first of all a 270 does NOT have a flatter trajectory than a 30/06- look at the ballistics charts and you can find that out. all a 270 is is a 30/o6 necked down to 270 caliber. only available in 4 different grain bullets. for that matter get a 280 it's a 30/06 necked down to 7mm- many different grains available. and 30/06 is still most popular and if you happen to take out someone with a BAR you get lots of ammo. and i believe the m 60 shoots 30/06 too. as for a 25 i assume you are talking about the 25 acp which i agree- with whomever it was - is laughable but if you mean a 25/06 then that is a nasty cartridge. i wish people would stop saying caliber and not what cartridge. an m16 shoots 22 CALIBER but what do you think it would do to a squirrel? hope you weren't planning to eat that tree rat. and as for the 25 acp my 22 mag has 3x more energy at 100 yards than that 25 does at the muzzle. and i still love my ak- power of a 30/30 so can take out big game and noone wants to be on the recieving end of that thing- and i can hit bullseyes with it at 100 yards so don't say it's not accurate. my 06 you don't want to be within 300 yards of me- i'll get you-just ask some deer lol but back on topic i don't think they will do door to door searches but if they did i gaurantee there will be lots of dead laos and to the op's question here in pa you don't have to register long guns only handguns but if you buy a long gun from a dealer then it gets registered. buy it person to person it doesn't have to be. as for pistol 45 acp is the best man stopper there is and lots of ammo available

One other thought. If for example you have a .22 Ruger rifle, but you also have several thousand rounds of .22 long rifle, if things get really bad, that .22 ammo will be worth gold.

An excellent trade good. You have a big supply, and things get rough, you can swap for damned near anything you want.

Common calibers is what you should prefer.

.22, 9mm. .45ACP, .270, .223, and .308 will always be plentiful, yet increasingly at a premium.

Some really good ideas on this thread.

If it ever comes time to hide them, then its probably time to use them.

2nd Amendment isn't about hunting.

it's about hitting the reset button on the US Govt.

i love my 30/06 but also love my 308. i agree this may be the best cartridge to have available in a rifle as most NATO military weapons are chambered for this cartridge. why it is called 7.62 NATO and is almost as powerful as the 06. and always have a 22lr or 22wmr available- not only are they good for small game but also fairly quiet and will put a hurt on someone if need be

Great information!
Thanks for all your thoughts....they'll definitely be helpful in deciding what we're going to do.
Now we just need to decide.

Um, if you're uncomfortable about guns, I would recommend you take a course at your local range. They are usually low cost and cover much of the basics.

If you aren't going to practice with it, then there's no sense in having it. Which makes a shotgun not a very good choice -- unless you are getting one for hunting along with a handgun. But if you're going to get only one gun, get a handgun and make sure you have a holster for it. Also, invest in a small gun safe.

I would recommend you get a revolver in a larger caliber. A .357 is a good choice as you can use both .357 hollowpoint rounds or the smaller .38 rounds (which you can use at the range). It has adequate stopping power without scaring you to death at the range.

My reason for a revolver is that they last forever, are very forgiving if you don't clean them, they rarely jam (as compared to a semi-auto) and they are just easier to use. In a survival situation, you'll save your brass (because it doesn't automatically eject on to the ground) for reloading later on. If you drop it in a puddle, it's going to keep working unless you let it rust.

If you're not going to go shooting once a month, a revolver makes sense. Besides, it's a good starting point. If you decide you like guns, you can always add a pistol.

And if nothing happens, you'll have a nice heirloom to pass down to your great grandkids because revolvers are pretty tough. They just aren't as "sexy" as 9 mm Glock or .40 Sig.