Survival Gun Discussion - List Your Favorite 3. Best Handgun, Best Shotgun, Best Rifle. And Why?

ak47 - by far, the most reliable and well designed assault rifle made.

winchester model 1300 "home defender". - my personal favorite shotgun.

colt 1911 - it's everything one might need in a handgun.

The good ol 22 for sure!

GLPs gone soft...peace.

My thoughts on this topic revolve mainly around 'bang for the buck', durability, and dependability.

22lr - Ruger 10/22 with folding stock for easy transport.

Rem 870 - All the punch you need out of a 12 gauge, without all the combat tupperware

Sigma 40 - Knock it all you want, but there is a reason S&W was sued by Glock over this gun. For 300, you can't go wrong. I'd rather have two of these guns, than a single Glock

HiPoint 9mm - Ugly as hell, feels cheap in the hand, but bought mine for $60 used, and the bullet goes where you point. Everytime. Buy a couple and have one in each vehicle, and stash one somewhere.

Mini-14 - Don't have one yet, but this is what I'm thinking as far as my 'battle rifle'. I don't want a TactiCool CombatTupperwear gun. I prefer the utilitarian look.

Marlin 1894 30-30 - Looks to everyone else like an old outdated cowboy gun, but with six in the tube, and a seventh in the chamber, a little training with the lever action can result in some suprisingly fast follow-up shots with a .30 caliber slug. Vicious.

Mosin Nagant - Don't forget this beast. At $100/gun, and $85/440 rounds, you can throw a LOT of lead. With $1000, you could realistically arm 5 people with an M44, 100 rounds of ammo apiece, AND still have $500 left over to buy 5 HiPoint 9mm WITH ammo. Think about it. If I had the choice of one average AR or four armed friends, I'd take the friends.

As far as putting game on the table, I love me my little Savage .17HMR. Literally, you can shoot out a critters eye at 150 yards, and headshot all day at 200. Amazing round.
Birds go POOF.

Just my $.02

AR-15, 9mm 870 express

1. CZ 75 bd 9mm, best pistol I have ever owned. Accurate as hell.

2. Remingtom 870 shotgun, they now have a ton of add on's for the shotgun, plus they are affordable.

3. Remington 700 in the 30.06 with a good scope, again accurate up to 1000 yards.

You're an idiot.

AR jams? NOT!
There is nothing you can do to stop it. how bout head shoot you at 400-500 yards!

Handgun: S&W 5906 - $400
Shotgun: Mossberg Slugster (cyclinder bore 24") - $150
Rifle: Ruger Stainless Mini-14 - $500

Handgun: Rossi 972, 6.5", 357mag - $300
Shotgun: Winchester 1300, both barrels, all three chokes - $175
Rifle: Rossi 92, 357mag - $350

Handgun: Ruger New Model Blackhawk, 7.5", 44mag, $475
Shotgun: Ithaca Model 37 featherlight - $200
Rifle: Rossi 92, 44mag - $400

Handgun: Ruger LC9 with lasermax - $400
Shotgun: Winchester 37 single, full choke - $250
Rifle: Remington 742, 30-06, extended mag - $450

...or, you could just have them all!

...Oh! I guess I do, and more.

Here is cheap:

Handgun: Hi-Point C9 - $150
Shotgun: H&R Single - $100
Rifle: NEF break in 17hmr or 223 or 22lr - $225
for a total of $475

Every gun I have listed here, I have in my safe(s) or stashed on my 43 acres of hills, hollows and caves. In the case of the C9s, I have three. In the case of the Rossi 972s, I have 2. In the case of the 5906's I have 2. In the case of the Mini-14 stainless, I have 3. Gotta have backups, you know!

But, you don't need to be going out and getting a bunch of stuff unless your a firearms and balistics scientist, like myself. The fact is, it really doesn't matter what you have.

Just be sure to use standard calibers and reliable guns. Regardless of what you choose, be sure you have all the bases covered:

Castle protection. - Shotguns are mostly preferred but a good snub nosed pistol will work well to if you use the right ammo.

Portable/Concealable protection. - Typically pistols and revolvers. 9mm/38/357/40/even 22lr. concealable, portable. Stashable.

Long Range protection. - Bolt guns with big shells and big bullets. 223 minimum up to, and including 30-06 and above. Some autoloaders, but accuracy is a factor.

Varmint/Game/Pest hunting/control. - 22lr usually but can substitute handloads in 30-30, 30-06, 223, etc, etc.

Get what you need. Learn to use it.

Note: for people that aren't experienced with firearms, don't buy blued guns. YOu need to keep them dry and clean and oil them. They take quite a bit more maintenance. Buy stainless or "all weather" models.

For beginners I would recommend a 357 magnum revolver with 38 special loads. Use a good Smith or Colt. But, Rossi makes some nice ones. I like the 972s that are like Colt Python knock offs.

Shotguns are great but beginners need something substantial. Single shots are easy to work but you've got one shot before a reload so your rate of fire it low. Recommend a good pump. Slug guns have short barrels and makes them pseudo-tactical. Winchester 1300s, Mossberg 88s or 500s or Remington 870s - with slug barrels you get a pretty handy castle protection gun.

Rifles are more difficult. I prefer Mini-14s, again, in stainless. But, for beginners, you might want to save your money and for the same price you could buy 2 stainless 10/22s and have a second gun for use or backup. Add in a 30 round mag and, while the pea sized round isn't much, do you really want to face down a guy you can throw 25 rounds at you faster than you can count with no recoil-return-to-target? Not me. ...and then add a second?

Shop carefully, try some out from friends, buy what you need.

Good luck!

Shotgun: Either a Mossberg 500 or Remington 870. You can't go wrong with either as they both have great track records in military and police roles. Plus, lots of extra accessories for each. Fairly easy to maintain as well.

For a handgun: chose the best one that fits your hand. Seriously. I've owned quite a few, and it essentially comes down to that factor. People rave about Glocks, but they don't fit me, nor my style (I get "stove piped" too often because of how I have to hold the gun).

Rifle: going with a 5.56mm is okay, but it's not going to stop an attacker quickly because it makes small fast holes. Takes too long for folks to bleed out. Sure, that's why you get to carry more ammo (lighter brass), but in a SHTF scenario, not the best idea with everything else you have to carry.
The AK is a solid platform with bullets more than twice the size of the 5.56. Not as good accuracy wise (but seriously, after 200 yards you're probably not going to hit someone in a battle field unless you're a sniper), but the AK round is highly effective against most targets.
The .308 is probably the best round, and there are so many good rifles in this cartridge; Winchester m100 to Springfield Arms, FNH FNAR, and so forth.
10/22 is also an option, but not wise for protection.

Kalashnikov was a real rifle designer. His rifle met all military criteria.

AR-15 with an Eotech, cause I can hit what I'm aiming at and carry more ammo.

M&P9 Pro Series, very accurate, high capacity, never jams

Remington 1100 Tactical. less recoil, faster follow up shots.

Ah. Another good point; best you skip optics as best as you can. In a SHTF situation, it'll be really easy for those things to get bumped or break. Not to mention relying on batteries, which will not last. Better be proficient with iron sights than to rely on technology that can and always does fail.

For self defense it would be practical to get a Mossberg 500 12ga, great gun and not pricy at all.

I'd probably take an AK or variant of an AK, I have seen some as low as 500$. 7.62x39 will make a nice hole and will stop them dead in their tracks. A 5.56mm doesn't have that sort of stopping power but the ammo is lighter and the rate of fire/accuracy is better. Most likely you won't be shooting at anything more than 100 yards away anyway, so the AK is a good gun.

For a handgun it would be wise to get either a 9mm or .45ACP. Both of these rounds are very common in law enforcement and military use, there is a huge surplus of these rounds out there. I'd personally take a .40S&W over them though. It has the penetration of a 9mm and the stopping power of a .45.

For a hunting rifle I'd suggest getting a Ruger 10/22 and either a .308 or 30-06. These rounds are very powerful and will drop a deer instantly with a decent shot. 30-06 is a very common hunting round so ammo would be widely available.

I'm no expert, just a amateur gun enthusiast.

at 62 you'll find u have eye problems and optics are a must. when 2 different range officers compliment your shooting, you know you've got the right set up. I do have backup Magpul 'irons' that fold down. My rifle fell onto concrete from about 3', that Eotech was fine.

Lithium batteries are a must and I've got plenty of spares. I'll deal with it...

I've got approx. 45 firearms. About half pistols and half
long guns(rifles). More than half the long guns are military
type assault rifles. If I had to choose what to use, it would be kind of difficult to pick. Fortunately I have the
luxury to be in that situation. Every gun that I own have
good points and bad points about them. OP, your going to get opinions from people on the types of guns they happen to own at this time. The only way you are going to be able to choose is to actually hold and shoot the weapon. Granted,
peoples opinions will help in throughing out the sorry weapons, because there are some pretty sorry weapons on the
market. Take for example, My conceal carry pistol is an
FN 57, the round is 5.7x28, which is a cut down 223 round. I
like it because of the amount of ammo you can carry on a
shoulder holster rig. 1 mag in the gun and 2 mags in the mag
pouch, for a total of 90 rounds. These mags are extended mags, holding 30 rounds each. The normal mags hold 20 rounds
each. It is a good hard hitting round, and is one of the
only pistol rounds that can go through a bullet proof vest,
if you can get that kind of round, but is very expensive
because they a not allowed to be manufactured anymore.
Anyway, thats my opinion, and opinions are like assholes,
everyone has one.

Handgun:

Beretta M9 (92)

Rifle:

M4 (with actual M4 feed ramps) fitted with an M-203, gas driven

Shotgun:

Mossberg 590A1 mariner

Wildcard:

M-24 (Remington 700)

If you live in the United States, these should be your first choices. All are standard issue weapons in standard calibers.

The reason for this is as follows:

Since these are used by the U.S. armed forces, there will be plenty of ammunition, spare parts, and repair information.

If other weapons platforms are used first, a part failure may make the weapon useless without readily available replacements. If ammunition is scarce, your best chances are with a common caliber.

If you live in another country, you should adjust as needed.

A cheap tokarev in 7.62X25 defeats body armor with cheap surplus ammunition.

Although I sold all my guns for food already, here are my picks;

Handgun....Colt 1911 .45
Reason:....Best Man stopper for 100 years.

Rifle......Bushmaster M-4 ,5.56
Reason:....Lots of ammo available because all Police carry
them.

Shotgun....Mossberg 500 pump 12 gauge
Reason:....Never jams, more reliable than a Remington 870
(I used one in Vietnam.1968-69).

Best Handgun: Glock 19 Gen 3
Best Shotgun: Remington 870
Best Rifle: AK 47

Why? Reliability, reliability, reliability.

You are the most ill-informed and stupid asshole I have ever seen post on GLP in years! Shoot yourself and save someone the trouble!

My three: Ruger 10-22, Colt 1911A1, Remington 870

Sure do like my M1 Garand though... So much fun to shoot.

If I'm going on straight survival, were I'm on foot, lugging around everything I own in the wilderness, trying to put food in my belly and some self protection duties, the choice is a no brainer for me.

An accurized Ruger 10/22 rifle and a Ruger Mark III Hunter pistol. Both can put 10 shots in a 1" circle at 50 yards. While not packing the biggest punch, you can surely feed and defend yourself with them. You can carry a 1000 rounds of a quality 22LR ammo, and it works in both weapons. Try to carry 1000 rounds of 308WIN or even .556 along with your other survival gear and see how far you get or how many calories you burn.

If I had to take a shotgun into the wilds, on an extended hike, I suppose a Marlin Lever Action .410 with some 000 buck and birdshot shells would work alright.

Now if your defending the homestead, thats 3 other guns entirely. A Springfield M1A, Bennelli M4, and Colt 1911 are my weapons of choice.

Or..... How about going real old school. A Bear Montana Longbow, SOG Trench Tomahawk, and a Case Bowie Knife. But you gotta be good to survive with these.

-22 rifle - this is one of the most sold ammo in US. Good just in case you run out. And you use this gun only for hunting if it comes to that.

-308 - Very common ammo in US and very good a long range, to take someone out before they get close. Others would be 338 lapua, or 50.

-AR-15 - One of the most common ammo also used in US, being 223 or 5.56.
Very good for close combat and up to 500 yards. Some my say an AK but sucks at accuracy and has been proven when match up against the AR comes in 2nd.

Remember, when it comes to survival you want to use something that you can find without going to the store. Because there will not be one, and if everyone is using the same ammo you are it will be easier to find ammo if needed, like off dead people. And for the 22 the reason i say this is because of ammo but also because you don't want to use the ammo that you will use to defend your self with. Use the cheap ammo, and the gun is not that load......

Awesome stuff, lots to go through here. I'll post a summary of what I'm going with, based on feedback here. Beauty.

Smart man...

Thanks. I like your thinking.

Wilson Combat .45, Mossberg tactical persuader, S&W 5.56 LE. These are my personal guns with a .22 ruger MK3 or .22/45 bull barrel for small game. Realy kinda depends what survival you are looking at.