Gun Digest Book of Survival Guns

^{The Barrett MRAD would be a great, extreme-range rifle for protecting your shelter or property. While it is not as heavy as Barrett’s M107 or 107A1, it is still quite a load. Since it is a bolt-action, extreme-range use would be its forté, but because rapid-fire capability isn’t inherent, targets need to be disrupted before they can get close enough to overrun your position. Weapons like this are at the extreme end of extreme-range defense.}

Since the survival we are talking about is the protecting of yourself against large groups of desperate human beings and not about wilderness survival in the remote stretches of Alaska, then our first and best choice for work from long- to mid-range circumstances is a semi-automatic rifle of a few limited styles (though often from multiple manufacturers). In my opinion, the rifle at the top of the heap, that meets the six requirements I just mentioned is the direct gas impingement AR-15/M16 series of weapons.

^{The Del-Ton 20-inch A2 rifle is a solid, reliable, Mil-Spec AR. A bit more accurate than an A1 at longer range, it is also a couple pounds heavier, a big downside. On the A2, the carry handle in non-removable, but there is a bayonet lug that mounts the M7 or M9 bayonet. It can be used for mid- to longer-range defense. Detractors of the AR, particularly those basing their criticisms on its early shortcomings, need to give it a rest. This gun has been, with some minor variations in barrel length, stocks, and sighting systems, the primary service rifle of the United States for 50 years. No other shoulder-fired military weapon that can make a claim anything like that and, if you look back at our military history, the military has had a pretty good record of dumping weapons that don’t do the job.}

Gotta Love an AR

Before you bash the AR-15, let’s look at two of the shortest-lived U.S. battle rifles, the 6mm Lee Navy and the .30-40 Krag-Jorgensen. Innovative designs ahead of their times were both. Ready for many years of military service they were not. An even better example was the quick elimination of the .38 Long Colt service revolver from the front lines following its repeated failure to secure the cooperation of charging Filipino Moro natives. In this case, the Colt’s sidearm was a technologically superior design married to a physiologically inferior cartridge. The Army dug into its storerooms and reissued the .45 Colt Single Action Army revolver to its beleaguered troopers and, after the campaign was over, the Army ruled that any future military pistol must be of .45-caliber or better. Seeing the writing on the wall, they even waited until a technologically superior semi-automatic pistol was available instead of going with .45-caliber double-action revolvers like the British had. The time to accomplish this transition was relatively short, showed great forethought, and provided our military with a handgun that was the frontline service pistol for 74 years. What I am saying here is that, if the AR-15 were a piece of junk, it would have been scrapped long before this, along with the 5.56mm cartridge.

One of my fellow commanders at our police academy is a Vietnam combat veteran, having served on ambush details of various NVA supply trails during his tour, in 1969. He was issued an M16A1. Although he doesn’t talk a lot about his combat experiences, he did tell me that his A1 ran without a hitch and never jammed; by ’69, the military had figured out that you did in fact need to clean them to keep them running, and guys in the field had learned all the operational tricks needed beyond what the armorers suggested. Dave said they would keep them relatively clean and, more importantly, kept the bolt carrier assembly slathered with oil (not recommended for the Arctic or powdery sand deserts, but great for steamy jungles). Sheesh, how simple is that?

The AR-15 I’ve chosen as my primary survival rifle is a model not currently available as of this writing (although a California-compliant, fixed-magazine type still is). It is the C15A1 that was produced by Century International Arms. Using an original surplus M16A1 upper receiver—forward assist, no case deflector, birdcage-enclosed flash suppressor, original triangular handguards, and fool-proof sights— Century added a new 20-inch, 1:9 barrel, a new forged lower receiver, and topped it off with an original, shorter, exactly-right-the-first-time A1 buttstock. I’m here to tell you, this is the gun I would keep if I could keep only one for civil survival. I keep it absolutely stock, just as it came from the factory, and it rides in my personal vehicle as my primary off-duty arm. With it I can respond to active shooters, barricades, warrant service, or entry. The C15 snaps quickly up to the shoulder, swings like a lively field shotgun, can be carried all day with a basic weight of 6.5 pounds (you gotta love that) and, because of the 20-inch barrel, retains the full ballistic potential of the 5.56 round.

If the Marines hadn’t gotten their way in the development of the A2 version in terms of adding the longer buttstock, heavy barrel, and overbuilt sight system (as a corps of riflemen, their reason for the changes wrought was the enhancement of long-range accuracy and so I find no fault with the concept), there would have been much less need for the M4 carbine, which is replacing the full-length rifle in all branches of service.

Other advantages of the 20-inch C15A1 include:

• It is much smoother shooting than M4-type carbines with their short gas tube. There is definitely less abruptness to the operation.

^{On the left, the Del-Ton AR-15A2, on the right the Century International Arms C15A1. Note the shorter overall length of the C15A1 versus the A2 Del-Ton. The C15A1 has been set up for multiple patrol and entry duties with the addition of an Inova carbon fiber tactical light on a Midwest Industries tower sight rail adaptor. A SIG mini red dot sight has been mounted on the carry handle via a Tapco carry handle rail adaptor. The author used the lightest weight red dot and light available so as not to destroy the near perfect weight and balance of the original M16A1 rifle configuration.}

• Heat buildup is not as bad, due to the longer distance that the tapped gasses follow back to the bolt carrier during firing.

• It gives a longer sight radius for iron sights use.

• It gives longer reach with a bayonet mounted.

• There is no fooling with stock adjustment, it is always right.

• If you desire, electronic sights can be mounted on the carry handle or with a forward scout-type system.

• A weapons light can be added with a front sight tower adapter. (Midwest Industries is a great source for these.)

There is one disadvantage for the C15A1 or any basic A1-pattern upper, and that is the lack of a case deflector when the gun is used by a left-handed shooter. If you want an A1-style AR and are left-handed, you will need to secure a bolt-on cartridge case deflector. They mount through the hole in the carry handle, don’t obstruct the operation of the weapon, and save your face from being burned beyond recognition by hot brass. Dillon Precision carries them for around $20.

Full-length ARs with the original pencil-thin barrel profile are rather hard to find these days, since everyone seems to want an M4 profile for the advantages they feel they gain with the shorter barrel and adjustable stock. DPMS is cataloging one that is very close to the original rifle format, the A1 Lite 20. Not really a true A1 nor an A2, it is sort of a hybrid. The Lite 20 weighs in at 7.3 pounds (still heavier than an A1, but not by much), compared to the nine-pound heft of the standard A2-style rifle. Weight is saved by using a lightweight barrel and the A1-style carry handle and sight system, which drops nearly two pounds off the basic weapon load is significant. There is a case deflector and forward assist, as well as a bayonet lug. The handguards are the modern round format, and the buttstock is the longer A2 style (can someone please start producing A1 buttstocks again?), which is a little long when body armor or heavy winter clothing is worn. In any event, the fixed A1 or A2 stocks have one final advantage over any collapsible M4-type stock, and that is the capability of delivering a last-ditch defensive strike with the buttstock.