What is the best semi-auto assualt rifle for civilian use?

Question

What in your oppinion is the best all-around assualt rifle that a civilian can legaly get and why do you prefer this?

I'm looking for specifics, such as accuracy, reliability, range, ect.

I'm looking for a good overall survivalist weapon for personal defence in case of the chance domestic chaos such as in New Orleans or the LA riots were to occur.

I just want oppinions on rifles, save the political crap or lessons why I shouldn't get one for someone who cares. I don't give a squat. I reserve the right to exsercise my 2nd amendment rights.

Thanks for all your answers. I don't think there is a best answer here. Most all answers have been good and very informative. Thanks to all for sharing the info.

Answer 1

The Soviet Made AK-47 which is very similar to the M-16.

Answer 2

People seem to be mentioning AKs, which would be a good idea, but there's a cheaper, better alternative, which essentially is the same rifle. AK-47s can be pretty expensive, as Russian built AKs have been banned from import into the United States, and there's now only a limited number available. A Saiga is a new manufacture AK pattern rifle, and can be found for $200-300, or sometimes a little more based on accessories. They're available in the standard AK-47 7.62x39, the M16s 5.56x45, and the larger, much more powerful 7.62x51. I have a .308 with a 16" barrel, and it's more manuverable indoors than an M14 or M1A There are also shotgun versions available, and those find there way into competitive shooting very regularly. It's a solidly built firearm with just as much, if not more, reliability than it's older brother.

If you're looking to defend your home or business, a rifle might not be the best idea. A shotgun will have lower risk of collateral damage, wider selection of specialty ammo, and more stopping power on a two-legged target than any reasonable shoulder-fired rifle. Also, in a serious disaster, 12 gauge ammunition should be easier to come by, as it's one of the most popular, but realistically useful, cartridges available today. My personal SHTF shotgun is a 1201FP, backed up by a Mossberg 500. The inertia driven action on the 1201FP will fire off as fast as you can push the trigger, and if you find a new one, a few heavy loaded shells should break it in enough where it'll be able to cycle almost anything. With slugs it's good out to much longer ranges.

Answer 3

Don't mean to nag, but semi-auto assault rifle is not right term. It is used by the anti-gunners to attack our choices of frearms, it is best just to refer to it as a semi-auto rifle.

As far as which one is the best, that is subjective.

If you are talking an environment where your shots will be 200 yards or less and you demand 100% reliability, an AK variant is your best bet. They have good take down power and can engage a man sized target upto 200 yards without any trouble, plus the AK is know for its legendary ruggedness and reliable feeding. I believe a few other good choices would also be the AR platform, the FN-FAL or variant, or CETME. All will take high capacity magazines 20+ rounds and be very reliable.

If you are going to need something that goes out a bit further to like 400 yards an M1 or PRT-91 may be your best option, Springfield Armory offers the M1A which is nice, but pricey. It will reach 400 yards and still retain a lot of energy. A lot of guns will need a scope for these ranges, iron sights will work, but not as precise as a good scope. Some of the others I mentioned can reach this range, but accuracy starts to decrease or in the case of the AR rifles, the .223 cartridges starts to lose a lot of its stopping power.

Answer 4

In my opinion,its the M14 (or M1A)Its very accurate,reliable, and powerful.Can be used for hunting,target shooting,and to a lesser extent home defense.The .308 and 30.06 are very versatile cartridges that are quite capable of taking down most large game,never mind humans.Tons of surplus replacement parts and ammo available.The only real downsides are its price(upwards of 1000$),size and weight,and recoil.However the last 3 problems can be solved with a synthetic stock and recoil pad.The Ruger Mini-14 and AR series are good choices too.And about the M1 carbine.Its roughly the same as the Mini-14 except less range,accuracy, and less powerful,uncommon cartridge.Also a good site to check out is worldguns.ru .Lots of info about most firearms made since the mid 1800s.It has many specifics such as range,magazine capacity,variants,ect.And make no mistake,the ideal survivalist rifle is an AK.

Answer 5

Ignoring political crap, I can make three recommendations.

One: The AK-47. Civilian legal, semi-automatic only versions are available from a variety of sources (countries/manufacturers), all will be nearly 100% reliable, acceptably accurate at ranges under 150 yards. Ammuntion and magazines will be readily available for the foreseeable future.
Two: The AR-15. Civilian Legal, Semi-automatic only version of the M-16. Again, many sources. Costs will range widely. There are literally THOUSANDS of options to customize the weapon to your needs. With proper maintenence, you will get 99% + reliability, despite what a great many detractors will tell you. Accuracy will probably be better than you can shoot to 600 yards+. Ammo and mags are everywhere.
Three: M-1 carbine. Semi-auto only, retired military versions are mostly priced out of the range of someone looking for a personal defense weapon, but at least one company is making them now. They're extremely reliable, light recoil, magazines and ammo are available, though less common than the other two. This is the smallest, lightest of the three options, and I like mine.

Any of these will serve you well for the functions you've mentioned, as well as hunting (with proper ammunition) and plinking/target shooting.

Answer 6

I would reccomend either an AK/-47 or a MAK-90 or an SKS
all chamber the 7.62x39 and are very reliable under extreme conditions
the accuracy is not that great compared tosingle shot or boltaction guns but I doubt you are looking for sub moa in a semi auto
parts are easy to find and the guns can usually be purchased new and used for less than 500 dollars

Answer 7

Well, “Semi-auto Assault Rifle” is an oxymoron technically, but I know what you mean.

The two top choices in this field are the AK based rifles and the ARs. There are others, some notable, like the FN/FAL which is a fine rifle and the HK G3 and it’s brother the CETME. Ruger's Mini rifles could also be considered in this class to some degree.

The AKs are a good choice from operation, dependability and affordability. Quality ranges from fair to good and you will want to make some immediate upgrades on most every Eastern European version made. Most AKs will fire the medium ranged and powered Soviet 7.62x39 cartridge, not really a rifle round but capable within 200 yards or less. There are some odd AKs in .223 and a few other calibers, which are interesting.
Expect to pay $350 to $750 (for the higher quality ones) and also budget for a quality trigger system and replacement of all springs with quality American made ones. You will likely also want a good synthetic stock set, NATO length. While what you get in the box may be sufficient for plinking, for dependability you need to upgrade some components. Scoping an AK with a traditional rifle scope is in my opinion a fool’s errand, although red dots and lasers are available if you like gadgetry. Arsenal make the absolute best AKs and are well worth the extra costs. Do your research and find the best quality and country of manufacture, as the Romanian and a few others are rough at best.

ARs are a whole industry in themselves. You will find an incredible assortment of available makers and models and the best plan is to get a receiver and then build you own custom rifle. It is best to do extensive research on the different options or find someone that can guide you through the choices and build your AR for you. There are many dealers that specialize in this business and you can likely find one nearby. Expect to pay $800 for bare bones with most tickets going up to $1200 and much more. The AR is a much more advanced rifle than the AK, more precise, more sophisticated, more finicky and capable of much better range and accuracy. If you can shell out the bucks, you can’t go wrong and will likely become addicted to upgrades and modifications.

Other options are the FN, which I was introduced to by a former officer of the South African Army, and it is a fine rifle if you can find someone willing to let go of theirs. Be very careful not to get one with an American made receiver. These are of dubious quality as are most of the receivers made for the G3 and CETME. They were cheaply cast and then assembled with parts rifles in order to get around import laws. These are more collectors fodder than “Go To” total social breakdown weapons, but they can be quite dependable if you really know how to select and maintain parts.

You also may wish to consider an SKS as an introductory rifle. Easy to buy, easy to learn and maintain and modify for dependability and relatively accurate at shorter ranges. You can get one for as little as $200 then get a trigger job and new springs. Most of the accessories for these are kid’s junk, the basic rifle is a good solid rugged weapon.

Better than any of these, including the AR, is the M14 civilian version, which is a real battle rifle capable of incredible accuracy and also adaptable to a more tactical ‘assault rifle’ mode. Look at the SOCOM 16 or M1As at Springfield’s website and start dreaming!

Answer 8

M-14/ M1A1 (Springfield or such -National Match Trigger, Barrel, etc-, about $1500+)

***accuracy, reliability, range, etc.

+ high cap, and ballistics and knockdown power of the round. Most others can't compete...

Answer 9

If I felt that I needed one, I would probably go with the Ruger Mini-14. Tough, reliable, accurate, can get it in .223 or .308, lots of aftermarket mods available, lightweight, been around since the mid 70s, and best of all it doesn't fall into the assault weapon category, so you don't have to worry (much) if that ban ever gets reintroduced.

Answer 10

Look at Armalite and Bushmaster for their AR15 rifles. These are relatively cheap for the gun... and very accurate out of the box.

If you want to spend less than $1100-1500, look at the AK models or even a used SKS.

Answer 11

Perhaps you should rephrase your question to keep the liberal left wing give away our country crybabies from wetting their diapers? If you are a patriotic american citizen wishing to own a firearm and exercise your second amendment rights under the constitution I would strongly recomment the AK47 in one of its semi-auto issuings. I love my Romanian made AK; it is very accurate, reliable, dependable, easy to clean, simple, and so on until the cows come home. I even got a five round magazine for it so I can use it for hunting; on deer and antelope it is the cat's left whisker.