I have a lot of rifle choices. But primarily .30-06, .308 and .223. I also have a lot of 30 carbine.
I have a caliber for every occasion. 30-06 down to a .22
And a couple of shotguns. I’m set.
30-06. Depending on the cartridge, works well from rodents to rhinos
.308 for deer.
22lr for squirrel.
5.56 for people.
I love my 30-30 Winchester (so much so that I have a couple). I love my .223 Mini-14.
...but neither are those qualify as “Long Term” survival weapons.
Short term, absolutely. Mid-term weapons. Absolutely.
...but “Long Term” survival means decades without 1st World ammo.
Re-supply is important, and becomes more critical over time.
For “Long Term” survival of decades without ammo, you need a hand-pumped air rifle...preferably something that shoots over 900fps.
An air rifle can shoot a BB, pellet, or even a small rock.
You could make your own bullets from car metal, iron girders, wheels, etc.
Hand pump it up, load your home made bullets. Fire away.
You can find such air rifles in .177, .22, and even .25 calibre. There is one such rifle that is called “THE BEAST” that shoots at 1,300 FPS.
Decent. About 32 joules of stopping power. Dependable/usable 80 yard range. In a survival setting, how much shooting would you be doing that’s longer than football field away??
http://www.gamousa.com/product.aspx?productID=288
...or if you are a cheap SOB, here’s 950 FPS for $200: http://www.topairgun.com/22-benjamin-titan-np-air-rifle
Now you are talking about a 70 yard useful range to still have varmint-stopping power. Not bad. Easier to cock than the 1,300 FPS air rifle, for certain.
OBVIOUSLY an air rifle is no match for a firearm, but for “Long Term” survival the air rifle will shoot pebbles that you pick up or hand chip...which a firearm won’t do when you can’t obtain gun powder, primers, or manufactured rounds.
Likewise, you can make an argument that a bow or crossbow has some “Long term” survival value because once again, you can easily hand-make arrows/bolts in a pinch with whatever is laying around.
“Long Term” is a different world from short term survival.
,223