Survival Firearms

Most people believe that having any type of gun on hand in a survival situation is better than no gun at all. That's not exactly true. Many preppers like making their dynamic weapons choices based on what they 'may or may not' run into. 

Others prefer just to use whatever weapons they've been using to target shooting or hunting. This is not meant to discount the merits of selecting a weapon based on what it will be used for, however, when you're talking about the protection of yourself and your family against an angry mob, most weapons made for general hunting won't have the protection level you need.

 Let's look at a few weapon types to see how they stack up against an angry mob: (

a). Handguns - These are used for fending off intruders and for home and self protection. Handguns are used by people to defend a home invasion or individual attack on their person. Handguns are best at short range. They are not, however, very effective at defending your entire perimeter and even more so when you have multiple attackers. 

(b). Shotguns - These are used to hunt birds, deer, squirrels, rabbits, and various other game critters. Not all shotguns are created equal. They come in different gauges and use different types of ammo that deliver different degrees of knockdown power. Truthfully, most shotguns are impractical in terms of home defense. They are too slow in firing and reloading. 

(c). High Caliber Rifles - These are also used to hunt deer, elk, moose, bear, and many other types of large game. These are even more impractical that the shotguns. They take more time to assemble, get sighted in on your target, and to fire and reload. If your home is well fortified a high caliber rifle 'can' make an excellent sniper-style rifle for defending your perimeter, especially from off the roof. However, as a primary survival weapon they leave much to be desired. 

Survival Gun Requirements 

Survival guns have to be dynamic, versatile, and work effectively at various ranges. They need to meet these 5 basic requirements 

- 1. Toughness This will be the gun you're relying on during acrisis situation. It should be rugged and tough enough to take a beating without losing its effectiveness or functionality. This is even more true when you're bugging out or forced to evacuate. 

You'll no longer have the luxury of keeping the gun properly stored or maintained while you're on the move. The best types of survival guns will still fire even though they're wet, full of debris, or dusty. They can still deliver deadly accuracy in spite of these conditions. Any gun that is in constant need of replacement parts will not do in this type of scenario. 

2. Simplicity All of the top survival guns are easy for anyone to operate. Keep in mind that you might need to equip your wife and kids with a firearm. You want it to be 'easy to do' and 'easy to learn' in a short time. They should easily pick up on loading, working the safety, squeezing the trigger, and clearing rounds. It should be just as simple to do for kids as it is for veterans. You might be inclined to keep these weapons disassembled as well as hidden for safety reasons. That means you want them to be easily reassembled, quickly loaded and fired, and take a minimal amount of time and energy to set up. 

(3). Reliability

Today there is a futuristic-styled tactical gun featuring a high-tech scope with laser sights. However, it won't get you the most for your money during a survival crisis. Fancy doesn't always equate to effective. You need the type of gun that fires with the same accuracy each time you shoot it. It should not need to be re-sighted in just because it has been sitting in storage for a while. Most of the time it is the simplistic style guns that are the most reliable. 

You don't need all the bells and whistles on the hyped up weapons. You don't want a gun that has to be broken in much as you would a combat boot. You want it to fire straight, accurate, and true as soon as you get it out of the box. 

(4). Compactness Regardless of whether you opt for staying put or bugging out, you want to have weapons that are lightweight and convenient to carry. They should not be a burden to pack around. It's true that heavy bolt-action rifles as well as machine guns are capable of doing serious damage but they're too bulky and cumbersome to wield. If you're in a hurry to get out of the area you don't want to be bogged down by the weight of your gun. 

Your gun should fit you and be comfortable to carry. You should be able to jump into tight spaces with it without stopping to readjust how you're carrying it. Make sure your gun is easy for you to deal with in any scenario. You should be able to snap it into operating position quickly and easily from most any position you're in. 

(5). Stopping Power A survival gun has to be a multi-purpose gun. It needs to be effective at many different tasks. If society has a breakdown and civil unrest ensues, there's no way to estimate just how many enemies you'll be facing. 

You can't be sure about how well equipped those people will be, especially in terms of firepower. There are some types of guns that work really well in one on one scenarios but are not so effective against an angry mob. For home defense you need a weapon that can address threats out along your perimeter so it should have the capability of shooting accurately at around 200 yards at least. It's the same when bugging out. Your weapon should allow you a greater distance from your targets. Your guns should be versatile in range and feature a large-capacity magazine to be truly effective. 

A BALANCED DEFENSE

 Not every gun will be effective in a survival situation. By the same token no single gun is going to give you unlimited protection from multiple levels of threats. Simply put - there is no single ultimate survival gun. That means you need to have different guns designed to face different scenarios. Don't search for the holy grail of survival weapons. 

The key is to obtain multiple firearms and use them for specific tasks during a crisis. Some shoot farther, some shoot harder. Some shoot faster, some spray more bullets. Take the scenarios you most likely expect and match your guns up accordingly. Layer your defenses and be ready for anything. Have guns for bugging out and guns for staying put. 

Having a well balanced defense has been practiced since warfare first began. In Medieval times men created trebuchets and catapults to attack from long range. They used crossbows and longbows for medium range targets. Up close they relied on axes, shields, and swords for self defense. Even today's modern soldiers have multiple levels of defense. 

They are combat-ready at all times. They usually carry an assault rifle, secondary sub-machine gun, sidearm handgun, and combat knife. That's not to mention any grenades, explosives, or launchers they might carry. 

Of course you don't have government backing to get your project rolling but you can still do quite well on your own if you think things through. You need a variety of weapons for handling a variety of situations. That will maximize your chances of survival. 

Try to include the following 3 classes of weapons to maximize your personal and home security

 - 1. Long Range A modern military sniper today can take out targets from a mile away. However, in survival situations anything farther than 100 yards would be considered long distance. Try to get good enough to hit your mark and lay in a tight group at around 100 yards, this will put you in a good position for defending your perimeter. 

2. Mid-Range For mid-range shooting a .22 caliber fits the bill pretty well. Of course there are many other rifles that can handle this with more power. The goal at this range is to have a gun that you can effectively pick off multiple targets in a hurry at distances from 30 to 100 yards. 

3. Short Range Anything under 30 yards is considered to be close-quarter combat. The next closest level is hand-to-hand. Shotguns are extremely effective for short distances but may not be the best choice in close-quarter combat.

 You want small-caliber carbines and pistols when you're fighting short range battles. Remember, if the target manages to get close to you the chances are you'll have to face them in hand-to-hand combat. You want to avoid this at all cost. 

RIFLE RULES 

While you should be working on layering your security, your rifles still remain as your best bet for survival purposes. Rifles have proven their effectiveness from muskets in the old days to the advance assault weapons being used today. 

Whether you bug out or stay put a rifle is your best choice of defense weapon. Even shooters with years or experience struggle with the question of which rifle would be best in a survival situation. There are so many makes and models today it's difficult to weed them out. There are different loading styles, calibers, sight types, etc. Generally speaking the rifles are extremely versatile and multipurpose firearms. They can handle most of the layers of your balanced defense. 

SURVIVAL KNIVES

 Besides your choice of firearm, one of the most important protective tools you'll ever carry is a well-tooled fixed-blade knife. These sharp fully-tanged blades made from quality steel serve a wide variety of purposes when you're in survival mode. They also make excellent weapons if hand-to-hand combat comes into play. A high quality knife can handle things like slicing, prying, digging, chopping, and other necessary tasks you need to perform. The military has used a lot of different knives for decades. Many of these are available to the public today and the prepper community loves them.