I’m right there with ya.
I made up some “speed loaders” for mine. Appropriately sized PEX? tubing sealed at one end with hot glue and the other end capped with a snug fitting bolt. Remove the follower, uncap the loader and place it on the tube at an angle. Works purdy slick and quick!
You’re welcome and follow me for more cheap bastard solutions. 
Good answers, thanks! Just remember though, you DON’T have a .22LR Pistol, only the three aforementioned options.
Like they used to do with BB guns in the arcades! Good idea!
Spent a fortune in quarters at those damned things!
I would stock up on .223/5.56 reasons (1) already own one and have a bunch of ammo (2) 500 dollar limit can get over 1000 rounds. (3) good for close and far, human and animal.
Hmmm, well, my original answer still stands for all the reasons I mentioned. In a true SHTF situation, I’m not going to be going around like I do now, in regular clothes concealing my regular old EDC pistol. There probably won’t be a society to go out in, so I’d want a rifle for survival hunting and home protection, and I think, given the cheap, lightweight ammo and 22LR’s effectiveness with decent shot placement, I’ll stick with that. .223/5.56 would be a close second, just for the flexibility to take bigger game and better home defense, but I’m not getting enough ammo for $500, and it’s a lot heavier if I have to bug out and move fast with just what I can carry.
Assuming you are buying hollowpoints, you can get about 833 .223 Remmington hollowpoints for $500. You can buy about 3,425 .22LR Stingers for $500. .22LR can supposedly reach out to a mile also, and a barrage of stingers could probably as effective in SD as a few .223 if your aim is good.
Also remember, for purposes of this exercise, you have all three firearms.
Thanks.
I like your reasoning! Thanks!
Thanks. Great topic. I can’t wait to see more discussion.
Barring other choices 5.56,in about a hour I’m picking up 2000rnds of 5.56.
One of “the few” I was thinking about. The Henry AR-7 is another, though I think the only extended magazine available is a 15 rounder. Could be wrong.
Probably wrong.
Color me jealous! What is your reasoning for your ammo choice, given your three options please? Thanks.
IF I’m going to stockpile ( not confirming or denying ) it would have been .223 and .45ACP but I lost all my guns in a boating accident!
If the camel gets in I’ll be stocking up on RPG’s!
22LR, I can get more for the buck. Can carry way more weight wise if needing to bug out with just a back pack. If you buy the right 22LR rounds like the CCI Stingers they have a little more kick to them then the stanard rounds. I have two favorite 22 firearms. Rugar pistol and a Remington Speedmaster. But i also own several other 22 pistols and rifles, a colt and a Browning pistol. And for rifles several Marlins and Glenfields. I try to stick to buying tube fed rifles in 22 caliber. Not to long ago you could buy the Marlins and Glenfields at Walmart for just over a $100. I saw these days coming and bought up several.
I think those days are long gone!
Welcome to the community James!
Why do you prefer tube fed rifles?
So my choices are my 365x, 10-22 with its 3-9x40 scope, or my TavorSAR.
Well, it would really come down to what kind of SHTF situation I was in.
Stuck in the city, urban warfare? 5.56. If I’m lucky I can loot the dead for more ammo and maintain my supply.
Lost in the mountains? .22lr, I can afford and carry far more ammunition. It’s effective enough to take even deer with proper shot placement at close range. (Same can be said for defense against scavenging humans)
I can’t even think of a scenario where I would want just my 365 and nothing else, other than I’m caught completely off guard and can’t get back to my safe to load out…. And in that scenario, I’d have just 25 rounds to try and fight my way back to home….
Ideally, I would bug out with my 5.56 and a handgun (FNX tactical.45)… but that’s not the game 
Wait-what?. If that were the case, wouldn’t you be a scavenging human then?
Yeah, but you only get to choose one for this exercise. 
Due to disability I won’t be able to leave the house whatever happens. And, I would add 12ga 3" Mag buckshot to my list. And, I may just ignore the $500! And, in the event it’s nuclear I would go out to the driveway with a foil hat while naked… get a dandy sun tan and don’t have to live through what comes next. Wife says she is ok with it.
