Best Weapon to Keep on Hand for SHTF/TEOTWAWKI for someone living in the City

When I lived in sleepy Somerton, AZ back in the 80s, our neighborhood was being terrorized by a pack of Chihuahuas. I only mention it because you might get a kick out of the fact that they met their match when they met up with the Queensland Heeler I had rescued from the pound.

As far as the OP. A firearm is a good choice IF you not only have the mindset to use it, but take the time to train with it regularly to not only become proficient, but remain proficient. A firearm is worthless without both mindset and muscle memory.

A 12 gauge shotgun is a good choice. This notion that the recoil is too much ignores the fact that you can use lower recoil 3/4 ounce loads with 7-1/2 shot initially. A Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 is a good choice because then you can have multiple barrels for multiple uses.

 

I was being semi t.i.c. about the ankle biters. A good, reliable, well trained and disciplined dog will be worth its weight in gold when civilization cashes in its chips. Some toy dogs might earn their keep as 4 legged early warning devices, but a dog that can act as a credible deterrent to bad guys will invariably earn its feed, and treats.

 

I pity the fool that messes with a "heeler". I still remember that particular dog running down my little brother with a 50 yard head start and taking him down hard once he caught him.

 

I start training with air soft or BB guns to get the student familiar with the machinery and basic safety issues .
After they have proven their safety protocols with these tools then I move them into .22s and other fire arms.
I have never started any one off with shot guns. not even fire arm shot shells.
I believe there needs to be a graduation from one form to the next, there by gaining a respect with fewer if any accidents .
Accidents made with fire arms are permanent and more devastating than those with air soft and BB guns. ( though they are not exempt from damage either. )
Long After one has graduated to regular fire arms , one can continue trigger time with the lighter tools .
and they do make air shot guns that fire BBs 35-400 FPS as wells other fire arm copies in BB gun air an CO2 .

Some of these are the same weight and have the same move parts but fire only BB or pellets . Great for target practice or taking out rabbits or rats .

 

Abit of a deviation here, I'd recommend a magazine fed semiautomatic pistol caliber carbine rather than a shotgun. I think it's easier to use and safer than a shotgun considering ballistics and the manual of arms. It will probably also be shorter and lighter which aids in your ability to wield it. Ideally you would choose one that uses a common caliber and magazine that you can pair with a pistol later on as your firearm proficiency increases.

That being said, if you don't put in the appropriate time to train then a collapsible baton, club or bat might be a better option in the short term.

If you're set on a shotgun, like everyone said already a Remington 870 is a good choice. Make sure you get a correct length of pull stock for your size (most shotgun stocks by default are too long) and a barrel length that is meant for defense and not hunting. Get some velcro backed elastic shotshell holders so you can carry more shells on the shotgun or on your belt since you'll be reloading a lot compared to the rifles you mentioned. Various shotgun loads, patterning and hold overs are something that you'll have to research and experiment with your gun to learn how it works.

 

The time to decide to defend yourself and/or your family with a firearm is NOT when society (and civilization-in-general) has suddenly collapsed all around you. If you don't know how to use a gun then 'Armageddon' is NOT going to be either the right time, or place for you to learn. Neither is a 12 gauge shotgun going to do you any good, at all, if one of your loved ones is taken hostage. (Which is a principal reason, 'Why' I've never used a shotgun for nighttime self-defense around our home.)

I, also, agree with 'seacowboys' that the original question smacks of trolling. If you're not: (1) familiar, (2) safe, (3) competent, and (4) accurate with a gun then you shouldn't fantasize about using a deadly weapon with which you are so blatantly naïve and ill-informed that you aren't even able to post the correct names of the weapons you're dreaming about keeping yourself and your family safe with!

NRA Online Pistol Training

 

A quality hundgun in 9mm that is comfortable for YOU to carry at all times. A hundgun is a means of getting to a quality rifle. I used to recommend a shotgun for such questions, but don't anymore.

For my purposes a SIG P228 to get to a Fulton Armory AR15. It is my way, not THE way. If you carry a Glock (G19 is a good choice), be sure you acquire a quality holster.

Also, quality ammo and magazines. For pistol I prefer Honady Critical Duty 135 grn +P with Mec-Gar magazines. For rifle Mag-Pull PMags, do NOT buy Pro-Mags (!), they suck and I cannot stress this enough. Ammo for a rifle depends on your purpose....not cheap easternblock for an AR, but okay for an AK.

Most importantly is training and practice. Get what you want and make an appointment with Front Sight. Avoid supposed secret squirrel ninjas with big mouths.

OP, go to Front Sight for some training then get back with us.

 

If you've ever walked around the house with a shot gun or rifle and then do the same walk with a hand gun there is a world of difference . It is far easier to shoot ambidextrously with the hand gun, especially if on hand is incapacitated, or otherwise occupied .
There is no time out or resetting the game. it's for real and fractions of the second count.

 

A knife.
Never runs out of ammo.
quiet as all get out (won't attract attention by being used from block and blocks away)

 

If were talkin a true SHTF scenario then Id get me a fresh hacksaw blade to shorten the shotty for use in your appt complex to get more spread at 10-25 feet.... And some ear plugs....

 

Why wait till shtf to chop the barrel?
I find my winchester pistol grip pump with a 13 inch barrel is pretty handy.

 

Thing to remember is that gun sales is continuing and liberals are arming them selves , seeing their character it is likely to be for conflict they are generating.

 

You really think I wouldn't register it?
$200 to be above the law has got to be the best deal ever.
I'm sure that post already triggered an automatic track to find where the message originated from then a search of my name and address crossrefferencing their data base. Which found everything to be in order.
Because real police work is too hard.

 

Oh crap. Yeah that would be bad. Ignorance of the law does not work at all in these matters.
$200 is a drop in the bucket compared to getting caught with an unregistered one.

 

No, just no.

A Shotgun isn't a bad weapon but if you're carrying it for self defense you need to carry it ready to fire.

Your hypothetical badguy may hear the sound of the slide racking or he may hear you going "Oh FRAK!!!!" As you short stroke the weapon at the worst possible time.

For general home defense I keep an M&P 9 (although I am seriously considering a Glock 19) on the nightstand and a 9C on me

 

OK so first of all commonality is a key consideration in any firearm I buy. So if I'm starting from zero and only looking at a couple of guns I'd pick a Ruger PC9 carbine and a P 89 pistol.

That gives you a good self dense rifle and pistol that operate on the same round and the same magazine. I know there are similar pistol caliber carbines out there but they look like tinker toys to me.

As for stashing weapons all over the house it's easier for me to just carry one on my person.

 

Get the training now. learn to shoot and purchase what feels good in your hands. After some training an Ar-15 carbine was my choice for out and about but my 870 is my house gun meaning around the house. City terrain varies just like woodlands. Training teaches you how to adapt to this terrain and what weapon is best suited. The one gun for all things doesnt fly with me. Get some training and learn what best suits your needs. Like many others in this thread have said. get some firearm training.