Ballistic Magazine
  • Guns
    • Handguns
    • Rifles
    • Class III & More
  • Gear
    • Accessories
    • Ammo
    • Knives
    • Suppressors
  • News
  • Lifestyle
    • Culture
    • People
    • Podcasts
    • Rides
    • Survival
    • Tactics & Training
  • VIDEOS
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
Ballistic Magazine
  • Guns
    • Handguns
    • Rifles
    • Class III & More
  • Gear
    • Accessories
    • Ammo
    • Knives
    • Suppressors
  • News
  • Lifestyle
    • Culture
    • People
    • Podcasts
    • Rides
    • Survival
    • Tactics & Training
  • VIDEOS
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
Ballistic Magazine
No Result
View All Result
 
Enter to WIN Christensen Arms Modern Hunting Rifle in FREE GUN FRIDAY!

The Survival Gun: What’s Best for Your Apocalypse Arsenal?

Mel Tappan by Mel Tappan
March 25, 2022
in Class III & More, Guns, Handguns, Rifles
0
Survival Gun
0
SHARES
2.1k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The problem in stereotyped thinking about survival is the belief that survival situations ought to involve a great deal of improvising. Almost certainly, there will be unanticipated circumstances that will force you to improvise. But good planning can confine these to non-critical areas that may involve your comfort but not your safety. If you run out of matches, you can make a fire by at least a dozen other means. But if you are attacked by a band of looters or set upon by feral dogs and are inadequately armed, it could cost you your life. Do not skimp on your selection of a survival gun. I am going to suggest that your survival battery include two separate categories of guns: defense and working. Neither should be expected to do double-duty.

Although you may plan to reload extensively, you will probably want to lay in a substantial supply of factory ammo. It has a better shelf life than its components. And it will be more valuable as an item of trade if you find that you have more than you need.

nighthawk counselor 9mm pistol, rendezvous, lead
RELATED STORY

VIDEO: The Nighthawk Counselor Is the Ferrari of Concealable Pistols

The Survival Gun

All of your scoped rifles should also have a good set of iron sights. Quick detachable mounts are worth considering, despite their higher cost. Ease of repair should also be one of your prime criteria. Each gun in your battery ought to have its own separately packaged kit of spare parts.

Except in very unusual circumstances, accurate, reliable center fire rifles in the .270, .308 or .30-06 power range will be the most essential items in your working battery. They will put more meat on the table per ounce of ammunition expended than any other gun. They will serve—with proper ammunition—for a wide range of uses from pest control to protections from large animals. There are better choices for either extremes, of course, and if you need them, by all means include them in your plans.

A shotgun is more pedestrian in terms of the ammunition-to-food ratio, but there are times when nothing else can be relied upon to fill the pot. At least one good 12-gauge, open-choke scattergun should figure in your plans.

A handgun is perhaps less than essential as a survival gun. It can be an efficient means of finishing wounded game without excessive meat spoilage. It is more practical than game rifle sub-loads for taking rabbits, grouse, and the like when you’re hunting larger animals. If you choose a rimfire for this purpose, several of the pocket auto pistols offer all the accuracy you can use and are convenient to carry. Among the center fires, revolvers make better working guns. Not only because they preserve their brass for reloading, but also because you can have several types of loads quickly available. This includes from shot to mild wadcutters to full power by progressive loading of the chambers.

Survival Gun for Defense

Ours is a social order in which disturbances no more serious than a citywide power failure or a “peaceful” demonstration frequently erupts into a riot of such proportions that the National Guard is required to quell it. What we might expect in the wake of a monetary collapse, nuclear attack, weather disaster, or terrorist attack, I leave to your imagination.

I realize that most readers have some sort of firearm around the house but the level of security called for in this context requires more than a casual selection of sporting arms. Defending your life is a competitive activity and you cannot expect to win if either your attitude or your equipment is inferior to that of your opponent. I recommend a small battery of specialized defensive arms, each designed to cope with a specific type of tactical situation.

Rifles

Although a poor choice for urban home defense because of its excessive penetration and somewhat awkward handling in close quarters, a modern semi-automatic sporting rifle should be regarded as essential protection at a rural retreat. Neither pistols nor shotguns have sufficient range, in most circumstances. Sporting rifles usually have limited magazine capacities. They’re also not designed for either the volume of fire or the abuse to which they are apt to be subjected in even a brief firefight. City dwellers who’ve never been under fire often remark that an attack launched from several hundred yards away isn’t dangerous; or, B) that there would be plenty of time to escape and hide.

Even if the first contention were true, determined attackers seldom remain at long range if they do not encounter effective return fire. And running away might not be an option allowed by your attackers.

Probably the best single choice for this purpose would be one of the better .30 caliber rifles chambered for the 7.62 NATO (.308 Winchester) cartridge. As a backup, one of the 5.56 semiauto rifles should work out well. The .223 cartridge is readily obtainable in quantity. In good rifles it offers excellent accuracy and reasonable stopping power to perhaps 250 yards. Recoil is light, and, consequently, the gun made to fire it can be quite compact and light.

Handguns

If you’re not already a skilled combat pistol shooter, becoming one should rank high on your list of survival preparations. Your defense pistol is the one arm that you can have with you at all time, even when bringing in a load of firewood or working in the garden. It’s a tool that should be chosen carefully, learned with extraordinary care, and carried always; when needed, it’s apt to be needed emphatically and quickly.

Controversy over the revolver vs. the auto pistol has provided interesting reading over the years. For our purposes, that discussion is somewhat specious. For survival gun use, revolvers have a slight edge. They save their brass for reloading instead of flinging it into the nearest underbrush. Also, they are capable of using more powerful ammunition for hunting or protection against large animals than most autopistols.

For defense, I believe that the Colt .45 auto has no peer among handguns. It is adequately powerful, acceptably accurate, and reliable in the extreme. Learning to shoot it well is much easier than gaining similar competence with a revolver. It is far less likely to malfunction because of hard usage or lack of routine maintenance. Further, should repairs become necessary, they can easily be accomplished from a small spare-parts kit, usually without tools. Whereas a revolver requires an expert gunsmith and fairly extensive equipment. Finally, the .45 auto is capable of sustained rapid fire, since it can be reloaded quickly with spare magazines.

Shotguns

If you are faced with attackers breaking into your dwelling, nothing else is as effective as a 12-gauge repeating shotgun. Although any size shot will do across a room, I greatly prefer the 12-gauge #4 buckshot load for defense under a wide variety of circumstances. Almost all shotguns are slow and clumsy to reload. Therefore, you should choose a model with a large magazine capacity. Do some experimenting with various models and choose the one that fits you best.

This article is from Survivor’s Edge Survival Experts Handbook 2018 Special Edition Magazine. Grab your copy at OutdoorGroupStore.com.

Didn't find what you were looking for?

CLICK HERE FOR COMMENTS

RELATED POSTS

Building your own DIY SBR is not only fulfilling but can save a lot of time.

DIY: How to Build Your Own SBR and Not Deal with BAFTE

Odin’s Workshop, located in Michigan, is known for their amazing colorful work on Glock and Sig P320 frames but can handle any job, like the authors personal Ar-15.

Odin’s Workshop Channels Norse Draug in Our Latest Custom Challenge

Thompson/Center Contender Hand Cannon, .375 JDJ

Hunting Boar with a .375 JDJ Thompson/Center Contender Hand Cannon

bug out guns, 9mm SIG MPX, backpack

The Best Bug Out Guns and Tips for When You’re Forced to Leave Home

Load More

WATCH NOW: Night Shooter | Season 2

Discussion about this post

FEATURED POST

Ballistic's Best Reader's Choice Winners

Winners Announced: Ballistic’s Best Readers’ Choice 2022

The votes are in! We've counted the ballots, and we're excited and impressed by you, the...

Read more

TRENDING

7 new products announced ahead of shot show 2023.

New Guns & Gear Launched at SHOT Show 2023

We tested 12 compact and micro compact pistols to determine the best carry gun.

Best Concealed Carry Pistols 2022: Compacts & Micros Dominate

A top-quality chassis gives you adjustability and other features you need to make your long-range shooting more accurate and fun. These 7 top rifle chassis do it with class.

7 Top Rifle Chassis That Add Class & Accuracy to Your Long-Range Shoot

Affordable Precision Rifles 2018

19 Affordable Precision Rifles That Won’t Break the Bank

PICK A CATEGORY

TRAINING & TACTICS SPOTLIGHT

The Smith & Wesson Performance Center M&P9 M2.0 Competitor.

TESTED: Shooting the Smith & Wesson PC M&P9 M2.0 Competitor

Smith & Wesson just announced an exciting new addition to its famed Performance Center line of guns. The new...

SHOWCASE: TRAINING AND TACTICS

Clearing Corners Gunsite Academy lead

10 Key Tips to Clearing Corners That May Save Your Ass

Chris Hemsworth learns box breathing and other challenges in Limitless.

Use Box Breathing Like Chris Hemsworth to Calm Down & Make The Shot

zeroing in rifles and pistols

Zeroing Rifles & Pistols: Getting to & Maintaining Zeroed Sights

European Mount, DIY Euro Mount, Hunting, lead

How to Make a European Mount in 6 Steps

Team SIG Sauer's Lena Miculek fires a P365 and debates .380 vs 9mm.

VIDEO: SIG Sauer’s Lena Miculek Debates .380 Vs 9mm for Defense

Cross-Eye Dominant Shooting, pistol

The Guide to Cross-Eye Dominant Shooting

Follow this guide to better shooting on the move.

SHOOTING 101: 3 Keys to Getting Hits While Shooting on the Move

Understanding eye dominance and both eyes open shooting will help you get on target.

VIDEO: Understanding Eye Dominance for Better Accuracy & Speed

AMMO SPOTLIGHT

Hornady Subsonic 7.62x39 launches a 255-grain bullet.

Hornady Subsonic 7.62×39 Ammunition Launches 255-grain Bullet, Quietly!

Hornady just announced the release of a very interesting new load, one we think hunters will jump all over....

site logo
The Premier Firearms & Survival Magazine

Tactical

  • tactical-life.com

Magazines

  • Tactical Life
  • The Complete Book of Reloading
  • Guns of the Old West

Facebook

  • Tactical-Life Facebook
  • Guns of the Old West Facebook

Twitter

  • Tactical-Life Twitter

Self Defense

  • PersonalDefenseWorld.com

Magazines

  • Personal Defense World
  • Combat Handguns

Facebook

  • Personal Defense World Facebook
  • Combat Handguns

Twitter

  • Personal Defense World Twitter

Shooting Lifestyle

  • BallisticMag.com

Magazines

  • Ballistic Magazine

Facebook

  • Ballistic Magazine Facebook

Twitter

  • Ballistic Magazine Twitter

Alpha Lifestyle

  • SkillsetMag.com

Magazines

  • Skillset

Facebook

  • Skillset Magazine Facebook

Twitter

  • Skillset Magazine Twitter

Instagram

  • Skillset Magazine Instagram
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Terms Of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • California Privacy Notice
  • Cookie Policy
© Athlon Outdoors, All Rights Reserved.
You use of this website constitutes and manifests your acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, and awareness of the California Privacy Rights. Pursuant to U.S. Copyright law, as well as other applicable federal and state laws, the content on this website may not be reproduced, distributed, displayed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, without the prior, express, and written permission of Athlon Outdoors.

Manage your GDPR consents by clicking here. Manage your CCPA consents by clicking here.
No Result
View All Result
  • Guns
    • View All Guns
    • Handguns
    • Rifles
    • Class III & More
    • Sponsored
      • SIG Sauer
  • Gear
    • View All Gear
    • Accessories
    • Ammo
    • Knives
    • Suppressors
  • Videos
  • More
    • Free Gun Friday Sweeps
    • Sweepstakes
    • Subscribe
    • Contact Us
  • News
  • Lifestyle
    • View All Lifestyle
    • Tactics & Training
    • Survival
    • People
    • Podcasts
    • Rides

© 2023 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.