Which of your guns are really most important?

[HockeyDad]

Don't forget the tinfoil for the hats.

 

[FrogFire7]

Well... for me it is a toss up between one of my long range guns and a more combat oriented gun.

I have an 8lb fast twist .22-250 that is scary accurate. And capable of reasonable long(ish) shots. Can easily go 800 yards. So that's a thought.

Realistically for the scenario given, I'd probably take my AR9 "pistol". It has a brace so accurate shooting isn't difficult. Has a vortex prism red dot scope with etched reticle (meaning it operates even if the battery is dead). It has a 5" barrel and takes glock mags, and I have a pretty healthy assortment of 31 round stick mags for it. My thinking when building it was that ballistically it's probably more effective than a 5" 223, maybe even than blackout but I honestly have not run numbers. It's short, not too heavy, high capacity, easy to single point sling. The ammo also doesn't take up much space, AND is compatible with the sig 320 that would be on my hip or strapped to my pack, and also feeds my wife's 92FS.

Honorable mention (and disqualified for not following rules of the game) is the ruger charger. 22lr with folding brace.

 

[Ol' Red]

I bugged-out to a remote location 36 years ago! But, I'll play. A Contender with scoped,14" .223 Rem barrel and 1000 loaded rounds, split among us! Sub 1" groups at 100 yards.....can be an effective deterrent out to 400+ yards. Take arms and ammo as needed, from those that are not socially acceptable! As it is .223 Rem, potentially a lot of ammo can be had along the way! memtb

You are bugged out. All you have to do is make sure the other 49 people in town are armed. Red

 

[memtb]

You are bugged out. All you have to do is make sure the other 49 people in town are armed. Red

Ol' Red, just to clarify.....we don't live downtown! memtb

 

[johnish]

The one aspect of a slug is the threat is stopped IMMEDIATELY so the amount of ammo is reduced. Plus even if body armor, a slug will take the person off their feet easily from the energy. Slugs are overlooked as being archaic but when you need absolute self defense they give you the "one and done" fast. Not to mention, wicked on radiators and engines. Understand I am talking about full bore slugs and not some wimpy saboted bullet. A .729 full bore slug is nothing to be messed with with amount of energy and frontal area. The Sabot technologies slug will group inside an honest 2" at 100 yards with right barrel twist.

How can a slug take them off their feet if they are wearing bodyarmour? If that was the case it would take the firer off their feet too (every action has an equal and opposite reaction and all that). Not arguing about it being potent though.

 

[Tex Hancock]

I would load 300 rds for my 300bo for my Sig MCX, with a 8" barrel it is very mobile and put the family in 2 canoes and head down river

 

[charliewhisky]

We had so much fun with the 5 gun thread lets play a new game. Here are the rules: You have a safe full of guns, and not a single round of ammo. You have plenty of bullets, powder, cases, and 1000 each of LRM, LR, SR, 209 and LP primers in your stash. The problem is Society has broken down overnight and you are unsafe at home. You will have to bug out to a remote location with your family in tow. You very well may have to walk a big part of the way with everything you need on both your and your wife's back. You have a wife and two small children that you will have to both protect and provide for. What do you load for and how much? Remember all the other stuff you will have to carry so what is really important to you? I would first choose a 22RF but that's against the rules, you have to load them and you don't have a lot of time.

I would also prefer my .22 savage single shot.
A single round at close range buys you everything the bad guy owns. With luck the bad guy is carrying a .22.

Since I have to choose from what I have, I would choose the 1911 .45. I like to know that what I hit will probably go down and there will probably be more than one bad guy. in a chase or ambush, a pistol, or revolver, requires enough caution to keep you worried and improves your chances.

Part of your game is the requirement to remain hidden from the bad guys. If you have to engage from a distance you are doing something wrong and probably won't get the chance to either plunder or identify friend from foe. In reality, you can't know that a bad guy is a bad guy unless he has engaged you from a distance or is chasing you. If I thought a rifle was required, I would skip my 14lb 700LR in favor of my 7Lb Marlin 30-06.

A true story for background. We killed a VC in 68 wearing cut down army fatigues and carrying a M16 and all the gear of some grunt he killed. the only other weapon he carried was a homemade zip gun made of two drilled out pieces of iron, a gate hinge, hook and eye gate lock, a nail, and a rubber band. It was drilled to accept a .45 and must have required an almost contact shot. It worked for him.

 

[blueprairiedog]

1903-A4 clone and sig 40 cal 4extra high capacity mags everything loaded for accuracy.cargo pants bulging

 

[basinman]

I live in the Atchafalaya Swamp on what is basically an island with only 2 ways in and out. Myself and my neighbors are well equipped for pretty much anything as we have to be due to the common occurrence of hurricanes. We can live off of what the swamp can provide as well as our gardens and chickens. One way in is an old pontoon bridge that we can open and the other way is south off of I-10 on the Atchafalaya River Highway that we can barricade. I think we would do very well.

 

[6.5x300 WBY]

Not going anywhere. Protect my home front have like minded individuals join us in our setting. Would have much better luck here then out somewhere.

But being apocalyptic. I would walk down the road and comandir a 92 Viking with 5000 gallons of diesel and all my fishing equipment have a few guns and all my wife's seeds as she has Pounds and pounds of seeds. A few of her aerogardens she has and go 90 miles off and anchor up. Yellowfin, longfin, bluefin, Golden tiles. Sea bass.
Would have the range to go most places, and have a tender to sneak in and grab things if needed under the cover of darkness..

 

[wolffo]

most folks will bug out with AR-15 in 223 and 9mm side arm
so thats your higher probability "pickup" laying on the ground

a lot of folks will bug out with no guns at all
32% of Americans say they own a gun
44% of Americans say they live in a gun household
the average gun owner owns 9 guns
folks on this web board certainly are above average

 

[Charlie175]

We live in a desert soon to move to a north Texas rolling hills, trees, water etc. sticking with the game of "in my safe right now". 1. Remington 1100 modified 3-gun machine holds 9+1 with 100 rounds, slugs, 00 buck and bird/rabbit shot 2. 6.5 Grendel in an AR15 with 300 rds 130 gr BTHP 3. Sig 1911 Tacops in 10mm with 100 rds 4. Sig 380 with 100 rds for momma, but I'm thinking I should upgrade to a 9mm before the Zombie Apocalypse. This all sounds pretty heavy but if my 2 kids were still little (they're grown) , they would hump a smaller portion of ammo in their gear. I believe this would take care of about every range and size target from 7 feet to 600 meters.

 

[hoeram]

Fun scenario - Hard choices - 20 yrs ago grab AR's 1K rounds and be gone now on the other side of 50 years old. Id likely stand my ground with my closest friends and try to see them coming - start at about 1K with Lapua and work my way in. Last line defense likely M2 with Brenneke slugs. If I had to bug out it would be with the AR's and 10mm side arms about 1k 223 and 400 10mm. I can tell you for sure wife would be ****ed at the weight of her pack. Water and Ammo for the win to much game around to go hungry.

I'm in the same set up. At 65 I'll stand my ground start out long range and work my way in. We have plenty of water, game and tons of woods to hide in . And Load for everything I own. If I die it will be in a fight.

 

[rbTanzan]

I would concur with an apparent majority here. The 223 should be loaded with heavy all-copper bullets for maximum penetration. Since I don't own a 'black gun' I would grab our accurate Tikka in 223. 62gn TTSX are its current loading and 1000 of those would go a long way for survival. Just like local Indians, we would learn to carefully hunt large game with the 223, especially with the above bullets.

So 1 rifle? The 223 and penetrating bullets. Since I don't trust pointed FMJ to 'track' straight in an animal I would go with the TTSX mentioned above.

As soon as other rifles are added, then it is an open field. Maybe something with a little more reach but still relatively light. The 270 would fit the bill, or the 308 with its chances of re-supplying ammo, or a 30-06, or even 6.8 Western (?!, I long ago learned how to cannibalize ammo in Africa for reloading one's own caliber, but one needs the same caliber bullet: lead moulds for .277/8"?), . . . And then any pistol, though 9mm or 45 would be the most practical.

It does seem like the military have already thought this game through.