If you had to choose one handgun in case the SHTF what would it be?

guns are bad. i can imagine 300 million people "hunting" and "defending" themselves. can you spell wild wild west.

i'd take a spud gun. that way while you all kill each other and blow your own feet off. i'll eat potatoe chips.

My hand cannon of choice is a Para Ordinance P-15 with a titanium firing pin, 21 pound spring, ramped and with comp recoil porting – a good laser sight with solar recharge able batteries would be a plus. Then plenty extra hot ++P 185 grain hollow points.

#1

If it hits the fan, just stay inside for 30 minutes... after that you will have your choice of armaments as would be heroes rapidly become an hero

#2

If the S hits the fan

In time, if you hide well, a Modern Bow and allot of extra string and arrows (which you can reclaim)

will be so much more useful in so much less time than you would think

Last you 40 years you do it right

Your guns will be good for under 2 between the gun fights and weather and ammo supplies

and you can store allot of string in a little space and make decent new arrows from... oh I dunno, a billion rotting cars...metal tips wont prove a problem with rotting cities around ammo will, stuff wont stay fantastic in crappy weather and no more will be made and everyone who still has guns will want to kill you for it those first years.

So the heck with guns

I'll lay low and later on... have the stockpile of bows and blades

Try getting a ginsu post apocalypse... a jk, but being serious

I'd chose an AK-74U or a Skorpion if possible.

I don't actually know what the infatuation with guns as a sit x item actually is all about...

I picture Chinese and American troops scattered around America, plague, contaminated store food or just unsafe to try and get any...mass detentions all that fun stuff

I don't think... "I got me my glock 19, a coupla shot guns and few grenades from my buddy who was in Iraq right here... I'm going to engage the national guard or raving hordes today"

I think... I better be able to kill a deer and not alert anyone i'm around this area...

I'm not sure... how i'd open canned food with a shot gun anyway... you'd have to be really good and hop it doesn't get wet... or well if it does, you might be able to crack a can open with the butt end.... rofl just don't forget to clear the chamber first k?

And if intruders do come to my woods, how will I take them out?

With an Ak that echoes through valleys? Maybe ... Maybe I'd hold my glock sideways for effect while I sack that Russian convoy?

NO, I think i'd have to be quiet about it, a Katana, a Bow.... Fishing wire

Heck... poison, that's quiet...

All sorts of things I can think of... some more plausible than others, but, knowing there are others near by... I doubt I'd want to use a Gatling Gun despite how effective it would be... short term that is.

Home defense

Until I have a Home that can be defended for real... it's not much of an issue, when I have that home it wont be in a city... you can't even have a perimeter to maintain in a city let alone maintain it

In sit x, my home is left to the freaks... long before it gets bad



Now this is going sticks and stones at some point once it starts, I'd want to be the guy with the good traditional weapons

and

They wont be coming and removing my sword prior to sit x either

Keep it simple and inexpensive. Handgun would be Glock 23 $489 ( get hydrashock ammo).

I would first get a shotgun (Mossberg pistol grip 12 ga. 8 round) $289 atttach folding stock.

Then for $600 get Romanian AK-47 or equivolent.

SHTF probably won't happen like thought around here, but crime will definitely rise with unemployment. It will keep you and family safe if unlikely event of confrontation happens. Take safety calsses and go to the range to get use to the gun/s. Also buy a gun safe.

[edit on 3-5-2009 by FX44rice]

I have to disagree with you on the 12 gauge. No one I know practices with a shotgun, it will make your shoulder or hip very sore, it's too much gun for very small women and children, and it requires two hands to load and chamber a round.

The upside is you can use taser rounds and all different kinds of loads.

However, it's a good home defense weapon and great for hunting small game.

Everyones just picking the American guns! lame
well heres mine, I'd probably go for a

-FiveseveN, they're ridiculously accurate, high clip, light bullets and have seen them pierce steel plate helmets.
-SIG in .40, absolutely cant go wrong
-OC-23 Drotik, confiscated from a Russian gangster, I kept asking to keep it but it was blackliste as evidence... shame!

And I used an old Beretta M93R for a while but it had so many integral problem that servicing it cost more than buying a new gun... but the burst option is very fast!

Medium-term SHTF, I'd stick with a Glock 9mm probably. Easy to pack around with a good bit of ammo, plus it'd be easier to find more ammo than some other cals. (Never too sure about these kind of 'it'll be easy to find ammo in SHTF' arguments though.)

As for long-term SHTF, this:

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
I think if I had to grab a gun and it had to last the rest of my life I'd go for a stainless .357 revolver.

Originally posted by ashamedamerican
Just as the title states, if you had to choose one handgun, and only one in case the SHTF what would it be?

I would assume most people would choose something with 9mm caliber due to the fact that the ammo is everywhere, but taking into account everything else like stopping power, accuracy, availability of ammo, etc.
What would you choose?

I tend to lean towards a Colt model 1911, any opinions on this?
Benefits or drawbacks?
I have a friend who swears by his 'glock 21 plastic model' as I love to call it, but I don't know if I could trust my life to plastic composites.

And I apologize if this has been covered somewhere else I couldn't find it.


[edit on 11-12-2008 by ashamedamerican]

got my 1911's and lots of ammo... and the 9mm's.... and lots of ammo.... 9mm is a good choice because of the availability of ammo (though somewhat limited right now) ...but me personally I still like the 45's for stopping power.

reply to post by VelmaLu


Obviously never do any skeet or wing shooting. There are plenty of reduced recoil practice loaded ammo out there in 12 ga. . A padded shooting shirt or vest and shooting gloves makes shooting 12 ga. quite enjoyable. While bird hunting, you seldom will have to shoot more than 20 shells to reach your daily limit. You don't actually rest the stock on your hip when shooting at hip level, you let the shotgun free recoil which normally moves the barrel up slightly and you actually hit the target about lower chest/stomach area.

Most high power rifle rounds of 7mm or larger caliber actual produce more felt recoil than even a short barreled 12 ga. shotgun. 12 ga. shotguns actually push more than jab like high power rifles.

Most non combat trained shooters would far better off with a revolver with a 3"-6" barrel in .38 Spl/.357 Magnum or .44 special. than any semi-auto pistol especially for taking game.

A big old 357 Magnum with lots and lots of hollow point shells. But the ultimate would be a flame thrower

reply to post by spearhead


with my tatoe gun you've got to be real close. taking aim isn't that much of a problem because you have to be real close.
ammo is readily available from any backyard vegie patch.
it 'lacks' somewhat in the "punch" department but a well place shot to the eye is effective.
little maintainance is needed just rinse with clean water between battles.

reply to post by spearhead


with my tatoe gun you've got to be real close. taking aim isn't that much of a problem because you have to be real close.
ammo is readily available from any backyard vegie patch.
it 'lacks' somewhat in the "punch" department but a well place shot to the eye is effective.
little maintainance is needed just rinse with clean water between battles.

reply to post by Doc Holiday


I hadn't thought of the "stealth" aspect, and that is a very good point. I don't think I can feel good with just one gun. I love my 1911 too much, the stopping power is for more than ego, you may need it against an animal (boar, bear, etc), you may need it against someone in cover (car, light vest, etc).

The stealth aspect has my attention now though; that could be very important for hunting or sniping depending on the scenario. I had a 22LR that barely went 'pop' and was extremely accurate at 100 yds or more. Now I gotta find another one.

Edit: forgot to mention my favorite "riot" gun, 12 guage, short barrel, double pistol grip, 7 round cap, xenon light, it is crucial in close situations, I gotta take them all!

[edit on 8-5-2009 by getreadyalready]

[edit on 8-5-2009 by getreadyalready]

Originally posted by spearhead
guns are bad. i can imagine 300 million people "hunting" and "defending"

There are an estimated 20 million active hunters in the U.S..

Do you have a general idea of how large the continental United States is?

There are 172,044,800 acres of land in Texas alone. You can give every resident of the United States half an acre in Texas. Which is far more land than most of those urban dependents in NYC, LA, SF, Boston, Chicago, etc.. have. Even more than many suburbanites have. The typical suburban home is on about 1/10th an acre of land.

If every citizen were evenly spread out across the country we could live our lives never having to see another human being.

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


lots of land. i see that.
but after a year or two nearly every animal big enough to be shot will be shot.
you'll be condemned to hunting bugs, or each other.

yum yum!

Originally posted by spearhead
reply to post by thisguyrighthere

 

lots of land. i see that.
but after a year or two nearly every animal big enough to be shot will be shot.
you'll be condemned to hunting bugs, or each other.

yum yum!

bugs and rats are not all that bad if you prepare them correctly... but all that aside.. that is why people ought to also prepare by putting foods away as well as water for their own personal use...