Letter Re: Firearms Battery Recommendations

Mr. Rawles,

Thanks for all of the informative posts at SurvivalBlog. Based on your recommendations, I’ve put together the following list of firearms (all I currently own is a 38 year old .22 rifle):

  • Springfield XD .45 ACP ($568) — for concealed carry, self defense
  • Mossberg Model 500 Special Purpose Mariner 12 gauge Shotgun 9 Shot ($423) — for home defense, hunting
  • Remington Model 700 Varmint Tactical Rifle .308 Winchester, 22 in with Muzzle Brake, Bolt Action ($643) — for hunting, possible tactical/precision use in TEOTWAWKI scenarios
  • Rock River Arms LAR-8 .308 Caliber Standard A2/A4 Rifle ($1,170) — for tactical use in TEOTWAWKI scenarios

I wanted to only have to stock one rifle ammo so I tried to choose a hunting/precision rifle and an AR rifle that could use the same cartridges.

What is your assessment of the selections I made? I would really appreciate any suggestions before I make the purchases.
I never served in the military and have no experience with hunting rifles or ARs, so after I make the purchases I plan to get some training from a good local instructor. However, I wanted to get trained on my own firearms so I can become familiar with them.
So, I need advice about the following related items so that I make wise purchases that all work well together since this is an area in which I have no experience:

1. Sight recommendations for both rifles (I live on 10+ heavily-wooded acres in the Virginia Blue Ridge mountains)
2. Recommendations for LAR-8 magazines (exactly what to buy, recommended web sites)
3. Ammo sources/recommendations. I was considering .308 Win (7.62x51mm) 145 grain Prvi Partizan .
I wanted to lay in a large stock of ammo that I could use in either of the two rifles and didn’t know if this was a good selection or not. I don’t want to buy good guns and bad ammo. I need recommendations and sources that a newbie can follow without getting ripped off.
4. Ammo recommendations for the handgun and shotgun. There are so many choices, it’s hard to decide. (manufacturer, cartridge and shell recommendations)
5. I would also appreciate a concise list of minimum spare parts / accessories I should consider for the firearms I purchase and supplier recommendations.

Thanks again for all of your help.- ALG

JWR Replies: That would make an excellent, quite versatile battery.

IMO, the Remington 700 is a bit over-priced, compared to the Savage Model 10 series, which is functionally identical (every bit as accurate), and costs about $250 less.
Since you live in a heavily-wooded area, you probably won’t need a long-range rifle, but it might come in handy. Consider it your lowest priority purchase.

In answer to your questions:
1.Since you are in heavily-wooded country, leave the LAR-8 set up with iron sights. A scope on a battle rifle only makes sense in open country. However, you might want to get a low-power starlight scope for night security. I recommend the Trijicon 3-9x40mm Trophy Point scope for your bolt action. With a tritium-lit reticle, it will give you better night shooting capability than a traditional scope. Trijicon scopes are available from CGW one of our loyal advertisers.)

2. Buy either standard military surplus 20 round metric FN-FAL magazines, or inch pattern L1A1 magazines. The Israeli metric magazines were made on Belgian (FN) tooling and are some of the best metric magazines. You can get these from several vendors including WhatACountry.com. Inch magazines are more scarce, but they are a bit more sturdy than the metric magazines. If you can find them for under $16 each, then buy inch (L1A1) magazines. Otherwise buy metric. (Which can be had for as little as $8 each, in quantity.) You can often find inch magazines on The FAL Files Marketplace Forum, or on Buddy’s Board.

3. The Prvi ammo has had mixed reviews, possibly because of un-even quality control, so I don’t recommend it. A good factory load that can be used in both your rifles is the ubiquitous white box Winchester “USA” 150 grain full metal jacket 7.62mm NATO. (Although it won’t have quite the peak accuracy of 168 grain match grade, in your bolt action. But that isn’t a big issue unless you are shooting more than 400 yards.)

For all of your ammo purchases, shop around for the best prices. It is best to buy each caliber all at once, so that the ammo will come from the same manufacturer’s lot. (for consistent accuracy.) For recommendations on discount ammo vendors, see this SurvivalBlog post. Once you’ve identified the best prices by mail order,do some comparison pricing at a major gun show. Bring cash so that you don’t leave a paper trail.

4. For the XD-45: Federal HydraShok .45 ACP, 230 grain
For the riotgun: Winchester or Remington #4 Buckshot 12 gauge, and a much smaller supply of 12 gauge Brenneke Rifled Slugs

5. A spare firing pin, extractor, and ejector for each gun is a good starting point. OBTW, if your Mossberg comes with a plastic safety switch, then upgrade it to a sturdier aftermarket steel switch.

For a source for spare parts for Springfield Armory XD pistols, see this SurvivalBlog post.

Buy the LAR-8 parts directly from Rock River Arms.
For the LAR-8 rifle, in addition to the aforementioned spare firing pin, extractor, and ejector, you should also buy:
1- firing pin retaining pin
1- extractor retaining pin
1- ejector retaining pin
1- buffer retaining pin
1 pr.- handguards (the most fragile part of the rifle, in my experience)

To get your XD .45 pistol free with some top-notch training, highly I recommend that you take advantage of Front Sight’s “Get a Gun” training and gear package offer. It is worth flying across the country to take Front Sight’s Four Day Defensive Handgun course. The Memsahib and I have both taken it, and it outstanding.