The best way to survive an emergency situation is to be prepared for everything, including a rifle as a means to hunt, or defend yourself, should the need arise where you find yourself in a gun fight. That entails having your arsenal of weapons good to go, with all the necessary rifle accessories. But if you’re not sure what that means, here’s a list of our top gear for your rifle to make sure you can rely on it no matter what.
Bullets
How can you shoot with no bullets? If you are planning on using a rifle, it goes without saying that you need to make sure you have a store of ammunition at hand and in your pack.
In saying this, you should also make sure the bullets are kept in a dry place, or otherwise, they might not work so well.
Depending on how your marksmanship skills are, you might need to adjust that number of stored bullets. Just make sure you rotate them so that you won’t end up with old, ineffective or expired ammunition.
Ammunition cases and holders
Ammunition cases are ideal for transport and safety. When you are leaving your gun locked up at home or while you are on the move and the gun locked up in the car, it’s always a good idea to de-load any excess bullets you have in your magazine and store them in a bullet case.
The best type of cases should be fairly resistant, so they can withstand forceful impacts. They should also have a pretty tight seal on them so that you don’t get any dirty in your ammunition, because let’s face it, no-one wants to clean their bullets when they’re about to start a hunting trip.
Scope
You should always consider a scope for your rifle, particularly when you are hunting outdoors as it is a magnifying monocle for searching, as well as allowing you to be a more precise shooter. Scopes will enable you to magnify your target so that you can defend yourself from afar, or if you are hunting, to locate the right part of the animal so that you can shoot them and stop them in their tracks, rather than having to track a wounded animal over distance. This is also a reason to minimize the pain of animals we shoot.
A good scope can help you hunt better, including in dim light conditions, so make sure you get one with night vision. Apart from increased defense, you’ll enhance your chances of eating enough calories to survive from the game you have successfully hunted.
Rangefinder
A rangefinder is one of the amazing developments for rifle accessories for accurately measuring the distance to your target, which means that you can take more precise shots. That also helps with putting dinner on the table, as well as getting an idea of where a potential enemy might hide or where a feature might sit that you are trekking to.
Make sure you get a rangefinder that’s great for longer distances, though and that can render reliable measurements even in brush or with trees nearby. You can get one with an IR light so you can have good night vision, as well as a decent range of zooming for enhanced details.
Harness
There’s nothing like owning a reliable rifle harness or sling for hands-free use when you’re on the move. The factors that influence your choice are the sturdiness of that harness, how well it holds your rifle and how comfortable it feels for you.
You need a sling that provides good support and that doesn’t put unwanted pressure on your back and shoulders, which are tested enough as it is. You should also ensure the closing mechanism withstands repeated uses, and that hot weather or low temperatures won’t bring damage to this sling.
Bipods
A rifle bipod is perfect for those survival situations when you need to hold your rifle up to your eyes for increased periods of time. That might mean you’re trying to defend your position or that you’re brush hunting. For both cases, you need to conserve energy and have free hands to maybe do something else.
A rifle bipod should be compact and lightweight for convenient carry and storage purposes, but it should also be robust enough to face possible on-field damages as well as bigger recoils. This should be made from top materials that don’t let it get damaged by weather, as well as being easy to set up and to adjust in different positions.
Recoil proof flashlight
If you have to move in the dark while you’re shooting at threatening targets, a recoil proof flashlight is great if you don’t have an IR scope. Even if you do have one, the advantage of such a flashlight is that it will enable you to see all the targets around you at a closer distance, unlike the scope that comes with a limited field of view.
So accurate depth perception may be capital, but you need to select the best flashlight. So choose one with multiple modes, including a strobe or SOS mode for sending out help signals. Make sure it’s easy to mount and that it’s light enough not to destabilize your rifle. If it has a head or helmet mount, it’s even better.
Spare parts
You’ll need lots of spare parts in case your rifle does get damaged and you need to repair it. Make sure you have all the necessary tools to do these repairs with, and that you store the spare parts according to type, so you don’t accidentally misplace something.
Batteries
With your arsenal rifle accessories of scopes, rangefinders, and flashlights required for your rifles, you need plenty of extra batteries to power all these. If you can get such devices that use rechargeable batteries and use a small solar panel in case there’s no light anymore, you have a winner.
However, when selecting gadgets that work on batteries, make sure that these have a long operating time, as well as a long shelf life. Do maintenance checks frequently, though.
So with all these great accessories to get, we’re curious which ones do you think are most important? Which could you live without in a survival case? The comment section awaits below.
If you would like to submit your own guest post, send in your submissions here.
I’m thinking that English is a second language for whomever wrote this article.
Also, There are some notable misconceptions evident in the content. for example: Ammunition cases are generally used when reloading your own ammo. So yes they are useful but no mention of home rolled ammo was made..this guy thinks you buy ammo and repack it…maybe…
And again with his silencer blurb:
“..silencer should also be resistant and rainproof, compact and versatile, easy to mount and to take off. It should withstand repeated use and muffle sound and vibration so that you can minimize unwanted recoils as well.”
rainproof? Is there any other kind? versatile for what, a can opener??
Unwanted recoils? ’cause some recoils are better than others.
Besides he’s confusing a muzzle brake and silencer…
’nuff sed.
Hi VocalPatriot. Thank you for sending that in. Why don’t you submit a guest post on something you are interested in? I am sure the preparedness community would enjoy some new and fresh content.
sure why not.
You will need subsonic loads for your weapon if you intend to use a silencer/muffler/suppressor device. The silencer will dampen the sound of the propellant gases but not the crack of a projectile as it breaks the sound barrier. Subsonic loads are commercially available in many of the common calibers.
Without magazines your semi-auto rifles and pistols are kind of useless…
Here is my list of the most hilarious quotes provided by the author:
1. “Ammunition cases are perfect for bullets…” That’s just perfect. While I’m in a firefight I will calmly transfer by ammo from individual bullet cases to the magazines that are essential (but unmentioned) to fire said rifle.
2. “A good scope can help you hunt better … so make sure you get one with night vision.” Unfortunately, the author also references “the best AR optic under $200.” If anyone can point me to the “best AR optic” that doubles as a daylight and night vision scope for under $200, please let me know.
3. “… a silencer won’t let the sound of the rifle shot give out your position.” Only idiots and liberals think that.
4. “Recoil Proof Flashlight.” This section is so target rich that I hardly know where to begin. Rest assured, however, that the last thing I would do in a night time firefight is turn myself into a target.
5. “use a small solar panel in case there’s no light anymore.” The last time I checked, solar panels run on sunlight. In the author’s scenario, solar panels would be useless.
I don’t understand how Prepper websites allow articles such as this to get posted.
Thanks for writing in Ben. I accept various guest posts on prepping and preparedness from all members to contribute to the community.
In looking at your writing style, I think you should send something in. I am willing to accept it even if it is not a guide piece like I usually write but more of an opinion piece.
Very interesting Ben. You only invite those of Us who point out flaws in the article, to write you. Could it be that you intend to critique our writing skill rather than the amateurs that submit article with topics they obviously know little about?
Frankly the “editors” are dropping the ball, at best here. If they’d rather not assure truth and fact is disseminated in their publication, that’s fine.
Obviously false, incorrect and otherwise misleading information should be avoided by proof reading. I suspect this is becoming a lost art.
I accept posts from anyone who wishes to submit a post.
As well as using The Prepping Guide as a platform to encourage everyday preparedness and a more logical approach to life, I use it as an open platform for anyone else to share their experiences.
As you can see, this has been successful through a Venezuelan family man being able to share his own prepping experiences in a financial collapse.
Heavily agree with Ben Leucking and his comments. Any advice the original author has on any subject should be taken with a grain of salt or less.
I agree with Ben & T Grant
Very well written & spot on you should think of contributing I would definitely read it in it’s entirety unlike the above mentioned article