Survivalist Forum banner

Best All Around Survival Weapon

23K views 92 replies 66 participants last post by  ohms 
#1 ·
This has been discussed numerous times on this board and others. But for an average woman, what would you suggest as the best all around survival firearm?
 
#10 ·
even though 12 gauge is more bulky its much better in terms of shotguns. more badguys are gonna use 12 gauge and more ammo is avaiilable plus more power

get a buttpad for a 12 gauge iif recoil is what makes you worry.also there are some speacial stocks that rid you of most recoil
 
#3 ·
Thanks for your reply. I have been considering a 20 gauge. My only concern is in regards to ammunition. Do you think 20 gauge shells will be readily available for the next 5-10 years? In other words, do you think the popularity of the 12 gauge will render the 20 obsolete in the foreseeable future?

Also, What do you think about the Remington 870 Wingmaster in 20?
 
#16 ·
Ammunition for a 20-gauge should not be a problem--one of the 2 20-gauge shotties that I have was my Dad's--made in 1926. My other is a Winchester 1300. I think ithat 20-gauge shells are going to be around for quite a while, still.

The Remington should be fine. Nice thing about shotties--the range of loads for the shells should cover any type of shooting--rifled slugs (for REALLY big critters), 000 buck, smaller shot for turkey, pheasant, waterfowl, various other edible birds, rabbits, squirrels, varmints...the possibilities are almost endless.
 
#6 ·
What purposes does a gun serve if the SHTF?:

1. hunting
2. dispatching vermin
3. self-defense (really an extension of #2 :D:)

I definitely don't think that 20 gauge is rare enough to be nonexistant. Now, a 16-gauge on the other hand...

As Wolfe said, a .22 bolt action is pretty darn simple and effective for small game- and it's the cheapest and most plentiful ammo around. While I wouldn't want to use one for defense, most criminals will turn tail and run if they see ANY gun pointed their way.

I don't own one, but I always hear good things about the Remington 870- its known as a quintessential shotgun, along with the Mossberg 500.
 
#83 ·
What purposes does a gun serve if the SHTF?:
2. dispatching vermin
3. self-defense (really an extension of #2 :D:)
That made me giggle!

Sadly guns are not always an option for everyone. Hunting rifles and compound bows aside I'm very limited to what kind of weapons I can purchase in advance of SHTF. As far as personal protection I have a number of blades (all of which I'm trained in the use of) and for the more showy sign of force (ie: protecting me and mine from those who would take/steal/harm) I have a number of swords.... laugh all you want they don't have to be reloaded and when in the hands of someone trained to use them, scare the ever living daylights out of would be threats. A note though, there is more to buying blades and swords than walking into your local "things engraved" and buying a pretty show piece. These weapons have to be battle ready, forged, with at least 3/4 tang and sharpened to obscene levels... just saying. They're not for the faint of heart for sure.
 
#8 ·
As popular as the 20 gauge is ammo will be available almost as readily as the 12 guage. It might not be quiet as plentiful or there be quiet the variety of loads available but 20 gauge is not going into obscurity any time soon.

That being said...

I too think the 22 would be the optimal general purpose weapon at the moment. They are reasonably priced still even in the current market rush for guns. The ammo is still pretty cheap and you can buy a gang of it for minimal out lay of fun dollars.

A better option that may give you a lot of bang for the buck if you have no guns at all might be a pistol capable of using a conversion kit for 22 rim fire ammo. These are available for the Glock, Beretta 92 and 1911 style pistols and run about 200 bucks. This would give you the flexibility of having a defensive side arm to protect yourself with on a daily basis and the ability to convert over to 22 rim fire and take small game and practice on the cheap too! If I was starting with nothing gun wise this is the route I would go for economy and covering some of the basis quick!
 
#9 ·
Oh oh almost forgot, since you said survival weapon and not survival gun:

A hatchet and/or machete isn't a bad idea. I would not want to use one for self-defense, but many natural disasters involve fallen trees and limbs. If part of your house gets caved in, you would want to be able to hack those suckers up. Also useful for gathering firewood.

Another alternative is a nice beefy ka-bar. I'm not a knife aficionado, but I'm sure others here could recommend one.
 
  • Like
Reactions: joes
#11 ·
The best survival weapon is your head. Next, a really good knife. As for firearms, there are so many varialbles to pick the perfect one for everyone, everywhere. A combo rifle in .410/.22lr is one of the most handy tools out there. One person could carry 1000+ rounds of 22lr and 100+ rounds of .410. You could hunt fur and feather, and keep someone at bay if needed.
 
#12 · (Edited)
there really is no 1 weapon will do it all survival, each has its plus and negative. that why your getting mixed answers
to answer your question several things must be considered. first,how much do you want/can to spend? do you plan on staying in your home or are you doing backpack survival? what terrain do you live in plains ,dessert,forrest? have you fired a weapon before? what type of disaster do you think is most likly to happen to you economic, natural disaster (local/earth changeing), goblin attack (war invasion)?

let see if i can give you the postive and negetive thing about each

#1 a shotgun: very good home def. good all around hunting with the right ammo. bad thing is you must have a large assortment of ammo to cover everything. there is certain ammo for hunting deer-man, another type for birds, another type for bear,another type for rabbit & squirrel. so you see to stock up on all the ammo to cover it all you will need a large storage closet. which makes it not the weapon of choice for backpack survival.must be kept at home or out in the woods hunting, cannot keep with you at all times.ammo can be a bit pricey

#2 .22 rifle: poor home def., but could scare ppl off just small chance on killing any1. its VERY light recoil makes it easy to shoot. great beginning weapon. ammo is very cheap,small and light so in a backpack survival you can carry ALOT of ammo to survive on and not take up alot of room or break your back from the weight. most common to hunt with for rabbit and squirrel but with shot placement you can kill a deer or a small boar.but if your doing a backpack survival it would be a good idea to have a large caliber pistol to take down large animals that may attack (bear,mountain lion). must be kept at home or out in the woods hunting.

#3 pistol: pending on caliber good home def. if your planning for an economic collapse as the most probable and you are liveing in the city it a good weapon to have because you can keep it consealed as you travel to the store and such. it is a personnel carry weapon and is with you at all times(i personnely think its the 1st weapon everyone should get). some ppl do hunt with pistols but its not common and not easy to do. good for a 2nd weapon in a backpack survival. ammo is smaller and lighter than rifle/shotgun ammo,but heavier than .22 ammo

#2 rifle large caliber: good home def, pending on caliber will kill anything in the woods or in the city. good hunting weapon or killing goblins. must keep at home or in the woods while hunting. some weapons are a bit on the heavy side as well as the ammo so it can be a bit of a burdun to carry ALOT of ammo and the weapon in backpack survival. good weapon to have if your preparing for a madmax/war.pending on caliber and weapon can have a heavey recoil or it can have a light recoil.ammo is expensive

i perfered if economic collapse 9mm, if backpack survival a combo .22 (ruger 10/22) and a 1911 .45 pistol , home def 12ga pump

just some of the plus and minus of the weapons that i could thing of. im sure others can come up with more.

hope this helps :thumb:
 
#17 ·
Wilderness survival and self defense are extremely different. Buying one gun to do both would significantly compromise efficiency on both fronts. If your in the wilderness, a bolt action .22lr would probably be best. Itll last FOREVER, and ammo is cheap. Plus you can store thousands of rounds(and 1 round can = a meal) in a simply coffee tin. For all around self-defense, id go with a small-med sized pistol. If the economy were to collapse you could bring it with you wherever you go for security. Obviously a carbine or shotgun would be better in many situations, but it will be a LONG time after the entire country collapses before its acceptable for people to walk around in public with long guns. My picks:

Wilderness - .22 bolt action
Urban - compact glock .380 through .45
 
#20 ·
i say for personal defense a small mid wieght handgun like a sw revolver 38.cal loaded with hollowpoints for self defense with speed loaders for use as a basic weapon ..
for the person that is not weapon savy..

get you a set of dummy rounds with a couple of speed loaders to pratice speed reloading of the revolver as need with a good belt holster along with a couple speed loader ammo belt pouchs with a long with a good belt knife and a set of skinning knifes to dress out game as need ..

the girls in my group seam to like cross draws belt holster with thumbsnap for basic holster ..it seams to fit there bodys better than a strong side hip holster

hunting i would go with a small 22.lr bolt action rifle with scope for small game hunting
with a 20.ga shotgun for all around hunting with diff barrels for diff game as need
 
#25 · (Edited)
The thing with 12 gauge is it's the police standard for a reason, first off the heaviest shot I can find is #3 buckshot which is getting CLOSE to ineffective.
Close but not totally out of the game. Problem is the shot needs to be heavy enough to penitrait deep enough to get to vitals of a bad guy. The only heavier you can go is slugs but then in a Urban area, we're talking too much penitration.

Now 12Ga has of course has defensive shot all the way up to 000 buck. That being said their are several thing you can do to lower the recoil of a 12ga to be easier on your shoulder.

1. Propper training after a few times at the range with a knowlagable friend or instructor can save your shoulder by showing you the propper shooting stance and shoulder seating of the stock to your shoulder.

2. If you get a Remington 870 make sure it has a R3 recoil pad. It's easy to test for this look at the should pad and push down on it with your thumb. It should give a bit. If it doesn't then it has the older hard rubber type that can be a shoulder brusier. If it has the old type not all is lost. One can buy the pad seprately. You can buy a Remingtons "R3", Pachmayer "decelerator" sorbathane recoil pad or Simms Vibration Laboratories Navcomm Sorbathan recoil pad. These pad wil eat 50% of the recoil. If you buy a mossburg the same pads with the exception of the R3 pad is available for them.

3. Ammunition selection. Avoid magnum rounds if you can. The only thing magnum power gives you is a couple hundred feet per second and a hand full of foot pounds at the great expense of heavier recoil. The animal or bad guy you hit won't know the differance when the get hit. There are two differant sizes for the 12ga. 2 3/4" and 3". General rule of thumb is all 3" rounds are magnum rounds. 2 3/4' will say either magnum (MAG for short) or Max dram equivalent. The Max dram loads are standard pressure loads. These are the one you want to look at. You can also go to a gun shop and get reduced recoil tactical loads, ment for police and security use. They have either a reduced payload of shot (8 pieces of 00 buckshot versus 9 in a normal load) or a reduced powder charge. Sometimes both. There available in slug, 00 Buck, #4 buckshot.

4. Have the shotgun go to the gunsmith or to Vang Comp Enterprises to have the forcing cone reamed and "backbored" this will allow the gas more room to expand in the barrel and to keep the shot from hitting the sides of the barrel, and it will result in a 15% recoil reduction and better shot pattern.

The main reason I suggest the 12gage is you can buy rubber buckshot, slugs and bean bag rounds for Less lethal warning shots, before you use the lethal stuff. Flares for rescue and fire starting (malicious, type not a camp fire mind you), Doorbusters and other speciality rounds that are only available in the security/police/military standard 12ga.

Also if you get a 20 or a 12 do make sure to get rifle or ghost ring sights for your shotgun. The bead site is good only for shot. If you get the slug sights on the gun you can effectivly shot out to 100 yards with slugs, with advanced practice 200 yards on a still target. If you just have the bead the most you can hope for is 40-50 yards MAX.

I'd also avoid semi auto shotguns because unless you invest a lot of money in gunsmithing they WILL JAM easier than a pump. That and seals are usally first to go resulting in a gunsmith repair, a luxury you might not have after SHTF.

In the end with good training, load selection and shotgun set up a woman or a child can shoot the 12ga. with no discomfort what so ever.

Rifleman 336
 
#29 ·
Correction here...The Judge is a 5 shot revolver that fires 45 Long Colt and .410 gauge shot shells (I have one, it's a pretty versatile revolver. I have a variety of ammo for it--the 45 Longs, and in the .410 gauge, I have rifled slugs, 000 buck, as well as "field" shot) We have it set so that the first shot or two are "warnings" loaded with field shot. After that, we go to the 45 longs.
 
#28 ·
I think you've been given some great advice about the strengths of your various "best all-around" choices for firearms.

I agree with Hank2222 about a handgun. You can't go around an urban environment with a rifle without drawing attention.
I would lean toward pistol over revolver though. Unless you've spend a lot of time with revolvers and prefer them. The action, and reloading can slow you down. I like revolvers, and I'm all-for the one-shot, one-kill philosophy too, when we're talking deer down the range, but in personal defense, I won't be sparing rounds. I'll take more capacity any day.

If you choose a caliber that will fit your pistol and rifle, all the better imo. You can realize a good savings by limiting the types of ammo you'll need.

For pure straight home-defense and hunting potential, I have a 12 gauge with an extra 18" barrel. To me, shotguns are the most versatile. Game birds and critters, bigger game, home defense. All depends on what you choose to load it with. I won't be carrying it concealed, for sure, but if I could afford only one, it would be a 12 gauge.
 
#30 ·
the reason why i tell a lot of women that a revolver is better over a auto is ..
some places it hard to get the high cap typle mags need for them weapon or it just easly to get a revolver to pratice with as a first weapon to learn on..
most of the women in my group seam to lean more towards a revolver than a auto ...
plus the some of my women have seam to taken more with the sw tr8-8-shot revolver
than the glock so ...
the shotgun is a most used survival weapon in the world with diff barrel sets up for personal defense to hunting diff sized game up to deer sized game
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top