Mr. Rawles:
I am writing concerning the letter in which the gentlemen suggested using Enfield 2A Ishapores for Barter/Charity. In my opinion, you would be better off buying an SKS than an Enfield 2A Carbine. The SKS is cheaper at $179.95 (at AIM Surplus) compared to the Enfield at $229.95, and it comes with a bayonet. The SKS can be easily modified to accept 30rd magazines which are easily available, whereas the Enfield is limited to 10 rounds and the magazines are hard to come by. I have not been impressed with the ProMag Enfield 2A magazines. None of the ones I have ordered functioned properly. You would be better off buying a new factory production from Numrich. Furthermore, the price for 7.62 x 39 Russian is much cheaper than 7.62 NATO, and it is still a very potent calibre. Finally, SKSes are plenty reliable and plenty accurate, so you also don’t lose anything there.
So for the same amount of money if you bought SKSes, you could arm more people with better weapons and give them more ammunition. I am not saying the Enfield 2A is a bad weapon, but I don’t believe arming untrained neighbors is its optimal role. If you are worried about them taking their time for a shot, and not blowing through a whole magazine, then they were not trained very well. So if they were not trained very well, are you sure it matters if they take their time? As for barter, I think the SKS would also be more valuable because most people would rather have the semi-auto over the bolt and it looks meaner to the lay person. Just my two cents. Thanks, – Paul
JWR Replies: I stand by my assertion that equipping poorly trained volunteers with bolt actions is preferable to arming them with semi-autos. Granted, 7.62×39 costs only half as much as 7.62mm NATO. But if the volunteers from your “Neighborhood Watch on Steroids” get trigger happy when under pressure–and believe me, they will–they could easily expend five times as much ammunition, with not much to show for it other than a pile of brass. (There is something about a 30 round magazine in a semi-auto that just begs a newbie to pull the trigger rapidly.)
Here is a compromise to consider: How about equipping them with bolt action rifles chambered in 7.62 x 39 Russian? That way, they would benefit from lower recoil and less expensive ammunition. And again, the benefit is the ammunition-conserving bolt action. You could start with any small ring Mauser–even a pre-1899 production (“no paperwork”) Model 1893, such as the Turkish contract Oberndorf Mausers available from The Pre-1899 Specialist. Then have your local gunsmith retrofit the Mauser with a carbine-length 7.62x39mm barrel, available from Numrich. If you had a big budget, you might even consider buying a few Remington Model 799s. (their hunting bolt action chambered for the AK round.) OBTW, SurvivalBlog readers in the firearms-deprived portions of the British Commonwealth might consider the Australian International Arms M10A1/A2 or perhaps an Enfield K to fill this same role.
And on a humorous note, speaking of the semi-auto versus bolt action debate, you might enjoy reading this comparison by the folks at 7.62x54r.net of AR, AK, and Mosin Nagant owners. (A hat tip to Richard at KT Ordnance, for recommending it.)