Your Pro Citizen Newsletter 34 - Mission Dictates, Weekly Discount Code

Mission Drives Long Gun Selection

By Mike Lewis

Preparedness requires equipment. As a Professional Citizen, you strive to be as self-sufficient as possible and maintain preparedness for emergency situations of multiple types. This includes being ready to harvest game for feeding yourself and your family. It also includes being prepared to defend yourself and your family, or contribute to a collective defense.

These tasks require a firearm. A rifle is well-suited to accomplish every one of these tasks, although other firearms (specifically handguns) may be better suited for certain tasks like common personal defense. One would ideally have a rifle and a handgun for these reasons. This post, however, is specific to rifles.

Mission dictates gear. Choosing and setting up a rifle can be a thought-intensive process. This is due to the sheer number of offerings available combined with considering applications the rifle is being procured and set up for. The next consideration is availability in a given market, specifically with regard to legality; some states make it very difficult to get and use what other states do not regulate at all (aside from federal regulation/ law).

Lever action rifles are viable and much more useful as repeating arms than bolt action rifles. Semiautomatic rifles are more useful still. While semiautomatic rifles have long had a stigma as not possessing the precision capability of bolt action rifles, finding a semiautomatic rifle that is wholly capable of firing sub-MOA (minute of angle) groups consistently with good precision ammunition. That said, a rifle and ammunition combination producing consistent 2 MOA capability is more than adequate for the vast majority of us, and that is assuming the user is capable of that level of performance. Precision capability of 4 MOA is adequate for many uses, especially within 200 yards. Most of us do not live in environments that dictate 500+ yard shots aside from competitive pursuits.

We should have rifles set up for general purpose use. We may want rifles dedicated to niche or specific uses, but a general purpose rifle should be a priority. This means a rifle that lends itself to any use from target shooting, to hunting, to defensive use in any lighting condition. It also means a rifle that will be available for use, possibly for extended periods without resupply. I tend to gravitate toward AR pattern rifles for multiple reasons, familiarity and ergonomics not being the least of them. CM3 delves a bit deeper into this subject, dedicating two chapters to rifle selection and setup.

“You’re just paying for the rollmark”. The first requirement is reliability. This means investing in a his is a quality rifle. Remember, this is not a range toy- this is a rifle that is being chosen for actual serious use with the hopes that it will never be needed. All rifles are not created equal. Some brands are known for high standards of quality control and some are known for the opposite. Industry standard materials manufactured to the correct specifications, with tight tolerances, are necessary. Proper assembly procedures are just as important for reliable function and longevity. It is true that even the best companies sometimes have inferior products slip through the cracks and end up in circulation. However, going with known good names makes finding an inferior product less likely. Firing and testing it out on purchase will likely allow you to identify and problems and allow the manufacturer to rectify the situation. Buying quality is important even if it means saving a little more to do so.

Chambering is important. Chambering is a consideration. Some chamberings do certain things better than others, but at what cost in this context? Are you using ammunition that enjoys wide support and availability at an affordable cost? Or do you need to maintain large stockpiles and/or reload to ensure availability? Do you have commonality with others in your support network to allow for crossloading? Can you barter with normal people to get ammunition? Loads that do not have widespread adoption and industry support are less preferred for this rifle, even if they are ballistically superior. You must be able to feed your rifle for it to be effective.

Standard recipes work. Many use different solutions to put specific enhancements on rifles for specific reasons. Many times these are competition-related. This rifle must work all the time due to its intended purpose. The consequences of it presenting problems due to putting tweaks on its parts are far higher than a stage or match DNF. The AR pattern rifle has been worked for over 60 years at this point and all the bugs are worked out. Use a standard configuration.

Optics are vital. We’ve heard about iron sights being basic and optics being advanced. This is not true. Optics are easier to learn and use well than irons. Optics also help you see better, which allows better identification of what you’re shooting and may allow for shooting better (assuming proper application of the shot process). Optics do not inherently help anyone shoot better, they allow seeing better. That said, seeing better may allow for shooting better by being able to focus more on a specific part of the target.

What optic is best greatly depends on the use and environment. As we are examining general purpose rifles, magnification and reticle are considerations. A red dot optic or holographic weapons sight may be great for someone in an environment that limits them to shorter range engagements. Using a magnifier in conjunction with the optic may be a perfect solution. The environment may be one that presents medium to long ranges. A red dot optic or holographic weapons sight, even with magnifier, may not be ideal. The environment may dictate the use of holds to place a shot on its intended point of aim considering external ballistics. This requires a reticle with more detail to allow for calculating the hold. Being a general purpose rifle, a low power variable optic (LPVO) is the recommended choice for this instance.

We live half our lives in darkness. We do not have night or thermal vision as biological features. Living half our lives in periods of darkness dictates using enablers to see in the dark. A general purpose rifle needs a light to accomplish this requirement. The light must have sufficient output to both see and identify potential threats/targets at a reasonable distance. The light must also have an activation switch that lends itself to easy use. Even if the local environment features lights, they can go out and there are pockets of darkness with lights on. Do not neglect this important enabler.

Proficiency is most important. The best rifle is useless without a proficient user. John Steinbeck wrote, “The sword is more important than the shield and skill is more important than either. The final weapon is the brain, all else is supplementary.” This statement cannot be more true. Training and practice are the most important part of having a rifle. Find reputable trainers and work with them. Practice the lessons learned. Get out and use the tools with the skills you hope to never need.

CM-3 AR Pattern Rifle and Carbine

This week’s newsletter article is from Mike Lewis, author of the AR Pattern Rifle and Carbine (CM-3).

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