The right gun for the right situation

[Parhams0508]

What type of situation are you planning for, and what gun would you grab for said situation?

Here are some situations I could foresee:

-Lost in the woods
-EMP away from home (have to get back home)
-Societal collapse away from home
-Societal collapse at home
-Urban evacuation/bugging out of the city
-Bugging out to the wilderness
-Bugging in an urban environment
-Bugging in a rural environment
-Home invasion
-Car breaks down
-Zombie apocalypse
-Biological epidemic

I realize that some of these events may seem more mundane than the other, more-apocalyptic sounding few, but they are definitely more likely than the EOTW events the movies like to sensationalize. If you have any other events that could be considered mild/moderate/severe SHTF scenarios, list'em!

I doubt there would be a perfect gun for all situations, and I realize that many situations would have overlapping firearm requirements, but let's try to stretch our minds and figure out what would be the minimal requirements for protection and protein procurement.

 

[beerman]

Unfortunately for me right now, I don't have a decent selection of different guns. I'm planning to get an AR sometime this summer, but until then if anything actually does happen...

My XD40 that is always with me.

Then it's either my Marlin .22, Marlin 30-30, or Remmington 12 ga. pump for any and all situations. I really don't have enough ammo for any of them except my XD.

 

[Parhams0508]

Unfortunately for me right now, I don't have a decent selection of different guns. I'm planning to get an AR sometime this summer, but until then if anything actually does happen...

My XD40 that is always with me.

Then it's either my Marlin .22, Marlin 30-30, or Remmington 12 ga. pump for any and all situations. I really don't have enough ammo for any of them except my XD.

I'm with you there; I need to finish building my AR, but the tacticool Mossy 500 I have should suffice as an all-round protein procurer and theft deterrent. So, I'd have my XDSC 9mm on my side (and my wife would have hers as well), and my Mossy 500 for bugging out/in.

I would love to have one of those Savage 42's with the .410 and .22LR O/U barrels as a hiking/camping gun, but that goes against my minimalist approach to prepping.

I always have my XD plus two mags with me where ever I go, stored away with other EDC items in my man-purse/survival bag (as my wife calls it).

 

[Parhams0508]

But, I say we go hypothetical here, not just what we have on hand.

 

[bigfutz]

A 22 rifle e.g. Ruger 10/22 might be handy: low weight ammo = lots of ammo; can take small game and cut down out of reach fruit & nuts; quiet = doesn't attract zombies (supressed/subsonic even better), kills zombies (even a 22 will bust a rotting brain stem).

 

[Parhams0508]

A 22 rifle e.g. Ruger 10/22 might be handy: low weight ammo = lots of ammo; can take small game and cut down out of reach fruit & nuts; quiet = doesn't attract zombies (supressed/subsonic even better), kills zombies (even a 22 will bust a rotting brain stem).

I think the .22 will just about be the best all-purpose backpack gun, with it's low weight and hi-capacity capabilities, but for extended scenarios, do you think it would last without cleaning it? I can imagine putting tons of rounds down the barrel fairly quickly, but most .22LR semiauto's will need cleaning within a couple hundred rounds before failure, I could imagine (if one compares it to something like an AR or AK).

 

[LiveFreeorDie]

But, I say we go hypothetical here, not just what we have on hand.

I'll play.

I have a few alternatives in the safe, but I also know if bugging out on foot has to be done, and quickly, I can't carry them all, much less the ammo. Bugging In's a different story. The opinions above about the .22 are extremely valid and I own one for the very reasons given. IF I had to choose only what I could carry, it would be:

300 Blackout in AR platform (suppressed) and a Glock 23 in a level 2 drop leg rig. If you have a partner, have them carry a Glock 23 and an AR-15 5.56. Assuming that's what we can carry and nothing else. The sidearms let you fight your way to your rifle; that's about all. Comments?

 

[Parhams0508]

I have a few alternatives in the safe, but I also know if bugging out on foot has to be done, and quickly, I can't carry them all, much less the ammo. Bugging In's a different story. The opinions above about the .22 are extremely valid and I own one for the very reasons given. IF I had to choose only what I could carry, it would be:

300 Blackout in AR platform (suppressed) and a Glock 23 in a level 2 drop leg rig. If you have a partner, have them carry a Glock 23 and an AR-15 5.56. Assuming that's what we can carry and nothing else. The sidearms let you fight your way to your rifle; that's about all. Comments?

Totally agree. I suppose this is for civil unrest? Zombie apocalypse? Or general bugout?

.300 BLK for hunting AND defense?

For civil unrest, here's what I go with:

Me, I'm sticking with NATO rounds: 5.56 AR and mine and my wive's XD SC's in 9mm. Plus the 12 gauge, although that might be shelved. Maybe. I can be a beast with a bead sight, and darn near deadly with ghost rings on a shottie....

 

[Tigerstripe]

there is a lot of information on you tube. for example one vid talks about being out trying to get somewhere and having , the gaurd or the blue hat UN watching people. ie taking guns.
are you all cammoed up with a big pack and a rifle, shotgun strapped on? they will want to talk to you.
with your man purse, jeans and reversible camo/orange jacket you might not look so suspisous,but is traveling near a road wise in the first place.

do you know how to find north, south, east, and west at night? stab 2 sticks into the ground. use them like sights and aim at a large star. wait 5 minutes. aim and see which way the star goes. ok you will have to check these facts. i may have forgotten. if the star goes right then to you are facing south. star left you are facing north. star up then in front of you is east, star goes down in front of you is west.
its like turning the compass upside down and backwards because you are looking from the point of the star.
i think i will check those facts again.

http://youtu.be/Vmth7oE7Lk0

i was right. David is his name and he has lots of good stuff. check him out.

 

[LiveFreeorDie]

300 BLK for hunting AND defense?

Great for defense and large game. Quiet with subsonics and powerful with supersonics. Way too much for small game, I concede. Choosing between a suppressed .22 and a suppressed 300BLK will be a very tough decision, if you could only choose one. Your position on using common rounds is also a good one, and 300BLK doesn't fit well in that regard. Hypothetically, if you have both, have your partner carry the one you're not carrying, and take both. Tough choices.

 

[Parhams0508]

Choosing between a suppressed .22 and a suppressed 300BLK will be a very tough decision, if you could only choose one. Your position on using common rounds is also a good one, and 300BLK doesn't fit well in that regard. Hypothetically, if you have both, have your partner carry the one you're not carrying, and take both. Tough choices.

There's a problem with not sharing the same caliber as your partner: what if one of you runs out of ammo? Not only will the Schumer have hit the fan, but you'll also be up Creek Shipoopie without a paddle.

I like Tiger's mentality of stealth as well. That tacticool Mossy I have will certainly draw attention, whereas a hunting rig with a 28" barrel wouldn't seem too suspicious if there was a season open. Although, you must concede that ANY weapon would probably be confiscated, no matter how it appears. So why not go for broke, eh?

I guess the general consensus is that tactical weapons (hi-cap, hi-power black rifles and comparable pistols) are a must for the apocalyptic arsenal, but we should be wise in their display?

 

[HOLY DIVER]

Glock 19 for me and an AR15 thats what i have my stock in.this reminds me i HAVE to buy a rig to carry extra mags

 

[Parhams0508]

What do yall think of one-caliber strategies? Like going with a revolver and lever-action rifle in .357/.44 magnum? Or having a Sub-2000 which shares the same mags and caliber as your Sig/Glock?

 

[Parhams0508]

Give up the idea of having such a heavy, long rifle that you are constantly lying it aside, man.

How much does your M4 weigh? 'Cause I think that my dad's Marlin 1894 weighs just as much as my father-in-law's AR....

 

[Tigerstripe]

Glock 19 for me and an AR15 thats what i have my stock in.this reminds me i HAVE to buy a rig to carry extra mags

By tigerstripe1 at 2012-06-27

By tigerstripe1 at 2012-06-27

at the store i told you about for $25.
6 30 rd AR mags
on one side a Glock 21
other side 4 27 rd mags for the glock
in the middle a folded double piece of kevlar

 

[ReefShark]

I think that the idea sucks. If I am going to lug around a longarm, it's going to be a 223 M4, with a Ciener .22lr conversion unit, so that I have the option of both of those calibers. The pistol is a 9mm pocket model, cause that is the most commonly found centerfire pistol rd, and because it is the most powerful load that is fully controlable in rapidfire, from a pistol small and lw enough to be handily carried in a front pants pocket rig.. that rig stays out of the way of both the rifle and the backpack, something that can't be said of shoulder or belt rigs, for sure. It's concealed well, too, which can't be said for thigh rigs. Could carry something bigger in a fanny back, I suppose, worn at the navel, for ease of access. The pistol is nearly worthless when everyone is carrying a longarm. Give up the idea of having such a heavy, long rifle that you are constantly lying it aside, man. Keep an M4 on the assault sling. The pistol is for when you have to fire from your sleeping bag, as crawling in a tunnel, while climbing a ladder or a tree, while driving, etc, when a longarm just won't work.

You lost me at "fanny pack"...

 

[Dave29461]

He lost me on Jun e 23rd.
Dave

 

[HOLY DIVER]

thanks tiger thats a good looking rig i need to go pick one up

 

[ReefShark]

Dave29461 for the win!

 

[Parhams0508]

I was thinking about the "perfect" hiking/backpack gun, and I think that a .410 would nearly be better than a .22lr. Reason: more ammo choices, and same basic purpose as a .22lr (small game, easily carried ammo). Only thing thing hindering a .410 is the cost of shells.