The 5 Very Best Survival Guns

Before I begin this list, I have to make a disclaimer. I am a gun guy. I like AK-47s, AR-15s, M1As, and just about anything that will take a BIG magazine and send lots of hot lead down range as fast as I can pull the trigger.

I like tactical toys like chest rigs with a gazillion magazine pouches riding over a plate carrier, I like ‘em with an integrated pistol belt that holds a large frame semi-automatic pistol and even more magazine pouches. I like these things a lot, and I can envision a time when all of this might come in handy, but for the moment it’s just FUN!

I sometimes get frustrated with the “Totally Tactical” Survivalists. You know the ones. They spend all their prepping/survival time and money on guns, ammo and paramilitary gear and treat food, water and self-sufficiency as a distant second. Make no mistake folks: Your first priority for preps should be securing your food and water supply, making your home capable of sustaining you and yours through whatever may come. If you haven’t covered these bases, you really don’t have anything to defend.

However, there are some guns that should come fairly early on in your preparedness journey, and that is today’s topic.

Long Guns

1. Shotgun

The first weapon I always recommend is a good shotgun. With the wide range of loads available the shotgun is probably the most versatile hunting weapon ever devised. With a good shotgun you can hunt pigeons, squirrels, rabbits, turkeys, deer and wild boar. You can also take opossums, raccoons, fox, and coyotes that may threaten your livestock. It is also effective against crows, gophers and all manner of critters that might get into your garden or orchard. Finally, the shotgun is an incredibly formidable home defense weapon.

How To Defend Yourself And Your Family Against The New Breed Of Lowlife Criminal Scum

Shotguns come in several forms, but for my money the pump action is by far the best choice. Pump guns are rugged and reliable, simple to operate, and easy to learn and teach. There is nothing wrong with any of the other types. Semi-autos, single shots, and double barrels are all fantastic weapons in their own right but the pump gun is the whole package where shotguns are concerned. I like the Mossberg 500 series, and have had good luck with its slightly less expensive cousin the Maverick 88. The Remington 870 is another time-honored choice in this realm. I prefer the 12 gauge models, but am not opposed to T20 gauge for smaller shooters.

One of the things that I like most about a lot of the pump guns is that it is very easy to change barrels. In order to make the most of your pump action shotgun you should have at least two barrels for it. The first one should be a field barrel, preferably with multiple choke tubes for different tasks and conditions. This one is your hunting and varmint control barrel. For this purpose, I use a 28-inch ventilated rib barrel with an “accuchoke” system. Your second barrel should be a shorter, more tactical barrel in the 18-20 inch range. This one is for home defense purposes; it is quicker handling in tight quarters and gives a wider shot spread at short ranges. This configuration gives you two guns for the price of one. If you choose to go further you can pick up specialty barrels for things like turkey hunting, and even rifled barrels to optimize shooting with slugs.

The pump action shotgun is truly a workhorse, and if I could have only one long gun it would probably be my first choice.

2. Rimfire Rifle

The .22 caliber rifle is another great workhorse. For starters, the ammo is very compact so you can carry or store an awful lot of it in a very small space. Things have been a little weird where .22 ammo is concerned lately, but under normal circumstances it is cheap and abundant.

Story continues below picture

A good .22 will put rabbits and squirrels in the pot, will take out moles in the garden, is more than enough for most chicken coup raiders, and is a great learning and practice tool for shooters of all skill levels. It is also an underestimated defensive round, and will put down attackers quite well with good shot placement which you will be able to master with all the practice you are going to do! Training and practice are the keys to most things, and for this reason if you are new to shooting a good .22 might be your best choice for a first gun.

You can choose your platform on this one. One of my favorite .22 rifles is the Marlin Glenfield bolt gun I got back in 1980-something when I was 11. This gun has served me well for more than 3 decades and shows no signs of giving out. Aside from this one, I like Ruger 10/22s. I know this sounds like a broken record time, but this little .22 semi-auto is DA BOMB! If I could disagree with other gun writers I would but I can’t on this one. The 10/22 is a tough, reliable little rifle with a lot of accessories and upgrades available. It is also fairly affordable and in my estimation this choice would not ever be a disappointment.

3. Centerfire Rifle

The next long gun you should look into is a good centerfire rifle in a caliber capable of taking the largest game in your area. You will have to make your choice based on a number of factors. First, what game will you be hunting? Next, are there any regional or local favorite calibers, assuring the availability of ammunition? And then a range of personal preference and budget considerations. Generally speaking, the .308 and the 30-06 are very good choices. Both will put down anything that occurs naturally on the North American continent. The .308 has the advantage of being a current NATO round, which makes surplus ammo available and assures that in a true meltdown there will likely be ammo around. Other calibers, however, will do the job as well.

There are so many good rifles out there that it is hard to pick one to recommend. One of my current favorites in the bolt gun category is the Ruger American, which is tough, reliable, fairly economical, and chambered in a number of excellent calibers. If you lean towards semis, and have a bigger budget, I highly recommend the M1A. I know a lot of hunters will tell you it is bulky and heavy, but these are a couple features that add to this rifle. The thing is a rock and can pour out a large volume of very accurate fire from its 20-round magazine, and remains an excellent battle rifle as well as a good deer rifle. The M1A was the last of the “Rifleman’s Rifles,” bridging the gap between the Garand and the “Black Guns” of today.

One more suggestion for your consideration is the Mosin Nagant. We have a couple of these in my house and they are a fabulous rifle. They are as tough and reliable as you can get. They are accurate, they have plenty of knock down power, ammo is cheap, and so are the rifles themselves. The Nagant rifles are easily modernized and sporterized, and make a great addition to your gun safe.

Your centerfire rifle will do double duty as your long-range defensive weapon. To misquote the infamous Gabe Suarez, rifles are good for projecting your will across a distance while pistols are ideal for controlling your immediate surroundings in unforeseen or only vaguely foreseen situations. More clearly stated, rifles are deliberate, pistols are spur-of-the-moment. Which brings us to handguns.

Handguns

4. Defensive Handgun

This is a very broad range of weapons. What you want in a defensive handgun is something powerful enough to put down an attacker with the first hit, is comfortable to carry all day, is comfortable for you to shoot under any circumstances, and is reliable to a T. There are a lot of weapons that fit the bill.

In semi-automatics, the most popular calibers are the 9mm, the .40 S&W, and the .45 ACP. All are good choices. I prefer the 9mm for its larger magazine capacity. I tend to carry a full-size pistol at all times, whether open or concealed, and my weapon of choice is a Taurus PT92 or an M9. Why? It is what I like and it will always get the job done. Is it the only choice? NO. A lot of personal preference will go into your choice!

Revolvers are another option, and again there are too many good choices to cover here. My recommendation is for something in a .357 magnum with a four inch barrel. Revolvers are a good choice for inexperienced shooters since they are a rather intuitive weapon to operate. They are also very reliable and do not require the buying of spare magazines. If you live in Grizzly Bear country, you might want to move up to a .44 magnum.

Your handgun, whatever you choose, should be your constant companion. This is the weapon that you can have at your side when a rifle or shotgun is impractical.

5. .22 Pistol

It may surprise you to know that the .22 pistol is my top choice for survival handgun. I like them because they can provide a lot of small game for food, are useful for personal defense in a pinch, are great for getting varmints out of the garden, coup or orchard, and because you can carry a whole lot of ammo. The .22 pistol is also great for cheap shooting practice. On our homestead, I am as likely to have a .22 pistol on me at any given time as anything else. This is especially true during gardening season when there is a lot of work that keeps my hands too busy for a rifle, but a lot of critters trying to get at the food I am growing.

Here, again, you will be forced to make decisions. Good .22 pistols come in both the semi-automatic and the revolver format. My two favorite .22 pistols are an old target model Ruger Mark 1, and an almost as old Taurus revolver. Both have 5 ½ inch barrels and target sights, and both are deadly on small game at surprising ranges. I recommend that accuracy be a primary consideration in your .22 handgun, target barrels and good sites are a must. Other than that, personal choice!

Once you have this assortment of weapons and have become proficient with them you can start looking for the more exotic types. But, the truth of the matter is that the small collection I have listed will more than likely be more than enough to see you through all but the most dire survival situation.

Top 10 Assault Rifles

Which is the best assault rifle in the world? Which is the best modern assault rifle and why? Our Top 10 analysis is based on the combined score of accuracy, reliability, range, penetration, production numbers, number of users, and some other features.

   This list includes only modern assault rifles, that are currently in service.

   Currently top 10 assault rifles in the world are these:

Nr.1 M16 (USA)

 The AR-15 was designed by Armalite to meet the US Army requirement for a new assault rifle, chambered for a new intermediate cartridge. It was adopted by the US Army as the M16 and became a standard issue infantry weapon.

   This weapon was designed in the late 1950s. At the time it was a very progressive design. The US Army demanded for a super light weapon. So the M16 has a number of lightweight materials in order to save weight. It uses aluminum in place of steel, fiberglass construction in place of wood. Also it has an ergonomic design. It incorporated many features, never seen before. At the time of its introduction it was called the "Space Rifle".

   The barrel is in one line with the buttstock. This feature significantly reduces the recoil. It operates smoothly during fully automatic fire and is very easy to control. Consequently it is much more accurate during automatic fire than many other assault rifles. Its superior accuracy gives it a decisive advantage.

   This superior weapon works great in battle, although it does have some faults. Newer models have a Picatinny-type rail and support various optics and detacheable accessories. It can be also fitted with underbarrel grenade launcher.

   Since its introduction this assault rifle was constantly improved. This influential weapon was built in hundreds of variants. Approximately 8 million of these assault rifles were manufactures. The M16 and its derivatives are used by more than 70 countries around the world.

   A lot of people like to compare the M16 vs AK-47. The M16 has 3 main advantages over AK-47, including range, accuracy and weight.

Nr.2 AK-103 (Russia)

The AK-100 series assault rifles evolved from the AK-74M that is widely used by the Russian Army and many other countries around the world. Technically these assault rifles are similar to the legendary AK-47, but have improved production technologies and are made of new materials.

   One of them is the AK-103. It is chambered for 7.62x39 mm ammunition. It is the original ammunition that is used by the legendary AK-47 assault riffle. It has superior penetration and stopping power comparing with the AK-74M, that is chambered for 5.45x39 mm ammo. Also there is an AK-101, chambered for the standard NATO 5.56x45 mm ammunition.

   The AK-103, as well as other rifles of the AK-100 series use the same operation mechanism, developed by Kalashnikov. These weapons made their name for unsurpassed reliability. This assault rifle can withstand any misuse and abuse that soldier can throw at it. It is not very accurate, but will operate in worst conditions possible.

   This weapon has a remarkable advantage of simplicity. It is simple in design, is made of common materials and uses readily available machining technology. The parts can be manufactured with less precision. From an engineering standpoint it is a low-tech weapon. Production of these rifles can be established at any factory, that makes steel products. No wonder the Kalashnikov assault rifles are being produced all over the world. Also it is simple to maintain.

   Comparing with the M16 it has simplicity and fantastic reliability. However it looses in terms of range and accuracy.

   The AK-100 series assault rifles are used by Russian armed forces. These assault rifles have been exported to more than 10 countries. Also some countries produce these weapons locally under license. The original AK-47 and its derivatives are in service with more than 100 countries around the world.

Nr.3 Heckler & Koch G36 (Germany)

 The G36 assault rifle has been designed by Heckler & Koch to replace the G3 rifle in service with the Bundeswehr. Since 1995 the G36 is a standard issue infantry rifle with the German armed forces. This weapon is an export success. It has been exported to more than 40 countries around the world.

   The Heckler & Koch G36 is chambered for a standard NATO 5.56x45 mm ammunition. It is a conventional gas operated, selective fire weapon. It uses some proven elements of the previous G3 rifle design. Internally it also bears a lot of similarity with the US Armalite AR-18 automatic rifle. Sophistication was eschewed in favor of reliability. Weapon has a simple layout. During trials a prototype of the HK G36 was rated higher than the Austrian Steyr AUG.

   This assault rifle is manufactured using the most modern technologies.

   This assault rifle is fed form 30-round box-shaped magazines, made form translucent plastic. Two or three magazines can be clipped together for rapid reloading. This weapon is also compatible with a 100-round dual drum magazines. After some adjustments this rifle can accept any standard NATO 5.56x45 mm magazine.

   Sights are built into the carrying handle. A standard German Army rifle has a dual sight system. It consists of one 3.5x magnification scope, for long-range accurate shooting and one 1x magnification red dot sight above it, for close ranges.

   This rifle is compatible with the HK AG36 40-mm underbarrel grenade launcher. It can also launch barrel-mounted riffle grenades.

   Overall the G36 lacks fancy bells and whistles, but is modern, light, accurate, rugged and reliable weapon. It is not as reliable as the AK-100 series weapons, but definitely makes up for it by its astounding precision. Also the G36 is simple in operation and maintenance.

Nr.4 Steyr AUG (Austria)

 The Steyr AUG (universal army rifle) was designed in Austria. It has been adopted by Austrian Army back in 1977. When it first appeared it was considered to be revolutionary in many respects. Immediately after its introduction the AUG became popular.

   Weapon is chambered for the standard NATO 5.56x45 mm ammunition. It is a gas operated, selective fire weapon. However it had unusual layout. Also this assault rifle has a modular design. So it can be quickly adapted for a variety of roles by simply changing the barrel. There are four basic barrels, including standard, compact, carbine and light machine gun barrel. This feature is useful, as the same weapon can be tailored to suit mission requirements.

   The Steyr AUG is made of synthetic materials and advanced alloys. It is lightweight, robust robust and reliable. Its has got compact dimensions due to its bullpup layout.

   The AUG has got no separate fire mode selector. The progressive trigger itself is used to control the mode of fire. Pulling it half the way, will result in a single shot, while the full pull will result in full-auto fire.

   The AUG is fully ambidextrous. There are two symmetrical ejection ports, one of which is always covered.

   The original model has integral 1.5x magnification sight. It is designed for up to 300 m range. Also there are back-up iron sights for emergency use. Newer models lack integral sights, byt have Picatinny-type rail and can be fitted with any sights.

   Rifles equipped with standard and carbine barrels can launch riffle grenades. A modified AUG is compatible with the M203 underbarrel grenade launcher.

   This assault rifle made its name for reliability, good ergonomics and decent accuracy. Currently the AUG is in service with nearly 40 countries around the world. It is license-produced in Australia as Lithgow F88. Also it is the most commercially successful bullpup design to date.

Nr.5 Tavor TAR-21 (Israel)

 The Tavor TAR-21 assault rifle was developed by Israel Military Industries (IMI) back in the early 1990s. This weapon is simple, tough and versatile. It was adopted by Israel in 2006 and became a standard issue infantry rifle. This assault rifle has been exported to more than 20 countries.

   It is a gas operated, selective fire assault rifle with a bullpup design. It is chambered for a standard NATO 5.56x45 mm ammunition. Weapon has modular design with easily replaceable barrel. It can be quickly adapted for a variety of roles by simply changing the barrel. The TAR-21 proved to be reliable.

   Design of this weapon is based on ergonomics and composite materials. The Tavor TAR-21 assault rifle is fully ambidextrous. There are spent case ejection ports on each side. Right or felt side ejection can be selected. A charging handle can be installed on either side of the weapon. Its bullpup layout gives an edge at close-quarters and when employed inside vehicles. However it is also well suited for precision firing at long range.

   The Tavor TAR-21 is fed from standard NATO (M16-type) magazines, holding 30 rounds.

   This weapon has a standard Picatinny-type rail and is compatible with various scopes or night vision systems. It comes with red-dot sight as standard. It has been report that the TAR-21 is much more accurate and reliable than the M4 carbine. However it looses in terms of accuracy to the M16 due to a shorter barrel.

   This assault rifle is compatible with the M203 40-mm automatic grenade launcher.

Nr.6 SIG SG 550 (Switzerland)

  The SIG SG 550 is produced since 1986. It has been adopted by the Swiss Army in 1990 as a standard issue military rifle. It has been exported to more than 20 countries. It is usually used by elite and special forces units. Over 600 000 of these assault rifles were produced.

   This weapon has traditional design. It is a gas operated, selective fire weapon, chambered for a standard NATO 5.56x45 mm ammunition. It may not seem obvious, but its operation system is actually based on the AK-47. It one of the finest 5.56 mm assault rifle ever made.

   Swiss army SG 550 assault rifles are usually fed from 20-round translucent magazines. However 5-, 10-, and 30-round capacity magazines are also available. Standard magazines can be clamped together for quicker reloading.

   Sighting equipment consists of a flip-up front sight and adjustable rear diopter. It has a sighting range of 400 m. Every rifle can be fitted with a detachable scope mount. Swiss army rifles are often used with 4x magnification scope. Current production models are available with a Picatinny-type rail and can mount various scopes, red dot, or night vision sights.

   This weapon proved to be accurate and reliable as a Swiss watch. The SG 550 is particularly good at long ranges. This weapon combines accuracy of the M16 and reliability of the AK-47. It handles well and is very controllable during full-auto fire.

   There are carbine versions of this weapon for close-quarter battles and even designated marksman rifle.

   This weapon proved to be accurate and reliable as a Swiss watch.

Nr.7 Heckler & Koch HK416 (Germany)

The HK416 assault rifle was developed by Heckler & Koch company in the 1990s to meet US Army's Delta Force requirement. It is and improved version of the M4 carbine, that is widely used by the US military. However the HK416 is independently made and modified. Currently the HK416 it is used by more than 20 countries, mainly by special forces and law enforcement agencies.

   In terms of appearance the HK416 resembles the M4. Due to similarity it has a familiar feel for soldiers, reducing the time needed for retraining. It uses a patented gas piston system, derived from the Heckler & Koch G36 assault rifle. This new operating system significantly reduced malfunctions and increased life of parts, comparing with the original Colt M4 carbine. The new weapon is much more reliable.

   Four models with different barrel lengths are available, including full-size assault rifle, compact assault rifle, carbine and sub-compact assault rifle.

   The HK416 has a Picatinny-type scope rail and can be used with various scopes. Furthermore there is accessory rail on all four sides of the forearm. Most current accessories for the M4 and M16 can be used on the HK416, including a 40-mm underbarrel grenade launcher.

Nr.8 FN SCAR (Belgium)

The FN SCAR modular assault rifle was developed by the famous Belgian Fabrique Nationale to meet the requirement, issued by the US Special Operations Command (US SOCOM). The US Special Forces requested a new combat rifle, available in different calibers. The FN SCAR has been adopted by the US SOCOM. Deliveries commenced in 2009. Currently it is also used by 20 countries around the world. Often this weapon is found with special forces and elite law enforcement units.

   The FN SCAR modular assault rifle platform was designed from the scratch. It is not based on any previous designs. It is a gas operated, selective fire weapon. There are two baseline models - the SCAR-L (light), chambered for 5.56x45 mm round and the SCAR-H (heavy) chambered for a more powerful 7.62x51 mm ammunition. Other chambering include a Soviet 7.62x39 mm round.

   The key idea of the SCAR modular system, that it will provide the US Special Forces with a wide variety of configurations within the matter of minutes in field conditions. All these configurations have the same layout, controls and maintenance procedures. The SCAR-L and SCAR-H have 90% parts commonality. These weapons are available in three quick-detachable barrel versions - standard (S), close quarters combat (CQC) and long barrel (LB). Different length barrels can be quickly replaced. So this weapon is highly customizable.

   The SCAR-L can use the standard M16-type magazines. The SCAR-H uses 20-round magazines. The SCAR-H also accepts the standard AK-47 / AKM magazines with the Soviet 7.62x39 mm ammunition. It allows to fire the enemy ammunition with the alternate barrel, what is very important for operations behind the enemy lines.

Nr.9 FAMAS (France)

The French FAMAS assault rifle has been developed in the late 1960s. At the time it was a very advanced design. It was adopted in 1978 and soon became a standard issue infantry rifle with the French Army. Currently there are about 15 operators of this rifle, including its variants.

   The FAMAS has a bullpup layout. It is chambered for a standard NATO 5.56x45 mm ammunition. Fire mode selector has three positions for "safe", "semi-auto" and "full-auto". There is also additional "3 round burst" selector, located behind the magazine. It switches between "full-auto" and "3 round burst" modes, when the main selector is in "full-auto" mode.

   The rifle is very accurate. Yet its bullpup layout gives it advantage in close quarter battles or confined spaces.

   The FAMAS is fully ambidextrous. It was a novelty at the time of its introduction. Most of the rifle's furniture is made of polymers. So the weapon is lightweight.

   This assault rifle has a standard NATO flash hider, which is used to launch rifle grenades. It can be also fitted with the M203 40-mm underbarrel grenade launcher. This weapon can also be fitted with folding bipod and detachable bayonet.

Nr.10 FN F2000 (Belgium)

The F2000 assault rifle was developed by FH Herstal of Belgium in the 1990s. This futuristic-looking weapon was first publicly revealed in 2001. Currently it is in service with about 12 countries. It is popular due to its simplicity and cutting-edge engineering.

   So far the F2000 is the first and only bullpup assault rifle, produced by FN. Also this weapon has an out-of-the-box approach to assault rifle design.

   The F2000 has a modular design. It is chambered for the standard NATO 5.56x45 mm ammunition. This weapon is is perfectly balanced around the pistol grip. There are very few small arms in existence, designed from an ergonomic point of view.

   The basic assault rifle comes with a 1.6x magnification sight. It has a sighting range of 400 m. However this sight can be easily replaced with other scopes or night vision sights, fitted on the standard Picatinny-type rails.

   Modularity of this assault rifle allows to modify it to suit various mission requirements. There are plenty of available add-ons and accessories. A standard foregrip can be easily replaced with integrated FN EGLM 40-mm underbarrel grenade launcher. Otherwise it can be fitted with the M303 underbarrel module, which fired tear gas or marker projectiles. This foregrip can also be replaced with three Picatinny-type rails for various accessories, such as laser pointers, tactical flashlights and vertical handgrips.

TOP 10 MOST POPULAR GLOCK HANDGUNS

These 10 Glock pistols have become the go-to guns from the Glock product line up.

The popular Glock name has become synonymous with quality, performance and reliability. There are growing numbers of Glock owners across the globe, and for good reason.

Here are ten of the most popular Glock handguns, chosen through a combination of sales, performance, word of mouth and general likability. Which one do you want?

10. The Glock 17

The venerable Glock 17 9mm handgun is the pistol that started the synthetic gun revolution. This model was the first commercial model offered by Mr. Gaston Glock to the market. It’s 17 round standard magazine allows for increased capacity over many of the older autoloaders of the time. It’s lightweight but indestructible construction is what legends are made of.

9. The Glock Model 20

The Glock model 20 in 10mm is a pistol that is carried deep into the woods and hills in search of deer and for protection from such carnivores as the brown bears of Alaska. Mr. Ted Nugent uses his Glock model 20 for hunting with great success. The 10mm cartridge is a hot load that the Glock 20 has been able to handle when many other designs just could not handle the power and pressures associated with it. It is one tough, accurate and reliable hunting handgun. Extended length barrels are also available for it too.

8. The Glock Model 19

The Glock Model 19 in 9mm. This model is a shorter gripped and barreled model compared to the model 17 and was one of the first more compact Glock handguns on the market. It became a go to for undercover police officers and concealed carriers at the time, and continues to have a strong following in the shooting sports world.

7. The Glock 27

The Glock 27 in .40 Smith and Wesson cartridge is an amazing pistol. Offered in a sub compact size, it allows for the user to carry the potent cartridge in a small concealable size. This pistol is a favorite for members of the concealed carry society and law enforcement. Along with it’s sibling, the Glock 26 in 9mm, this pistol offering will rival accuracy of the larger models.

6. The Glock 21

The Glock 21 was the first model to offer the big .45 acp round in a Glock full sized frame. This big boy has become a favorite duty weapon of many law enforcement agencies and is a great choice for the pistol shooting sports.

5. The Glock 22

The Glock model 22 in .40 Smith and Wesson cartridge has become the holstered side arm for many police departments. The powerful .40 cartridge is used by the F.B.I. and took the law enforcement community by storm, and then the civilian market. This great pistol is both hard hitting and accurate.

4. The Glock 42

The Glock 42 in .380 acp. cartridge, the ultimate in concealable carry. Finally a Glock .380 acp. pistol that is available right here in the U.S.A.! We have wanted one, now we have one. This hot little number will digest any .380 acp. ammo and have the reliability and accuracy of all the other Glock line up pistols.

3. The Glock 30SF

The Glock 30SF in .45 acp. is a small package that can put the big .45 caliber bullets on target in a hurry. Built to a small size, concealable with a big knock down power factor is a given. This little gun can put out a big hurt on target.

2. The Glock 18

The Glock 18 in 9mm is a semi-automatic to full automatic machine pistol. You heard that correctly, Glock makes a pistol machine gun. This absolutely amazing machine pistol has a select fire capability for semi-automatic shooting or full automatic fire. Not available to civilians, this model is law enforcement and military only. We are just left to dream about it.

1. The Glock 33

The Glock 33 is chambered in a caliber named the .357 Sig. cartridge. The cartridge was originally made to offer .357 Magnum revolver cartridge ballistics in a autoloading pistol format. The Glock 33 is indeed quite small and concealable and fires this hot round at amazing velocities.

American Sniper Rifles: 5 of Chris Kyle’s Favorite Sniper Rifles

With the release of Clint Eastwood’s movie, American Sniper, this weekend, I thought it might be fitting to look at the favorite rifles of the American hero, Chris Kyle. In his autobiography, Kyle said people ask a lot about the weapons he used as a sniper, so he talked some in the book about the specific rifles he used. Kyle described the wide range of weapons and rifle systems he used in different situations, but I wanted to focus on the few he said were his favorite sniper rifles.

So, I went back and re-read his book, and scoured the internet for the best photos I could find of his actual rifles. I even contacted manufacturers like Accuracy International, GA Precision, Leupold, and Nightforce to get more specs on Chris Kyle’s rifle setups. I expected this all to be well documented, but it took a lot of detective work to put together clues from different places. Some of it is hard facts from the man himself, other specs are what he most likely used based on what was issued at the time of his active duty, and some specs are based on my own research and identifying products based on photos of his rifles.

His .300 Win Mag

In his autobiography, Chris Kyle starts by describing the AR-style, semi-auto, black guns that he used, like the US Navy Mk-12 5.56 Rifle, and the SR-25 7.62 Rifle (aka Mk-11). Although those rifles served a purpose, Kyle wasn’t a huge fan of either. In fact, he talked about how the SR-25 had a bad reputation of jamming up in the field. He finished the section on the SR-25 by saying “There were other issues with the weapon, however, and personally it was never one of my favorites.” That was immediately followed by his words,“The .300 is in another class entirely.”

Kyle was a huge fan of the .300 Win Mag, and for good reason. It has vastly superior stopping power over the common 5.56 NATO (aka 223 Rem), and vastly improved ballistics over the common 7.62x51mm (aka 308 Win).

In his book, Kyle said, “I used the .300 Win Mag for most of my kills. It’s an excellent all-around cartridge, whose performance allows for superb accuracy as well as stopping power. The .300 is a little heavier gun by design. It shoots like a laser. Anything from 1,000 yards and out, you’re just plain nailing it. And on closer targets, you don’t have to worry about too much correction for your come-ups. You can dial in your 500 yard dope and still hit a target from 100-700 yards without worrying too much about making minute adjustments.”

While the Mk-12 and Mk-11 were both semi-automatic rifles, Kyle’s .300 Win Mag was a manual bolt-action. Kyle said “Other services fire the round from different (or slightly different) guns; arguably, the most famous is the Army’s M-24 Sniper Weapon System, which is based on the Remington 700 rifle. (Yes, that is the same rifle civilians can purchase for hunting.) In our case, we started out with McMillan stocks, customized the barrels, and used 700 action. These were nice rifles.”

Although Kyle doesn’t specify that this was a SOCOM Mk-13 in his book, industry experts tell me that is likely what he was using. Here are the most likely components for the rifle Kyle is shown using in the photos above:

• Remington 700 Long Action
• Lilja Precision 26.5” 1:10 Barrel
• McMillan A-2 Tactical Stock with saddle-type adjustable cheek-piece
• McCann Industries Integrated Rail System (MIRS) Rifle Mount
• Remington Factory Trigger
• M16 Extractor Bolt Modification
• Nightforce 20 MOA Picatinny Rail
• Nightforce High Rings (allows proper alignment with nightvision optics)
• Nightforce NXS 8-32×56 Scope
• Knights Armament Mk-11 Suppressor (aka SR-25 Suppressor)
• Harris 6-9” Swivel Bipod
  
  
  Kyle mentioned in the book that he ran his .300 Win Mag suppressed. The .300 Win Mag Mk-13 was designed to use the same suppressor as his Mk-11 (aka SR-25 7.62 NATO), which was the Knights Armament Mk-11 Suppressor.
  “Scopes are an important part of the weapon system. Overseas, I used a 32-power scope. As a SEAL, I used Nightforce scopes. They have very clear glass, and they’re extremely durable under terrible conditions. They always held their zero for me,” said Kyle. If you take that info to consideration, the scope in the photos must be a Nightforce NXS 8-32×56. However, a Nightforce rep told me that at the time of Kyle’s service, the Nightforce NXS 5.5-22×56 was a popular choice on magnum rifles. He added that at the time, they were configured with 0.25 MOA click adjustments, and either the Nightforce Mil-dot or MLR reticles. Towards the end of Kyle’s career, scopes with Nightforce’s ZeroStop feature were getting phased into use.
  You can see in the photos the McMillan stock he was using on his .300 Win Mag had their lightweight saddle-style adjustable cheek-piece, instead of the integral cheek-piece like the one on his .338 Lapua. That makes it easy to tell those rifles apart in photos, in addition to the suppressor (he never had a suppressor for his .338).
  The factory Remington trigger was tuned to 2 pounds. Kyle said “I used a 2 pound trigger on my rifles. That’s a fairly light pull. I want the trigger to surprise me every time; I don’t want to jerk the gun as I fire. I was no resistance: Get set, get ready, put my finger and gently start squeezing, and it goes off.”
  But, Kyle tells us he received an upgraded .300 Win Mag during one of his tours (likely the Mk-13 Mod 5): “In my third platoon – the one that went to Ramadi – we got all new .300s. These used Accuracy International stocks, with a brand-new barrel and action. The AI version had a shorter barrel and a folding stock. They were bad-ass.”
  In 2013, sculptor Greg Marra wanted to pay tribute to Chris Kyle by making a life-size sculpture of the hero as a gift to his family. It was important to Marra that the statue was holding an exact replica of Kyle’s rifle, down to the smallest detail. Kyle’s wife allowed Marra to use his rifle for the project, and he contracted a company named NVision to scan a high-resolution 3D model of the rifle.
  The rifle pictured below is Kyle’s sniper rifle they scanned for the sculpture. It’s the rifle he used the most, and is likely what he would have called “his sniper rifle,” if he had to pick just one.
  
  

His .338 Lapua Mag

In his book, Kyle mentioned they didn’t have .338 Lapua rifles in training, but started getting them later during the war. Unlike his other weapons, it wasn’t type classified rifle or caliber, meaning there wasn’t a detailed specification for the rifle. Kyle said “there are a number of different manufacturers, including McMillan and Accuracy International.”

Kyle recounts “I used a .338 on my last deployment. I would have used it more if I’d had it.” He goes on to say, “The bullet shoots farther and flatter than a .50 caliber, weighs less, costs less, and will do just about as much damage. They are awesome weapons.” He was obviously a big fan of the .338 Lapua, and the only drawback he mentioned was “my model’s lack of a suppressor. When you’re shooting inside a building, the concussion is strong enough that it’s a pain – literally. My ears would hurt after a few shots.”

This was the rifle that he made his longest confirmed kill with, which was a 2,100 yard shot. That is 1.2 miles (or 1.92 km for you metric guys)! Kyle includes the photo below in his book, and adds this caption: “A close-up of my Lapua .338, the gun I made my longest kill with. You can see my ‘dope’ card – the placard on the side contains my come-ups (adjustments) needed for long-range targets. My 2,100 yard shot exceeded the card’s range, and I had to eyeball it.” Wow.

His .338 was the rifle featured on the cover of his autobiography, American Sniper. The rifle image was likely extracted from the photo below of Chris Kyle with the rifle.

This photo of his .338 Lapua rifle was also included in his autobiography, on the inside cover.

The scope on that rifle resembled a Leupold design, so I contacted Leupold Tactical to see if they could identify the model. They said it looked to be a Leupold Mark 4 3.5-10x40mm LR/T Illuminated model. Based on Kyle’s time of service, they said the scope likely featured their TMR reticle, but they couldn’t be sure. So at 10x magnification, that makes the 2,100 yard shot even more impressive!

I’ve heard people say it was a McMillan TAC-338 rifle, although Kyle didn’t specify in his book. But as I was researching this, I noticed McMillan has a rifle package for the TAC-338 that looks virtually identical to the photos of Kyle’s rifle from his autobiography. From the scope, to the rings, to the stock, to the MIRS rail, to the muzzle brake, to the bipod, to the bottom metal and magazine, and even the leather sling! I’m going to go out on a limb and say he had the McMillan TAC-338 Rifle Package

Here are the specs that are on the McMillan TAC-338 Rifle Package, and likely what was on the Kyle’s .338 Lapua rifle as well:

• McMillan G30 Long Action
• McMillan A5 Stock with integral adjustable cheek-piece, spacer system for adjustable length of pull, flush cups, and one stud
• Schneider 26.5” Medium-Heavy Contour Barrel with 1:10” twist
• McMillan tactical muzzle brake
• Leupold Mark 4 3.5-10×40 LR/T scope with M1 turret and illuminated mil-dot reticle
• 20 MOA scope base made by McMillan
• McCann Industries Integrated Rail System (MIRS) Rifle Mount
• Turner Saddlery Synthetic Leather Sling
• Harris 6-9” Swivel Bipod

In the movie, American Sniper, they tried to stay true to the rifles and techniques Kyle actually used. Bradley Cooper went to multiple training sessions with Scott Reitz of International Training Seminars to learn basic techniques on breathing and marksmanship before they started filming the movie. You can see Cooper is holding a McMillan TAC-338 Rifle Package in the photo at the range with his trainer. So obviously, the movie producers thought that was the rifle Kyle used as well.

His Favorite Post-Service Rifle

When you’re in service, you don’t get a lot of choices for which rifle you use. They’re issued to you, and you use them. Kyle was obviously proficient with any rifle you put in his hands. But, the question that is interesting to me is “What did a rifle expert like Chris Kyle choose to shoot after he retired from active service and could pick anything he wanted?” He gives us the answer in his book:

“Since I’m talking about guns, I’ll mention that my current favorites are the weapons systems made by GA Precision, a very small company started in 1999 by George Gardner. He and his staff pay close attention to every detail, and his weapons are just awesome. I didn’t get a chance to try one until I got out of the service, but now they’re what I use.”

I contacted George Gardner, and asked for more specifics of the rifle that he built for Kyle. George said Kyle was referring to his GA Precision Gladius chambered in 308, and he sent me this photo of Kyle holding his GAP rifle.

.Gardner said Kyle’s rifle was a standard Gladius, although “standard” is a poor adjective for such a rifle. It is a tackdriver, and GAP guarantees the rifle to shoot 1/2 MOA groups or better with match-grade factory ammo.

You can see in the photos, Kyle continued to use Nightforce scopes as well. However, I was able to zoom into one of the the photos of Kyle with his rifle and see that the lowest power was 5x … not 5.5 or 8. That means it’s likely a Nightforce ATACR 5-25×56 scope topping his GAP Gladius.

You can see in the photo a box a Black Hills Match ammo. Kyle says in his book, that while he was in service “Our rounds were match-grade ammo bought from Black Hills, which makes probably the best sniper ammo around.” That’s quite a statement coming from Chris Kyle. He obviously believed that, because it looks like he continued to use Black Hills ammo even as a civilian.

The .50 Cal

This may come as a surprise, but Kyle was not a fan of .50 cals … at least not most of them. He said, “The fifty is huge, extremely heavy, and I just don’t like it. I never used on in Iraq. There’s a certain amount of hype and even romance for these weapons, which shoot a 12.7x99mm round. There are a few different specific rifles and variations in service with the US military and other armies around the world. You’ve probably heard of the Barrett M-82 or the M-107, developed by Barrett Firearms Manufacturing. They have enormous ranges and in the right application are certainly good weapons. I just didn’t like them all that much.”

He goes on to say, “Everyone says that the .50 is a perfect anti-vehicle gun. But the truth is that if you shoot the .50 through a vehicle’s engine block, you’re not actually going to stop the vehicle. Not right away. The fluids will leak out and eventually it will stop moving. But it’s not instant by any means. A .338 or even a .300 will do the same thing. No, the best way to stop a vehicle is to shoot the driver. And that you can do with a number of weapons.”

But, Kyle did explicitly make one exception to his comments about the .50 cal rifles, saying “The one .50 I do like is the Accuracy International model, which has a more compact, collapsible stock and a little more accuracy; it wasn’t available to us at the time.” Here is the Accuracy International .50 caliber model Kyle was referring to, the AI AX50

About Chris Kyle

For those of you that may have been under a rock for the past decade, Chris Kyle was a US Navy Seal and the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history. Kyle, a Texas native, served four combat tour in Iraq and elsewhere between the start of the war and 2008. He retired as chief petty officer, and along the way, collected an armload of hardware, including two Silver Stars and five Bronze Stars with Valor. “That’s just candy,” Kyle said. “That’s not why we were there.”

Kyle authored a #1 New York Times Bestselling book American Sniper. He donated part of his cut of the book’s profit to the families of fallen servicemen and veteran charities. Kyle started Craft International after he retired from the service, a training company for elite military and law enforcement professionals. Kyle understood the difficulties a veteran goes through adapting back to civilian life, and he tried to help fellow veterans make that shift. Kyle was at a range with a 25 year old veteran suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), when the young man turned a weapon on Kyle.

Kyle’s years of service, and admirable character attracted thousands of people who lined the highways during his funeral procession to pay honor to the fallen hero and his family. More than rifles, and even his military campaigns, Chris Kyle is a man worth celebrating. Sure, he had flaws like you and me. But Kyle was a man who was selflessly giving of himself not only to his country, but to other veterans who faced the same struggles he had himself … to the point of death. May the memory and the life of the man behind the rifle live on in each of us.