[arnygollott3]

These are my thoughts after doing a fair amount of reading and research, PLEASE add your own thoughts and suggestions because I am CERTAIN I have not covered all that is necessary!

Survival weapons often will be different than our 'tacticool' weapons or our favorite hunting firearms...

MUCH consideration must be given to the availability of ammunition in an event that lasts for months or even years...

MUCH consideration must be given to the availability of magazines, replacement parts, and cleaning/oiling products for firearms too, ESPECIALLY since in a lifestyle where our weapons are going to go from safe queens/weekend warrior duty to full scale 24/7 operational duty...in short...they will see much more wear and tear!

With these considerations obviously the most prudent and wise weapons to enlist for duty are those that shoot common ammunition and are of common manufacture...

Such calibers would be (but are not limited too):

9 mm
40 S&W
45 ACP
22 lr
223 rem (5.56 Nato)
.308 Win (7.62 x 51 Nato)
12 Gauge

Such weapons would include (but are not limited too):

Glock pistols in the three above pistol calibers
1911 pistols in 45 acp
Ruger 22 lr pistols
Ruger 10/22
AR15 variants
AR10 variants
M1A rifles
Remington model 700
Remington 870
Mossberg 590

It should also be noted that ammunition would SOON be more valuable than just about anything else, it would very likely become the new barter currency... I believe 22 lr would become very valuable to have.

 

[captain-03]

... I believe 22 lr would become very valuable to have.

Agree -- more 22LRs and 12ga shotguns out there than any other type weapon ..

 

[DirtyWorks]

Stock up on Lorcin and Jennings parts and become an Armorrer!

I do agree on keeping an ample supply of ammo but in all reality it would be used for food gathering more than protection. imho
Food and water is just as important if not more so.

 

[JMS39339]

I haven't had time to chime in on this survival section yet and really want to as soon as time permits but I do want to make a comment on this subject. This particular topic of survival has to broken out into two different categories and thankfully it's beginning to happen. There is the scenario where you are in a survival situation and able to stay around your home and then there is the scenario where some disaster has occurred and you are forced to be on the move. Hopefully you will be able to move in a vehicle, at least for a while, but I have always focused on having to survive on foot.

For many years, I have been an avid hiker and have spent extended stays in back country areas where no firearms were even allowed. More importantly in my way of thinking, unless you can make your own gun powder, eventually you will be out of ammo. It's inevitable. When you look at the possibility of being on foot, there is only one firearm that really makes sense and that is the .22LR. The weapon is light and the ammo is light. Trust me when I say that a proper pack weighs enough without adding 500 rounds of 9mm or 12 Ga. ammo to it. While people will disagree, I know for a fact that you can kill a lot of stuff with a .22LR if need be provided that you are a good marksman. As Dirty mentioned above, the primary focus of this ammo will hopefully be for gathering food and not fighting off hordes of zombies. A simple bolt action .22LR or something like the Rossi combo packs make for the most appealing choices if you've got to pack this stuff around in a survival situation on foot.

I also think that it's important for us as gun lovers to really give a lot of thought to how we would make it without guns. A lot of us can hunt anything if we have a gun but few of us have developed skills for hunting without one. Fishing is always a good option when available but I also think it's important to learn proper techniques for trapping and snaring. A frog gig can be a great friend. Guns and ammo are great but they aren't a survival necessity. If I had to choose between a gun and a good knife, I'd take the knife. It's a much more useful tool in the long run. Just this guys opinion.

 

[1985 4runner]

I know opinions will differ on this topic, that said, the AK-47 belongs on that list. IMO I'm not an AR fan. Turned mine in when I got discharged & went & got an AK.


But I prep differently than most folks I guess... I double on on guns- sometimes three of a model, I also try to keep a minimum of 5k ammo for each caliber on hand.

 

[Mrs. Hammer]

We have a gun smith for a neighbor thankfully. I would hope in a survival situation we could work out a barter system with him for parts or work if its needed. I know we couldn't depend on him to have every needed part every time it was needed but hopefully he would have needed parts or be able to get them periodically.

 

[msredneck]

Don't worry about needing a smith in a survival situation...
Keep reliable firearms....For example...when is the last time a bolt action rifle HAD to be taken to a smith for a problem...? For me...never in 40 years

 

[Mrs. Hammer]

I'm thinking more along the lines of his ability to get parts that I may not be able to get.

 

[Caleb C]

The Ruger 10/22, in my opinion, is the perfect survival weapon. I haven't met too many Mississippi native animals that I couldn't put an end to with the trusty ole 10/22. I can't recall ever having to replace a single component on these rifles and there's also the capability to rapid fire with hi cap mags. My main concern is food but I wouldn't feel uncomfortable defending myself inside of 150 yards with this rifle either.

 

[titleiiredneck]

You will need a larger caliber than 22lr in some cases, I would pefer to mahe a 1022 suppressed and a switch barrel boltgun in 223 and 300 whisper. 223 for availability and 300 whisper because you can make 300 whisper out of 223 brass. Also use one can for both and can also load subsonic 223 if you want.

 

[sidroski]

Titleii
You got a youtube or other link to show how that is done? If you put a can on your 300, would it work on a 223 that was threaded the same? I don't know anything about cans but want to get one or two that would work on several firearms. Would a can for a 300 silence a much smaller weapon? If that is true, why not get a .45 can with an adapter that would work on a .22 (I would think you'd need an adapter since the .22 or .223 barrel is almost the same size as the .45 outside diameter) or is my thinking all skewed?

 

[titleiiredneck]

Aslong as you dont get too over bore on your can you can get decent suppression, .308 on a 223, 338 on a 308, ect. When you get too ovebore the gasses will escape causing crappy suppression.

22lr cans get dirty quick so i wouldnt shoot 22lr through anything i cannot take apart. A few 223 cans are able to be cleaned like this so that would be your best bet for 223 and 22lr.

Example about threading ect, my .308 can is threaded 5/8x24tpi so if i had a ar in that thread pitch i can use it on that upper, same goes with 6.8spc and anything up 300 win mag which is what my .30 can is rated for.

 

[titleiiredneck]

Aslong as you dont get too over bore on your can you can get decent suppression, .308 on a 223, 338 on a 308, ect. When you get too ovebore the gasses will escape causing crappy suppression.

22lr cans get dirty quick so i wouldnt shoot 22lr through anything i cannot take apart. A few 223 cans are able to be cleaned like this so that would be your best bet for 223 and 22lr.

Example about threading ect, my .308 can is threaded 5/8x24tpi so if i had a ar in that thread pitch i can use it on that upper, same goes with 6.8spc and anything up 300 win mag which is what my .30 can is rated for.

Here is a link to a guy using a .308 can on a 223 ar for sound comparison. His is a homemade can and mine is much more quiet. He is shooting supersonic with and without the can and subsonic with and with out the can.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLGrznbs3Mw&playnext=1&list=PL017124BBF7E6593F&index=11

 

[sidroski]

Thanks for the info Title. I will do some research on how much oversizing you can get by with and still be suppressed.

 

[titleiiredneck]

It will still be suppressed but not by any means as good with a can dedicated for that caliber. For example my 9mm can on a 300 whisper is not as quiet as my .308 can because of the .357+ bore. But its still suppressed. If I had only 2 for rifles it would be a .308 and a 22lr .

If you are looking because of cost for one, then shop around since you can always order the cans and when they come in cough up 200 per can for tax. Just recently a mfg had a black friday sale and had cans going for less than half price. Was a great deal and people saved a bunch.

 

[pinetor]

I agree with the OP, but I am not much for a gun that needs a spring in the mag to make it work (due to cold working over time). So If I were gonna keep and hold a set guns that I could support I would probably go with with either the .38/.357 or the .44. Then a revolver and lever rifle pair would suffice for me. I realize that neither caliber nor gun is spectacular on its own. But there are other considerations.
One main factor is that the .38 shell is an old black powder design, thus if need be one could use either powder, I think the same holds true for the .44.

These guns can shoot straight lead round nose, so casting ones own is still an option. The revolver does not damage cases at all, and most levers wont either, nor do they spit out empty cases like the new designs do for them to be lost or stepped on.

Of course you can go back even another gen, (cap and ball) and eliminate the case all together. You wont be laying waste hundreds of zombies, but deer, rabbit, ****.. those of a criminal bend..can all be dealt with. As such I have 4 .357 revolvers all the same make and model, with barrels from 2.5 to 8". A new scoped barrel is in the works. A .357 lever can be bought new for not too much money. .38 use to be the cheapest available, but as law-enforcement has moved the costs have now firmly shifted to 9mm, .40 and .45 as the cheapest with .38 generally on par with the .40 and .45. However, if reloading the range of bullets for .38/.357 is much wider including a 200gr hard cast with great reviews for taking down deer even from a pistol. From shot shells, to glazer safety, to FMJ its all available for the .38. When looking at survival its not always having the coolest tool or even the best tool, its about having a tool that can do its job with as little input as possilbe for the longest time possible. At least thats my take on it.

 

[btr568]

www.silenceco.com
read up on the 22 Sparrow,great can for the money.Also there is plenty of YouTube vids on the Sparrow

 

[walkiahgunman]

I'm +1 on the 22lr, I would carry my 10/22 and my 22/45 with mostly standard loads, but maybe a box or 2 of stingers or something with a little more umpf for larger game. Just makes too much sense being able to carry hundreds of rounds of ammo, and find a few coke bottles on the way for makeshift silencers if needed. But being able to get food by alternate means to me is most important of all. Knowing what you can and can't eat and the ways to get it is the basis for survival.

 

[DBLTAP]

22 ,223, 40,308, a must to have or what ever you can come up with will work