Which Firearms to buy for SHTF?

What 2 survival firearms would be good for my wife and I for protection and hunting etc...in case Government collapse for what ever reason?
Only 2, two for her and two for me. What ammo will be most easily found out there if Zombie apocalypse or what ever wipes out most of us and people are fighting for resources etc...?

2 hand Guns, 2 Rifles? Shotgun maybe?

If you had to pick 2 firearms and ammo only what would they be. Id say under $2500 for both but cheaper is better.

Be specific as possible, model, brand ammo.

Thank you!

X

a reply to: Xeven
Here's my old stand by.



Be mindful of the kick.

originally posted by: Xeven
What 2 survival firearms would be good for my wife and I for protection and hunting etc...in case Government collapse for what ever reason?
Only 2, two for her and two for me. What ammo will be most easily found out there if Zombie apocalypse or what ever wipes out most of us and people are fighting for resources etc...?

2 hand Guns, 2 Rifles? Shotgun maybe?

If you had to pick 2 firearms and ammo only what would they be. Id say under $2500 for both but cheaper is better.

Be specific as possible, model, brand ammo.

Thank you!

X

Mossberg 59A1 12Ga -$740 ish
Glock 9mm handgun

A good long range rifle is useful, hunting, etc mine is 30-06. .....oh and a really angry looking dog.

a reply to: Xeven

A lot of people will say AR, bahh every time there is a gun scare there is a run on .223 and 5.56 ammo making it nearly impossible to find. And the AR is not in most cases a very well made rifle. For defense I say Mossberg defender in 12 gauge, if you are not into a shotgun I say Polish or Czech AK they are cheap, very sturdy, and nobody ever has a run on 7.62x39 ammo. For hand guns I am a fan on the 1911 platform, lot of people say glock for this and that other reason, I say 1911 because they are not made of freaking plastic. Kimber makes a very nice on but they are a bit pricey, thompson makes a very well made 1911 as well. Beware over seas knock offs, they will be fine for a while but will need primary springs, barrels, and bluing to start, and most times just so it does not stove pipe you will have to have a smith polish the ramp, so yeah kimber or thompson or colt, I have the Thompson and the Colt GI model 1911, there is also the 2011 that is a stagger fed mag but has a much wider and heavier frame. All in all avoid plastic guns but in the end I say just goto a shooting range and rent different ones to try out, pick what you like and feels right for you.

9mm is probably going to be your best bet for a handgun. It's probably the most common round, even though I prefer my 1911 (I have large hands)

I suggest a rifle over a shotgun if you're seriously limiting yourself to 2 weapons. Shop for a rifle in a common caliber, especially 7.62x51mm (NATO standard). Other considerations would be 5.56/.223, 30-06, etc.

I can't pretend to tell you there is a one size fits all solution. Not every gun is going to work for every shooter. You'll have to see what you like.

a reply to: Xeven

AR15 Relatively cheap between 600-1000 for one. DPMS makes great AR's. I have a DPMS upper and a Palmetto state AR lower as one of my cheap builds and after everything including sights it was under $700 for the rifle. Plus everybody and their mother has an AR in America. So parts will be abundant and Ammo won't be hard to find as long as your willing to take it off someone. So I would say a great AR15 will serve the purpose of defence as well as hunting (A well placed 5.56 round will drop anything contrary to what most people think)

For pistols go with Springfield XDM's. They are relatively cheap, extremely reliable, come in many different calibres and sizes. Plus they have 3 passive safeties. Therefore, no need to ever flick a switch to kill. When you pull your gun out with the finger on the trigger you're ready to rock and roll. I could go way more into detail about haw amazing the XDM's really are but I told have the room or time.

Hope this helps

a reply to: PraetorianAZ

XDM's are my personal favorite. They're well over $100 more compared to a glock. I paid around $650 for my .45 ACP, Glocks run around 450-500 and are very solid (albeit plastic) guns.

You have endless choices really.
Stick with easy to find ammo like 12 gauge, 22, 9mm 45.
Etc etc.
Make the models you choose reliable.
Don't waste your money buying a gun when for the same price you can buy 3 guns that will suit your needs.

a reply to: PraetorianAZ

I'd say DPMS makes decent AR's, not great. I built mine from the ground up with Spike's recievers and have about $2100 in it, though. My opinion might be a little biased, LOL.

You'll need a backup in case you can't reload or run out of ammo.


thinkgeek has some nice ones to choose from.

www.thinkgeek.com...

I like this one.

Just a good pistol / rifle and lots of ammo.

I'm personally fond of pistol carbines, so getting one of those would be good if you had a pistol with supporting ammo. It'd be easier to have ammo for 2 weapons instead of relying on different calibers.

a reply to: Xeven
One firearm to think about would be the Chiappa X-Caliber.
It is a single shot 12 gauge that, with the optional kit, can fire .410/ 20ga/ .22 Rimfire and these pistol calibers: (380-9mm-357mag/38sp-40S&W-44mag-45acp-45colt)
It is modeled after the Air Force M-6 Scout crew survival weapon.


Chiappa

probably best to find a range that has various weapons to try out and see what works well for you, one persons easy to use weapon is another persons nightmare.

probably nato ammo and 12 bore rounds will be the most common but after a while you'll probably have to think about recycling brass but .40cal might be a sneaky one as its a general police round and not being as popular with lots of people it might be a good thing to think about.

a reply to: Xeven

AR-10 .308 long range good for hunting/sniping
m-24 AKA Remington 700
M&P .40 cal extended mag.

Those would be me.

originally posted by: Xeven
What 2 survival firearms would be good for my wife and I for protection and hunting etc...in case Government collapse for what ever reason?
Only 2, two for her and two for me. What ammo will be most easily found out there if Zombie apocalypse or what ever wipes out most of us and people are fighting for resources etc...?

2 hand Guns, 2 Rifles? Shotgun maybe?

If you had to pick 2 firearms and ammo only what would they be. Id say under $2500 for both but cheaper is better.

Be specific as possible, model, brand ammo.

Thank you!

X

Judge .410/.45 LC revolver it can be used with birdshot in .410 to get birds to eat and you can use .45 rounds for bear/mountain lion/people defense,something reliable in 9mm as it is the most common handgun round,Remington 870 for close range defense,and an AK or SKS in 7.62x39mm partial because ammo is very cheap,I just bought 1,000 rounds of 7.62x39mm a few months ago for $250 including tax.

If it has to be narrowed down to just 2 weapons I vote AK in 7.62x39mm and Judge revolver,9mm is so common you'll most likely find a 9mm handgun and ammo after it hits the fan.I'd also get a good sharp knife that could be used to skin game in a food emergency and that is small enough to comfortably carry on you all day plus your other gear.

I keep a 22 and a 9, but Im a girl. I keep these because, the ammo is easy to find. And it seems like everyone has a few 22 shells laying around.

originally posted by: eXia7
Just a good pistol / rifle and lots of ammo.

I'm personally fond of pistol carbines, so getting one of those would be good if you had a pistol with supporting ammo. It'd be easier to have ammo for 2 weapons instead of relying on different calibers.

Agreed.

I would say the best firearms to have would be an AK, as ammo is easy to find and you can drop an AK in the mud/sand, whatever and it will still cycle.

For a pistol I would choose a long barrel 22 revolver. You still have some range for hunting small game, yet a close quarters weapon as well. I prefer revolvers as they are very reliable and can fire any grain of round. Some 22's require higher grain rounds to cycle and what happens if you can only find a box of cheap Thunderbolts?

originally posted by: slapjacks
a reply to: Xeven

AR-10 .308 long range good for hunting/sniping
m-24 AKA Remington 700
M&P .40 cal extended mag.

Those would be me.

.308 is expensive to stock up on and you'll likely not come across much of it if you have to scavenge for supplies,you'll find much more .223,5.56,and 7.62x39. Same case with .40 minus the cost,you'll find much more .22lr,9mm,.45 acp and .38 special.

originally posted by: introvert

originally posted by: eXia7
Just a good pistol / rifle and lots of ammo.

I'm personally fond of pistol carbines, so getting one of those would be good if you had a pistol with supporting ammo. It'd be easier to have ammo for 2 weapons instead of relying on different calibers.

Agreed.

I would say the best firearms to have would be an AK, as ammo is easy to find and you can drop an AK in the mud/sand, whatever and it will still cycle.

For a pistol I would choose a long barrel 22 revolver. You still have some range for hunting small game, yet a close quarters weapon as well. I prefer revolvers as they are very reliable and can fire any grain of round. Some 22's require higher grain rounds to cycle and what happens if you can only find a box of cheap Thunderbolts?

Not only is AK 7.62x39 ammo easy to find it is also one of the most popular calibers in civilian hands because it is one of if not the cheapest centerfire cartridges around. .22 IMO is a poor choice of sidearm if you run into any two legged trouble.

If it came down to having two and only two firearms, I would go with an AK47 and a 12 gauge pump shotgun with an extended mag if possible.

The .30 caliber of the AK is more than enough to hunt and defend ones self and its smaller size will come in handy in defensive positions. Have at least six 30 round mags with it.

The 12 gauge would also be handy for hunting, fishing (yep, I've done that) and defense, too.

All you would need is ammo for the two weapons. Cleaning kit and oil is necessary, also.