Hey gang, allow me to pick your brains for a moment. Let's say for the sake of argument that you could only ever buy one pistol and one rifle. Any calibre. For survival use. What would you buy and why?
You said survival, not defense. I'd go 30-30 lever or bolt and 22 revolver if that were the only consideration. Both will feed you and (if you like fur) clothe you in a pinch over the long term and inexpensively. An alternate would be a 22 bolt gun and a heavier revolver which can do the same for you. If for some reason 22 ammo should become unobtainable, then something center fire for both would go nicely with a reloading setup. Say 30-30 and 357. (But a 12 ga would be a nice thing to have in a pure live off the land situation.) If you throw in defense, that's another question.
Big difference between "survival" and "defense". I'll leave those two words out of it and just assume I had to pick right now, as is. AR15 Carbine & 357 Revolver But I'd refuse to give up my 12 ga. Over/Under!
Thanks for the quick responses. Since it's coming up in conversation, we'll open it up for defense too. Reason I'm asking is I'm about to go gun shopping. I'm on a pretty tight budget and it's likely that these are the only two guns I'll be able to afford in the near future (3-5 years-ish). So I'm looking at buying two really good guns now, and if I can afford more later bonus! As for calibre, I'm leaning towards a 9mm in the handgun and .223 for the rifle, but I'm still open to suggestion. I can definitely see the advantages of having both the same calibre for procuring ammo. Anyway...thoughts? Suggestions? All greatly appreciated.
Defense included, Route make good sense. Definitely 45 and 30 cal, even though both will make rabbit or squirrel stew difficult without excellent marksmanship for head shots. After that, it becomes a lot of opinion. I'm personally fond of 1911s, but am less convinced of the M4 types. Semi auto, yes, and given the potential for solo operations, cans on both.
Have a 308 handload utilizing a 110 .30 carbine bullet with a small charge of bullseye propellant for small game, granted it will not cycle my DPMS, but deadly accurate. The barrel on my DPMS is 16.5 inches, I am not a trained sniper, this barrel length is good out 800 yards for my level of marksmanship. I also belive that the actual M4 barrel lenght of 14.5 inches is too short. A 16.5 inch barrel would have been optimal for the close quarters engaments with the occasional long shots in both theaters.
For defense I don't like 9mm - just a thing of mine. I carry .45acp all the time and would go with that and the 12 gauge. Add a .22 and you're really set!
I'm not at that level of hitting things, but I and my 16+ inch AR are good enough for defense and short range meats. (Really short in the case of tree rats, and the rabbits better be standing still.) But the starting question was posed by Jayde, apparently with neither guns nor experience, and with short money. I can't see putting him into an M4 (or out of that many frns) until he's got some trigger time on simpler projectile spitters. Pistols or revolvers don't make much difference when it comes to accuracy for the purposes intended, but revolvers are simpler to go with fewer rounds available. That said, we don't know what sort of background Jayde has with firearms. I can have my mind changed if the background is more advanced than we see now. In truth, if the budget is a limiting factor, I can make a case for an AK to go with a 357. Calibers are right, reliability is hard to beat, and the AK meets the autoloading requirements for defense. (But the bunnies still have to hold their pose.) One thing is for sure, with new guns, trigger time counts. They won't work for you if you don't know them as well as you know your own armpit. The 3 to 5 years should be enough for regular practice against need, and accumulate more frns for other (more advanced?) guns later. (Just gotta get something in a bolt 308 one of these days, wallet willing.)
Limited budget.......Cover all bases......... For the price of an AR and a 45 you could get: AK clone for large game and "reaching out" + Good revolver for concealed carry and the nightstand + Quality air rifle for taking small game discreetly + and 12 ga. pump that can do darn near anything And then, I believe, all your bases really are covered for home defense, personal defense, killing food of any type and small game quietly, and smokin' a lot of zombies
For survival 1st, defense second, I say a 30-30 lever action, for defense against predators, 4 and 2 legged. And for taking large game. And a Ruger MKll .22 pistol for taking small game. For defense 1st, survival 2nd. I say an Ar-15, or AR-10, or FAL. Semi .223 or .308. And a 1911 .45 ACP. A 1911 with a Ciener .22 conversion kit and maybe a carbine conversion would be ideal. Perfect self defense handgun and a great platform for small game hunting with the conversions. If I had to grab just one rifle and one pistol and run out the door it would be my Para carbine FAL with folding stock, and my 1911. If the scenario was "What do I buy to have at home" then I would say the pump 12 ga. shotty and a .22 rifle. Then if price was not a factor, a DSA FAL or a Bushmaster AR-15 and a quality 1911.
Yup, I'm a total noob (and also a her btw ) I've only been shooting a couple of times, but I've been lucky enough to try out a pretty good cross-section of guns: ruger mark II 22 and 22/45, glock 17, beretta 92fs inox, walther p38, norinco 1911 and a s&w .357 revolver. Only rifle I've tried so far is a remington 597. Beretta feels the nicest in the hand, I'm most accurate with the norc, really not too fond of the revolver. The .22s feel like a toy, but I'd definitely go with the 22/45 if I had to choose a .22 handgun. As for the rifle...well let's just say the bunnies are pretty safe around me for now. At this stage all I'm gonna be shooting are empty bottles and paper targets (they can be dangerous those targets, papercuts and everything ), something to keep around the house for defense (I'm from the great white north so no conceal carry) and I'd eventually like to get into some hunting. Oh, and as you probably guessed from my presence on these forums I have survivalist tendencies. I was originally gonna go with blackjack's idea and buy more, cheaper guns. Then swung over to the idea of getting fewer guns, but really good ones I know are gonna last. Bottom line is I walked into the gun shop and was like a kid in a candy store - so many choices, so little money! So now I'm looking for assistance in narrowing the field a bit.
On a budget for survival, I really like my Yugo SKS. It seems to be a lot more accurate than an AK and probably nearly as dependable (for half the price). A .22 pistol with a long barrel would compliment the rifle perfectly to take care of small critters. A moderate budget could probably afford an AR or something similar, but I still like the .22 pistol with a long barrel (being able to shoot 22 short and LR). Defensive rifles need to be picked for the situation, and the pistol I'd choose would be a .45 of some type. Waiting for an enemy to come to you seems a little suicidal.
For the cheapest rifle and ammo combo, go with a surplus Mosin Nagant chamberd for the 7.62 x 54 round. This surplus ammo is now the cheapest that you can purchase today, but this rifle has a definite kick in recoil even if you are not recoil shy. As for a handgun, IMHO don't get one. Purchase a 12gauge pump shotgun instead. The simple reason that I do not recomend a handgun for you right now is because it takes a lot of practice to become profecient with one. If you do not have the time/inclination/money, then it will more than likely become a dust collector and really serve you no purpose. If you are willing to learn to shoot handguns, then make that investment in a handgun. I also recommed that you find a compentant instructor to teach you the basics of shooting handguns. This is a skill that is best not self taught. As for my own recommendation for a handgun, a 22 single action army with a extra cylinder chambered for the 22 mag. Heratige arms has a line of SAA's for a very good price. The Ruger MKII are a pain in the butt to take apart to clean. This is my 2 cents worth, hope it helps.
Consider the 12 ga pump...... it does everything. Birds, Deer (slugs or buckshot/legality depends on your state), rabbits, zombies at the front door. Hell, the slugs will flat out destroy just about anything it hits at 100 yds. What state/region are you in?
