get home bag pistol

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An externally thrashed stainless Ruger revolver, with internals in good condition, would be my choice. (I own a couple of candidates; Security Six and GP100, acquired cheaply.) It would NOT be kept inside a large bag with other stuff, but individually secured, in such a way that a car burglar would have to do much more than smash a window and engage a remote trunk release or fold the rear seat forward!

Actually, carrying that strategy a little further, my get-home bag is empty! It is stored flat, and my get-home items can be inserted as necessary. In my area, car burglars mostly want laptops, computer tablets, GPS systems, smart phones, and such. (Of course, they will not ignore guns!) A bag or case is a target, because it can be stolen in seconds, serves as a convenient tote system, and can be sorted-through at leisure in a safe location. A high-quality backpack can be a target, itself, as burglars love to use backpacks to haul their loot. The car burglar usually does NOT bother to look into a bag before stealing it, therefore, I try to make a bag appear unrecognizable as a target.

I do not presently keep a firearm inside a vehicle on a daily basis, as my LE status enables me to carry on my person almost everywhere. I also have safe, secure storage at work for spare weapons.
 
I made up one of these a couple of years ago after the earthquakes hit VA. Mine has a stainless Taurus 357, with a 2 1/2" or 3" ported barrel. I have 12 rounds in the kit, along with a cheaper nylon holster. I vacuum sealed the gun and the ammo separately, then stuck all of that in a "dry bag" that they sell for campers. I store it in a panel in the back of the car that you take off to change the tail light bulbs. The whole pack is not much bigger than one of my work boots.
I work about 60 miles from home, and it will take me about 2 days to get home if I had to walk. I also have an emergency bag at work. I figure it the need ever arises, I should be able to get home safely.
 
I know it doesn't meet your criteria... but you could buy three Tokarevs, spare mags, and some ammo at your price point. Then you could have a bag gun, a car/truck gun, and a spare for the other car or bag.

Cheap, stone-axe reliable, and the 7.62x25 is no joke, though military hardball lacks stopping power. Since you reload, some Speer hollowpoints would fix that. And at $125-$175, rust or theft, well, who cares?
 
If you're going to have a "BAG" filled with survival goodies including a handgun, then your choices are quite broad. Before the "crisis" I would have suggested a .22LR of some sort with a "brick" of ammo...and that is still a viable option...not a sub-size .22LR, but a standard, "field size" .22LR like a converted 1911, or Ruger 22/45, or Browning Buckmark.
But a more practical option might be to choose your favorite full-size pistol like the 1911 in .45ACP, or any number of 9mm's. Probably the IDEAL "survival bag" handgun is the Glock G20SF 10mm.
My PERSONAL favorite is the S&W M500...a single round of .500 Magnum is capable of ending a social misunderstanding RIGHT NOW...it is basically the equivelant of a 12 gauge shotgun, or .308 rifle in a HANDGUN you can carry in a bag! With speed loaders (and yes you SHOULD use speed loaders), the big 500 can be re-charged with a quickness and it's fully capable against humans, and cars. The best way to illustrate just how powerful the .500 Magnum is is to imagine a .308 rifle and what IT will do to a human...and then you understand what the .500 will do to a human (we're talking proper loads of course). One hit from a .500 magnum 440 grain (1 oz of lead = 437.5 gr) from a 4" barrel can deliver 2,000 lb-ft of KE. That's more powerful than the .30-30, 5.56, 7.62x39, 5.45x39, .30 carbine, .243 Win, AND with a HUGE slug that introduces a half-inch hole "baseline."

Unfortunately NOBODY is going to put a G20, or a M500, or anything like that into a "bag" for the "just in case" scenario.

Actually, the best gun to put into your "bag" for survival after a SHTF event would be an AR-15 "pistol" with 8.5" .300 AAC barrel and 100 round drum filled with 125 grain "handloads" that push 2,000 fps. or an 11.5" 5.56mm pushing Milspec at 2,700 fps!
 
For a cheap but reliable gun, I second the highpoint. Uglier than a glock but reliable. Also the Toks are a good Idea, I never really thought of them. Or I would go with something like a GP-100. I always look in the used gun section when I visit my LGS. You never know what you may find.
 
Yow! Six months ago they were $159, lots of places. The new price seems to be well over $200, with new-production Zastavas out there now for more than that.

"The good old days" didn't last forever, I guess...
 
I don't keep it in the car, but I had a similar need.

I have a fireproof grab-and-go lockbox that contains our important documents, about $500 in small bills, and about $3k in junk silver. I wanted to add a pistol to the mix, so I chose a Bulgarian Makarov in a cheapo nylon holster, 3 loaded mags, and an additional box of ammo.

This way, if I need to Bug out I will have a handgun, even if for some strange reason I don't have my carry pistol on me.
 
Ruger P-95 or Smith SD9V (or whatever they call it now) can be had new for <$350. CZ P-07 is also a great choice!
 
Why not buy a copy of something you already have, to save on magazines? Just find the ugliest one you can, to keep the cost down.

Aside from that, Rugers of any flavor tend not to really care what you do with them. Lube it wet and let it sit.

However much I want a Tok, myself, I wouldn't recommend one as a truck gun. In the fantastic chance that you end up needing to trade for or find ammo in some podunk tackle shop, you're not going to find it. The phone there would be a better thing, either way.
 
The odds that a handgun, properly secured in a vehicle, during daylight hours, in an area of average human activity being stolen, are only slightly higher than the chance one would need that firearm for SD. If the bag(firearm) is removed at night and at times when policies/restrictions allow it to be carried, I see little risk. Odds are, one's nightstand gun at home is at more risk.
 
$200 will easily get you a new HiPoint and extra mag OTD. Plenty good enough gun to leave laying around in a truck. And it's no uglier than most other autos nowadays.
 
If you wanted to minimize the usefulness to a thief, or whoever they sell it to, consider the largest revolver you can find, with a six inch or longer barrel. It's hard to conceal, so it's not a mugger's gun of choice, but you could find a way to conceal it long enough to get home.
 
I find it interesting that people will recommend keeping a LESSER gun than one would normally choose in a "survival bag."
IF I find myself having to suddenly go into survival mode I want one of my FIRST LINE guns not some POS I bought cheap and tossed into a bag to rot in the trunk of my car! I don't put ANY gun into my car and "forget about it" whether it's in a bag, a box, or a rolled up newspaper (okay there's a story there), and I don't buy "cheap" guns that I view as "disposable.
IF I walk out of my job one day and discover the society has collapsed I want a gun that gives me the BEST chance of survival. Since we're talking the trunk of a car in a "bag" the very best survival weapon is a RIFLE and of those choices an AR-15 5.56x45 with 11.5" barrel is IDEAL! If you want the hassle then SBR it, otherwise leave off the stock and register it as pistol...either way it's STILL a RIFLE! If you want to move slightly higher on the food chain consider 7.62x39 for better short-barrel power, just as cheap ammo. Or choose a .300 Blackout with 8.5" barrel and half a thousand supersonic 110-125 grain loads and another half-thousand with 208-240 grain subsonic loads and of course a suppressor. Since you're paying and waiting on suppressor approval might as well go SBR and have what is probably the best PDW "Personal Defense Weapon" in the world today.
And if I WERE going to limit myself to just ONE handgun it sure won't be a Highpoint, or some .22LR with a box of 50....it'll be a major power handgun and a LOT of ammo...after all, until I have to take to foot, the CAR is carrying it around!

One last thought...IF I'm gonna be in a firefight I want a RIFLE over a handgun...and like I said above, even a short-barreled rifle beats a handgun...1,000 lb-ft+ KE, LIGHT, compact, portable, and the AMMO weighs next to nothing! 5.56 ammo is LIGHT, but guess what...so is .300 Blackout! Once you slice away half the case, the added bullet weight of a 125 grain .308 still works out to "zero sum."
A 9mm = 400, .40 = 450, .45 = 500, 10mm = 700, short barrel 5.56 = 1,000, .300 BO = 1,000. And if that "bag" is a backpack as it should be...that highly capable rifle is just as concealed as any handgun...though actually one should still have a proper handgun to carry under the shirt...
 
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I want the most dependable gun that I won't care about if the finish ruins. So for me, I'm not sticking my $900 Sig in a bulldog safe to suffer 100 degree fluctuations in temp in humid to sub-zero weather all while resting in foam. Taurus? No. Jennings? No. Ruger? Ok. CZ? Perfect. Smith? That'll work.
 
kilibreaux said:
I find it interesting that people will recommend keeping a LESSER gun than one would normally choose in a "survival bag."

IF I find myself having to suddenly go into survival mode I want one of my FIRST LINE guns not some POS I bought cheap and tossed into a bag to rot in the trunk of my car! I don't put ANY gun into my car and "forget about it" whether it's in a bag, a box, or a rolled up newspaper (okay there's a story there), and I don't buy "cheap" guns that I view as "disposable.

IF I walk out of my job one day and discover the society has collapsed I want a gun that gives me the BEST chance of survival. Since we're talking the trunk of a car in a "bag" the very best survival weapon is a RIFLE and of those choices an AR-15 5.56x45 with 11.5" barrel is IDEAL! If you want the hassle then SBR it, otherwise leave off the stock and register it as pistol...either way it's STILL a RIFLE! If you want to move slightly higher on the food chain consider 7.62x39 for better short-barrel power, just as cheap ammo. Or choose a .300 Blackout with 8.5" barrel and half a thousand supersonic 110-125 grain loads and another half-thousand with 208-240 grain subsonic loads and of course a suppressor. Since you're paying and waiting on suppressor approval might as well go SBR and have what is probably the best PDW "Personal Defense Weapon" in the world today.

And if I WERE going to limit myself to just ONE handgun it sure won't be a Highpoint, or some .22LR with a box of 50....it'll be a major power handgun and a LOT of ammo...after all, until I have to take to foot, the CAR is carrying it around!



One last thought...IF I'm gonna be in a firefight I want a RIFLE over a handgun...and like I said above, even a short-barreled rifle beats a handgun...1,000 lb-ft+ KE, LIGHT, compact, portable, and the AMMO weighs next to nothing! 5.56 ammo is LIGHT, but guess what...so is .300 Blackout! Once you slice away half the case, the added bullet weight of a 125 grain .308 still works out to "zero sum."

A 9mm = 400, .40 = 450, .45 = 500, 10mm = 700, short barrel 5.56 = 1,000, .300 BO = 1,000. And if that "bag" is a backpack as it should be...that highly capable rifle is just as concealed as any handgun...though actually one should still have a proper handgun to carry under the shirt...
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Nailed it.
 
Klibreaux, in this scenario I am choosing pistol over rifle simply because it is far easier to secure out of sight inside of my vehicle, of course the rifle is ideal but I intend the pistol as a tool to get me to my rifle. I'm not looking for the cheapest option available, I just selected a price point that many of the best service pistols made are in the neighborhood of, excluding high priced guns simply because their extra cost is not likely to increase my chance of survival should I need them. and lastly, I obviously wouldn't ditch the car if I didn't have to.
 
IF I walk out of my job one day and discover the society has collapsed I want a gun that gives me the BEST chance of survival. Since we're talking the trunk of a car in a "bag" the very best survival weapon is a RIFLE and of those choices an AR-15 5.56x45 with 11.5" barrel is IDEAL!
Click to expand...

Had a good reply but lost it (gotta love posting from phones) so I'll just try to hit the high points.

How do you expect to conceal that rifle and 33 magazines and still keep them ready for use? A SBR is great for close range fighting, but it's going to be very hard to not draw attention to yourself while carrying all that. You'll be much less likely to be singled out if you look like everyone else. That's why most of us are recommending pistols (that, and the fact that we're in Handguns ;)). It's much easier to hide one as still have it accessible.

Or choose a .300 Blackout with 8.5" barrel and half a thousand supersonic 110-125 grain loads and another half-thousand with 208-240 grain subsonic loads... and the AMMO weighs next to nothing! 5.56 ammo is LIGHT, but guess what...so is .300 Blackout! Once you slice away half the case, the added bullet weight of a 125 grain .308 still works out to "zero sum."
Click to expand...

I seriously question someone calling a thousand rounds of any fighting caliber "light". For a rough approximation, a thousand rounds of 7.62x39 runs about 35 lbs, and with your "half super, half sub" setup for .300 Blk you're looking at about 25lbs of just projectiles. Add that 35 lbs to the rest of your get home bag and that's a lot of extra weight. Especially when you're going to be carrying it for a several mile walk home.
 
There are many rifle conceal bags available in the market. 5.11, Blackhawk!, Noveske are just a few. These bags are designed to look like either a tennis racket bag, a skateboard backpack, and there is even one out that looks like a gym bag.

I'll be honest here, I conceal carry a Glock 26 daily. I never leave home without it. So to have a pistol in my truck at all times just doesn't make any sense to me. I also have one of the fine CC rifle bags I mentioned. I separate the upper and lower of my 14.5 inch barreled BCM Recce 14 and insert them into separate halves of the bag. It has an outer zipper pocket that I store 4 loaded magazines into. It has 2 carry handles and a shoulder strap. I can throw it in the truck and roll out. No one is the wiser. If I need to leave my truck, I can just sling it on me and start walking. Full size AR and 120 rounds of 5.56.

I can attest to several SBR AR platform rifles being very capable of far more than a CQB role. Even if they weren't, they'd still beat out a pistol any day.

You really want to get home? Take a rifle and walk with confidence.
 
Where are you getting home from and what are you trying to get home through though?

For an awful lot of us, an extra couple bottles of water and a lightweight sleeping bag could be more useful than a rifle that we're not likely to need.
I get it because I'm a gun guy too... but in some cases, too much gun means that you can't carry enough of something else. I think a revolver or a semi-auto with a couple reloads is adequate for an awful lot of situations, especially if I have to walk very far and the threat is relatively minimal.

Even in Georgia a few weeks ago, we didn't see mass hysteria when half the population of Atlanta was stranded on highways in a winter storm. Instead, people pulled together and helped each other out any way they could. In that case, you'd have had more use for a good pair of boots, warm socks, an extra sweatshirt or two, and a hundred bucks in small bills more than you would have for a rifle and half a dozen magazines. In fact, carrying a rifle in a case like that may make you look too threatening for other people to be willing to help you when a Glock 26 concealed could leave potential help none the wiser and score you a ride home.

Just some thoughts.
 
Isn't this a genuine SHTF scenario? Doesn't that mean total societal collapse...the cops have withdrawn (think South Central LA), the National Guard is nowhere to be found...it's just YOU and the MISCREANTS!

I grant you a rifle is "obvious" which is why I stated carry a "pistol" size rifle! An 11.5 AR can fit into a pack, and an 8.5" .300 BO can for SURE fit into a back pack....as can quite a bit of ammo!

As for ammo weight...well I just picked up a 1080 round can of 5.45x39...which is HEAVIER per cartridge than .223 or .300 BO and it's certainly "man portable." You don't need "33 magazines" because the IDEA is NOT to get into a firefight, yet, be capable of delivering a withering weight of fire IF NEEDED for a short period. In any SHTF situation "firefights" should be avoided at all costs.

But consider this...one round of 5.56 weighs less than a round of 9mm...a LOT LESS than one round of .45ACP! Thus you can CARRY a lot more .223 cartridges than you can the two much less potent pistol rounds.

Besides, just because the S has H the F doesn't mean I'm gonna automatically start walking....I'm gonna use my car...his car, YOUR car for as long as I can and that "sub-rifle" may well be the "tool" that gives me the needed edge to make that a reality.

The downside to a "pistol-rifle" is the concealment issue...if you find yourself in a PARTIAL SHTF scenario where you are somehow trying to look "meek" then a handgun makes sense...in which case the most potent, versatile handgun possible also makes sense...the G20SF 10mm.
 
Goon, what you say makes sense but is placed into a hand picked scenario. Getting stranded on a highway or at work with help from the NG and everyone pulling together is far from a SHTF ordeal. Think food stamps, EBT, SNAP, HUD, and other various government programs being shut down while you're away. Do you think that you'll just pass through "that" section of downtown without issue? I get it, avoid all possible problem areas, but that isn't always possible. Do you think a group of 30 or so desperate and rioting people are going to be deterred by a 9mm? Especially when they have a few themselves? Do I for see myself ever needing to use my get home plan? No, but I also do not own a crystal ball. As such, I'd rather have the tool for the job if needed.

I know for a fact that carrying a rifle along with a pistol and a get home pack is very, very possible. I spent 8 years doing it. So that point is invalid to me. Maybe for someone who isn't up to the task, but I am perfectly capable of it. For what it's worth, my bag is <30 pounds with water, my rifle is <7.5 pounds loaded.
 
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