What would your all-purpose survival arsenal look like?

[El Tejon]

Preacher, someone has been reading Uncle Mel again!

Rifle: bolt, .308 with irons and fix low power optics, I'd pick my Mauser 66, but lots of good choices.

Shotgun: Ithaca SxS in 20 ga., very simple, even El Tejon can fix it.

Pistol: As much as I love the 1911, for "survival" (to me survival is missing Starbuck's in the morning) I would choose a revolver--Ruger or Smith in .44 mag or .45 LC, if we can/are able to reload.

Keep weapons as simple as possible. Would want lots of matches and good knives as well. YMMV.

 

[george_co]

Okay, I'll Play

Basicly I agree with Bryon. In any kind of melt down I am better off staying put and working with my neighbors. Therefore I have my full arsenal of weapons available to me. But, more importantly I will have the benefit of support of others.

In a short term disruption I have enough food at home to survive until order is restored. In a long term disruption I will need help growing crops, rabbits and chickens.

Just imagine 300 Million Americans moving to the hills. In a matter of a couple of weeks the available game animals and fish will have been consumed. Transportation systems will have collapsed so food stores won't be able to be moved to where they are needed. The next six months will be Jungle law, survival of the fittess. Starvation and disease will take care of most with the remainder skirmishing for what remains.

In order to survive you are going to have to work with others. Guard duty, defensive structures, crops, etc.

Okay, to play the game as it was intended - My M1A Scout, 41 Mag Revolver, 22 caliber pistol. With the M1A I can keep their heads down during the initial stages and hunt what game there is, the revolver is dependable and powerful and the 22 can be used for a whole range of applications. For survival the shotgun shells are too heavy and bulky so I won't carry. The 22 can get small game including birds.

With the M1A I will be able to add to my weapons stock so I am not concerned about the difficulty of finding 41 mag rounds.

Just my thoughts for what they are worth.

George

 

[BerettaNut92]

Hmm...in retrospect, forget my M1A. We all know that in any SHTF scenario, you are stuck with a crowbar or pipe and maybe if you're lucky, a pistol. You then pick up a pump action shotgun, then you'll find some sort of assault rifle or belt fed.

Find a rocket launcher or two and then some energy weapons!!

 

[45R]

After reading this post. I have again put on my tin foil hat. It even has a permanent marker writing on the hat that says Molon Labe across it.

Rifle:M1a
Shotgun:870
Pistol:.357 wheel gun or Sig 226 9mm.

 

[Tamara]

Rifle: M1917 '06
Shotgun: The only one I have. (Beat-up old 870 w/long mag tube and Choate stock.)
Pistol: 4" Model 19

Even if you were in some kind of scenario like the one in The Stand, it'll be a long, long time 'til supplies of .30-'06, 12ga, and .38/.357 dry up.

 

[bogie]

I'd make friends with my neighbors... Outfit several of 'em, and we can carry more stuff...

 

[W Turner]

If I am limited to only what is in my safe currently........

Rifle- ruger 10/22- lightweight, plentiful lightweight ammo, small game hunting and quiet sniping if necessary

Handgun- Glock 20- I have plenty of ammo and it is good for anything up to deer-sized game.

shotgun- remington 870 - with an 18" bead sight barrel w/ multiple choke tubes.

If I can have anything I want?.......

Rifle- Springfield M1A scout rifle- handy carbine for multi- purposes, very availabe ammo, reliable as long as I don't screw around with it

Pistol- Glock 34- easily found, lightweight ammo, powerful enough if I do my part, can be used for hunting anything larger than squirrels and smaller than deer as long as I am not picky

Shotgun- rem 870 20 gauge- lightweight, available ammo, powerful enough for PD, good for any game with good shot placement

Mino

 

[spankaveli]

AR-15
Mossy 500 w/ folding stock
92FS

 

[Bobarino]

H&K 91A3
Binelli M1
H&K USP Tactical

do we see a pattern here?

Bobby

 

[BerettaNut92]

do we see a pattern here?

HK Junkie!

 

[Nightfall]

Rifle: M4 style AR-15. Possibly with ACOG (TA31A). Have no experience with ACOG, so it's a maybe. Plenty of .223 out there, considering it's standard issue for our armed forces. Plenty of parts and such as well.

Shotgun: 870 12 gauge, smooth bore. Different chokes available. Extended tube. Probably with synthetic stuff instead of the wood on my 870 now. It's just plain more tactical! Plenty of parts and ammo for an 870 12 gauge, no doubts there.

Handgun: Gosh, this is a tough one. Probably an HK USP... 9mm or .45 though... hmm... probably more 9mm out there than .45, not that .45 is lacking in quantity mind you. 9mm holds more rounds... .45 has well, the attributes of a .45! Looking into the future, I'm more likely to have a .45 USP around than a 9mm, so probably the .45, if for no other reason than I'll already have it on hand.

 

[MeekandMild]

I have to respectfully disagree, not only can you take game with the proper pistol, it is ideal for close combat, should the need arise. Also, it is more easy to cache a pistol and ammo if martial law is declared. Therefore it is versatile in both urban and rural survival needs.

Last night I watched Bruce Willis in "The Tears of the Sun". In one scene the good guys found the baddies raping a village so they put down all their heavy armament and attacked with suppressed pistols. But that was just one scene and they could have just bypassed it.

I'll still go with the DEET. I guess chiggers and ticks are too small to film. I guess I'm too thoughly indoctrinated with the concept that RAH discussed in "Tunnel in the Sky", that when you are surviving your job is to survive and not to attack.

 

[280PLUS]

lets see i got the,,,

9mm BHP

an 870 20 ga youth cut

and a bushy xm15 shorty ak

and i love them all

is that ok?

 

[Gordon Fink]

Electromagnetic longrifle, launching hypervelocity AP sabot rounds. Suppressed, high-capacity select-fire pistol, chambered for 9mm caseless. Dual-magazine pump-action shotgun, with a variety of nifty shells (shot, slugs, incendiary, etc.) to choose from.

What was the question again?

~G. Fink

 

[Snake Eyes]

I tried to think about what I'd really want and it just about made my head explode. So I limited myself to what i currently own:

--SLR-95: Likely to work much longer without cleaning than my AR and ammo is probably even MORE available than .223 these days.

--Sig 226: Man it's hard to decide to leave any one of my 1911s behind, but when push comes to shove, I gotta believe 9mm is going to be easier to scavenge. And that 226 is just damn bulletproof.

--Winchester Defender: Pretty much useless for anything but defense since it only has an 18" barrel, but the only other shotty I own is a Stevens single 410 and that just aint gonna cut it.

I guess I need to go shopping for some shotguns. Oh Honey....about those new shoes.........

 

[Logistar]

Rifle: AK-47
Handgun: Beretta 92
Shotgun: None. (If I needed one, I'd grab a 12-gauge auto.)

 

[CWL]

Rifle: ruger 10/22
Shotgun: Remmy 870
pistol: M1911

Rifle will put food on the table.
Shotgun will keep BGs at a distance and intimidate those who need intimidation.
Pistol for close up work if needed.

 

[Bruce H]

SKS and my NEF .22. Two or three really good knives.

 

[TamThompson]

After reading through several survivalist sites, and thinking things through, AND trying to take advantage of used guns I found on sale, my current survival arsenal consists of:

1. Pistols: Glock 30 (.45acp) with Heinie Straight-8 night sights and grip reduction and 4 mags (I know, I know--the night sights half-life is about 3 years), Glock 22C (40 S&W) with same sights and grip redux, Ruger SP101 .357 mag with Meprolite front night sight on order. Way I see it, .45ACP and .38 sp is very common ammo to scavenge, and .357 mag and .40 will also be available from abandoned law enforcement ammo dumps. I also have a .22 conversion kit for the Glock 22C. I have about 5,000 rounds for these pistols, not including .22.

2. Shotgun: Mossberg 590 12-gauge, have about 300 rounds for it.

3. Rifles: Scoped Browning Win .300 magnum semi-auto, with about 200 rounds, for sniper shooting if necessary to defend self, family & home, and an old Glenfield .22 semi-auto. Have about 5,500 rounds of .22 ammo (also used in Glock conversion kit.)

4. Three Spyderco Delica lightweight knives, one KaBar next generation fighting knife, two fantasy knives, two swords, and untold numbers of high-quality kitchen and folding knives.

5. Lots of pepper spray.

6. Regular practice with the guns and drawing the Spyderco's out.

 

[Byron Quick]

In a situation where you're facing years of wilderness survival with no stores, presumably no ammo plants functioning and no surplus ammo being imported plus folks scavenging and hoarding right and left...I think the supply of everything would dry up right fast.

You'd best have a darn big supply on hand...how are you going to transport it once the gas supplies are gone? Know how to make small caches waterproof for years...under primitive conditions and with primitive materials? Know how to find the caches a couple of years in the future...without GPS? Think about your maximum hiking load and then realize that might be all you have for years. Of everything including ammo. Suddenly the shotgun needs someone else to tote it...plus some other stuff.

Community is looking better all the time.

 

[Ed]

If its just a survive and I'm not going to war, I'd have to agree on a flintlock rifle. Couldn't pass on a .22 revolver, with lots of ammo and again a bp shotgun. That assuming it is something like "the mysterious Island" senario. On something like "the Stand" I'd alter my choices because you could scrounge up ammo. I'd start with a M1, 1911, and 870. BTW..."the Mysterious Island" if you havent read it kinda is a shtf scenario for the 4 ppl at least in 1865.

 

[TamThompson]

I don't think we'll have a big problem on transport. We (husband and I) live in northwest Austin, and at the VERY first sign of SHTF, we'll bug out to my family's ranch up somewhere near Bandera, in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. It borders on a small river. Yes, all my ammo and MRE's are very heavy, but we have an Explorer and a Mazda 6. And we would drive around the middle of Austin, not right through the city.
No nomad stuff, hopefully--just a rural relocation to a place my family owns.

 

[Mannlicher]

I really hate threads like this one.

Rifle: M1A, with detachable scope, extra mags, parts and tool kit. The .308 can do most everything, and you just don't know when you might need a MBR. A supply of suitable ammo.

Shotgun: Remington 870, wearing a 20 inch rifle sight barrel, with another in 26 inch with choke tubes. A supply of suitable ammo. Spare parts kit. Mag extension, sling.

Handgun: S&W Model 66. Powerful enough to stand alone, and suitable for a variety of functions. A .38 HBWC makes a very efficient small game getter. The adjustable sights accomodate different ammo choices.

 

[sturmruger]

MY Choices

The cool thing is I already own all of the guns I would need for this so I wouldn't need to go buy anything.

There is one gun that I would add to the list because it is so versatile. I am not sure who manufactured it but my buddy has a single shot gun that is a 20 Ga and a 22LR. I think that would be an awfully handy thing to have if a person needed to hunt any game at all. I would love to have one of my 10/22s along but would hate to sacrifice the Mini for that small of a caliber. If I had to I would substitute my Mossberg for the single shot gun. There is one other option. I saw this for sale at .CDNN Investments They are selling it for only $699. It is a pump action .223 and 12 Ga shotgun that will shoot 3' shells. It also accepts AR Mags!!! I better start saving my pennies that sounds like a nice gun to have around. I have a pic at the bottom of my comment.

• Ruger Mini 14
• Ruger Security Six in .357
• Mossbeg 500 12 GA

I know people look down there nose at the .223 and the 22LR but I can honestly say i have shot whitetail with both of these calibers without any trouble. The key is where you shoot them.



I also found a magazine article on this gun. Gun Magazine

 

[Byron Quick]

I once had one of those 20 ga/.22lr drillings, I guess. For the life of me, I can't remember the manufacturer...Savage? Stevens? It's been about twenty years.