I wouldn't personally get all fancy. If S does really hit the fan, you need a simple, yet low maintenence result getting boomstick IMO.

Just give me my 12 gauge pump with a sling loaded with buckshot, and a few boxes of shells in the pack.

when SHTF i for one, am ganna pull out my AR-15 w/scope, and camp out my house. maybe set up shop on the roof.

I see a lot of well thought out answers, some not-so. To quote the Marine Corps, "I am the weapon, everything else is merely a tool." Talk of silencing weapons are 'Hollywood'. A single shot from a firearm should not give away your position unless you are in very close proximity of the enemy. I have read people claiming to use military caliber weapons because they will 'get ammo' from whatever they think will be available from others.
I am going with a muzzle loader .50 caliber, for hunting, to be exact. If I run out of commercial powder, I can make a form of black-powder; the military teaches you some of the coolest stuff. I can recover most of my ammo from the animal I harvest and re-cast it.
If you want a silent weapon, use a bow, crossbow, sling-shot. Trapping is a low-calorie, silent, and easily modified to the largest and most dangerous 'animals'.
If you are talking personal defense weapons, go for something that will mesh with your style of defense/offense, i.e. an assault rifle for assaulting, a hand gun for back-up (remember, you use a handgun not because it's better than a rifle, you use it because you can't use your rifle for some reason, like CCW), a shotgun for short range defense, rarely offensive unless you are trained that way. As a PDW, I chose a Krinkov, for price, cost of ammo, high-capacity mag, and conceal-ability (yes, it can be well hidden in a top-coat or 3/4 length jacket, just ask any Russian bodyguard). For home defense, I use it, and a Mossberg 590A1.

I just bought a Sterling semi auto Type 2, in 9 mm. It sports a 34 round mag, 16.25 inch barrel, with a full ventilated barrel shroud and a under folder stock. It could be my SHTF weapon, because it would store easily in my backpack, and the ammo would be compatable with my 9 mm semi auto 1911.

I see a lot of people pointing the amount of ammo you can carry on your person. This is irrelevant if you're not moving. There will undoubtedly be a large number of people who will hole up with their friends and loved ones. This is a completely different type of situation. What about the situation where your food and ammunition stores are under threat? These will become close range conflicts.

In either situation I think the best choice of weapons would be the good 'ol AK-47/Variants. It's trusty, dependable, nearly indestructible. The ammo is common, and would be easy to find. The Ak can be used in almost any situation from close range to medium/long range. The ability to burst or fully automatic fire in a defense situation is a huge factor, who needs 1000 yard shots when you can put 20+ rounds in a target 250-300 yards away?

In a situation where moving is a factor the AK is still a very handy weapon to have. Ammo wouldn't be a huge issue, getting the weapon dirty wouldn't be a huge issue, range/terrain wouldn't be a huge issue.

That's just my opinion though.

The best SHTF gun hands down is the AK. It's accurate and powerful enough for any SHTF use, hunting, defense, etc. The 7.62x39 round is powerful, cheap, and plentiful. I don't think there's a more reliable tougher weapon available than the AK. AR's are great, but for SHTF, definitely the AK. Mosin's are great guns, but I think the round is overkill for most situations.

There is nothing wrong with using a Mosin Nagant. It is a common misconception that ammunition would be all that scarce. But that just means you aren't looking in the right places. Sure, you probably aren't going to see 7.62x54 rounds gracing the shelves at your local walmart. And you most likely aren't going to see all that many people using something in that particular caliber in a SHTF scenario.

However, the ammunition is all around you. For example, around where I live, there are a handful of pawn shops and gun shops. Of these, about 4 of them usually have Mosin Nagants on display. You know what else they have? Several boxes of ammunition for those rifles.

And then there is the collector factor. A surprising number of people purchase this rifle every year. And when they do, they also buy ammunition for it. Even though it most likely wouldn't be their first choice in a defensive weapon, they still have it around.

Personally, I'm more of a semi-auto kind of guy. I use a springfield M1A which fires a .308 and uses 20-round mags. It's heavy, it kicks like a mule, but it gets the job done and is always on target. I love it.

I used to use an SKS as well. The 10-round internal mag wasn't sufficient so it was modified to fire 30-round AK mags. However, it was fairly common to get stovepipe jams. They take seconds to fix but are still annoying.

But after selling the SKS and moving up to an AK-47, no more jams. Nothing but reliable shooting in 7.62x39. It has the same range as an AR-15 but is just slightly heavier. I replaced the wooden furniture on mine with a quad-rail and a 6-point collapsible stock so it has pretty much the same functionality as an AR-15 but with a better gas system in my opinion.

i like the SKS russian model..wilh bayonet and scope..and my 1911 colt...45 ammo is everywhere as are the rounds for the sks..KISS (keep it simple simon) one rifle one pistol

About 7 years ago. Sold it about 2 years ago. The problem was mainly with the way the mag was seating. Sometimes it would not be sitting flush after reloading and this would, in turn, cause feed problems. It was built with Norinco parts. Not Tapco.