Which Firearms to buy for SHTF?

Your choices are as endless as the opinions you're going to receive.

What you need to do, is go to a good target shop, and talk to the folks there. If they're any good, they can hook you up with whatever suits your fancy.

Personally, I'm a wheel gun person.

My old Smith and Wesson .38 spl. will do any job I need it to do. With three, soon to be more, speed loaders? I'm fine. If I need more than that, it's time to get the hell away from whatever it is. Be it a zombie mob, or burglars with evil intent...

For reaching out a bit further? I've got a Winchester Md. 94 in .30-30, and my fave a Savage bolt action .30-30. I also have a scoped .30-06 that has taken more than one deer, or elk--it even got a bear, though that wasn't me behind the trigger.

My dbl-barrel 12 gauge has done more than its fair share of deer hunting, turkey hunting, upland bird hunting, burglar scaring... It points effortlessly, and is short enough to use as a home defense weapon.

None of my weapons are fancy, no bells, no whistles, just well maintained and the person(s) using them know what they're doing.

I've shot any number of hand guns, and rifles, some are better than others. Ones that I dislike, other people swear by, and visa-versa. So your best bet is to talk to someone, face to face, who knows his/her stuff. Whatever you choose, make sure you practice, practice, practice.

It might be a good idea to learn how to reload, as well. In a poop hits the fan situation, it would be very useful. Not just for your use, but in a barter situation as well. Bullets for beans, or eggs, or room at the inn.

Ask yourself this most important question...

"How much ammo for the weapon can you carry?"

9mm / 45acp - A few hundred rounds before your pack gets too heavy to carry...
7.62 x 39 same
5.56 ... same

I can and do carry close to a thousand 22lr rounds in my BOB...

In a SHTF scenario I am not looking to wage war, in fact I will avoid conflict like the plague.

I'm also not going to bet my life and the life of my loved ones on being able to find sufficient ammo wherever I may end up.

I can and have taken game up to and including Whitetail Deer with a 22lr. While I prefer a 5in barrel pistol, those that prefer a rifle platform are not wrong, just going to have to carry some more weight and sacrifice some food or other gear.

In a self defense situation the 22lr has been used many times and effectively I might add..

To sum it up

I would rather have my 22lr Ruger Mark II with plenty of ammo than your 9mm and it empty..

For long guns I would keep:
- Shotgun (12 Ga or 20 Ga)
- .22LR Ruger 10-22 rifle
- 30-06 or 308 large caliber rifle

Handguns:
- .357 Magnum revolver (accepts .38 and .357)
- long barrel .22LR or .22Mag revolver

a reply to: VashTheStampede

.22 IMO is a poor choice of sidearm if you run into any two legged trouble.

There is a reason 22's have been the choice of the IDF and used in many assassinations. A 22 round can do some serious damage without going completely through the target. I'd bet the average person (not much training) can more effectively defend themselves with a 22 than any larger round.

You have to understand that in a tense situation, most people are going to miss much more often. If you add to that a bigger round and the firearm recoil, the chance to miss increases. 22's are easy to squeeze-off and practically no kick whatsoever.

originally posted by: seagull
Your choices are as endless as the opinions you're going to receive.

What you need to do, is go to a good target shop, and talk to the folks there. If they're any good, they can hook you up with whatever suits your fancy.

Personally, I'm a wheel gun person.

My old Smith and Wesson .38 spl. will do any job I need it to do. With three, soon to be more, speed loaders? I'm fine. If I need more than that, it's time to get the hell away from whatever it is. Be it a zombie mob, or burglars with evil intent...

For reaching out a bit further? I've got a Winchester Md. 94 in .30-30, and my fave a Savage bolt action .30-30. I also have a scoped .30-06 that has taken more than one deer, or elk--it even got a bear, though that wasn't me behind the trigger.

My dbl-barrel 12 gauge has done more than its fair share of deer hunting, turkey hunting, upland bird hunting, burglar scaring... It points effortlessly, and is short enough to use as a home defense weapon.

None of my weapons are fancy, no bells, no whistles, just well maintained and the person(s) using them know what they're doing.

I've shot any number of hand guns, and rifles, some are better than others. Ones that I dislike, other people swear by, and visa-versa. So your best bet is to talk to someone, face to face, who knows his/her stuff. Whatever you choose, make sure you practice, practice, practice.

It might be a good idea to learn how to reload, as well. In a poop hits the fan situation, it would be very useful. Not just for your use, but in a barter situation as well. Bullets for beans, or eggs, or room at the inn.

I would recommend not speaking about firearms with gunshop employees,I've run into a few that are very ignorant and could fool a beginner into making some poor decisions.Like only you can only use the slide release lever on Sigs without damaging the gun and that on any other hanguns it will damage them,which is a the biggest load of BS I've ever heard.
Another handed me a S&W revolver I wanted to check out and when I handed it back with the cylinder open the guy flicked it shut.(called cowboying a revolver and it is good way to break one fast)

a reply to: semperfortis

Yes.

Not sure how I forgot the venerable yet entirely useful .22.

I would love to get my hands on a .22 rifle, because as you said, you can carry a whole lot of bang for not much weight.

originally posted by: semperfortis
Ask yourself this most important question...

"How much ammo for the weapon can you carry?"

9mm / 45acp - A few hundred rounds before your pack gets too heavy to carry...
7.62 x 39 same
5.56 ... same

I can and do carry close to a thousand 22lr rounds in my BOB...

In a SHTF scenario I am not looking to wage war, in fact I will avoid conflict like the plague.

I'm also not going to bet my life and the life of my loved ones on being able to find sufficient ammo wherever I may end up.

I can and have taken game up to and including Whitetail Deer with a 22lr. While I prefer a 5in barrel pistol, those that prefer a rifle platform are not wrong, just going to have to carry some more weight and sacrifice some food or other gear.

In a self defense situation the 22lr has been used many times and effectively I might add..

To sum it up

I would rather have my 22lr Ruger Mark II with plenty of ammo than your 9mm and it empty..

Doesn't matter if you try to avoid conflict,it isn't always avoidable if conflict finds you and you have only a .22 you'll wish you made a smarter caliber decision.Not to mention if you run into any dangerous game you'll be screwed unless you are able to scare it off.

a reply to: VashTheStampede

You probably have a point there.

I've had very good luck with my target shops. Course, I know when I'm being handed a load of whatever...

I learned very early on to never ever close a revolver like that. My grandfather taught me a lot about shooting a handgun, even into his 80's, he could outshoot me out to about thirty yards. That's one of the things he taught me, never ever close a revolver in that way. Any number of things can go wrong, and usually at the worst possible moment.

He was a county sheriff during Prohibition, and during the Depression, and during WWII. He was also in the trenches of WWI. He forgot more about combat shooting then I'll, thank god, ever know. He was, also, prior to WWI, a Wyoming cowboy. All together a most remarkable man.

originally posted by: introvert
a reply to: VashTheStampede

.22 IMO is a poor choice of sidearm if you run into any two legged trouble.

There is a reason 22's have been the choice of the IDF and used in many assassinations. A 22 round can do some serious damage without going completely through the target. I'd bet the average person (not much training) can more effectively defend themselves with a 22 than any larger round.

You have to understand that in a tense situation, most people are going to miss much more often. If you add to that a bigger round and the firearm recoil, the chance to miss increases. 22's are easy to squeeze-off and practically no kick whatsoever.

No IDF uses it because it is the most quiet caliber when suppressed(used with a silencer),for open fighting where the enemy knows where you are and sees you completely it is the worst choice to make.Under the effects of adrenaline no gun will have noticeable recoil.I'd rather 30 rounds - 75 rounds of 7.62x39 to fight an enemy with than 10-25 rounds of .22,besides you'll need multiply hits with a .22,if a deer can survive 4 round of 5.56 a person could probably survive 6-8 .22's unless you are an expert .22 marksman,also with .22 you have a much smaller effective range. You also forget .22 is chronographed out of weapons with a 24 inch barrel,out of a 4-6 inch pistol barrel they will perform poor in comparison,also IDF uses Ruger 10/22 .22 rifles not .22 handguns generally also they use .22's mainly to make non-lethal shots.

a reply to: VashTheStampede

I'd rather have an AK in a firefight as well. We are talking about a complimentary sidearm.

Of course, a 22 forces you to become a better marksmen. You know that a 22 round to center mass is not going to do all that much damage immediately. But a well placed shot in the "soft" areas will do the job nicely.

a reply to: VashTheStampede

2 points that refute your opinion

Number 1
That statement is mostly true but it is the .22 caliber that has killed more people than any other caliber. That includes .22 pistols, revolvers, carbines & rifles.

Incredibly effective

Number 2
For well over 55 years I have hiked, wandered, climbed and explored most wilderness areas in the United States and even in Korea, Japan and the Philippines.. I have yet to come across any dangerous game I needed to "scare off" with a firearm..

Maybe I'm just lucky

a reply to: misskat1

I was going to make a 'girl' comment too.



I have a 20g shotgun because it doesn't kick so bad like a 12g. I can shoot birds to deer with it.

I also have a 22 ruger and a 9mm P38 - nice handguns without a lot of kick.

originally posted by: introvert
a reply to: VashTheStampede

I'd rather have an AK in a firefight as well. We are talking about a complimentary sidearm.

Of course, a 22 forces you to become a better marksmen. You know that a 22 round to center mass is not going to do all that much damage immediately. But a well placed shot in the "soft" areas will do the job nicely.

Only if you are close enough,.22 isn't very good past 75 yards,9mm can go farther before the bullet starts to drop.

a reply to: VashTheStampede

I understand what your saying, and I agree with most of it.

But in a survival situation, you're not really looking for a fight. I'm certainly not, anyway. ...and if one does come along, I'm fighting only long enough to disengage, and get the hell out of Dodge. Especially if I've got family around, which will certainly be the case.

Kill it, or scare it. Either one works for me, if it allows me to get away safely with my family/friends intact.

Like Semper said, you can carry a whole lot of .22 ammunition than you can 7.62, or .30-30 for that matter. There's a balance in there that would be useful.

Personally, .22 wouldn't be my first choice, either. But it's a valid choice, none the less.

a reply to: VashTheStampede

You do understand ballistics? That ALL bullets drop immediately on exiting the barrel...???

Simple physics

originally posted by: semperfortis
a reply to: VashTheStampede

2 points that refute your opinion

Number 1
That statement is mostly true but it is the .22 caliber that has killed more people than any other caliber. That includes .22 pistols, revolvers, carbines & rifles.

Incredibly effective

Number 2
For well over 55 years I have hiked, wandered, climbed and explored most wilderness areas in the United States and even in Korea, Japan and the Philippines.. I have yet to come across any dangerous game I needed to "scare off" with a firearm..

Maybe I'm just lucky

Which means nothing because it has killed people mainly through assassinations AKA close range headshots,it isn't good past 75 yards. It has also bee around longer than most other popular rounds so that point is null and void,it is a poor combat round which is why no military or police force uses .22 as a main weapon.

originally posted by: semperfortis
a reply to: VashTheStampede

You do understand ballistics? That ALL bullets drop immediately on exiting the barrel...???

Simple physics

Do you understand range powder charge and bullet weight?

originally posted by: VashTheStampede

originally posted by: introvert
a reply to: VashTheStampede

I'd rather have an AK in a firefight as well. We are talking about a complimentary sidearm.

Of course, a 22 forces you to become a better marksmen. You know that a 22 round to center mass is not going to do all that much damage immediately. But a well placed shot in the "soft" areas will do the job nicely.

Only if you are close enough,.22 isn't very good past 75 yards,9mm can go farther before the bullet starts to drop.

True. I would be using my rifle till I had no choice but to swap to the 22. A rifle is always the most important firearm. By the time the 22 (or 9mm) comes out the target is well in range.

a reply to: VashTheStampede

Okay

Now your confused

Are we talking combat or survival in SHTF?

Maybe check the thread title..

a reply to: VashTheStampede

That's not what you said

Read your own post

"Before it starts to drop"

Gravity is an evil mistress