Chris dated himself with that one. I remember rifle quals with the M-1 Garand. Great rifle at 300 yds, even a novice could qualify. First time I'd shot anything bigger than my .22 bolt gun. Back in the 90's when CMP was trying to get them out the door so they weren't available to be crunched I did my part and bought my share of Garands -- still have them. I bought one to leave with my brother but he decided he liked the FAL better (nice rifle) so now I have an IHC Garand with a near new LMR barrel waiting for me in his safe.

It's a great battle rifle for a fixed position, but if you're packing stuff and you don't intend to take targets at extended range, the .223/5.56 rifles are probably the better choice. The rifle and the ammo are lighter which allows you to carry more of other things you may need in a bug-out scenario. I'm more for bugging in also, a Remington 870 12ga shotgun will greet the first few targets should that ugly scenario develop.