Survivalist Forum banner
18K views 57 replies 44 participants last post by  zengunfighter 
#1 ·
what is, in your opinions, the best survival pistol. one you could hunt with...

thanks
 
#43 ·
back 7 or 8 years ago when i still lived in maine (before moving to florida) i spent the night at a buddys house awoke the next morning to see a full blown nor'easter raging. my buddys brother was getting dressed,grabbing back packs etc. i asked him where the hell he was going and he said "hunting" he grabs his 44 pistol and starts to head out the door and i asked him what the hell did he think he was gonna shoot with that in a blizzard like this. well he just smiled and headed out leaving me shaking my head thinking how crazy he was.well about 5 hours later the door opens here i am sitting cozy by the wood stove i look up and see deer legs sticking up out of his backpack (hind quarters from two deer) besides that the only other meat he had from them was the two back straps. amazed i asked him how the hell he did it and he said the blizzard had them all screwed up and they were just running around in circles all around him not knowing which way to go and it was like shooting ducks in a pond. well needless to say i will never again doubt the hunting capabilities of the 44. magnum. just a funny little story i thought id tell.
 
#9 ·
Decades of carrying long guns have made me a pistol fan, and I think they're a perfect choice for survival. I'd take two - a .22 and a .357, preferably stainless with hogue grips. .357 from a 5" barrel will take a deer at 50-75 yds depending on you. Experience has taught me I can rely on revolvers, but if you went semi, get a glock 22 in .40s&w with a .22lr conversion set. .40 gives near .357 performance at much shorter ranges.

Don't get a drop holster ... Screams shoot me. Get a belt holster, ride on a hip canted, hard to see under a light coat.
 
#12 ·
Whichever one (or more) that I'm carrying.

I've shot deer with .357, .41 Mag, and .44 Mags in wheelguns.
10mm Auto, .38 Super and .45 Auto in autoloaders.

I've shot small game with all the above also. It's all in the bullet and power level choice.

A good .22 is never a bad idea but I'd rather have something larger in case I run into something larger presents itself either in a food item or otherwise.
 
#14 ·
For revolvers I'd go with a .22 and a .44 mag.

I had a thought for the semi auto category. Get a .45 ACP 1911 with a .22 conversion for small game as well as a .460 Rowland conversion for deer sized game. That would give you two excellent hunting calibers and a devoted self defense caliber.
 
#15 ·
I would choose two depending on the target. My Ruger MkIII w/ scope or my Ruger GP100 w/6" barrel and 222 grain handloads loaded to 1100 fps.(222 gr was Lyman mold (don't know number right off) made for the 357 Maximum pistols. Would also carry 180 gr. FMJ Sierra bullets for hunting.
 
#17 ·
Many folks pooh pooh a 22 and best come back I know is I have a friend who was with 95th Div and as they went into Germany they were sent to check out this real nice place for headquarters place. He said they found it and there was a 10 foot wall all the way around it with broken bottles set in concrete on the top.
Only the front gate was open and it was had a front lawn like a pool table at least 50 yards of open ground between the round drive and front door. He said he didn’t want to be the first one through that opening and this LT lead the way. He said they here a sound like someone clapped their hands one time and this LT dropped to his knees on onto his face. They thought he was playing and they rolled him over and he had a hole in his forehead.
They fanned out and rushed the house and he found a kid about 12 upstairs wearing a white coat and holding a very unique pistol with double set triggers and about a 10” barrel. I have seen and held this gun. It shot 22 shorts only. Kid only had one round so he drops this LT at 60 yards. The pistol came from a case and there was another except it had left hand grips. He snatched the kid up and the guns and they turned the kid in. He gave the left hand one to another GI who was a lefty.
I knew right then a 22 could be very dangerous in the right hands.
 
#18 ·
If I'm at home a S&W or Colt 1911 in .45

If I'm walking a S&W Air-Lite .22lr 8-shot revolver, if I'm also carrying a rifle or shotgun.

If I'm walking and I can't have a long gun then a 6" 686 S&W 7 shot .357, with Lev-Rev ammo, and the .22 Air-Lite.

If I'm walking in a potentially hostile urban Situ then my S&W Tactical 5903 9mm with my Marlin Camp-9 rifle.(They share Mags) The .22 Air-Lite would come too.

If I know I am going to end up in the wooded countryside near me, then the S&W .357 I mentioned with my Marlin .357 lever action rifle would do. Plus the .22 Air-lite.

I guess what I am trying to say is that the situ or companion weapons will tell you which handgun to choose IMO. As for myself, I just think that a light weight .22 is something we should always keep close to hand, so we don't have to waste the precious full power rounds we are carrying on something trivial. You don't want to end up like the character in the Book or the Movie "The Road". Only having 2 shots left in his revolver.

IMO you should get a .22 first, then a 38/357. After those two are in your mitts then the whole handgun world just sort of opens up to you. :thumb:
 
#19 ·
The best pistol for the purpose stated in the OP would be without doubt a .357 mag. revolver with 4" or 6" barrel.
Many will tout the .44 mag, but the ammo is much heavier and more expensive and less versatile with fewer loads available. The .357 has a variety of loads available, including .38 Spl. Both the ammo and the revolver is lighter than a .44mag, but it is still strong enough to kill deer or bear size animals out to about 100 yards. Lighter loads will easily take small game if necessary, though traps and snares would be preferred.
The .22 is a second choice, but is lacking in the defensive capability, while the .357 is well proven for defense use.
 
#22 ·
For me it depends on the situation. If I were to be moving about getting from point A to point B (as in bugging out to someplace else) and had 30 pounds of gear I was humping, then I'd choose a S&W AirLite 3" .22lr kit gun. It weighs almost nothing and is accurate enough... AND a S&W 342PD in .38Spl+P. It's not optimum for large game, but the .38Spl+P approaches light .357Mag loads. This gun could take small deer and hogs, but would be a bit light for bear or large deer.

If I were at a permanent location where I was hunting without a BOB in tow, then I'd opt for a Browing Buckmark with a Red Dot sight in .22lr and a 6"or larger.44Mag for the larger game. Either of these guns are better for the task, but are heavier to tote around...

Allan -- armchair survivalist extraordinaire... OBTW I have taken small game with 3 of the 4 guns I mentioned. I have not hunted with the 342PD yet...
 
#23 ·
Since you mentioned you wanted hunting capable I would suggest a revolver instead of a pistol specifically a single action with convertable cylinders 22lr/22mag. The 22 Mag will take most deer within range and if the shot is placed well. Most Big Game will be pouched out quickly post event anyway so small game will the most likely the only game in town (PUN). 22lr has been throughly discussed as a survival cartridge.
 
#26 ·
Save your long gun ammo for real threats, chances are that ammo will be in very short supply. I’ve always said to use traps or an improvised bow for food when you can but you may not always have the time or resources to do so. A silenced 22lr also has great tactical advantages and the ammo is very light weight, 100 rounds weights next to nothing.

A shotgun or rifle will be overkill in most situations, destroying valuable meat, and giving away your position to others. Since the electric main frame will most likely be down, you'll be limited to small game simply because large amounts of meat will not keep as long as it will take to consume that amount of meat, even when smoked, turned to jerky, or cured.

I choose a pistol for two reasons; one being they are lighter than a long rifle and two they are quicker to access and get on target. I noticed very little weight difference in my pack when packing my AK, pistol and a .22 pistol. I do notice the extra weight of another long gun...not to mention how damn awkward it is.

http://www.pickyourown.org/preservingvenison.htm (great preserving site.)

Now if you’re talking about taking a 150 lb deer to feed a small group then by all means take a large animal and then proportion it respectively. Also be sure to have PLENTY of salt.

I'm no expert on canning meat and i do not really consider that a field expedient method so I’ll skip that. I do know that smoking meat on a fire will make it last for about a week while turning it to jerky, if done right; it will last for a few weeks.
 
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