If I Could Only Grab 2 Guns for Survival

So you think you may need a firearm—but is a firearm absolutely essential for survival?

The answer is no, however, I cannot fathom a survival scenario where a firearm would put you at a disadvantage, unless, of course, you’re drowning and the weight of the gun is dragging you under.

In that scenario, just let go of the gun.

So What Kind Of Firearm do You Need?

The most common purposes for a firearm are: self-protection, food acquisition and signaling.

Signaling is easy—any gun that goes bang will work.

The other two are not so cut and dried. Many factors must be weighed and decisions made.

Food acquisition with a firearm is what we call hunting. This can be broken down into two categories: small game and medium/large game.

Rabbits, squirrel, possum, raccoon, birds, chipmunks and snakes are all considered small game and do not require powerful, large caliber firearms.

Deer, buffalo and elk are medium to large game and require a firearm with a larger bullet and more power.

When selecting a weapon, the selection should be based on the bullet/cartridge. Some makes and models of rifles, and handguns are higher quality than others, but the bullet is what does the work and the cartridge is what sends the bullet on its way. You should select your survival weapon by selecting your cartridge.

The ideal cartridge for small game is the .22 Long Rifle. The venerable .22 LR is the most common, historically plentiful and cheap cartridge on the planet—although at the moment it is in very high demand and very low supply.

The bullet is relatively lightweight at 40 grains, but still packs plenty of penetrating power to take down just about any small game. The cartridge is small enough to easily carry a thousand, even two thousand, rounds on your person.

The rifles that fire the .22 LR can be bolt action or semi-automatic, sometimes scoped, and mostly inexpensive. However, the maximum effective range for a .22 LR is 150-200 yards, with best results at less than 100 yards. The bullet drop at 200 yards is measured in feet, so it’s not a long range cartridge by any means.

For larger game the weight of the bullet, the amount of powder and the overall size and weight of the cartridge grow exponentially. These cartridges, such as .30-06 Springfield, throw a 150-200 grain bullet anywhere from 2400-3000 feet per second.

The rifles that fire these powerful cartridges are generally bolt action, very accurate and sometimes scoped. These rifles are designed for killing medium/large game at long range, 200-400 yards, typically, with maximum ranges to nearly 1000 yards.

Where they excel at long range, larger game, they do have some shortcomings. The cartridges are far larger, heavier and more expensive than the .22LR. The rifles that fire these rounds are more expensive, usually three to four times the cost of a nice .22 rifle. And while these larger rounds are great at killing deer and elk, small game, such as squirrel and rabbit, are simply blown to bit by these cartridges.

The last disadvantage is weight. A thousand rounds of .30-06 come in a crate weighing over fifty pounds—not something you’ll want to throw in your bug out bag.

A nice intermediate cartridge is the .223 Remington (5.56mm). This round is commonly fired by AR-15 variants. The cartridge is smaller, lighter and cheaper than the big hunting cartridges, but due to its velocity and shape is still lethal out beyond 500 yards.

While this round would still make a mess of a squirrel, it’s not as destructive on larger small game as the big cartridges. The AR-15 clip typically holds anywhere from ten to 30 rounds, depending on your local laws—so extra ammo is right there in the rifle, ready to go.

What about shotguns?

The shotgun is good for small game and, when firing slugs, it’s even good for deer and elk. However, while its ammo is designed with the hunter in mind, it’s useless much beyond 50 yards and the weight and sized of a shotgun shell, can be larger and heavier than rifle cartridges.

Most pump shotguns only hold a handful of shells, so the extra ammo can’t be carried in the weapon itself.

So What About Personal Protection?

Handguns immediately come to mind and there are some great choices of handguns available. Once again we have to consider the cartridge and its function. The .22LR comes in as the cheapest and most plentiful handgun round, but once again it also lacks the power of its peers.

The next most common cartridge is probably a toss-up between the 38 Special and the 9 mm Luger, both of comparable power, though the 38 is mostly fired from revolvers and the 9mm from semi-automatic pistols. Other great self-defense cartridges include the .380 ACP, .357 Magnum, the .44 Magnum and the immensely popular .45 ACP.

All of these are great choices, however, in a survival situation you may need to consider quantity of ammo on hand, rather than power of the cartridge. The 38 Special, .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum are all usually employed from revolvers with capacities of only 5-6 rounds. The semi-automatics in 9mm, for instance, can carry up to 17 cartridges in replaceable clips. Large capacities and fast reloads may be necessary in a survival situation and the semi-automatics fill the bill nicely. However, the semi-automatic is far more prone to malfunctions or jams than revolvers.

When the gun jams it doesn’t matter how many rounds are left in the clip. The jam must be cleared and a fresh round chambered—which takes time.

Handguns in general are a good choice for self-defense. They are small and easily maneuvered, meaning you can fire on one target and quickly engage another. However, like the shotgun they are limited by range.

Indoors, handguns are great, but at longer distances accuracy declines rapidly.

So What About Shotguns For Self-Defense?

The shotgun has a distinct advantage in accuracy and maybe even destructive power at short range. Firing a single shell into a mass of assailants at close range can be a game changer, however, if you open up with a shotgun at 100 yards against a guy with a rifle—you are going to die.

Even in close quarters, where the shotgun is the most effective, it does have the disadvantage of mobility. In tight quarters, such as in thick brush or indoors in narrow hallways or rooms filled with furniture, the shotgun isn’t nearly as maneuverable as a handgun. It is more difficult to swing the weapon around to engage a second target.

Some “coach” shotguns are shorter than normal hunting weapons and are better for indoor self-defense purposes, but that shorter length means shorter range and less accuracy if used for hunting.

So what about a hunting rifle for self-defense?

Unless you are defending a compound in the middle of a thousand yards of prairie and any intruders have to spend several minutes crossing this area to get to you, the bigger “deer rifles” are no good. Close-in they are unwieldy, like a shotgun, very difficult to acquire a target, fire on it, acquire a second target and engage it through high-power scopes. While these rifles are great for hunting, they are not in their element when used for self-defense.

So How About A Compromise?

The carbine is essentially a rifle with a shortened barrel. Many AR-15 variants come in carbine form. These rifles are light, maneuverable, can hold up to 30 rounds, fire with accuracy out to 400 yards, and with red-dot, reflexive sights are perfect for close quarter confrontations. They can meet the all the basic survival needs: hunting, self-defense and signaling. The .223 Remington (5.56 mm) is a very common, plentiful and cost effective round.

(Note: the AK-47 variants are also very common, of comparable size and fire a similar, plentiful round. Though not as accurate as the AR-15, in a dirty, wilderness survival scenario the AK may actually be more reliable due to its rugged, loose tolerance construction.)

The Bottom Line Is Simple.

Everyone has their own opinions about what firearms are best if TSHTF.

Weapons with common cartridges are best.

In a true end of civilization scenario (think Walking Dead, if necessary) you want a firearm for which you can find either find ammo or carry all you’ll ever need to begin with. Oddball calibers, while perhaps very effective, are not desirable in these scenarios.

If I could only grab two guns from my safe on my way out to the apocalypse, I’d grab my bolt-action, scoped .22 LR (and a thousand rounds) and my AK-47(and 300 rounds). If I could grab a handgun in this scenario it’d be my .22LR revolver—one more advantage of the .22 LR round.

The real trick to gun ownership is not endlessly considering your options, but buying it before you need it. After you need it—it may be too late.

“Just In Case” Jack

P.S Another benefit of the .22 Long Rifle is its use in revolvers and even semi-automatic pistols. The .22 Long Rifle, while not packing the punch of a 9mm or .45 ACP, is still a lethal cartridge when used for self-defense.

By -“Just In Case” Jack

www.skilledsurvival.com

Other Useful Resources:

Survival MD (Learn how to survive any crisis situation)

Blackout USA (EMP survival and preparedness guide)
Conquering the coming collapse (Financial advice and preparedness )
Backyard Innovator (All Year Round Source Of Fresh Meat,Vegetables And Clean Drinking Water)
Liberty Generator (Easy DIY to build your own off-grid free energy device)
Backyard Liberty (Easy and cheap DIY Aquaponic system to grow your organic and living food bank)
Bullet Proof Home (A Prepper’s Guide in Safeguarding a Home )
Family Self Defense (Best Self Defense Strategies For You And Your Family)
Sold Out After Crisis (Best 37 Items To Hoard For A Long Term Crisis)