Excepting waterfowl, I don't see the amount of powder and lead used as being worth the return for most of the "sporting game" we use shotguns for nowadays, especially when you consider the volume and weight of shells. Granted if you're starving... But in a survival scenario, I see most of the small game folks throw out as being easily taken w/ a 22lr or pellet gun that would spoil less of the meat... Developed the squirrel and sparrow capability with air rifles as a kid... And don't forget snares as even a better option if in a fixed location. Something to be said about acquiring meat with minimal noise too, especially if you have neighbors... (And not often discussed is that when hungry, a human's sense of smell has a substantial increase in sensitivity as well, so meat that requires cooking has substantial security considerations...)
To be clear, most Galils are 5.56, though there are some custom 7.62x39s and, though limited in military use (and there have been issues with this caliber Galils beating up receivers and bolts -- bolts only have two lugs whereas most .308 aks have 3 but reciever buffers do mitigate most of the receiver stress issues) the 7.62 Nato/.308 guns were original IMI production as well... Due to the cost of .308 Galil's, I'd go w/ a FAL first or Saiga second .308 for equivalent reliability/accuracy/firepower as the Galil (though they wouldn't match accuracy of the Galil sniper, but that's a separate weapon from the standard .308 Galil)... Granted, I don't reload so personally can't afford to shoot enough .308 to become fully competent (by my standards) in a .308 semi-auto platform in a self defense rifle scenario, so that's why not a .308 despite many saying it's the "ultimate" caliber... (And .308 inside 200m or so really shows little to no gains in performance vs either/or 5.56 or 7.62x39 in almost every ballistic/penetration/etc scenario.) For self defense weapons, if you're encountering fire beyond 200 yards, I'd think almost certainly a counter-sniper bolt action type weapon would be best... Moreover, a semi auto .308 strikes me as best for an offensive longer range engagement type role (using range to stay beyond primary lethal range of opponent small arms (sort of like the Taliban does to US soldiers in Afghanistan), which for me would be somewhat limited need even in a SHTF type situation, and even then, I'd think it'd be an accurized DMR type weapon rather than a basic battle rifle that'd be the roughly equivalent competitor to an AR or VZ58...
The reason for the AR recommendation is so that you have a rifle you personally built for reliability and know how to maintain before you need to use it. There are a lot of crap ARs out there, I'd like to know my own gun and not rely on someone else's weapon... Like having a better trigger, heavy profile barrel, sights and optics that work best for me, properly and ideally assembled internals, etc. You can pickup mags if desperate, but definitely scavenge any ammo... I'm a reluctant AR owner afterall, but that resignation to ARs for the above reasons makes sense to me personally. And ultimately, my wife is most confident w/ that platform, so that's what primarily drives that inclusion of that weapon in my system. And the assembly/maintenance/operation/use lessons learned are certainly a great education for me too...
To the point, agree that an AR shouldn't be a first choice, but it's good to have for a 5.56 gun if can't afford to outfit an expensive 5.56 rifle w/ proprietary mags like a galil and want a capability in that caliber. And I also try to have a few extra firearms beyond my immediate family needs, and for better or worse, a lot of those who are close family and friends that might need a weapon are current and former military with AR experience... And unfortunately some of them or their significant others don't own anything more than a pistol right now... And ARs are relatively easy to use for new shooters.
For $600, I can build a base BCM (one of the best DI builds) or Adams Arms (affordable and reliable piston AR, one of their "blemished" sales) upper w/ a quality lower like Spikes, Anderson, or Bushmaster (AIM is running $50 delivered on bushmaster lowers right now) and a palmetto state armory lower parts kit w/ base blackhawk stock. To do it my "premium standardization" for personal use, I can build for less than $800 per rifle which includes the cheaper geissele trigger, and upgraded grip, furniture, mag release, bad lever, charging handle, accuwedge, iron sights, etc. Optics would be extra...
All of that said, I agree that the VZ2008s are the best military sporter weapon value right now. They're a tremendous amount of gun for the money. Must do to run is a minimum of $50 for the tab. Also, stock pad +~$25. (~$475 for a $400 gun, roughly current price.) For my personal preference, mag release and bolt release plus another ~$120. NEA handguard +~$250 (cheaper Mako for +$70). So I'm at $850 on an optimized VZ58, the cheaper route on handguards is a little over $650. Adding a different stock than the folder is at least another $100 (+$80 due to not needing the buttstock pad).
