the best survival gun that is not a .22 cal?

Question

most people will say that the 22 is the best round for a survival rifle/gun, i must agree. BUT my question is what is the next best round.

By next best round i mean the all around best round. in every category, every veiw of what a bullet can be scored on. This is just something to talk about, i am not going to buy a gun. the best answer will be to the person who makes the best sence

Answer 1

Hmmmm. So, at this point, I think at least your contenders are something like:

1) .223/5.56

2) 12 guage

3) .308 - or .30-06. I lump the two of them together as they tend to be very similar cartridges in alot of ways.



More or less if you are going to get out of the .22 caliber it is hard to see any other pistol class caliber being in the top three. Maybe .44 magnum and .357 magnum rounding out the top 5, but again some reasonable competition from something like a .243. Or possibly 7.62x39 or even the venerable 30-30.



So, if you rank them in choices of platform, it's probably something like:

1) .223 - pretty much you can get about anything chambered in this.

2) .308/30-06 - ditto here, AR-10/Benelli M1 to bolt action to single shot

3) 12 guage - again plenty of platforms - but perhaps not necessarily the versatility within platform. For example a short barrel tactical shotgun isn't that great for bird hunting, and probably average for slug based deer hunting. A good hunting shotgun may not be that convenient for other tasks. Still, not much to complain about here.



If you rank them in terms of versatility ...

1) Maybe the .223 - you can get these anywhere from about 40 grains to 73. You can get penetrator, to soft tip to frangible to controlled expansion. It's almost too much for small game, and just barely enough with the right bullet for deer. Most platforms are very manageable in most situations and accurate to several hundred yards with average skill.



2) The .308/30-.06 - I could even concede the argument that this is more versatile except around the management of platforms. The AR-10 is not as handy as an M-4. The M1A1 is not as handy as a Benelli MR-1. Certainly, whatever versatility in loads you can get in .223 you can get in either 30 caliber platform and while it is probably too much for small game (if it's smaller than a cat I'm not sure how much is left to recover for the pot) it's enough to take you up to any North American game animal.



3) The 12 guage is arguably either #3 or number #1. Certainly you can get everything from flare and non - lethal to really hard hitting heavyweight magnum slugs. Of course all sorts of rounds for birds, etc. However, at the end of the day there isn't anything that makes a shotgun a more than 100 yard weapon. Maybe 125 yards. Depending on where in the world you live, that could be a real problem. Further, shortening the barrel of a shotgun has a disproportionate effect on it's versatility in comparison to a rifle.



At the end of the day - personally, I think I look for some kind of higher capacity rig in a semi - auto 30-06 or .308. I'm going to have to assume I can maintain it, one way or another, and there is a narrow defensive scenario where a magazine fed semi - auto is a better choice than box fed bolt action. That probably puts me into one of the lighter weight AR-10 platforms, an FNAR or FN-SCAR platform, a Benelli M-1 or possibly even a Kel-Tec or Browning BAR platform to end on two extremes.



As much as the .223 came out ahead in most categories I tend to think I can load a .30 caliber down with a heavy bullet and manage my defensive scenarios than load it up to get into dealing with larger critters. At least where I live, if I get out into the woods, squirrels and rabbits aren't plentiful enough to cut it, but we have deer, black bear, the occasional moose and elk along with larger predator animals. I know messing with the loads messes with whether I turn my semi - auto into a single shot, but if I'm going to focus on a specific platform I can probably do some work on it to manage that.



Put some good quality variable power glass, back up sights, and if I'm really that concerned about CQB sort of scenarios some kind of co located single lens (but not battery powered!) optic.



It's really a toss up between the three though. Any real change in decision factor (i.e. better portability of weapon and ammo - moves to the .223. More likelihood of need for a closer quarters weapon moves to shotgun) changes the decision.



Which is probably why next to .22 those three are among the most popular platforms and calibers in North America.



Thinkingblade

Answer 2

it would need to be a shotgun....mine would be a .410. I have enough experience with it to take anything down in my local area, I could even take a deer or moose with a slug if necessary, but I likely wouldn't need to with the abundance of small game in my area. the gun would be my .410 break action, a cheapo one from Brazil, but it's still works after being 40-50 years old beaten to hell, badly taken care of by it's previous owner, but she's still strong and reliable, so can't complain.

if I were to buy a new gun today for survival, it would be a Rossi matched set .22/.410 bore, they're simple, reliable and very affordable. also, I like how the set breakdown into a kit about the size of a large roll of paper towel and it's buttstock and forend has hollows in it where you can store items of importance as a back up..

Answer 3

What exactly are you trying to survive? An urban insurrection or lost in the Alaskan wilderness?

I'd say an M4 (.223/5.56) or AK47 (7.62x39) for the first and a stainless bolt action .30-06 with synthetic stock for the second. And if I wasn't sure which I would be dropped into, probably a Mossberg 20" 12 Gauge with extended mag and ghost ring sights and the combination of buck and slugs.

Answer 4

I'm guessing 5.7x28 or 7.62x25.

5.7 is a small rifle round. high velocity, flat shooting, very accurate, and could be used for hunting or defensive. downside is supply, but if you're a real survivalist that shouldn't be an issue, you'd have a good half-pallet of ammunition and a good reloading setup too.



7.62x25 is the opposite of 5.7 in my opinion. the 5.7 is mostly a rifle round that goes in pistols too. the 7.62x25 was primarily a pistol round that can go in a carbine or something. 7.62x25 is like a turbocharged .32 acp. it penetrates more than you expect, it shoots flat also, and is good to about 200m. the way the bullets are designed, you could hunt game with it without destroying much meat (99% of the ammo use a military FMJ). Like 5.7 you'd run into supply issues. this is a bit different though, 5.7 cost alot to buy and shoot. and reload. with 7.62x25 it really cheap to shoot, but you can't reload it (without spending a fortune) $80 a tin of 1260, you cna easily get a full pallet or more for less than half the cost of a half pallet of 5.7 & a high volume reloading setup.



others of honorable mention are:

.223 / 5.56 (you have a 5.56 weapon so you cna shoot .223 too) - a very common round, flat, speedy, flat-shooting, light recoil. downside is the hypersonic thunder of each shot, and you can easily end up destroying small game at under 150m. you can have your pick of a bolt gun or a semiautomatic. the AR15 platform has developed to the point its just as reliable as an AK47 (but still costs alot more).



7.62x39 - if you don't mind heavier ammo - also very common round. too much power for small game hunting though.



7.62x54r & 308 Winchester - I grouped the two together since they're very similar. like the 7.62 AK round you have hte issue of too much power for small game hunting. its a good defensive caliber though.

Answer 5

I would not want to carry something that needed to be cleaned and oiled as much as an M4/AR. Honestly, if you want something you can depend on without any kind of maintenance, I would go with a stainless steel revolver. Probably something like a Ruger GP100. With a revolver, you wouldn't have to worry about any jamming issue, a magazine issue, or a safety. As you probably already know, a revolver that shoots .357 can also shoot .38, which is a fairly cheap round.



So to answer your question, I would go with .38

Answer 6

The 12 guage shotgun.

Answer 7

Every scenario?



No .22lr?



Better take the 12 gauge pump, the .410 won't help when a grizzly wants you for lunch.

Answer 8

probably my NEXT recommendation would be a keltec sub 2k.....in 9mm ....since it folds for easy storage/carry and can hold 33-35 round mags depending on which configuration u buy



** this is of course comparing it to AR-7 .22 "survival rifle...... the sub 2k does everything the AR-7 does except float.......and has a more "useful" round to most ppl

Answer 9

At one point the Air Force figured it was the .22 Hornet.

Answer 10

Several lines of thought here. I would probably go with either .223/5.56 or .38 Special. Both easily available and lethal in the right circumstances.

Answer 11

It somewhat depends on what you intend to survive...



My next pick would be a 9mm [9x19] as there are both pistols and rifles in the caliber.

Answer 12

I would want a .410, increases your chances of getting small game on the run or in flight. Then you can use a slug for larger game like deer and other larger game.

Answer 13

12 gauge,take everything from mouse to bear and its a great defense round.

Answer 14

I would use a