Here is my justification for the 5.56 AR. In a long term SHTF scenario, if ammo needs to be scrounged, the 5.56 or 223 will be the easiest to find with the popularity it has. This is my biggest reason for building my AR in 5.56. I also prefer the 5.56 for survival because I can carry a lot more ammo than I could in 30-06 or 308 (7.62)

I know a lot of people make an argument for 22LR for the same reasons. Myself I don't trust the 22LR as a defensive or big game round. I do have a couple for target practice and small game like rabbits and squirrels, but if I had to leave some guns behind, they would be left before any of my center fire rifles.

I shot a friends AR in 6.5 Grendel. It is a good round for the AR platform, and performs very well. However, if I had to choose between it and 5.56, I would take the 5.56 for the same reasons listed above.

I love the M1 platform, and have a Garand from the CMP. It is a great shooter, and accurate. In a survival situation, I don't think I would want it as my only gun. Once again the weight of the gun and ammo is the biggest factor in this.

@hillbillyreject

Early on you doubted the post made by Sarky about shooting 800 yards. Sorry bud, but it is not only possible, I see people do it a lot and with off the rack rifles. I instruct for Appleseed shoots which are put on by the Revolutionary War Veterans of America. We teach marksmanship to beginners and experienced shooters alike. I would like you to check this out. You can get more info here http://www.appleseedinfo.org/ Some of these shoots are held at facilities that have long distance ranges, and if they are available, students do get to shoot on them. In Gibsonburg, Oh the 500 yard range has traditionally become part of the course of fire. I highly recommend trying one of these, you may be surprised what you can learn. Better yet, with the range you own you could even host an Appleseed.

_________________
Hope for the best, but plan for the worst.

NRA Certified Instructor for Basic Handgun and Personal protection in the Home.
V.F.W. Life Member
NRA Member
U.S. Army Veteran

IMO, with todays level of equipment (rifle/optics/ammo) good marksmenship is not overly difficult with practice. You may need to sort out what ammo or bullet/powder combination your rifle inherently shoots best, but keys to good long range shot placement are breathing control, trigger control, and proper scope adjustment for elevation and windage. Good eyesight and a stable shooting platform (tree, rock, hill, whatever) certainly helps.

Not sure anybody can really quantify the "best survival weapon" because it can change depending on the situation, or simply what rifle/cartridge YOU happen to shoot the best. IMO, the biggest caliber doesn't do any good if you can't hit your target with consistency, or can't properly control muzzle rise for quick follow-up shots. For example, my favorite choice as many now know for close quarters action (out to say 150mtrs) is a Kriss V-type carbine in .45acp because room clearing and tight spaces make this optimal for what I expect to face. A plus is it shares 30-round magazines with the Glock 21, and the .45acp is a known stopper with good scrounge potential. Now that certainly wouldn't be my first choice if I was in farm country where extended range shooting was anticipated to protect my family. In that case a .270, .308, 5.56AR, 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 are my preferred choices. Each has advantages and disadvantages. For me , I would choose either the .270 (which my wife can accurately shoot), the venerable .308, or the 6.5 Grendel (thanks to Sarky) because that's what would suit me best.

I guess what I'm saying IMO is there is no right/wrong choice, unless to choose not to arm (wrong). In the end, it's up to the end user to determine what caliber or rifle combination best fits his/her needs. With that said, I'd better duck ... I think I hear incoming .

I don't know how easily .223 ammo would be scrounged as at least in this neck of the country it is
almost immpossible to find on the shelves of any gun shop or Walmart! On the web you tend to be
backordered, out of stock, or limit the quantity you can purchase. Thankfully I reload and before I retired
I scarfed up as much brass as I could from the range (I was the designated range master for my
command) . I've been stocking up on bullets over the years, but primers and powder seems to be in short
supply in my area as well. The big pain with all this brass is the damm primer swag! I've got the Dillon tool
for swaging it out as well as the RCBS moto tool for cutting it out. Either way it is time consuming.
I like the thump that the 7.62x39 has out to 200 yards, after that the bullet drop get unreasonable.
That is why when I saw the 6.5 ballistics... and it fit in an AR I thought i'd gone to heaven.

_________________
Retired Navy SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape) Instructor
certified pistol, rifle, shotgun, home defense Instructor
NRA Life Member
Survival & Disaster Preparedness Instructor

Pistol ammo is what has been darn near impossible to find around here. The prices have gone up, but 223 ammo hasn't been a problem for me to find. Actually most rifle ammo hasn't been too bad. The reason I think 223 ammo would be easier to find in a TEOTWAIKI situation is because almost everyone I know that shoots has at least one gun that shoots it. Very few have anything larger than that around here unless they are hunters that go out of state. You can't use high powered rifle here for much more than varmint, and the 223 is what is used around here.

I agree that primers have been hard to find. Luckily I got into a group buy and I am good for about 2 years right now. Powder isn't an issue for me. I live near Camp Perry. I go up at toward the end of the National matches every year and buy the powder I think I will need for the next year plus enough for 5,000 rounds per gun in the calibers I reload. Now I need to get my bullet stock back up. This is where I have been having my real issues at. I don't cast my own and they have been hard to find as well. I started shooting in these little fun matches where we shoot bowling pins in a format almost like a league. I have really been burning through rifle, pistol and shotgun ammo this year. I have almost exhausted by bullet reserves.

_________________
Hope for the best, but plan for the worst.

NRA Certified Instructor for Basic Handgun and Personal protection in the Home.
V.F.W. Life Member
NRA Member
U.S. Army Veteran

I imagine you go through quite a bit of ammo match shooting, but sure does sound like a fun way to keep your shooting skills sharp.

Have you looked into bullet casting? I don't know a darned thing about equipment or material costs, but given how much you shoot it could be a more cost-effective way for you to go long term. One downside is it's probably fairly time consuming, just don't know.

I only cast bullets for my pistols. I have an electric furnace with a bottom pour. Once you get the
mold to the right temp, and the lead is properly preped, bullet casting goes pretty fast.

_________________
Retired Navy SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape) Instructor
certified pistol, rifle, shotgun, home defense Instructor
NRA Life Member
Survival & Disaster Preparedness Instructor

Futureweapons just did a feature on the 6.5 Grendel ... impressive performance is an under-statement.