SHTF additional weapon advice

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nachosgrande

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Hello All, new to the forum and thought I'd seek out some of your advice. I know this topic has been beat to death, but I'd like some advice for my specific situation. I already have a Remington 870 12 gauge and a .22lr rifle and would like to add a weapon <$500 to the mix. Between a semi auto rifle, bolt (sniper) rifle, or handgun, what would you recommend? For a handgun I'm thinking a Ruger P95 or Taurus .357 revolver, for semi auto either an AK, SKS, or mini 14, and for a bolt a good old Savage 110 or Remington 700. Thanks.
 
I am a believer that a handgun may be needed to fight your way to your rifle. So get a handgun that you can carry often I say.

I like small concealable handguns. I know I will carry those.

I have a Bushmaster .223 AR type carbine, shotgun and three pistols.
 
A handgun is easier to keep with you so it will be there when you need it. I won't tell you what to buy, but for $500 you could get a pistol that fits your hand and you can be comfortable with. Shop around you may even find a holster.
 
In your price range... a Yugo AK might be right up your alley.

I'd rather have a nice AK by my side than a nice Pistol.
 
I vote handgun as well. In a military point of view the handgun has much less value than a rifle but for the average joe a pistol makes more sense. You can carry a pistol on you and always have it nearby. If the SHTF while you're out and about, a rifle in your house or in your vehicle may not do a whole lot of good. I agree that rifles are much more affective than pistols and it wouldnt be bad to have one, but if you don't already own a pistol then the rifle should be after tha pistol.

Disclaimer: That's just my opinion, take it for what it's worth. Ultimately you have to choose what you want to do.
 
SHTF - $500 - Saiga 7.62x39 (about $300) and Hi-Point C9 (about $150). I have both. They are extremely reliable.
 
I'd suggest signing up for a class to get your carry permit if you're of age since they're "endangered" as well. If you're looking for firearms for self-defense, a handgun, on your person, is a necessity.

Buy a handgun, some ammo, and practice. If you can afford to tuck away an AK while you're waiting for the permit, that'd be great too! I don't know what I'd do without one. :)
 
May I suggest Listening to Katrina and gleaning some information from the site which can be found as a Sticky in Strategy & Tactics?
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=356667

My experiences and observation with serious situations, concurs with the author of LTK, in having a sidearm on person.

Personally, I would add a second gun just like it, so ammo and if a semi-auto, the mags will work for both.

Now what I and mine have done, and more than once , and includes making a run to Katrina to give guns to our folks that lost guns, were Model 10s with standard pressure 158 gr LSWC and LRN.

During Tornadoes, we used Kel-Tec P-11s with standard pressure 115 gr JHP and FMJ, and standard pressure 124 gr JHP.


Youth single shot 20 ga shotguns were also employed.

Here is the deal based on my experiences, and I am going back to when I was a kid in the 50's.

Matters get serious, and concealing, being mobile with, being in control of the firearm, and the simple user friendly aspect is important.

By "controlling the firearm" I mean being in direct control of its whereabouts, and it not being lost or stolen.
Sidearms are easy to keep on person, that youth single shot is not but 36" long, and it too is easy to keep up with and even conceal.
Broken down, it really is easy to tote and have control of.

Anyone from a kid, teenager, adult, elderly to physically limited can use these guns.
Simple manual of arms, and these "fit" folks.
Single shot shotgun is simple to use, and is also more "friendly" in various jurisdictions, in regard to "guns" and "gun politics".

One has to sleep, so a teenager, elderly, physically limited person can keep watch with one of these platforms while you sleep.
If one gets hurt, again, others may have to use the platforms you have.

Again, go visit Listening to Katrina, the gun goes on person, concealed.
Other more important physical items are discussed, as are pre-planning and preperations.

Not every situation is best dealt with, with a firearm.
 
You don't have a defensive centerfire rifle yet. It behooves you to pick one up. Scratch up another vote for an AK. Pick up any one that suits you, they all work great.
 
I hope the moderators don't close this thread like they have the last several SHTF threads.

I'm assuming by now they realize that this dreaded scenario is no longer "fantasy" and is quickly becoming a terrible reality.

The economic situation grows more dire and inescapable every day.

These stupid little bandaids that the Congress and POTUS keep coming up with are only delaying the inevitable and will make our escape out of the quicksand only more lengthy and miserable.

I don't mean to be the bearer of pessimism but EVERYONE needs to be prepared. Don't panic, just be prepared.

Fantasy is now among us.
 
nachosgrande,

welcome to THR!

Where do you live? Without knowing that, all recommendations are just guesswork.

If you live on a farm, in deep rural, mountains or dense urban, will have different firearm needs. If you live in the middle of the desert, a rifle would make more sense than a handgun for example.
 
You have the 12 gauge pump and a .22 rifle, I like bensdad's suggestion of a Saiga 7.62x39 (about $300) and Hi-Point C9 (about $150.) For <$500 and given what you have right now they make sense to me.
 
Based on your situation, I vote handgun should be your next purchase definitely.

We're talking about SHTF here, not invading a group of insurgents in Iraq. That's why handgun gets the edge over rifle as the next gun. It's not like you can't buy a rifle. It's just that a handgun is the next most important.

A sidearm that stays with you permanently would be a must in a SHTF situation. Imagine having to go into some sort of store or some flea market area; toting around a long gun may not be the best thing; however, carrying your sidearm concealed would be something you could/must do. Or imagine being pulled out of your truck like Reginald Denny in the King riots; perhaps you're caught by surprise and you're separated from your long gun; you're sidearm should be strapped to you always during SHTF like a safety blanket.
 
Another vote for some sort of smallish, concealable handgun. The most likely scenario will be some sort of natural disaster, not end-of-the-world, Mad Max scenario. In this scenario, you will not have to deal with Mutant Biker Zombies but may well have to deal with people who want what you have when out and about but civilization and law enforcement still exists. In these scenarios, an AK wouldn't do you any good left at home but a concealed handgun might. If you can find a good, used gun and still have enough left over for a CCW permit/license and some sort of training, even if it's just the CCW training, you'd be much further ahead.

Bub
 
Get a rifle. In your imaginary SHTF scenario, you can get all the handguns you want, with a rifle. If you get the handgun, I'm going to take it away from you, and steal your wimmen! :neener:
 
While everyone is busy recommending a Hi-Point C9 I would say go used. You can get an AK type rifle for $300ish but I'd take that other $200 and buy a used S&W Sigma 9mm or even a Kel-Tec P11. They are higher capacity, smaller, lighter, and potentially more reliable than a Hi-Point (especially the S&W). It would take a natural disaster to make me want to shoot a Hi-Point pistol!
 
I'd recommend you go with the Taurus .357 revolver. As others have mentioned, having a handgun can be helpful in certain situations. A revolver is pretty straight-forward to operate, so you could give this to a friend/relative/whoever to use. It shoots both .38 and .357 - common ammo that should be relatively easy to find.

I'd further suggest going with a full-size frame, 4" barrel model as this will be easier to use with .357 rounds. A bit harder to conceal (if you're allowed to do this), but not impossible with a coat or long shirt.

Good luck - let us know what you get. Post pictures!
 
C&R License-$30
M-44 with bayonet_$70
CZ-82 - $180
Ammo for both-$100
McDonalds-$20
Mosin Nagant Pistol and box of ammo-$100
 
In the event of a civil emergency or societal deterioration, I'm thinking small ahndguns, even mouseguns, would be most useful. Since we would have to carry on our basic activities as normally as possible, and yet be ready to deal with some uncivilized people, a small, light, easy-to-carry handgun would be most useful. I'm shopping for some small handguns to meet this need right now.
 
Both of my parents lived through the great depression, and many of thier tales stuck with me. If ever there was a breakdown, that must have been it, with lots of people loosing their homes and/or have to go looking for work afar.

Dad had his Colt Woodsman .22 pistol, and a simple break open 16 gauge shotgun. Those two guns fed them many a meal. On a few occasions, they also persueded some not so nice people to go elseware.

Snce .22 ammo was cheap, the woodsman did most of the work puttng meat in the stewpot. On my mom's side of the family I heard similar tales from my maternal uncles, who used a .22 rifle to get the family by. They plinked off pidgeons and squirrels in the woods using standard velocity shorts without the nieghbors knowing. Among the out of work displaced people, handguns were not that common. Today it may well be different. But I think a good .22 will be way more important than an AK. Quiet, cheap to feed, will let you sneak hunt in places where you may not want a loud centerfire rifle going off. A .22 rifle with shorts may not even be heard in thick woods if nobody is real close, or you don't shoot alot. Squirrel and rabbit, with a potato's and carrot or two will fed you from the stewpot. Load that same rifle with long rifle solids, and you can poach a deer with it.

For defense, a standard .38 revolver will do just fine, like sm said for the same reasons. It would be best to keep the handgun out of sight at all times.

Too many people think of concrete comando fantacys when thinking of hard times comming, or social breakdown. Truth is, you'll find a good .22 rifle more usefull than a centerfire rifle. given that the suburban sprawl has overrun large parts of the country, and the majority of people live in that surrounding, sneaky is better than brazen. Low profile better than high. If they don't know you're there, they can't be a treat to you.
 
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