Having a personal defense weapon is an important factor in prepping. When it comes to survival weapons, there may be nothing that can compare to the AR-15. Here are four reasons why you should get an AR-15. (h/t to PreppersWill.com)

Lethal and optimal for close- and medium-range shootouts

FBI ballistics tests show that the AR-15, when chambered with the .223 Remington cartridge, does not “over-penetrate” materials such as walls and plywood. This means that using an AR-15 as your self-defense weapon reduces the risk of collateral damage and unintended injury or death, provided that you’ve spent enough time at the gun range and worked on your aim and your shooting fundamentals.

Historical data from World War II shows that most firefights occur at distances of 400 meters or less. This makes the AR-15 a perfect weapon. Forensic data shows that 5.56 and .223 cartridges can still lethally wound targets from up to 200 m away. Furthermore, AR-15 rounds are at their most accurate when shot within 400 m of a target.

This means that the AR-15 can safely eliminate targets at close range, has a lower risk of collateral damage, and can effectively and accurately dispatch targets within 400 m.

Simple and reliable

It’s not enough for your survival weapon to be accurate. It also has to be simple, reliable and easy to use. That’s what makes the AR-15 so great. Regardless of configuration, most AR-15 rifles can be disassembled, cleaned and made operable by an expert in 10 minutes. You can even perform basic maintenance on your AR-15 yourself using improvised pry tools.

You can even build an AR-15 from scratch with zero experience using basic hand tools.

AR-15 style rifles are also very reliable. Gun experts have talked about how they had M4 carbines (military AR-15 variants) that had shot over 200,000 rounds down range before their barrels and gas tubes had to be replaced. Compare that with AK-style rifles, which can only get around 100,000 rounds fired before the gun’s receiver begins to crack. This means that your AR-15 is a long-term investment. You can get your money’s worth by the time you have to visit the gun store for replacement parts.

Availability of ammo and spare parts

Speaking of spare parts, perhaps one of the best things about the AR-15 is that it’s so widespread. In 2018 the National Shooting Sports Foundation estimated that there were around 16 million AR-15 and AK-47 style firearms in the United States. It is likely the most-sold firearm in the country, which means that parts and ammunition for it will be cheap and widespread. If you’re thinking of building your own AR-15, your nearest gun store will probably have everything you need. (Related: Ammo stockpiling now underway as coronavirus spreads across America and uncertainty grows about how to stop it.)

Specialty gun stores will also probably have a variety of firearm accessories for you to personalize your self-defense weapon.

Once you’ve considered your personal circumstances, you can benefit from buying firearm sights. If you live in an urban setting where shootouts are more likely to occur at close distances, a red dot sight or a reflex sight can help with your accuracy. If you live out in the suburbs or a rural part of the country, a telescopic sight may work best.

If you want better handling of your firearm, consider buying a foregrip and a sling to help you brace your AR-15 while you shoot it, giving you even better accuracy.

The AR-15 is the perfect survival rifle. It works best in close- and medium-range engagements, it’s easy to use, clean and repair, and its widespread adoption by both military, law enforcement and civilian gun owners means that parts and ammunition for it will be cheap and available. If you’re considering getting a firearm to defend yourself with for when SHTF, look no further than the AR-15.

Sources include:

PreppersWill.com

Townhall.com

OffTheGridNews.com