[Gunner65]

It is pointless to explain why pistols are a necessity in a SHTF situation, anyone that thinks they are not maybe needs to do some more research. In fact a pistol, be a revolver or semi-auto could have a case made for them in just about any situation.

My question and comments are going to be on calibers, which ones and why. Now if you only have a 25auto or 32 auto and that is all you will ever have then so be it, it is better than not having anything at all. I used to look down on .380s also until the past few years when the ammo companies started making some very high quality ammo in 380.

After a SHTF situation, there will be many running around with big cannons hanging off their hip. Big revolvers they may have stolen from a local gun shop. 460’s and 500’s with 8 to 12 barrels all in the open for the “Intimidation factor” gambling on once you see it, you will give up yourself (if you are good looking female) and or your belongings you happen to have with you.

So in this situation, what do you do? How would you handle this if you walked into this?

Getting with like minded people that you can TRUST and that is the most important, trust. Now these will have to be special people indeed. After a life changing event as SHTF there will be many people you would swear you know be completely different. I saw this first hand when I was deployed in the southern hemisphere years ago. People change, plain and simple.

If you find this group of like minded people, it would be in everyone’s best interest to have most of the pistols calibers the same between everyone. That means more ammo for everyone. Problem is a lot of people stop here, they think this is enough and they have everything covered. It would be a good idea to have a couple calibers that are not the norm. Normal for most will probably be 9mm, 45acp and 38 / .357mag.

You would be surprised of the people that don’t have the 40s&w. (I for one love the 40s&w round) But someone in the group should have a 44mag, or 454 or even one of the 500s&w on hand for a “JUST IN CASE” weapon. You would not need 1000’s of rounds for these, maybe 250 for each caliber and they only get used for very specific reasons. That way they would not take up to much room for the small amount of stocking. Also if you would need this much power you will be glad you have it, sometimes a 9, 40, 45 and even the 357mag just is not big enough.

Kev did a great job on rifle calibers with his post and shotguns speak for themselves… Pistols need to be talked about and considered. Concealed Carry is not what I am talking about here. Those who carry, carry what works for them, besides that is for a mostly normal world we have now. This is for the aftermath of a SHTF event. Now again I am not saying everyone in the group have the “BIG Bores” but at least 2 people should out of however many you have together. There will come a time when you need one of these calibers.

Even while moving around after an event of this magnitude one would not want to show off their weapon. Now I know some will say, NO you want to show it so nobody will mess with you. Again from experience in deployment when you do this you are a target… You might as well paint yourself fluorescent orange and hold your weapon of choice above your head and scream I GOT A GUN at the top of your lungs… It comes out to be about the same… Then you get shot and most times it is from somebody you never saw… After that the women get raped and everything else gets taken…

If you go out in groups to “scout” one person should have the big bore with them and the rest of the group have the normal pistols, rifles and shotguns. It is just smart to have it planned this way. You are covering all the bases this way.

As far as how much ammo to have or want to have is still something everyone has to decide on based on a bunch of things, room, money, ability to transport etc… If you can afford it and have the room for 50,000 rounds then go for it. If not do what you can as you can do it… Any amount on hand is better than none at all…

Please feel free to chime in on this post with your idea’s for or against… That is what we are here for, to find out ideas that will help us survive if and when needed…

Thanks everyone for reading…:thumb:
Gunner

 

[TxHills]

Good subject. I've seen this brought up on firearms forums in the past.
I won't get into all the possible scenarios, but I think you have brought up several possibilities.
If one were to run out of their own ammo.....and if any were gonna be available after SHTF.....the .9mm will be one of the most common.
For me, in pistol/revolver cals, it's .9mm, 38/357, .380, .45 and yes .40 S&W.
My personal favorite is .357. It's just me, but I've always had a revolver in that cailber since my younger days. Hard hitting, accurate...especially out of M66 S&W. My favorite shooter though is a .9mm. Except for the .380....everything I have is accurate to a rerasonable distance. Then it's time to use the handgun to get to the rifle.
I agree that you shoouldn't flaunt a handgun in a SHTF situation. You Will be a target.

But the best case scenario.....is to stay "invisible."

 

[Gunner65]

Thanks TX...

 

[Wetwork]

buy the die's and reload... I have several dies for common calibers (both rifle and pistol) I do not own. If its some crazy hand cannon round like a .475 Linebaugh well put'er up and go will common calibers. However....if a person is good with their own gun, then I say let'em be good with a gun they are familiar with. Why try to make them re-train in another caliber? I can see if its a preplanned group, but how often do you train with your neighbors? For me if you need more ammo I will cook some up.-WW

 

[Gunner65]

It is something to consider, having common calibers and a couple not so common that have a specific purpose…

 

[Richh56]

With todays awesome ammo, I honestly can't think of anything a 357 mag won't knock off of its feet here in the USA. Be that 2 legs or 4.

 

[Pangea]

I only stock up on what I have a gun to fit. Man, you could have a box of everything and someone would still show up with something you never planned for. I keep .22 short and long, .22 magnum, .357 magnum, 9MM, .45 ACP and the odd .44 magnum on hand. I just hope that I have enough for me, much less others.

This question you pose is a tough one that's for sure!

Oh yeah, don't forget Your Other Guns.

 

[Optimist]

.38 for town, .44 for the farm. Old rule, but it stands good.

 

[ww1military]

I have a 357 mag combo as my mobile system of choice. A 686 6in and a Rossi 92 with a 20in barrel. More than enough power and yet very flexible and manageable.

As Wetwork said by a set of dies and reload. One of the big issues that is often over looked in a survival situation is sustainability. If you lose a significant portion of your brass each time you shoot sustainability means starting with huge stockpiles. Your stockpile has to last until manufacturing is reestablished. If you lose 50% of your brass each time you are shooting you can estimate that the total number of reloads you will have is equal to the starting number of rounds. So if you start with 500 9mm and lose 50% of the brass each time after adding up all of your reloads you will have reloaded 500 rounds. If you only lost 10% of your brass each time, as would be the case with a 357 revolver, and can reload each case 10 time you will get about 4973 reloads. Semi-auto throw your brass making it very difficult to find, revolvers don't. Reliability aside, this factor alone can shift the choice of a survival weapon to a revolver over a semi-auto.

Another factor to consider is the quality of the ammo available. If your stockpile is maintained in a relatively stable temp and humidity this will not be a problem. Until manufacturing and distribution is reestablished one can expect that the quality of components that are available with be in decline. Revolvers have the ability to handle a large variation and still be functional. This is not the case with most semi-autos. As an example of the wide variation that a revolver can handle is that you can load a 357 with 21 grains of ffg black powder and still get about a 1100 fps with a 158gr bullet. I can not think of a single semi-auto round that you could load with black powder and maintain reliable functioning.

 

[Gunner65]

All great points everyone….

 

[iNGEN]

I still like the old .36 Navy for around the house. Don't need much accuracy at sub 30ft range and even if you do miss, the bad guy will loose you in a massive cloud of smoke. :

 

[TxHills]

With todays awesome ammo, I honestly can't think of anything a 357 mag won't knock off of its feet here in the USA. Be that 2 legs or 4.

The .357 is, and has been one of the best man-stoppers out there. Ole Elmer got it right back in the day........Out of all the guns I do...or do not have, If I had to get rid of them all but one....it'd be my M66.

 

[hank2222]

for field work a revolver is the best set up with speedloaders for working around the field work around the homestead or farm area in the following calibrs-x-38.special or 357 caliber. --41 mag or 44 mag or 45.l.c. in the some places in the states with the bigger caliber of 460 or 500 magnuns calibers for areas like the alaska where where more likely to encounter large more dangerous game in the back country areas.....

for town or self defense work the automatic is the best a person self defense type of weapon in 9.mm 40.cal and 45.acp cal is the best calibers for a working self defense .


like someone said reloading is the best answer for the person to allow them a way to have a more stable supply of ammo in there resupply system

 

[Vectorwoman]

I like my 38 special. Little gun, big bullets.

I think that a shotgun or rifle would not be a good thing to walk down the street with.

 

[53convert]

357 revolver in 125 grain HP and .38 super in 130 FMJ..........preatty much good self defense rounds

 

[goose3]

When I chose my handguns I chose calibers that are common calibers for the obvious reason: Finding ammo is going to be easier.

Since I reload those common calibers, I have the potential for being of value to a post-SHTF survival group, as well as producing something that may have barter value (though I don't intend to barter ammunition unless I have to).

There is no pistol I wish I would be shot with. Even a little .22 isn't something I want to stand in front of. However, there are considerations.

First is that I wouldn't choose a small caliber unless it was all I could handle. Everything else being equal, a bigger hole is a better hole.

Second is capacity. This is where I feel revolvers fail. My XD-9mm has a 16+1 capacity, and there is excellent self-defense ammo for 9mm. It's very easy to reload, and when you have that much capacity, you're in the area of being able to produce suppressive fire.

My XD-45 capacity is 13+1 which is still a very good capacity. That's more than 2 reloads for a revolver, and again there is the potential for suppressive fire.

Third is reliability. I bought my pistols specifically for a SHTF scenario, and demanded they be as robust as I could get. I feel the XDs are exactly that--the most reliable and bulletproof guns I could find. They just keep going.

I know there are a lot of good revolvers, but there's no way I'd want to use a revolver to take on someone with one of those XD pistols.

Finally, I think there is too much discussion of caliber, and not nearly enough discussion of skill. If you can't hit what you want to hit, I don't care if you carry a .50. I practice, and each and every time I practice, the very first shots fired are done cold: no dry firing, no nothing, just the gun comes up and I'm trying to put the bullet in the bullseye.

Practice beats caliber. Practice plus caliber beats everything else.

 

[BlasphemousBill]

At the end of the day, only two things matter:

1. A common and readily available caliber.

2. Sufficient training with the firearm of your choice.


9mm, .40, .45, .357, .38, etc., etc. If you can shoot well under stress it's not going to matter much what gun you have as long as you've trained with it properly. Glock vs. XD vs. revolver, all have relative advantages and disadvantages.

 

[TheTexasHammer]

Y'all can have your handguns. I have them too, but in a SHTF scenario, it's a single point sling mounted laser sighted AR on my chest, visible from a long distance, that will protect me and mine. Not a tiny, under 25yd shooting, 10 round holding pistola.

If you see me you'll recognize me, I'll be the guy wearing a shemagh with the AR on his chest riding his survival ostrich.

 

[bighanded]

my daily carry.. and i mean all the time...is a colt mustang 380..and my bug bag has 2 spare preloaded mags on board....but that's it for the lil gun.
my BOB also has a trusty old smith duty gun in 40cal with 8 preloaded (11rds) mags..that's as much ammo as I'm going to carry in my bob...local LEO use 40 around here and it's a fairly common cal ..but even more important..my smith is a tank...I wanted a gun that I knew would run and tolerate any ammo...and that was not such a high dollar gun that I don't mind letting it live in the bob.

I'm a 1911 guy as a preference and have several...nights when I'm feeling under dressed..I'll add a kimber ultra to my wardrobe.

but for shtf..I will have grabbed my bob and will make due with that on me..if I felt I need a long gun..then yeah.. I've got a 5.56 sitting here in a tac bag with 5 preloaded 25rd mags...again..not a long fire fight...but this is shtf and moving out on foot quickly...if I'm hold up at home...or on short excursions from the house...might make different choice..and I'm fortunate to have some options...but from a minimalists view point.. my 380 will already be on me...and those 18 rds are my last ditch...my 40 is in the bob and it should help me get out of a firefight...if I've got to grab my rifle.. it's probably a really bad day and I doubt I'll survive it.

 

[Optimist]

Y'all can have your handguns. I have them too, but in a SHTF scenario, it's a single point sling mounted laser sighted AR on my chest, visible from a long distance, that will protect me and mine. Not a tiny, under 25yd shooting, 10 round holding pistola.

Most civilian gunfights take place at three paces and are over in three shots. Unless you have reflexes like a mongoose, you will not get that rifle unlimbered nearly fast enough to save your bacon.