I had to passionately spend considerable time researching on a variety of rifles in the market today that you can use to protect and defend your family. I was awed by incredible designs and crafts flooded out there, including lackluster ones. But don’t worry; this post has got you covered.
Having pointed that out, first, I have to admit that if you are a newbie or a fanatic without clear features to look out for in your rifle, chances are you are likely to go for a machine that won’t live up to your expectations. Luckily, I have devoted all my findings here to keep you up to speed on all the essential details.
Therefore, as much as I explore on the some of the best rifles one can ever use, this list just brings out the reliable spend you can incur for your specific needs and applications. For your choice, I will leave you to decide.
Into the specifics
In the age authorities are prying into our gun rights, the second amendment is here to stay to empower to protect you, family and property. Therefore, it is not about how beautifully packed is your gun safe but the capability of every single rifle to deliver on every single shot and be versatile in functionality.
I picked out these five of the unrivaled rifles from the categories that could save your life and make all the difference. They include rifles suitable for;
- Hunting big game
- Hunting small game
- Perimeter-defense beyond 200 yards
- Self-defense in close quarters
- Defending yourself within 200 yards close
Now, it will be important we take a look at the specifics as spelled out. Let’s hit the road.
Hunting big game
Imagine waking up to your livestock torn apart by a wild dog or missing a shot on a pigeon or turkey while hunting! The best line of defense is a rifle that will get the job done.
Do you have the wide range of short and long guns in your mind yet? This could be just a taste of the waters.
Well, I discovered this is where the thought of accurate best survival rifles to protecting and defending your family is a bold idea to accommodate. To be specific, for an appropriate home range, a tactical savvy should hit the usual predators like the alligator, bear and many others within the range.
This is why your hunting varmint rifle should command high precision and boast powerful gripping. Additionally, a one-piece tube is a great idea. It carries not only high durability but also precision.
You don’t want a caliber that has a weak scope. The parallax adjustment is a plus for common variance of about 50 yards away.
Consider a quality lens and a magnification of about 3 – 7 will do a wonderful job. Therefore, an unparalleled hunting big game rifle that beats its peers square in this case is the one;
Related article: 5 Guns Every Prepper Should Own
-
The Remington Model 870 12 Gauge Shotgun
With a 12 gauge Remington Model 870 12 Gauge Shotgun, you are sure of reliable precision necessary for hunting the big game, thanks in part to its versatility as well.
Additionally, I realized with appropriate choke tubes and 2 3/4″ and 3″ shells; this rifle can hit any deer, quail, duck or any other prey or predator as the pull of the trigger. Impressively, it works perfectly well for big and small game hunting too.
The Remington Model 870 12 Gauge Shotguns is a favorite among hunting novice because it is effortless to change the barrel and fix a replacement with a powerful sighting of your choice. The long ranges form part of its strength.
Hunting small game
Hunting the small game is as important as the big game, especially when you go adventuring and all you can spot are the small prey.Well, whether this is your unlucky day or not, going home without anything isn’t a great idea either. I think of a powerful rifle that won’t disappoint.
-
The CZ-550 American Safari Magnum in .375 H&H Magnum
With a suitably powerful cartridge way better than the .30-60, I love the recoil capability to help take down the smallest animals that pose any risk or could be in sight. Think of raccoons, fox, hyena the list goes on and on, the .375 H&H Magnum is ideal for small and delicate animals with remarkable damage to the skin, especially for hide preservation.
Find its optical magnification easily adjustable and backup irons that are effortless to remove and replace. This is essential when taking a quick shot. Expect zero snagging plus an added thick rubber pad that helps tame its coil for precise shots.
Perimeter-defense beyond 200 yards
As wild lion 200 yards away requires a perimeter defense rifle when it comes to best survival rifles to protecting and defending your family.
The gun of your choice should provide an automatic functionality with dependable customization. Missing the target should be out of the question and the sighting should be way better than close range options. I recommend the best in this category;
-
Ar15
Popular in the US military, law enforcement, and civilian communities, the Ar15 is a semi-automatic rifle that boasts a modular craft capable of firing either 5.56x44mm or .223 caliber rounds.
This implies you have the accuracy you need for past 200 yards away target complemented by its 30-round magazine. Impressively, it is budget friendly too.
For your AR-15, there are a lot of after market parts which can add value to your core rifle. For better accuracy, you can use bestopticsfor.com or rifle scope.
Self-defense in close quarters
Do you need a self-defense rifle to eliminate threats and protect your family from close range quarters?
As an outdoorsman, if you own the best gun safe under 1500 or anything about that price range, it should never miss a self-defense gun that boasts high stopping power. I think of one of the best;
-
The Mossberg 500
This is one of the durable steel-made self-tactical-defense rifles that come with an anti-jam elevator. This implies, at the pull of the trigger, you don’t expect a miss of your sighting but smooth operation.
Additionally, it embraces stable gripping for stability and undistracted aiming. I love the fact that this rifle will ensure your use it safely, thanks to its top mounting dedicated for ambidextrous operation
Defending yourself within 200 yards close
Lastly, a defensive rifle should be powerful and comfortable to carry around for long. It should be easy to shoot at the quickest of the call.
As much as I like revolvers, they are remarkable since they don’t need you to but magazines a great pistol will do equally a good job. Remember, there are so many handguns that fit into this category, but this design performs pretty well.
Suggested article: 6 Reliable Pocket Revolvers For Off-grid Defense
-
.22 Pistols
If you want personal defense with enough ammo, this is your ideal gun. It is not only affordable but also automated for the quick shot taking.
These are the more of the old model Ruger Mark 1 that tend to borrow a lot from the old Taurus revolvers. Hence, they are perfected for high accuracy with solid sizeable gripping space for comfortable target aiming.
Therefore, I give you a quick summary of my 5 top best survival rifles for protecting and defending your family:
- The Remington Model 870 12 Gauge Shotgun
- The CZ-550 American Safari Magnum in .375 H&H Magnum
- Ar15
- The Mossberg 500
- .22 Pistols
My Vote for All
Well, there is no perfect rifle, but I recommend the CZ-550 American Safari Magnum in .375 H&H Magnum because it is easily and quickly customizable for shots. Remarkably, it is ideal for high-stress situations when hunting for small or big game. This is the versatility you can bank on at any given time.
Runner-up Best Survival Rifles to Protecting and Defending Your Family
Thinking of the runner-up list? This is what comes close;
- AK-47
- Remington 700
- The Scoped Ruger 10/22 Take-down
- Mossberg 590
- Glock 17/19
That gives me a wrap on the best my research could provide you. I hope you get thrilled by any of your picks.
A last word
No matter your preferences regarding firearms, there are two things that you should consider before making a purchase. The first thing you need to acknowledge is that you will need to train constantly with your weapon of choice if you don’t want it to become just a fancy accessory in your home.
And second, you will need to keep your guns safe, out of reach and well hidden (depending on each case). Think about buying a gun safe and make a proper decision after carefully analyzing your needs. For example, under the bed gun safes are popular choices nowadays, since they keep the guns locked away and hidden from prying eyes.
This article was written by Gloria Strokes for Prepper’s Will.
AUTHOR BIO
About Gloria Stokes:
Gloria Stokes is a passionate writer and editor who loves to read and write articles over weaponry and loves to travel. She has completed her weapons engineering from the Cranfield University.
Other Useful Resources:
Survival Lessons from the 1880s
This ONE THING Can Help You Terminate Your Store-Bought Dependency
Knowledge to survive any medical crisis situation
A Green Beret’s guide to combat and shooting
Learn how to Safeguard your Home against Looters
The vital self-sufficiency lessons our great grand-fathers left us
I have never owned a gun or ever will. Yet I have all the wild game I want from squirrels and rabbits to deer and bear. My solution is traps and snares which I make myself.
Guns and ammo are high tech, expensive and illegal in a lot of places. In a survival situation they give your position away and make you a target. They can alert others a long distance away to your presence. Guns need to be cleaned and protected from the weather or they are ruined. They can be taken away or used against you.
Snares and traps can be made from materials at hand. They are silent and never give away your position so you are never a target. They work for you 24/7 and you can have many of them working for you as you do other things. They can never be taken away from you and used against you. They can be destroyed but you can replace them with a little time and effort. They can alert you to a predators presence well before you are in any danger. They can be made to Kill, maim or capture without any injury. They are designed to be out in the weather with little or no damage. Traps can be designed to fire one or many missiles from one or multiple directions. They can be fired individually or all at once from one or multiple triggers. No gun has all these advantages.
There are also many primitive weapons that are as deadly as guns and some even more effective. A catapult firing a load of half inch rocks can be more deadly than a shotgun at a greater range. It can stop an armoured vehicle if loaded with a charge of napalm with an ignighter. The occupants are cooked. A sling can stop attackers in armour if the ammo is a corrosive liquid in fragile containers. The corrosive liquid seeps through the joints and eats into their flesh.
With primitive forms of defence and some ingenuity one person can defeat a large well armed force without ever being a target.
I’m sorry, but this list has serious flaws, and following it’s advice is courting failure.
The Remington 700 and Mossberg 500 are both great choices. I’ve had an 870, and it was great (with appropriate barrels and other upgrades) for both hunting and short range defense. It would seem that the 500 would be the same, so if you are looking at only “five” “rifles”, why have both of these?
The .375 H&H magnum may be a great cartridge, and if I were to have several high-powered rifles, one of them in .375 H&H might be appropriate. But as the only one? Ammunition cost and scarcity would weigh heavily against it. If I could have only one high-powered bolt-action rifle, it would be 30-06 or possibly 308. These are effective enough for all North American game under most circumstances, and ammunition is much more available.
The AR-15 design is very popular and a lot of fun, but it has problems; not insurmountable but still a concern. Worse, the common 5.56 or .223 round is fairly ineffectual against small game, big game and for defense. It only shines for long range pest control and medium game. Certainly it is acceptable for defense if a person is unable to handle a better choice. When used for defense, it’s effectiveness can be improved with reliably expanding ammunition, but that will at least triple the ammunition cost. It is always a good idea to have a 5.56 because of the likelihood of finding ammo for it, but a 308 (or 30-06) caliber defensive rifle would be a much better long range defense choice.
Finally, a .22 pistol is not a “rifle”. And more importantly, it is terrible for defense. The absolute most important criteria for ANY round intended for defense, is it’s “stopping power” – how likely it is to stop an attacker from doing what he is doing RIGHT NOW. The .22 is actually a pretty good “killer”, but it is pathetic at stopping an attacker before he does you irreparable harm. Of course, any firearm is better for defense than no firearm, but why PLAN on something completely unsuitable?
Thus, MY list would be (I’m not familiar with the modern choices, in parenthesis are what USED to be good choices)
1) Remington 870 OR Mossberg 500
2) Bolt action in 30-06 or 308 (Remington or Ruger)
3) M1A or AR-10 or other .30 caliber military pattern semi-auto (Mi Garand)
4) AR-15 or other military pattern semi-auto or anything else to use 5.56 ammo (Ruger Mini-14)
5) .22 RIFLE for training, practice and small game (Ruger 10/22)
If I had an AR-15, I’d also have an upper for it to fire 7.62×39 since that is more effective and currently the ammo is plentiful and cheap.
In addition to this, I’d recommend a few handguns for last ditch defense:
1) .45 (Colt 1911 or S&W 25 with full moon clips)
2) 9mm since the ammo is so common and more concealable models are available; with modern (expensive) ammo, quite adequate for defense
3) .22 Ruger Mk I (or conversion kit for the .45 or 9mm) for practice and training, also can be used for small game
The writer is incoherent in the posting, some things made no sense at all.
A 375 H&H??? you won’t find ammo around here for it.
Here in the US the best, most plentiful rounds are 30/06 and 308 Winchester for large game and LR defense.
Good working M1A’s and M1 Garands fill the bill for gas guns to go with these rounds.
An 03A3 Springfield or Rem 700 for a bolt gun.
Most common deer round is the Winchester 30/30, well entrenched for a 100 years as such.
Intermediate range defense, an AR in 5.56, they are reasonably priced and cheap mags and ammo.
Second to it is an AK in 7.62×39 not 5.45×39, they are very effective under 200 yds. and reliable, battlefield proven.
Shotguns, hands down a Rem 870 in 12 Ga., with a couple barrels and mag extension, covers all situations, I prefer the earlier Wingmaster, better quality. I have several with mag extensions. Plenty of ammo types to choose from.
Handguns, a plethora to choose from.
Myself, a 1911 by colt or S&W in 45 ACP, or a Sig in 9MM para.for defense, I have others also to choose from.
Small game, any 22 LR rifle will do, I have a 10-22 and a marlin 39 to fill the bill and a S&W stainless steel revolver
with a 4″ barrel.
There are many choices available here in the states,
these I posted are the most common and reliable and available to the public.
I guess the bottom line is get what you can and learn about it.
Stay with military calibers, you will find them everywhere and plentiful compared to offbeat rounds.
You would think that someone who has “completed her weapons engineering from the Cranfield University” would be more informed and coherent when writing on this subject. To begin, the Remington 870 and Mossberg 500 are not rifles, duh… they are shotguns.
Second, in a full blown SHTF situation, you will have a devil of a time finding ammo and spare parts for any .375 H&H Magnum, regardless of manufacturer. I fully concur with other responders that 30-06 and .308 are adequate for any big game in North America. Rifles, spare parts and ammo are also abundant. Moreover, I challenge the author to explain how a .375 H&H would be remotely suitable for small game. Even at 200 yards, you are looking at 2800 foot pounds of energy and you will spend most of your time looking for the little pieces of your target. Good luck with that…
I could go on, but my judgment is that this author has little idea what she is talking about. It would also help is she learns proper English before posting her next article (God forbid).
Cranfield University is in the UK, and their weapons engineering program claims “We combine world-recognised expertise in weapons engineering and technology across a range of applications from dismounted close combat, air and air defence weapons, naval weapons system through to armoured vehicle systems.”
Thus, it is highly likely that she has never fired a real gun in her life, and probably has never even seen one, and her education in personal weapons was probably one session of one class if even that. And was probably strongly influenced by the British governments position that guns are evil and nobody but the government (and criminals) should have them.
Anyone who calls a Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 a rifle must have flunked her firearms engineering classes. This article was crap.