If you had to choose one...

[Carter]

I don't worry about bears and critters, as I don't live in the woods nor have plans to travel in said woods. If I end up for an extended period in bear country, I'll be more worried about adequate food, water, and shelter than a bear. And though a bear can certainly run faster than me, he'll have a much easier time chasing down the guy carrying 200 12ga slugs in his backpack.

Water isn't hard to find in the Smoky's (where the bear discussion came from). Food, eh, if you're near one of the lakes you'd be okay (fish mostly). I strongly agree with the shotgun weight statement though. The best thing to do for a bear if you can't kill him is scare him off, and I thank a couple loud bangs would suffice, unless he was enraged, then no matter how fast you run you're boned.

But why carry concealed in these situations (disaster situation is understandable, however)? I think visibility would be a good deterrent to others, to some degree at least.
9mm ammo around here is hard to find, its a lucky day if wal-mart has any. Mostly its .40 and .45 (which are my first choices).

Still like my railed rifle with attached .22 idea

Since disaster and end of the world is different you can list two different choices accordingly.

 

[jayjaypunisher]

apocolypse(cant say Z word) style one only? have to go with an AK cause it could go years nomadically wondering the world trying to find something to reproduce with without much care or cleaning!

 

[FourteenMiles]

A .357 magnum revolver if I could only have one firearm, otherwise I have little reason to pick one up.

 

[hso]

So my question is, if you had to grab one for whatever reason and not look back, which rifle/shotgun/handgun/whatever would you choose?

shotgun

 

[Carter]

shotgun

How verbose...
Any particular reason why or intended use/plan of action in response to the weight issues brought up?

 

[Chemist]

My Beretta Extrema II, with a sling for the weight issue.

They advertise you can use it as a paddle if needed. As Alton Brown states, never get a uni-task-er.

 

[javabum]

If i had to choose just one......hummmm....I would have to say my Remington 700.Reason being i can hunt with it,and defend my self with it....And i wouldn't
have to worry because its stainless.It might not be the best choice but i am very accurate with it.

 

[searcher451]

Why is that we always have one gun to select in these hypotheticals? Why not 10, or 50, or 100? Nuts.

The selection, of course, depends a great deal on what the gun is going to be used for: hunting? self-defense in the home? self-defense on the mean streets or in the woods, perhaps? a rifle vs. a pistol? etc.

Pistol: A Walther P5. Rifle: A Ruger 10/22. Can't boil it down any lower than that. Sorry.

 

[amprecon]

I see some people choose handguns as their one-and-only, but if the SHTF scenario is anything like in the movie "The Road", or any SHTF scenario I can envision, I'd prefer something with a little more range than a handgun can offer for that "stand-off" factor, the more distance between the BG's and me is better AFAIK.
Also, with an AK, if your on your own and come up against a group of BG's you have 30 rounds quickly at your disposal to defend yourself with.
If concealment is a concern than it might not be as SHTF as you think.

 

[easyg]

If I could take only one firearm, that I currently own, for an "end of civilized society" situation, it would be be my Ruger P95.





A rifle or a shotgun would be too heavy and bulky to carry for many many miles of hiking and climbing and swimming and such....especially while carrying everything else you own on your back.
Not mention that a pistol on the side seems less threatening to strangers than a rifle or shotgun....less militant, and less predatory.

I'm not too concerned about not having a firearm for hunting.
I can make traps, snares, spears, slingshots, blowguns, and even a crude bow and arrow for hunting.
And maybe down the road a bit I'll be able to find a pellet gun for small game and birds (a quiet long distance game harvester).
And fishing is always an option in my area as well.

As for blades....

A Leatherman Wave multi-tool and a large folding saw would be about all I would need blade wise.
An ax would be nice but they are too loud (wood chopping can be heard for miles in most places) and I might be in a situation where I don't want my presence or location known to others in the area.

 

[goon]

If concealment is a concern than it might not be as SHTF as you think.

No one knows what's coming down the pike in one of these scenarios. It is possible that a semi-functioning government might institute an outright ban even as it was unable to keep crime under control.
Someone carrying a handgun has the option to expose the gun as a deterrent or cover it up if concealment is needed. A guy who's armed with a rifle has the choice of being obviously armed or stashing his rifle in the weeds and hoping it's there when he gets back.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

I used to say, if I'd have to pick only one it would be an M1A. Having said that, it's not my favorite to shoot. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy it, however, the one rifle that puts a consistent smile on my face is a 30-30 lever action. I'm not going to say it can do everything. It's my favorite. For most situations, it would be fine. If I can back it up with some sort of pistol, then I'd have no problem choosing it. The biggest worry I think we all have is multiple invaders so we need more shots. The rifle/pistol combo gets me there. The question to me then becomes one of what pistol would I want. Outside of CA I'd choose an XD in 45 ACP for its blend of cartridge and capacity. It's not my favorite pistol but I'd go with it outside of CA. Inside of CA where magazine capacity becomes more of an issue, I'd do with a Sig P220 with 10 round magazine.

 

[Carter]

Seeing as how I don't own a pistol currently is the reason I didn't do a long gun/pistol combo. But seeing as how thats why everyone desires....I'll remember that for future brain wracking threads as this (sarcasm). But if I did have a pistol (getting one later) it would either be a glock 21, fnp 45, or glock 23.

Its nice to see people thinking about societies in a situation like this. Having to conceal because of a provisional government and such.

If you guys have pistols on standby gear or carry all the time, go ahead and include that in your decision. The point was a grab and go type decision, so if its already with your gear/clothes then its a given.

 

[bri]

I'd grab my 870 and never look back. IMO, a shotgun with various barrels/chokes is the most versatile firearm you can have.