One handgun and one long gun for self defense and reliabilty.

[Boats]

Ruger KGP-141 and a Marlin 1894C both in .357 Magnum. Mepros on the Ruger and Express sights and/or maybe a red dot mount on the carbine.

No Ramboing there. Just accurate, hard hitting, fairly concealable stuff that doesn't require magazines and between them have enough ammo for a brief encounter, especially since they can both be reloaded from the box.

Buffalo Bore makes a 158gr Gold Dot JHP popping off at 1475 fps MV and 763 foot pounds ME out of a four inch revolver and manages 2153 fps out of said Marlin. Good enough for social work inside of 150 yards.

And I don't care what one cares to call it, (personally I call it Sheep's Clothing), but there is something to be said in an urban SHTF for looking more like John Wayne than a Mall Ninja.

 

[Burt Blade]

How about:

Winchester 94 lever-action rifle in .44 magnum and a S&W Model 29 (.44 Magnum)

or

Winchester 94 in .45 Colt and a Ruger Vaquero (single action revolver) in .45 Colt

or that well-proven combo

M-1 "Garand" rifle in .30-06 and a Colt Government Model (1911) pistol in .45ACP

The Winchester is reliable and fairly inexpensive, and easily reaches out to 100-150 meters. Go to a .30-30 if you want more thump, or stick to pistol calibers matching your sidearm to simplify ammunition supply. The lever-action Winchester is not quite so "Teddy Tactical" as a AR-15, but will tend to be less alarming to passers by, neighbors, and cops. The 16" barrel "Trapper" model will fit in some extra long gym bags, allowing discrete carry of the long gun.

The Garand in .30-06 gives you much more long-range oomph, and a decent club if you wind up in spitting distance with the magazine empty. A bayonet is probably nothing but belt ballast for the "urban endurance" scenario, but fixed on the rifle it will tend to suggest to would-be attackers that you are far more porcupine than pushover.

You will have to interact with cops, neighbors, and other non-threats. If you start out looking like and extra from a "Doomsday Survivalist" flick, you may have some difficulty dealing with the non-hostiles.

 

[Fastlane]

For me it would be a Glock 34 with loaded 30 rd mags. and my 870P with the two rd ext.

 

[Biker]

The bayonet was a joke, Burt. Although I can't fault your choice of firearms, I can carry a lot more 5.56 than you can 30-30 and reload a lot faster. At least that's what they taught me at Fort Ord in Jan. 1973. BTW, I never much cared about other people's perceptions of me.
Biker

 

[mcgvac]

I dont understand the shotgun choice. I would Deff. go the route of a high capcity autoloading rifle. For example i would choose my AK-47. It is very small and maneuverable, has large capacity, and you could also deffend the perimeter at 100+ yards and turn hell in close quarters. Not to mention probbably the most reliable weapon I have ever shot, 8000+ rounds no jams. The shotgun just doesnt have the capacity or a high enough rate of fire.

As far as a pistol goes, my choice would be an 1911. I dont plan on ever having to use it if all goes well

 

[Ala Dan]

Remington 12 gague 870 Marine Magnum for durability

.45 caliber SIG-SAUER P220A for RELIABILITY!

 

[english kanigit]

Lemme see, for the rifle.... I'll take an AN-94 in 5.56.

For the pistol.... ahhh, what pistol?
Gimme a UMP.45 with a can.

 

[Farnham]

Springfield Armory M1A and a Sistema Colt .45. And face paint. Nothing says, "Don't f--- with me" like camouflage face paint.

S/F

Farnham

PS: If it's zombies, Ruger 10/22 with 30 round mags and a Glock 17...in a wheelbarrow. I hate zombies.

 

[albanian]

"How many attackers am I likely to face at a time? Do I need to be able to move, or am I staying put in a location I can fortify?"

That is just it, who can say? You may have to move from your house or you might not. You probably will in a disaster or a riot. As for the number of attackers, same thing goes, you could be facing one guy or maybe an entire crowd.

My idea is not to take on a crowd if I can help it and just use the guns to get to cover and fortify my position until I have to move again. Maybe they start burning your place and you need to make a quick, violent exit through a group of nut cases to get to the next safe place. Maybe you will have to shoot the guns from a car or from a house window. That is sort of the point, what guns give you the most flexibility given the circumstances. Also, reliabilty, you DON'T want your guns to jam when you are exposed or someone is breaking the door down! First and formost should be reliabilty. Picking a gun you have never fired or seen in person doesn't sound like a good idea to me.

I may change my vote from the 18" bbl Rem 870 HD that I have to a Ruger Mini-14 or maybe an AK-47. Both seem to be reliable enough to trust and both are small and compact. 30rds would be better than 5 if you needed to lay down some fire to clear a path. I would probably go with a SS Mini-14 with a Hogue stock. I like the way the standard stock feels and handles. AKs and ARs don't point as quick for me as a shotgun or a regular rifle.

 

[RCL]

My 12ga 870, my .45 Kimber, and my Buck General.

 

[epijunkie67]

FN 57 pistol with 20 round magazine and P90 rifle in matching caliber with 50 round magazine. You want ammo capacity? Thats 70 rounds without even changing a magazine. Zero recoil on either and effective range of about 300 meters on the rifle. And since the rifle is a bullpup design you could hide it under a coat or in a gym bag with ease. I can fit 200 rounds loose pack in my freaking shirt pocket so I could carry a thousand rounds with ease.

If I need more ammo than that I'm in WAY over my head.

 

[GRB]

OK, here is the situation, you have to grab ONE handgun and one long arm (shotgun or rifle) and defend your self in an urban setting. You are not going to war, only defending yourself so no need for sniper rifles since you don't want to pick fights.

Sorry but if I am going to grab weapons for self defense, then I will choose my weapons as I see fit. A sniper rifle could well be the choice. I wonder though why you think a sniper rifle is a poor self defense choice and, I wonder also why you think use of a sniper rifle seemingly only constitutes picking fights.

A sniper rifle, or any rifle with a scope and capable ammunition is a good defensive weapon in that it primarily is used to fire upon an enemy from afar. Distance is your friend in such a situation so there is a good chance that if I had a good securable location from which to protect myself, I would hole up with a 'sniper' rifle and a handgun. My choice would probably be a bolt action rifle in .308, or something along the lines of a Springfield M1A. Either would be scoped or be capable of such. I think if riots and crazed crowds were a problem I would choose the Spingfield. As for a pistols, I have my Beretta 92FS, my Beretta 92SB, a Glock 19 and some others. I would choose the Beretta 92FS over all of them, although I might actually prefer something in .45 Auto the 9mm would do in a pinch. A shotgun may be good for getting into crowd control situations if you know what you are doing with it, but so too would be the M1A. If I decided it was a shotgun that would suit me better - depending on the situation - I would opt for my Remington 870. I do not need a magazine extension, as a matter of fact they can lead to too many jamming type problems. I would just take a pocket or two full of shells in addition to the fully loaded gun and my pistol with extra mags.

 

[onrhander]

From the guns I have SAM 1911 hi-cap 13+1 with extar mags,sks sporter(aka paratroper). Short barrel,thumbhole stock,takes AK mags(I gota get some 50 rounders thou).Works for me.

 

[R.H. Lee]

Sorry but if I am going to grab weapons for self defense, then I will choose my weapons as I see fit. A sniper rifle could well be the choice

Well, the premise was that you would be shooting in self defense in close quarters. Now, you're at a distance, sniping. Wouldn't that be called murder?

 

[rangerbill]

my choice (from my own collection) would be my mossberg 500 with eight round magazine, and my S&W 5906 with a twenty round magazine + the 15 rounders.

i would chose the shotgun over the rifle to be able to engage multiple targets with the same shot. say in a riot situation and you have a knot of people coming at you, a shot bounced 5-8 feet in front of them will spread enough to maybe hit two or three at one shot. (was trained on that and seemed to work at the range.)

 

[AK-74me]

Handgun: .45 Colt, long slide, laser sighting

Long gun: Phased-plasma rifle in the 40 watt range

good choices, I know someone else that likes those too.

 

[bubbygator]

I'll have to go with what Brian Williams and Burt Blade said. My lever-action and my S&W-66 with lasergrips (both in .357/.38) would be reliable and accurate... and have interchangeable ammo that should be easy to scavenge if the duration is extended. The key is "defend yourself" - I interpret this to mean that I'm not going to have to go out and attack or expose myself to accomplish some goal. I'll be able to move at my own discretion, but defensively.

 

[c_yeager]

Sorry but if I am going to grab weapons for self defense, then I will choose my weapons as I see fit. A sniper rifle could well be the choice. I wonder though why you think a sniper rifle is a poor self defense choice and, I wonder also why you think use of a sniper rifle seemingly only constitutes picking fights.

How do you know that the people you are shooting at need to be shot then? We arent talking about a place were people are wearing uniforms here. You see three guys walking down the road with rifles, do you just shoot them? If you do, then you certainly did pick that fight.

 

[Greek]

Sig 226 9mm and AR-15 Bushmaster A2 in .223.
I am good with them and ammunition will be readily available.

 

[albanian]

"Sorry but if I am going to grab weapons for self defense, then I will choose my weapons as I see fit. A sniper rifle could well be the choice. I wonder though why you think a sniper rifle is a poor self defense choice and, I wonder also why you think use of a sniper rifle seemingly only constitutes picking fights."

Part of the problem with this is, you may be able to hole up due to situations beyond your control. You may not want to stay where you are either. I can see many times where it would be better to be mobile. When you are mobile, you need to move fast and get ina nd get out. A sniper rifle would not be as useful as a higher capacity faster into action gun like a Mini-14 or a shotgun. A sniper rifle would be almost totaly useless if you had to clear a house or building to make sure nobody was inside so that you could hole up there for a while.

The only time I see a sniper rifle being of use in a situation like we are talking about is if you are on top of a building and want to make your point by placing some rounds in the forheads of the bad guys. I am not saying it is a bad choice but I don't think it has as much flexibility as a shotgun or a carbine.

Think of it in terms of the action you will probably have to do with your guns.
Long guns:
1. Clear buildings.
2. Fend off attackers at close range.
3. Shoot through objects like windows and car doors.
4. Lay down cover fire so you can move.
5. Shoot from a car.

Handgun:
1. Clear buildings.
2. Carry concealed so as not to attract too much attention.
3. Shoot from a car.

There are a lot of other things that can be done but a sniper rifle only does one or two things well.

 

[RicVa]

SAR-1 and Beretta 92FS. Both have never failed me. Both have a high capacity and pretty readily available ammo.

 

[CZ-100]

SAR-1 and Beretta 92FS. Both have never failed me. Both have a high capacity and pretty readily available ammo.

Same Reason... but with my SAR-1 and CZ-85 Combat.

 

[Mannlicher]

The only problem is, that no 'battle plan' survives the first contact. Setting the scene, and then picking the weapons that would fit that scene best may be a fun exercise, but its not practical.
I would rather examine what would function best in any possible scenerio.

Simple choice for me in that case. AR Shorty, .45 1911

 

[115grfmj]

one picture is worth........

 

[FunGunner]

20ga 1100 youth, and 9mm CZ75B