If you could only have one

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I'd prefer light weight and concealable, because who's to say what circumstances may arise.

It'd be the gun I've spent the most time shooting recently. A G22 Gen4 with the additional conversion barrels for .357 SIG and 9mm.

I won't go into detail, but I'd prefer not to draw too much attention to myself, should desperate times fall upon us.
 
I AM THINKING OF TRYING A SLIDE ACTION SHOTGUN WITH A BORE NOT OVERBORED OR UNDERBORED WITH NO CHOKES. 28 INCHES SEEMS NOT TOO LONG AND 18 NOT TOO SHORT. I THINK SMOOTHBORE IS THE WAY TO GO AND A CORRECT BORE MIGHT BE BEST FOR SLUGS AND BUCKSHOT AND OTHER SPREADER AMMUNITION MIGHT WORK WELL AT A DISTANCE NOT TOO FAR TO NOT CONSIDER A SLUG FOR ACCURACY IN SHOT PLACEMENT AND INCREASED TERMINAL EFFECTIVENESS. I SEE THREE BRANDS NOW WITH SEEMINGLY A CHOICE OF WOOD OTHER THAN WALNUT. I USED A TOOL TO SCRATCH SOME BEECH WOOD AND THE SCRATCHES I LEFT SUGGEST TO ME IT IS NOT A HARDWOOD WITH A TOOL LIKE THAT. 2 OF THE 3 ARE SOUNDING LIKE A BETTER OPTION FOR THE INCLUDED BARREL. I AM CURIOUS ABOUT GOING FOR A 3 AND A HALF INCH CHAMBER.

I WANT TO TRY OUT A HANDLOAD WITH A SHOTSHELL I WANT TO TRY OUT.
 
Navy87Guy said:
In a SHTF scenario and I could only pick one, I think I’d go with my Beretta CX-4 Storm in 9mm. Small enough to carry fairly easily, with acceptable performance at longer than pistol ranges. Ammo would be easily available (especially now with all the “panic buying” by people who have no idea how to ha dale a weapon).

in a real situation where things had deteriorated that badly, I’d be using my “one” weapon to fight my way to more.

View attachment 900764
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Definitely not a bad choice! I had one for many years but finally sold one a year or two after getting a CZ Scorpion. The latter has a lot better trigger and more accessories available. Still, I put thousands of rounds through my Storm without a hitch, and since it took 92 mags there were always tons of cheap magazines around.:)
 
PWS MK216 (piston driven AR-10 style rifle). It has enough power for almost everything in North America and is good to 800 yards with the right optic.
 
Is this sort of like "The Walking Dead" scenario?

My Walther P99 AS.
It would be too difficult to conceal my sidefolder AMD-65 ('AKM' variation) when I step out of my car while doing errands, during any hypothetical "subject we can't discuss here" ;) scenarios.
 
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My choice is going to be vastly different than someone who lives in an urban or suburban environment. My family's bug-out spot is a cabin in the Idaho woods near a large lake. An AR-10 in .308 would be perfect for handling hunting duties and fending off you city folk. Of course, a 12ga is the ultimate do it all weapon if you have the appropriate ammo.
 
Steve Milbocker said:
I'm sure with the mass panic going on in the world lately some of you have thought about weapons for survival. If you could only have one gun what would you choose? Myself I came to the conclusion long ago it would be a quality bolt action 22 LR rifle with good iron sights should the scope fail. I can stock/carry a lot of ammo for this great caliber as well as defend and feed my family. Just curious what you folks would choose to carry. I wish you all good health and God bless our country.
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No answer because 'survival' means many things to many people. Survive at home or on foot, going somewhere? Need protection or need food?

BUT, my 1022, probably..carry lotsa ammo.
 
Trey Veston said:
My choice is going to be vastly different than someone who lives in an urban or suburban environment. My family's bug-out spot is a cabin in the Idaho woods near a large lake. An AR-10 in .308 would be perfect for handling hunting duties and fending off you city folk. Of course, a 12ga is the ultimate do it all weapon if you have the appropriate ammo.
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I’d stash the rifle at the cabin but carry a handgun getting there.
 
i could make one of several longterm, favorite firearms work for me in a one-gun-only tale, but i would have a nightmare picking just one favorite and ditching the rest.

taurus 2” 38sp steel model 85 revolver.
ruger 5.5” 22lr/wmr single six revolver.
ruger sr22 semiauto pistol.
marlin papoose or 795 22lr semiauto rifle.
h&r 20” 20ga single shotgun.

my considerations lean to familiarity, accuracy, lighter ammo, portability, lower recoil.
 
DM~ said:
Same one I now use for most of my hunting,

View attachment 900987

If I can't get something to eat with my "go to gun", then I won't get it with anything else either.

DM
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That's a beautiful drilling, who made it? I suppose that's a .22 conversion adapter in the right shotgun barrel? What's the centerfire caliber?

I suppose, if I were limited to ONE firearm of any kind (handgun, rifle, shotgun), it would be a 10mm pistol (my SR1911). Good for close-in work, has enough punch for game at as far as I could hit with an open sight anyway, easy to carry and keep my hands free.

I'd prefer the scenario of choices were opened up enough for a trifecta. Then, 10mm pistol, AR, and 12 gauge pump shotgun.
 
If I had to go with a long gun only it would be some type of double with a rifle and shotgun barrel. If it had to be a handgun only I think I would go with the Taurus Judge.
 
Just one gun, just one, hmm, not probable unless they first excluded semiautomatic, magazine fed, military calibers etc like other countries. Mexico; no military calibers, Israel; no private rifles, shotguns to those that qualify legally after taking hunters course, one handgun to those that qualify legally. Germany and Britain still allow certain types of gun ownership but very difficult especially handguns. So, somehow assuming OP is just wondering which weapon by itself would be the most useful under some type of ban that allowed only one weapon regardless of type, my first thought would be a Ruger Carbine 10/22 in 22M, then a 10/22 in 22LR, then a Mossberg 930. Maybe I would go with the Mossberg before the Ruger, IDK.
 
Trey Veston said:
My choice is going to be vastly different than someone who lives in an urban or suburban environment. My family's bug-out spot is a cabin in the Idaho woods near a large lake. An AR-10 in .308 would be perfect for handling hunting duties and fending off you city folk. Of course, a 12ga is the ultimate do it all weapon if you have the appropriate ammo.
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Shotguns are anything but "the ultimate do it all weapon". Rifles still reign supreme because a shotgun is limited to 100-150 yards or so. Sure, shotguns do great with buckshot out to 25-35 yards and most people don't skeet shoot with 22's, but you're never going to get a good group at 1,000 yards with a shotgun :)
 
tomrkba said:
Shotguns are anything but "the ultimate do it all weapon". Rifles still reign supreme because a shotgun is limited to 100-150 yards or so. Sure, shotguns do great with buckshot out to 25-35 yards and most people don't skeet shoot with 22's, but you're never going to get a good group at 1,000 yards with a shotgun :)
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Try bird hunting with a rifle.
 
I don't know why you would ever need to conceal a handgun specifically for survival. Police survive pretty well, so do soldiers, without concealment. If I need to bring a gun you are going to know it.
For overall survival I think a good chrome lined AR15. Second choice would be a pump 12 ga. But the pump 12 ga. would not be ideal for hunting deer. For a one rifle battery for hunting, bolt action 30-06.
 
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It would be hard to pick just one. There are so many different situations. For hunting and providing food theres a lot going for an over and under combo with a 22 and a shotgun. For defense, or attack, either something in a caliber that our military uses or something in the caliber that our invaders would have.
 
Lots of tricks to play here... at uppers in varying calibers, chamber inserts, multi-caliber guns, a Thermonuclear warhead fired from a firearm so that you can take everybody else’s guns in a SHTF scenario, but very realistically I’m going to go with my S&W model 10-6 4” square butt. It’s powerful enough for defence or small game hunting. It is portable enough to go wherever I go, and is utterly reliable. I have totes with the idea of additional fitted cranes and cylinders to accept 9mm and .380, as well as reaming it out to take a .357 every once in a while.

A close second choice is a similar gun, a Taurus m327... all the same attributes just shrunk down to a J frame size but in 327fed mag. 38 is a lot more popular and easy to find ammo, or pull apart other rounds to reload and make ammo should that need become a reality. A 3” j frame 327 would be better than my 2” but I don’t have one.
 
mshootnit said:
I don't know why you would ever need to conceal a handgun specifically for survival. Police survive pretty well, so do soldiers, without concealment. If I need to bring a gun you are going to know it.
For overall survival I think a good chrome lined AR15. Second choice would be a pump 12 ga. But the pump 12 ga. would not be ideal for hunting deer. For a one rifle battery for hunting, bolt action 30-06.
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Depends on what you're surviving. We don't do TEOTWAWKI threads, so I won't go into detail, but I'd prefer not to be conspicuously armed if I were amongst others I did not know in any sort of gathering.

Plus, a firearm that is concealable, is small enough (even if not carried concealed), that it can be on your person whilst working without becoming a burden. Of all the survival chores (besides hunting) that I know how to do, none would be easier with a long arm hanging from my body. Most would be more difficult.

Survival isn't all about hunting and self defense.
 
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