put a few thousand rounds through it in classes and comps over the years, I know it works, and I can run it well enough to out-shoot some guys running current LPVO setups out to 250y. That’s the kind of confidence in the rifle and my ability to use it that you can’t buy.

 

[Mij]

It’s really a moot point, cause after you’ve been around for a while you’ll have both. Along with a bunch of middle of the road. JMO.

 

[Steve]

Reliability and skill are far more important then the price of a weapon, be it a rifle or handgun. The bad guy will be just a s dead whether he is shoot by a $300 handgun or a $3000 rifle. Buy the best quality weapon you can afford and spend at least 1/2 that amount on ammo. Then practice, practice, practice. The skill you will hone is just as valuable as the weapon you use, if not more so.