Hello, I am new here.  I am writing to ask about my first "black rifle".  I am an avid hunter and own multiple shotguns; rifles in bolt, lever and pump actions and a few pistols both wheel and auto loaders and CCW in Missouri on a regular basis.  However, I do not own a black rifle of any kind.  I have fired and am considering both the FAL and AR in carbine configurations.  Being a deer hunter I am leaning towards the FAL but have a couple of friends who own M-4's.  Here are my considerations....I am a husband and father of two, I have a short 870 for HD and CCW a .40 S&W.  I basically want this rifle for "worst case" scenarios, something I can take with me and my bail out bag and fend off the bad guys in a last ditch effort.  I also want this rifle for general plinking, varmint, possibly deer, etc.  I can only afford one rifle so it must be extremely versatile...I am a function over form guy every time.  I need something that will take a beating, is easy to maintain and ammo is cheap and readily available.  I do not plan on scoping this or doing heavy mods, just iron sites and a sling.  Can anyone advise one way or the other as this is mostly greek to me.

Thanks in advance!!

Cant go wrong with a .308


Get a FAL

EDIT-- Also, mags are cheap.

FAL

AR is more "versatile" and if you want it partly for an emergency "bug out" kind of scenario, you can carry a lot more .223 ammo than .308 for the same weight.


But, if you want a serious cartridge in terms of penetration and range, then .308 might be the way to go.

Welcome...

This is General Discussion, and while you will get answers here, the Armory (one of the tabs above)  is a better place, because it's much more serious.  

FYI 99% of all military FALs produced (keep in mind that many FALs for sale in the US have military barrels among other military production parts) had the standard 21 inch barrel.  Many people just cut down the barrel, close the adjustable gas system for max power, and call it a day.  However, this leaves the gas system lacking, as the gas port in the barrel is now way too small.  The extra 5 inches of barrel you lose in a cut down to 16 really lowers the time that the gas has to power the system.  If you are buying cut down rifles of any type, be sure to ask if the gas system is properly produced for the barrel length.

AR Carbine, in a pinch you can turn that carbine in a 24" Percision rifle, and then if you have any 9mm left from your pistols you can throw on a 9mm upper and bam you have a 9mm carbine.


But i'll be honest, not many people have extra uppers laying around for this reason, usually those uppers turn into completely new guns when you decide to buy another lower to compliment it .


If you want a rifle for "worst case" scenarios, both will suit you well. I live in a City/Urban area where most shots will never go past 100 yards. And if I do go into the country, I'll be able to hit targets out to 300 yards with ease thanks to the Acog I have on on my AR15. I'm pretty sure you've already made up your mind on which one you want to get, but whichever one you do buy..make sure its a quality one.

I now have more FALs than ARs. And all but one of my FALs are carbine's. I say get the FAL(s) now, because they will get harder and more expensive to buy.
And get the AR next.

AR