Personally, I believe its best to stay away from restricted rifles. Not saying it will happen here, but after hurricane katrina, there were many law abiding citizens who had guns taken from them. Odds are, if you own a restricted rifle then you also own a non restricted, that would be harder to be confiscated if for some reason all guns were attempted to be confiscated, like what happened in new orleans. I know that I would feel vulnerable if shtf, and my go to gun was confiscated. I know the odds of that happening here are pretty remote, and it may sound paranoid to think it could happen, but if it did happen, I would'nt want it happening to me. I have restricted firearms, but my main go to guns are non restricted. Another thing needs to be thought about when choosing a go to centerfire rifle is what type of plan you have if shtf. If you plan on traveling, then a light gun with light ammo is a obvious choice. If you are close or living in your bug out building, then size and weight does not matter. If your in a urban or heavily forested area, then a light calibre is all thats needed. If your at a farm with wide open fields, then a longer range rifle is the best choice, like a 308. I would not take hunting big game into deciding what to choose, because a .22lr will be the best choice for meat. You can survive on small game the easiest, and be less noisy hunting. A .22lr can take a pretty good sized animal with a well placed bullet, but if it was warm & there was no power grid then keeping a large amount of meat from spoiling is difficult with no freezer. Smoking meat to preserve it, invites hungry people who smell it, and it time consuming. Small game is much quicker, easier, and leaves a smaller footprint, which is why I don't consider big game hunting into a factor for choosing a go to rifle. If you were providing for many people, then it would also however.

Just noticed I did not really mention what rifles I would suggest. First, if the budget was tight I would get a SKS . 7.62x39 ammo is cheapest since crates of military surplus are around $250, so no need to reload to shoot high volumes or store it if shtf. If the budget allows, then a CZ858 non res is my choice, because its a light accurate, reliable gun with detach mags. Its a good gun as is, but if you upgrade it with modern black furniture, scope mount & optics, then its a modern rifle that is a troop multiplier. I would consider a ruger mini 30 or mini 14 also, but they can be unreliable from time to time in cold wet weather, but if taken care of, they are good guns with a rock solid optics mounting system. Another gun that is a good choice, is a norinco M14. If left as it, its a great gun if shooting 168 gr bullets or lighter. With a few upgrades, it shoots 180 gr bullets, and with a quality mount & scope its a great gun. I like mine, but its heavy compared to my CZ858. It is also expensive if you want to get a lightweight pistol grip stock. Anything thats called a chassis built for a M14 costs atleast $500, and its easy to dump 2 grand into a M14, but you can keep one relatively stock and still be great. If price is no object, then a robinson xcr is sweet, but personally I would prefer to buy several good rifles and a bunch of ammo, for the same price it costs for one xcr. You can get good deals on used guns also, that are already upgraded & scoped and save a lot of money.

I have a couple of Norinco M14's. Any decent scope mount adds $200 to the price, plus a good scope. M14's have double recoil shock, one back, another forward. As hard as any rifle on a scope.
Story is they shoot best with 168 gr, anything more and you beat up the gas system. You can still use them, just turn off the gas valve. I use 150gr surplus usually with 168 for hunting.

The idea of keeping a N/R handy is a good one. I have recommended that before. However, you should really be an advocate for responsible and lawful firearms ownership. First the ARs will go and then they'll come for the CZs and SKSs. Even if they're not registered, you were licensed and they're going to use that as grounds for the tac-team to pay a surprise visit. So don't run and hide. Grow the shooting sports, the best prep is making sure you never need it, the next best prep is ensuring that it's still there if you ever need it. Join the NFA or CSSA for $40.00/year and stand up for your foundation rights.

That said, I will recommend the CZ types over SKSs due to the greater flexibility of the platform. M1As are an excellent option as well, but ammo cost and the cost of the rifle itself is prohibitive (excepting the Poly tech and Norinco offerings which need a bit of work to get ready). If you are a shooter as much as a prepper getting into the M1As and ARs will be acceptable. If not, you'll find the CZs and SKSs are more for you.

-S..

I'm really enjoying the czech small arms (csa) VZ-58. Solidly built and easy to strip down and clean. Thanks for the advice.

The thing I like about the Poly tech and Norinco M1A's is they don't look like the evil black assault rifles so much in the public's eye these days yet they're a hard hitting mag fed semi-auto that will take any large game we have.

The thing I like about the Poly tech and Norinco M1A's is they don't look like the evil black assault rifles so much in the public's eye these days yet they're a hard hitting mag fed semi-auto that will take any large game we have.

You have to remember that the M1A will be next up to be portrayed as the evil gun as soon as they've taken the "evil ARs". It'll take about a day for them to begin reminding people that the guy in Scandanavia used an M1A. Don't give them the chance. =)

-S.

Love to help you sir but I lost them in a boating accident - so sorry.

Hey there,
Can anyone recommend a place in Calgary to pick up a Norico M305/M14?

007rob, Calgary Shooting Centre had one left the last time I was there... they also have quite a few SKSs as well. I don't frequent the Shooting Edge but you can call them too. I've dealt with them in the past with decent service.

Other sources to check would be online (CanadaAmmo, Marstar, SFRC, Frontier Firearms, Wolverine Supplies, Wanstalls, Cabela's, maybe even Westrifle).