I have thought a lot about this "survival" business and the problem becomes obvious quite quickly. There is no one single firearm that can meet all the needs one hears expressed for such a gun.
If your desire is to live off the land then an accurate 22 is best. You will shoot more small game than large animals. Ammo is compact and light so more of it can be packed. But for defense against large and dangerous animals or marauding humans it is found wanting.
A compact rifle is a possibility, but I think a shotgun makes more sense. Remember, we are supposed to be discussing survival, as in food gathering with defensive use a secondary consideration. Nothing is more versatile for hunting than is the scattergun. With bird shot fowl and small animals may be harvested. Slugs can take big animals at close range and slugs and buck shot are very effective as defensive loads.
The most compact shotgun I have is a SxS "Coach Gun" with 20" barrels. Carry bird, buck and slug loads and one is ready for anything that walks, crawls or flies. Mine has some sort of exotic wood that is much lighter than walnut. If a fiberglass stock were available it would work even better. As is, the gun is so light as to be unpleasant to shoot. But that's good for packing in the field.
So, here's my nomination for general purpose "survival gun." I added sling swivels and I have a sling with 20 loops for shells. I can carry 12 bird shot loads, 4 buck and 4 slug shells in the sling making it capable of taking just about anything I might encounter. Thus equipped I could grab the gun with ammo loaded sling and have all I need for a short term operation in one hand without fumbling for an ammo carrier.
Without adding too much bulk and weight I could add a target grade 22 pistol and be truly prepared for roughing it in the wild. This Ruger can easily pop squirrels and rabbits at 30 yards and keep the pot filled.
If your desire is to live off the land then an accurate 22 is best. You will shoot more small game than large animals. Ammo is compact and light so more of it can be packed. But for defense against large and dangerous animals or marauding humans it is found wanting.
A compact rifle is a possibility, but I think a shotgun makes more sense. Remember, we are supposed to be discussing survival, as in food gathering with defensive use a secondary consideration. Nothing is more versatile for hunting than is the scattergun. With bird shot fowl and small animals may be harvested. Slugs can take big animals at close range and slugs and buck shot are very effective as defensive loads.
The most compact shotgun I have is a SxS "Coach Gun" with 20" barrels. Carry bird, buck and slug loads and one is ready for anything that walks, crawls or flies. Mine has some sort of exotic wood that is much lighter than walnut. If a fiberglass stock were available it would work even better. As is, the gun is so light as to be unpleasant to shoot. But that's good for packing in the field.
So, here's my nomination for general purpose "survival gun." I added sling swivels and I have a sling with 20 loops for shells. I can carry 12 bird shot loads, 4 buck and 4 slug shells in the sling making it capable of taking just about anything I might encounter. Thus equipped I could grab the gun with ammo loaded sling and have all I need for a short term operation in one hand without fumbling for an ammo carrier.
Without adding too much bulk and weight I could add a target grade 22 pistol and be truly prepared for roughing it in the wild. This Ruger can easily pop squirrels and rabbits at 30 yards and keep the pot filled.
