survival firearms?

Question

if you had to pick ONE and only ONE firearm for survival purposes
which caliber would you get? think both hunting and protection.
make and model are okay to list but not really required, just the
caliber is fine.

Answer 1

Savage Model 24 (I think that's it), .223 upper over a 12 gauge. Pop deer and birds with one gun.

Answer 2

To generalized of a question. It depends where and what your trying to survive.

Drop down in the middle of Antartica your going to want something pretty big due to the size of the animals. But let's say your trying to survive in some Apocalypse. Then you might want more firepower and but lighter weight ammo for ease of carrying.

A good general purpose weapon would be a 12 gauge pump shotgun. This will hold a fair amount of ammo in it. It's less problematic than some semiautos. With slugs you still have a pretty heavy hitter to take down some of the largest animals and objects. With the various selection of shells you can find the right ammo for anything ranging from shooting doves, rabbits, deer or humans. See how much meat you have left after shooting a rabbit with a 44 mag or 223. Also with a shotgun the ammo is pretty prevalent any place you might go.

Also want to send the fear of God into somebody let them hear the sound of a pump being worked. It a universal sound of a can of whipazz being opened.

Answer 3

I would prefer a .30/06 or a .308, if the .308 M14/M1a or if the .30/06 a bolt or semi-auto. In my neck of the woods a shotgun would get you no where. People can shoot you at 300yds, there are hardly no bears and if there are the .30/06 works for grizzlies. Also deer shots are 150yds+. Plus if you do find civilization and maybe they aren't too friendly or you are enemy of the state, .30/06 ammo is everywhere. Plus you will be able to take them out at 400+. You can take out a javelina or coyote or mountain lion. Javelina would probably the first thing you would find to eat, and probably the last thing after you ate it, that you would want to eat again!!! Doesn't taste too good after you smell it dead and gutted and also the normal ways to prepare meat, just don't do it justice. Chili is good or taco meat, or stew, heavily seasoned. Just something to consider when you are stranded in the southwest, although I would probably eat it with nothing in my belly for days. Which might happen because javelina are everywhere and deer aren't. Mountains and flat desert an .30/06. .223/12gauge won't get you anywhere. But east or the midwest I can see how that would work.

Answer 4

This is going to depend on where you are located. If I didn't have to worry about large animals biting off my head then I will tend to lean towards a 22. Super all purpose rifle. Shotgun is nice considering all the different animals you can kill with it, but that is a lot of different shells to carry and they wouldn't be too light. One box of 500 LR won't weigh you down too much.

As far as for protection, a large group of people moving in on you your best bet would be to evade detection. A single person or a couple, a 22 with a scope and if you are concealed correctly, you can take them out.

Any one weapon you choose will have its shortcomings.

Answer 5

All around a 12 guage pump is the best choice, zombie infestation, anarchy riots, lost for a few months in the woods...
If in an extended survival mode in the North American wilderness though, I would prefer a .22 lr Henry US survival rifle (AR-7)
Small, lightweight, reliable, floats(in its watertight case/stock), and you can carry thousands of rounds more than a 12 guage or a .308
And for the purpose of plan survival a .22 would be fine for the game you would need; rabbits, squirrels, & birds. Kill a large animal in any time other than the dead of winter and your meat will rot before you could use most of it and attract allot of unwanted company.

Answer 6

The S&W .500 Mag. Because it would be able to take everything upto a Grizzley. It would be overpowered for small game and you would have to revert to setting snares.

Answer 7

Taurus .357 magnum

Answer 8

My S&W 14 inch bore .44 magnum

Answer 9

i agree with Jack except i would use my benelli SBE i would buy shorter barrel and longer mag tube for defense and it will shoot everything from lite bird shot to the heaviest slug round but choosing one for everything is tough. i would want a sidearm for defense...but i could live all year on what my benelli could feed me.

Answer 10

5.45x39.5