Personally I would want something made of stainless steel and metallurgy/springs that are not 100 plus years old with readily available parts.
2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. - "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
"Before you argue with someone, ask yourself, is that person even mentally mature enough to grasp the concept of different perspectives? Because if not, there’s absolutely no point."
– Amber Veal
"The Highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don't know anything about".
- Wayne Dyer
I'd go for the Ruger Ranch. I have one in 7.62x39 and one in .308 would be use full too
jmho surplus FR8 if you can find one at a reasonable price - plus the bayonet is a useful versatile accessory -
never pick a fight with an old man - if he is too old to fight he will just kill you -
in this current crisis our government is not the solution , it is the problem ! -
ILLEGITIMI NON CARBORUNDUM
as they say in latin
Quote: stash rifle. it needs to be rugged, reliable and accurate.
A stash rifle to me says iron sights, and having some basic spare parts.
Put in a cache with a care package of accessories (spare parts, cleaning gear, SLING) and ammo.
If I were to buy a bolt gun now, it would be a Sako. This is the one I’m thinking of, but I’ve just ordered a muzzle loader from Pedersoli, so I’ll have to wait a bit.
https://www.sako.fi/rifles/sako-85/85-bavarian-carbine
What exactly a stash rifle and what is it used for? I own a Winchester model 70 carbine in 308, is that a stash rifle? - would it be used for something other than hunting? confusing thread...
I say it depends upon each individuals' definition of "stash" and what one is prepping for.
For me, I don't "cache" any firearms. Hence, my 'stash' includes firearms that get 'regular' use and must be dependable in good and bad times.
So my choice for this situation is my Ruger GSR in .308. Definitely not "cheap" but definitely dependable, durable and reliable and is my favorite deer hunting rifle and will be the first one I grab in many SHTF situations.
Now if I were to pick a .308 to actually cache, esp underground, "cheap" would come into play in case of loss whether found by somebody else or damaged due to environmental factors. In this case, I too would look at an open sighted surplus rifle or Savage. I wouldn't consider a scope at all for this situation.
YMWV, good luck!
Plainsman
plainsmanscabin@yahoo.com
My Ruger American Predator chambered in .308 topped with a Vortex Crossfire 2 will shoot 1” at 200 yards with Federal Fusion 180gr ammo. My father in law with with me when I shot that group, he was highly impressed that a $400 gun with a $150 scope could do that well out of the box with factory ammo.
I need to get that guy out and start dialing in cast boolit loads with it.
8500' Wet Mountain Valley, Colorado
I would worry less about "what is available" and more about a long term strategy. Tikka and anything else similar may be the boutique craze of the day, but any local gunsmith will have Remington 700 ejectors, extractors or similar parts for Ruger or Winchester rifles. Think about common failure items and finding those in a SHTF scenario. The same reason you want to go with .308 (commonly produced and widely available) instead of a fad-craze caliber that you won't find ammo for when the shuttered shops are filled with zombies.
Pain heals, chicks dig scars, glory ... lasts forever.
Retired USN
NRA Life
Rugged and reliable implies a stainless synthetic rifle purpose built for rough use. Looking at what is available newly manufactured, the Tikka T3x looks like a good choice. On the used market I would look for an Interarms Mark X, which was built on a stout commercial Mauser action. For the latter, I would budget enough to have the metal Cerakoted. Replace the wood stock with a McMillan or have the original full length epoxy bedded. The wood stock can be stripped then refinished with low viscosity epoxy topped coated with spar varnish. The stock refinish is an easy do it yourself job. I have a Mark X with the wood stock set up this way that has done yeoman’s service for many years. Neither option will be cheap, but I gave up on cheap equipment for rough use long ago. I was poor when I bought the Mark X and just ate cheap until I could pay for it.
IMO an honest older used rifle (after a thorough checkup) is more reliable than any new one, because it's been broken in & hasn't failed so far; I have no idea /what/ might break on any new-manufacture rifle these days.
Whatever you already own. If your gun isn't reliable enough for hunting then sort it out.
If you want to buy stuff that has proven reliable - look at Enfields, Mausers, and Mosin Nagants, The UK, Germany, and The Soviet Union all jettisoned their jam prone automatics early in WWII and went back to their proven bolt action war horses. Sure, 80 years later, their automatics are more or less reliable, but those aren't available on the surplus markets.
For me... I'm good. I'll hoard matches, alcohol, and coleman stove gas.
Truck John has hit the nail right on the head, for a SHTF rifle it will need to be dead reliable. Something that Savages are not, my friends tried to sell me on Savages they liked the ability to change barrels at home on the kitchen table. The first day at the range both lost the little steel ball in the extractor and they were shooting and knocking the empties out with a cleaning rod. If I didn't want to go mil-surp a mini Mauser action in 7.62-39 or the bigger one in 308 win if you feel the need for that kind of power. CZ I think or Howa.
I just bought exactly what you're looking for. It's a Howa with a synthetic stock, Vortex scope, threaded muzzle, and magazine fed. The funny thing is the package deal was cheaper than the bare rifle. After being a gunsmith for 20 years, I have decided the only moderate priced rifles I would buy are Howa and Tikka. Older CZ are nice as well but they're not making those any more and I don't like the modern ones.
You already own FALs. What more could you want in a proven bad case scenario rifle?
Like looking for a wife when you're already married to your best friend.
for rugged dependability + accuracy try the surplus Mausers, the FR8 is one of the good ones -
never pick a fight with an old man - if he is too old to fight he will just kill you -
in this current crisis our government is not the solution , it is the problem ! -
ILLEGITIMI NON CARBORUNDUM
as they say in latin
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |