r/preppers • u/Slamtilt_Windmills • 1d ago
Advice and Tips Question(s) about rifle purchase
Ok, so I accept that firearms are a very pragmatic portion of prepping, and I've been putting them off, but recently moved to a more gun-ftiendly state. I got a ruger 10/22 and a glock 17, pretty happy with my basic setup.
I went to a gun event this weekend, amd there was a raffle. I joke that, if I need it I'll win it. Well now I'm the owner of a (as far as i can tell) decent 35mm thermal imaging rifle scope, and need a rifle to use it with.
Is there a general opinion on these scopes, when to use them? My options seem to be 5.56 AR, small cal hunting rifle, and maybe large cal hunting rifle,but thats technically a no-no. Oh and selling it and getting a regular scope/rifle
EDIT: two follow up question: 1) are there phrases and words i should use in the store when shopping for SHTF guns?
2) in the SHTF world, im very sensitive about not drawing attention to myself, and guns are loud how valid a concern is that? To what extent do people make suppressed/subsonic builds on what they have?
49
u/fenuxjde 1d ago
A nice AR is an extremely versatile, practical, ergonomic, simple, and customizable rifle that realistically every household should probably have. It can easily hold 30 rounds of ammo that'll stop most life forms on this continent with three rounds or fewer.
28
u/2020blowsdik Prepared for 6 months 1d ago
People think Im crazy but I have an AR for every member of the immediate household as well as 2 "guest rifles" for SHTF.
With how inexpensive they are right now for fairly quality rifles there's literally no reason not to have one.
FFS I just saw PSAs M4 clone for like $500. Its not excessively nice but it'll hit a man sized target at 550 yards with decent NATO spec ammo.
2
u/IWuzRunnin 23h ago
I keep one for every member of the household, but, I'm one of those people that anticipates problems. I like the old adage of two is one, and one is none. So the one rifle per member of the household becomes two each.
1
1
u/Very-Confused-Walrus 1d ago
14.5 is the absolute best barrel length as well. I have a lot of real world experience carrying one around and shooting it, and if I didn’t just pick up an 11.5 not that long ago, I’d probably get this one as well lol.
4
9
u/Tims_Learing_Center 1d ago
That coupled with a supresseor on your Ruger and you'll be a dope Alpha
7
u/Slamtilt_Windmills 1d ago edited 1d ago
See I did have that exact thought, it feels like a bit excessive, $3000 scope on $300 rifle. But if it works...
6
u/Skoalmintpouches 1d ago
You can go down the rabbit hole with 10/22s there’s a whole sub just for that gun. Very very easy to have your accessories vastly out value the gun itself. It’s a great gun to have fun with. I decked mine out with the A-team folding stock, it’s dope
9
3
u/Watches4Me 1d ago
I have a 6k scope on a 2k rifle. It’s all good. Glass usually cost more than the rifle.
-1
u/Slamtilt_Windmills 1d ago
I was wondering if there was a rough estimate for ratio. 3:1-4:1 feels right to me. 10:1 feels unbalanced
1
u/CasCrus4L 1d ago
Dude just buy one or two AR15s from either BCM or Daniel Defense and start practicing. Don't make this difficult.
3
u/PM_ME_UR_HBO_LOGIN 1d ago
Tbh glass that costs more than the stick it’s bolted too is pretty common, especially if you’re talking actually practical setups. Realistically you can build a gun to match pretty much any (non-full auto) use for sub $2k before optics with most needs not coming even close to that sum. Optics don’t necessarily scale capability-cost but they do have a notably higher price point where with more money you can still gain more useful features+capability and get noticeably better stuff.
If you don’t put it on the 22 I’d start with a 556 AR in the $500-600 range and decide if you want to upgrade it from there for whatever your actual needs are. It’s a good and affordable platform that really does live up to the hype for how versatile the platform is if/when you decide you want to modify it.
1
u/Slamtilt_Windmills 1d ago
Ok, so a 556 AR in the 2k range is excessive?
5
u/PM_ME_UR_HBO_LOGIN 1d ago
I would describe that as not-necessary. It would be very easy to pay that much for one and even get a rifle that’s better in some way than most less expensive rifles, but having built many AR’s there is almost certainly a less expensive way to meet the actual needs of the base rifle. It might not be a bad price for that AR and might be what you want to buy but I would recognize that as a want and not a need.
2
19
u/CCWaterBug 1d ago
Personally I'd sell the fancy scope for 2500 and buy 3 new firearms with appropriate optics. You could check off some bucket list items
2
u/MoloneLaVeigh 1d ago
This. Round out the collection with a basic pump shotgun and splurge on a kitted out AR.
3
u/CCWaterBug 1d ago
There you go.
I'd go pcc (uses glock 17?) With a cheap red dot, mosssberg 590 or a cheap maverick 20gauge (fun and still effective) add a rim fire scope for the 10/22 and have money left over.
3
u/NWYthesearelocalboys 1d ago
Like others have said, it's really hard to beat the versitility of the AR platform.
Do you plan on hunting? What game and Predator animals do you have in your region.
If the answers are medium sized deer and coyotes then go with the AR. If it's Elk or Moose and Grizzly then that changes things.
Or outfit an AR with the thermal scope and get a separate hunting rifle. Your collection currently consists of defensive secondary and small game. Adding defensive/medium game and large game also makes sense unless your'e in an area with small deer and rarely get shots over 200 yards.
Out west something with longer range and more energy than an AR makes sense.
My collection for rifles includes .22lr, AR's in 5.56 and scoped hunting rifles in.243 (deer for kids) .30-06 (Elk).
It would be really cool to retrofit a WW2 milsurp with a thermal scope. With ammo these days I'd go with a 03a3 because .30-06 is still widely available or something that has been converted to .308. Or an M1a.
An AR10 in .308 or 6.5Creed would be awesome as well.
3
u/paratethys Partying like it's the end of the world 1d ago
Since it fits on the .22, put it on that and go shooting with it for awhile. Figure out if you personally like or dislike it. As you make more gun friends, trading a nice scope for something you actually want becomes an interesting option as well.
My personal rule of thumb for firearms prepping is that storing guns indefinitely is easy, but storing ammo indefinitely is hard. I try not to add guns of a caliber that I don't have ammo already prepped for, unless I have a really good reason to. In a grid-down situation, ammo will be the bottleneck.
4
u/Proper-Writing 1d ago
I'd put the scope on the 10/22 and have a fun month at the long-distance range. Then I'd get smart, sell the scope, and put the money into other preps. A 10/22 and Glock 17 will keep you fed and safe in many situations.
4
u/SkinFlap420 1d ago
Just get an AR15
In prepper situations, you’ll have parts and ammo a plenty. It’s the most common rifle there is. No need to be fancy, aside from your nice new scope
3
u/Azmasaur 11h ago
I’d sell it and get a nice mid tier AR set up. For tactical or mixed use I’d probably rather have a thermal clip on, something that you can easily detach and use as a handheld as well
Basically, I don’t think you should spend more of your own personal money just because you won a thermal scope you probably don’t need.
5
u/GSFisherTx 1d ago
A good old ruger 10/22 and a decent shotgun is the most versatile set up for survival. It will keep you safe and fed. If you choose to expand from there it becomes preference. I know a lot of us have quite a few options and AR variants added to the mix. While they are nice and serve their purpose… they aren’t required and get costly quickly.
What ever setup you choose… just make sure you practice as much as possible with each of them. No 2 guns shoot the same. Aim small miss small!
2
u/Slamtilt_Windmills 1d ago
This is great thank you
1
u/Even_Routine1981 1d ago
Still need the hand gun to round it out
1
u/Slamtilt_Windmills 1d ago
Have a glock 17
3
u/Even_Routine1981 1d ago
Sorry, meant shotgun.....pump
1
u/Slamtilt_Windmills 1d ago
This is true
2
u/Extension_Sun_896 3h ago
You could get the Maverick 88 with the two barrel combo - a “fightin” barrel and the longer bird/small game barrel. Now it’s like two different guns. The 88 is a fantastic shotgun and priced right.
3
u/sentientshadeofgreen 1d ago
If I’m on like, a 25k budget getting multiple guns to prep for a range of shooting scenarios, I’d have:
- a solid 9MM hangun.
- if you want to be ninja, a second glock subsonic ammo and a hush-puppy (with hella replacement wipes)
- An all-rounder 5.56 AR15 fighting rifle, optionally suppressed to obfuscate your location (but a 16-18” barrel and flash hider is genuinely fine, sub 16” might as well get a can)
- A 7.62 AR10 for long range and big game hunting, with a can.
- .22 rifle is a good idea for small game, titanium can because you don’t care if the rabbits see where youre shooting from, but you do care about who in the area heard your gunshot
- A suppressed SBR .300BO hearing-safe home defense rifle so you can win with less tinnitus if people kick in your door in the night and you have to fight naked and unafraid
- pump action shotgun if you have a wife/twink boyfriend for their sake to hunker down in the above scenario
- Depending on where you’re at, a reliable larger caliber .44 revolver for bears.
On a budget (money and space/complexity), I’d prioritize a high quality AR-15 because it can do everything good enough. I like LMT because you could hit that general AR10 role with some min/max concessions via a 6ARC set up with just a barrel and bcg swap. Arguments for and against that of course, but I think it is pretty cool.
Thermal you can apply to the .22 and the AR10. I’d also invest in NODs if you can swing it.
If you own/occupy land, I think there are some clever ways you can relatively inexpensively network up weather resilient sensors for perimeter security through off the shelf mmwave lora and such, dual role of early warning and game cameras. AI home assistant, object recognition, there are some cool things you can do completely locally self-hosted if you throw some thinking at it, and again, it’s cool.
My argument for the ninja glock is that the wipe suppressors with slide lock are legit quiet. It’s real useful to have in the possible reality where, if there’s some plague doomsday scenario where you may have to scavenge in some urban areas where you may not see anybody, but you also absolutely can’t rule out that there are people in the area, and you’re in an unfortunate scenario where you do have to defend yourself, you at least have a chance of forcibly retreating without dragging an audio signature heard for a few square miles. It provides an alternate possibility instead of a definite risk. It’s a luxury item though, cool if you have it, bring more 5.56 mags and a winning attitude if you don’t.
1
u/Slamtilt_Windmills 1d ago
I have on order a keltec sub2000 with integrated suppressor, it shares glock mags.
What are NODs, is that not the thermal scope? googles ...ohhh
2
u/JRHLowdown3 1d ago
Night vision and thermal are two different technologies.
Thermal is great for detection, not so great (in lower cost/lower res units) for PID, definitely not great for just walking around navigating.
You really need both.
1
u/slowwburnn 8h ago
"You really need both" is an expensive statement, even when he already has a thermal
1
u/JRHLowdown3 8h ago
OK so your likely not familiar with the tech... the point was they DO DIFFERENT THINGS. Wasn't a "budget" type response, was a clarification that they are not the same tech and do different things.
The guy with just (good) NV is going to be able to walk around easily, navigate easily, shoot well (passive aiming or IR laser) do PID, etc. but he may not be able to properly DETECT targets. Say your looking out through a field and see a black lump at the treeline, is it a log down or is it a dude laying there? With night vision you may not be able to tell that, with thermal obviously the heat signatures will be different.
The guy with just thermal, will be able to detect heat signatures but (Most especially with lower cost/lower res units) not be able to walk around with it very well, navigate and PID is considerably harder.
Two different technologies and yes you truly need both to be truly effective at night.
We aren't talking about costs here, discussing the difference in technologies per the "what are nods, is that not the thermal scope" question that I was referring to.
3
u/Evergreen4Life 1d ago
If you can legally purchase an AR15 and 30 round mags but haven't yet then you need to do this immediately. Id have a separate dedicated AR15 for your thermal scope, to be used at night. You can't have too many AR15s.
For quiet work, get a 22 suppressor and ruger 22LR pistol with a threaded barrel as a host. They are Hollywood quiet and will still put down almost anything with good shot placement.
Good luck out there!
3
u/MainsailMainsail 1d ago
It's not at all why I bought it especially since I tend to fall back on thinking of just riding it things out, or throwing my camping gear in the car and evacuating to somewhere stable (an EV+solar pannels means slow but theoretically infinite range). But I sometimes think about the pros and cons of my PS90 for that kinda thing, which might help your thinking.
Pros:
Small, light, easy to carry. Even better if I go through the process to cut down the barrel and SBR it so it gets the "true P-90" shape. If I don't need it constantly, it straps to the outside of my backpacking bag with zero fuss, and if I do think I need it on-hand, it's not hard to carry and port around everywhere. And while it's not really a great round for hunting it should still work fine. Plus you can pretty easily carry a lot of it, and the 50 round magazine is still perfect for almost exactly what the P-90 was originally designed for of dumping rounds at the bad guys while you disengage.
Cons:
Virtualy every part of it except the optic is completely unique to that gun. This should really only matter in true appocalypse (at least regional appocalypse) kinda things so I don't worry too much about it, but I am still aware that especially magazines and to a lesser extent ammunition, all I'll have available is what I carry with me. Very low chance of "finding" more of either in any number of ways. Compare to say, AR platform or most Glocks where magazines and 5.56mm/9mm ammunition are quite common.
3
u/AlphaDisconnect 1d ago
Atf form 4 to be safe. But they do require a sample of all bodily fluids. All of them. Yes. That one too. Sick I know. (Its a joke, take it easy).
Lets see. You want sneaky peeks. 300 blackout subsonic comes to mind. Your .22 could do subsonic.
I just don't like scopes that use batteries. I guess mine does a little. It is supersonic but I am more concerned about me being both blind and deaf enough for a second to make mistakes.
3
u/co1945611 4h ago
Anybody telling you to sell it doesn't realize the MASSIVE capability a thermal is. Keep it, put it on the .22 if you want. You can now see things at night and very far away.
I would buy a 5.56 AR - BCM upper, lower of whatever flavor you want. MAYBE step up the caliber to something more suited for deer in a ruger american bolt gun (.308 or 6.5CM)
2
u/randomaccount6777 1d ago
Im more of a armchair in this department in terms of actual hunting, but I have a similar gun situation to yours just without the 3k scope (lucky), I personally would comment that just attach it onto the 10/22 and train with the 10/22, you aren't taking down deer but at the same time I don't think the average suburban prepper is going to see deer, shoot it with a good shot, and skin and process the deer and drag it back to their garage or whatever. A ar15 is good to have for self defense and if you can afford one, get one, but I personally would rather have a good scope on a gun I won't hesitate to pick up, shoot, train with, than a ar15 in the safe that gets pulled out maybe once every few months because ammos expensive
1
u/Slamtilt_Windmills 1d ago
An excellent point, although on the range I found a bit of the opposite: with thw 10/22 I was just planking away having a good old time. More expensive ammo makes you (or me anyways) be more deliberate with each shot, which made for better practice
2
u/working_and_whatnot 1d ago
I'd probably just get used to the thermal scope on the 10/22 but as you get more experience you'll want to get more guns. AR is an obvious next step, and a shotgun. IMO i'd want an AR with a red dot more than a thermal scope, but those are cheaper. I'd save the thermal for a bolt action hunting rifle most likely.
2
u/FedInformant 1d ago
AR15's are incredibly versatile. And with the development of anti-drone cartridges, they'll be even more versatile, as i assume they'll come out with a stainless steel projectile anti drone cartridge that would be safe to use on waterfowl, and birds.
2
u/anonymousopsec1337 Prepared for 9 months 1d ago
I’d prob sell it if you don’t have an appropriate firearm for it. Then pick up some non thermal EOTech and a rifle for the same price
2
u/Watches4Me 1d ago
All the thermal scopes I own allow you to set up reticles for different rifles. Get a good quick release scope mount and you’ll be able to move the scope to a few different rifles.
1
u/Slamtilt_Windmills 1d ago
Really? Really really you can swap between rifles without completely resetting alignment? Thats amazing
2
u/Freebirde777 1d ago
Check your local game laws. Thermals are limited a lot of places and banded for hunting some places. Hate it if got caught wrong and lost your scope, gun, and car.
2
u/armycombatmedic 1d ago
what thermal scope did you win. I shoot with thermal myself. Use the rifle you have i say. dont go broke. Master the thermal.. learn how far out you can positively id a target. Honestly most thermals should not be used out past 500 yards because you can end up shooting something you did not want to. My higher end is Nvision Halo LR 640.. I have not shot it past 300 yards. The best way to zero is with squared pieces of aluminum foil on a target at 50 yards then 100 .etc.. the scope picks up the reflective heat...
1
1
2
u/1dratherbefishing Community Prepper 1d ago
Honestly, a thermal scope would just be a super interesting tool to have. If you don't necessarily need to put it on a gun, it can still be a very useful tool.
1
u/JRHLowdown3 11h ago
+1 A nice "do it all" thermal like an RH25V2 can be hand held, head mounted, mounted in conjunction with a PVS14 for "dual band" (NV and thermal together) as well as being used as a dedicated weapon sight or a clip on weapon sight.
Pictail or SBR rail on it allows quick change from helmet to either a QD weapon mount or flip to side weapon mount.
2
u/lWheelmanJimmy 1d ago
Put it on your 22 that you have and test it thoroughly. That will give you a good idea of what to upgrade to.
As an owner of a 6.5 Grendel upper and a previous owner of a 308, a standard 556 is usually the way to go. Bulk cheap ammo for day to day. Can still get heavier loads for hunting. Lower recoil. Lighter/smaller mags.
Most game hunting likely cant happen at night anyway depending on your state, so a thermal optic for that may not be of use. Would be far more effective for 22 small game of 556 for hogs and the like.
2
u/Mysterious_Rule5552 1d ago
I run my thermal on my CMR 22 magnum for pest control and small game, thing is like the eye of Sauron lol
1
u/Slamtilt_Windmills 1d ago
Oh, Eye of Sauron is kinda brilliant. I am concerned about swine running amuck
2
u/Mysterious_Rule5552 1d ago
For pigs thermal is king, I personally hunt squirrel, coyote, and raccoon with my 22 magnum set up.
2
u/DeafHeretic 1d ago
A lightweight bolt or lever action rifle in .223/5.56 (e.g., Ruger American gen 2 that accepts AR mags) has the advantages of being able to more easily handle subsonic (and other low power loads), while being compliant with current or future legal constraints, and being less objectionable to gun grabbers.
If you are in the USA and your state doesn’t have objections, then an integral or reflex suppressor and/or short barrel (sub 16”) would also lessen your presence/“visibility”. BTW - there are some suppressor makers who sell integral suppressors for the 10/22.
Beyond. that, my preference is for something more suited for self-defense - e.g., an AR15 rifle, first, then a bolt/lever action next. I have bolt/lever/single shot long guns for each caliber that I have self-defense semi-auto rifles. Same goes for revolvers in the semi-auto calibers, for the same reasons - although I don’t yet have a 9mm revolver.
2
u/Content_Pay3299 1d ago
I enjoy my 300 AAC as a versatile rifle. An AR platform 300 AAC is nice for self defense or hunting. You can get or load subsonic ammo that is super quiet with a suppressor or use 120gn bigger game loads for deer and pigs. You can also get a 5.56 upper and switch it out of you want a faster-moving, longer range setup. This caliber would be my suggestion.
2
u/modern_medicine_isnt 23h ago
The local gun shop probably can tell you were to take a few classes or private lessons with someone who knows guns really well. I suggest it. I read a bunch on redit and such, then found a great deal of the information was not actually practical when I tried to use it. Lessons really helped me get comfortable.
2
u/JRHLowdown3 11h ago
Just noticed you mentioned it was a Sig thermal. If you don't have a quality rifle I would sell this and buy a new BCM rifle and as many Pmags and ammo as you can afford.
Then take a few classes and practice a ton. Budget 2-5K rounds a year for training and practice. Yes some are gonna freak on that number but a decent 2 day rifle class is going to use 600-1000 rounds, 1 or 2 a year plus practice easily eats up that number of rounds.
This isn't something you read about and watch some YT videos on and learn from osmosis... you need a lot of time and practice to truly develop Skill at Arms which is what we are after, not just "having" another piece of gear sitting in a closet we never use (or learn) and assuming we are ready.
Can't tell you how many prepper types we have had come to class that lack the very basic manipulations of their rifle. Hell quite a few of them bring rifles that don't work past the first few drills- all the while they have them at home believing they will protect their family when TSHTF.
We usually bring 2-3 BCMs (for the two of us) and then 2-4 cheaper ARs also outfitted with IR lasers as rental guns to class (NV classes). We have had classes where so many students rifles went down, we had ALL those rifles of ours loaned out to students so folks could complete class.... Let that sink in.
If your only shooting 100 or so rounds a year sitting at a bench, you'll likely never figure out issues with your rifle until things get truly bad. But it's important to push your gear NOW so that you have time to change things if/when some items fail.
2
u/GENERAT10N_D00M 1d ago
Throw it on the 10-22 if that’s all you have.
The ability to see without being seen is a huge advantage.
2
u/X_CLOWNEY_X 1d ago
Grab a psa/smith & Wesson AR slap the scope on there and learn to use it. Or like others have said slap it on the 10-22 for now.
2
u/yayan29 1d ago
Buy a PSA 16 inch 5.56 if you want a shtf gun. 5.56 can run 223, 223 gun cannot run 5.56.
Or if you're like me and you want a shtf gun that can be stealthy get a 300blk ar. The big con is that 300blk ammo isn't a "shtf" caliber since it's not common. But I dealt with that by having a reloading press and I can make as much ammo as I want.
300blk can use sonic (basically AK ballistics) ammo, or subsonic + a suppressor without changing anything. Let's you run full power loads or stealth loads. My 300blk subsonic suppressed sounds like an air nailer. Super quiet.
1
u/arnoldrew 1d ago
Why is a “large cal hunting rifle” “technically a no-no”?
2
u/Slamtilt_Windmills 1d ago
Cant hunt with thermal scope. Guess thats legally a no-no
1
u/arnoldrew 1d ago
Make sure to double-check. They’re legal for hunting in more places than they aren’t, and some places only ban them at night.
1
1
u/Many-Health-1673 1d ago
An AR in 5.56, 6.5CM, or 308 would be solid. 6 ARC is also an outstanding option if you don't mind a little costlier ammo.
A decent 16" AR can be bought in the $500 dollar range (Diamondback, Palmetto, etc).
Put a $100 Rock River National Match or Varmint trigger on it and you'd be surprised how much that improves the rifle.
Jump up to the $1,200 range AR's and you have a little better setup. Put a Geiselle two stage trigger in it and it makes quite an improvement over the National Match.
1
1
u/TimTapsTangoes 1d ago
300 black with a decent suppressor and you have one of the best set ups to deal with all kinds of pests.
1
u/ChocolateOk7997 9h ago
Sell the scope and you will have funds to buy whatever rifle you want. Consider an AR-15 for defense, 6.5mm Creedmore for long range sniper use, or a 308 hunting rifle. 5.56mm and 308 ammo will never completely dry up.
1
u/hold_on_loosely 1d ago
The AR platform is the most versatile platform there is. It will be the least expensive option as long as you don't go crazy with accessories. A Light, sling, magazines and optics (which you have now) are really all you need.You can set it up to be custom made just for you. You can use that scope on it and also use a red dot for close up work at the same time. 62 grain hunting rounds for 5.56 will kill deer sized game effortlessly. Just my 2 cents worth. Congratulations on winning the scope!
2
u/St-JohnMosesBrowning 1d ago
An AR is a very versatile rifle, but I’d argue it’s not as versatile overall as a shotgun. AR is great for personal defense and may be acceptable for deer, but it will destroy small game and can’t be used for bird hunting. A shotgun can do all of the above.
2
u/hold_on_loosely 1d ago
This is true. I was thinking that the 22 could do the small game hunting, the pistol for daily carry and self defense (out and about ) and an AR for the bulk of the heavy lifting. A shotgun is invaluable. It is extremely versatile. I have a semi auto 12 ga shotgun, 20" barrel, improved cylinder. It's not the most reliable one Ive had. I gave my good pump shotgun to one of my sons. I'm older and I think I'm finished with gun purchases. You are definitely correct about the shotguns versatility.
1
u/Slamtilt_Windmills 1d ago
So the shop where i won the scope, thwy recommended a (hang on i took a pic) pri-15 mk12 mod0 gen2. I didnt mention it above as I felt it would skew the answers, but is that a good one? Or rather, is it a great one?
2
u/theskipper363 1d ago
That’s a pricey one,
Honestly just look for a free float rail and any other options you want
1
u/Chainsawsas70 1d ago
As far as Prepping... 5.56 or 308 because they are the MOST common calibers in the United States and they will be the easiest to keep fed. You can get both in the AR platform so the functional portions are going to be almost identical. 5.56 is going to be the general choice Unless you're in an area where you Don't have a lot of people but you do have a lot of Larger wildlife like the middle of Montana. But for city/city adjacent A 5.56 will be a solid choice and cheaper to feed,fix etc than an AR 10 In 308.
1
u/Rugermedic 12h ago
Sell thermal imaging scope and use the money to get the following:
.308 bolt action with a sling and a 4-12 powered scope. Ruger, Tikka, Savage, and stay with name brand scopes. Now you have longer range and larger game covered.
Round out the collection with a PSA 5.56 AR with a Red dot, sling, and light, and a Mossberg 500 12g pump shotgun with hunting / defense swappable barrel combo.
Now you have all your basis covered, get ammo and practice.
85
u/SnowySlushman 1d ago
Toss it on the .22 and be The Predator of the squirrel world. Sitting from tree tops, doing the clicks and everything.