favorite survival gun

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My good old mosin. M44 to be exact, its tough, strong, relativley simple and the ammo is dirt cheap, packs a punch and shoots WAY out there. Plus it has a nice little pig sticker.... just in case.
-bix
 
SHTF, 336 marlin in 44 mag,

It holds more rounds than my bolt gun, And it has enough range for where I would hole up.
Lost and surviving off the land, My 10/22 w/3-9 simmons scope would get the nod. I could carry enough ammo to feed myself for a year(if my aim is as good as the guns) squirrel to white tail a 22 will do.
 
During the days of Col. Jeff Cooper, another author wrote for "Guns and
Ammo" each month on this very subject. Mel Tappan is now with the
Col. He wrote a book "Survival Guns" and one other before his passing.
He covers most firearms used for this endeavor and the whys.
 
Well, If I had to pick just one gun from my safe (no fantasies of stuff I don't own that would make more sense) for both jobs, surviving in the woods or wherever while S is hitting hitting the F, I would grab...my Hi-Point 9mm carbine. It uses the same ammo as my carry pistol, I have 10 mags for it and lots of ammo for them, hardball will work for small game, HPs for 2-legged critters, and SPs at close range will do the job on medium game. A close second would be my AK, but the Hi-Point is smaller, handier and lighter, and the afore-mentioned ammo commonality makes it just simpler, and I live by the KISS principal.
 
Handgun - since it's easier to haul around when you're doing something else. If I'm patrolling for bogies, banditos, charlies, tangoes, or other BG-name-of-the-month, I'd go with a rifle - since I'm looking for trouble. Not seeking it, now - watching for it. When working, I'd be... well, working, and prepared for trouble to some degree, should it come.

A 4" S&W Model 65 for handgun. For great versatility, some Kalashni-clone in 7.62x39. Either one should be plenty able to take down the majority of threats I'd ever be likely to face - be they animals or people. Neither are superb for the role, just what I'd call good 'nuff for me. General-purpose weapons that can do pretty much any job that I'd be likely to need done, and then some.
 
It depends. For absolute Survival: .22LR. Light Wieght, can carry lots of ammo and can use it to stay alive and get food for the table. Life and death type situations? Something larger, .308/ .30-06. SOmthing with alot of force behind it and the range to get it there. In reality, if you were forced into situations of survival where your life depended on the firearm, I would hope that if the situation presented itself.....After using your firearm proficiently enough to thwart the evil deeds of the otehr, you would scavange the firearms and possession from that individual who obviously would not longer be in need of them.
 
I knew a guy who was a wilderness survival instructor and guide and bush pilot in Alaska. He told me that there was a Ruger Mk.II in his plane every time he flew, and usually no other firearms.

That said, when he was actually guiding groups, he carried a .41 mag revolver and a pistol grip 870 with slugs.
 
I'm with Welldoya:
For "survival" I would want a Savage 24, 22LR on top and 20 gauge on the bottom plus a few boxes of .22s, birdshot , buckshot and slugs.
Click to expand...

If it get's any worse...well..it'll depend on how much I can pack on my back :)
 
I generaly don't play in this type of thread because there are way to many variables to the question asked.

But, what the heck, as long as I am coming close to finishing my version of a do-it-all gun, I will discribe my choice.

I bought awhile back a Savage model 24V from a fellow on this forum. It had had the barrels cut off to something under legal length and then some tubes welded onto the ends to bring it back to legal status. A rather unattractive job was done, but it served the purpose. The gun was bought at a reasonable enough price to allow me to play with it and that's what I have been doing.

The V version of the Savage 24 is a .222 Remington barrel over a 20 ga. 3 inch chambered shotgun barrel. (single shot break open over/under) Having had some past experience with the Savage model 24's I found most did not shoot the two barrels to the same point of impact. At least not well enough to satisfy what I felt was my needs.

A gunsmith friend of mine has more equipment than I do so I set up the work and had him perform some othe barrel tasks. Starting with cutting off the extended tubes and replacing them with something a bit more useful and a bit better looking. A FAL .30 cal muzzle break was fitted to the upper barrel and silver soldered on. This extended the length to 17 inchs total on this barrel and then the chamber was reamed to accept the .223 Remington cartridge. The bottom barrel was extended with a machined 20 ga. extension set up to accept screw in chokes. Slid over the end of the short tube and silver soldered in place giving the 20 ga. a barrel length of about 18&1/2 inches. The two barrels were set up and aligned so that they shoot to the same point of impact at about 25 to 30 yards. Then silver soldered together at the junction of the extensioned 20ga. barrel , and a sight ramp installed in front on the upper barrel.

I have a cartridge adapter for the .223 Rem. chamber too convert it to .22 rimfire so it will now shoot : .22LR , .223 Remington, and 20ga. slugs or shot.

The finishing work will be some modifications to the rear stock for storage, and a metal re-finish with DuraCoat to make it pretty.

So that is my idea of an all around take it to the survival place gun. It is not meant as a battle weapon for use in that situation, but could serve that purpose if need be. Remember the liberator pistols we dropped into France in WWII ?

Edited PS : For some time now I have been thinking that a modern made version of this type firearm could be made cheap enough to sell for around $200 , and yet be of very good quality . I am too old and in too poor a health to start this project, but somebody out there should. I would be happy to share idea's. The new Savage model 24's are too heavy, and way to expensive to fill this survival type nitch. Other guns like the now Henry made AR-7 and the (forgot the model) survival gun that used to be made by Springfield are too limited . Lets design a simple break open gun using the latest material and manufacturing advances to give people a $200 gun that can shoot a good combo of ammunition that makes sense for a truck/camping/do all firearm.
 
A good sturdy 22lr weapon. I like my 10/22 with peep sights, but I don't like the detachable magazine. The Henry Survival is a great little rifle also, but still it has a detachable magazine.

Maybe a bastard son of a Stevens Favorite and Henry Survival after a hot passionate night! A lightweight breakdown singleshot that stores in it's own stock.

Maybe someday........

22lr
 
Odds are I will be hunting if I need a survival gun so my Ruger stainless in 308 and it's Leupold scope should help me get through. Mater of fact it would probably be all I would need for anything else too.

jj
 
savage 24

savage24le5.gif
 
well guys thanx for the input. iv gotten alot of different takes on this. oddly enough i expected some that just nobody seems to care about. everybody to their own. by no means stop posting tho. i wana get as many opinions as possible
 
Survival: .22lr rifle (my 10/22)

SHTF: AR .223

If both are required, I'll bring both. That 10/22 would strap nicely to the side of my pack...
 
Survival - something in a .44 mag pistol. Easy to pack, powerful enough to do whatever you need, easy enough to download for game with specials.

SHTF - I tend to like my plain jane Mini 30. I've heard they weren't accurate. I call B.S. Mine is plenty accurate and stabilizes a 150g Nosler BT just fine thank you very much. :)

If I was limited to just 2, that'd be the two I'd choose.
 
I've been mulling over the "survival gun" issue myself and have come to the conclusion that for survival in the boonies a .22lr bolt rifle would probably be the most reliable platform available.
I own a Marlin 60 and a 10/22 and have had enough jams with them to relegate them to the range or plinking category only, not to rely on them for survival weapons.
The types of jams they've had, especially the 60, can be quite a challenge to clear, not a situation I want while trying to survive with my weapon.
I am to pick up my "survival gun" today as a matter of fact, a Marlin 925 .22lr mag-fed bolt-action. There are less parts to break on it and of course it's a manual action so there's no reliance on good quality ammo for it to function properly and last but not least, the action is exposed. So if for some reason the case or cases somehow get wrangled up I can easily identify the problem and have complete access to it to clear it up and move on.

Now if TSHTF, it'd be hard to choose between the scoped hunting rifle or the M1A or the AK. It'd be nice to identify the target with the scoped rifle before engaging or scooting. But if large numbers of identified hostiles are on the way in open spaces, M1A. If I'm in a suburban area or city, probably the scoped rifle and the AK.
 
Survival: A 22 LR bolt action of some sort. (My Marlin and Ruger have misfeeds more than misfires.)

SHTF: My Good ole SKS.
 
Plans are for either a set of .22 calibre lever action rifle and .22 pistol (if human threats are not a prime concern, though they would work for most expected human threats) or (if 2-legged beasts are a prime concern) a .357 couple including my S&W and a Marlin lever gun.

I want interchangeable ammo and I need something small enough that I can hit my targets.
 
My choice would be a stainless steel, synthetic stocked, magazine fed 22LR bolt gun with a fixed power scope (with flip up lens covers) and iron sights for back up. It would have a quality sling with a good set of swivels. A couple extra magazines and that would take care of my needs.
 
Up here in NW Montana, I buy all my guns with Survival Gun criteria in mind:
1. lightweight/ compact
2. reliability
2. versatility
If allowed just one gun, definitely my Mossberg 500 12ga pump w/ 18" barrel, rifle sights and sling. Super reliable and very light weight ~6.5lbs, and very handy at 37" overall. Has plenty of power with 3" mag slugs and quite accurate too. Good for taking any big game up to 100yds and the best for animal defense up here in grizz and lion country. This gun shoots a good birdshot pattern to only about 15yds with its cylinder bore but would do the job on most birds and ducks I put up.

However, In the same case as my shotgun, I always have my Ruger MKIII 22/45 with a 4" barrel and a red dot. This gun is reliable, easy to pack and shoots accurately: 2"groups at 40 yds+. The best for small game in my opinion. This two gun combo is the lightest, most versatile setup I have found. I will always have them together along with ammo and cleaning kit for an extended trip into the woods.

When I don't have space for the shotgun/.22 kit, I take my 4" S&W 629. So packable that it's hard to justify not having it at all times. It can take any game in North America with a well placed shot and .44 specials are good PD rounds too. This is an essential gun to have up here in the north country. I want to get a small Reflex style red dot for it to extend its range for better deer and elk capability.

I know many will say a red dot has no business being on a survival gun, but I have found them to be quite rugged on my .22, and extra batteries weigh next to nothing. Furthermore, I can always remove them and revert to irons if they stop functioning. It's just that I shoot so much damn better with them. The small ones like the new Burris Fastfire are super compact and won't impede its fast handling characteristics. Red dots simply add to a gun's inherent utility to me with little to no drawbacks.


Some links to local attacks this year alone up here. 1 lion, and 4 bear attacks. At least 3 other bear attacks I can think of, but no links to be found.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/11/13/news/state/44-mountainlion.txt

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/10/31/news/state/27bearattack.txt
 
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