One Gun

[favoritetoyisjoy]

If you could only have/own one gun to suit any and all survival scenarios, what would it be, and why?

Mine would be an AR-15. I don't consider these rifles in 5.56 to neccesarily be the best at any one thing, but I do consider them to be the best compromise for all purposes and logistics. I wish a lightweight take-down 10/22 were adequate, if I knew I wouldn't have to defend myself, and that's all I had, I could make do. If you're on foot, at the end of the day, even 5 extra pounds feels like a lot more. I'd rather carry more food, water, and other essentials, than heavy armament.

Ergonomics: For me this platform is more comfortable to shoot than any other commonly encountered factory rifle. I like pistol grips. The controls are very accessible and user friendly.

Easy to shoot: For all ages, male or female. Low recoil, accurate, non-intimidating.

In 5.56: Yes, I like other calibers more, but these are adequately powerful for their size and weight. I'd rather carry 250 rounds of 5.56 than any other centerfire rifle cartridge that I can think of at the moment.

If you run out of ammunition, you have an excellent chance of being able to acquire more of it compared to most others. I prefer 62 grain, but my gun would be sighted with the ubiquitous Mil-spec 55 grain FMJBT. Scopes that have BDC/stadia will definetely accomodate this load. Powerful enough for mid-size game like deer, even bigger game in a pinch, as well as being adequately effective for defense.

Scope: I'm currently using a 1.75x4x32 and it's adequate out to 5-600 yards but a ranging/BDC/stadia scope of about the same power would be better, and quicker and easier for the longer ranges without worrying about hold-over. My old eyes prefer a scope. I can use dot-type sights and open sights in a pinch, and I do have back-up irons.

Firefights: God forbid, I really mean it. If I knew I wouldn't get into a firefight I would be open to other guns and calibers, but unfortunately I don't. I'm no Rambo, and even though some of this kind of person will ultimately survive, for me, escape and evade is a far better choice if there is one, much more conducive to survival. I'd like to think I'd be willing to carry up to six 40-round spare magazines, but I'm not sure, that's a lot of weight.

Suppressor: Even if one only fires his rifle for hunting food, everyone within earshot will know you're out there. Sub-sonic 5.56 rounds don't have much power, sub-sonic 300 AAC is a better round, but I've eliminated it due to other considerations. Even full power 5.56 make substantially less noise with a suppressor, maybe they'll think you're further away than you are.

Share your opinions, I'm looking forward to them.

 

[MrJim]

Sticking to what I already own probably my T/C Contender (with extra barrels yeah that's cheating)...would probably go with the 10" .22 barrel for it...amazingly accurate and simple to use for others..single shot means every shot must count...[and I have no plans to be in a firefight, neither would I have enough ammo stored up...regardless of how much one has someone else (or a gang) will have more and bigger]...and a thousand rounds doesn't take up that much space.

...a very close second...and probably should be my first choice would be my 12 ga Mossberg 500...the variety of ammo (small game loads to buckshot to slugs) might be a better choice though it does take up a lot of space. Do wish I'd gone with 20 ga instead...

You know...I'll have to ponder this one some more

 

[favoritetoyisjoy]

IMO, no one in their right mind wants to be in a gun battle except the Rambo type.

I've actually lived through the "one gun" scenario, once, about 35 years ago. I had sold everything including guns to go to Bible school, and when I got back I had a very limiting factor, and that was not having much of any money. The first gun I bought was a .22 LR rifle, a Marlin 65C (carbine) with 14-shot tubular magazine, which I still have.

I was waiting for someone to choose a shotgun as their one gun, and I will be very interested to know their rationale.

I also relate to your comment about having to ponder the question as I did a lot of that over a period of many months before I came to my conclusion.

 

[4thWatch]

The AR in 5.56 is adequate for the one gun scenario. Would I want it....not really as my expierence has shown me that the 5.56 is just not an effective round in either stopping power or range but it's not terrible either. But for 99% of all users it's fine, just understand your limitations.

The U.S. Army fell for the whole one gun theory as well or at least one round theory as both the M4 (Carbine variant) of the AR15 and the S.A.W used the 5.56 round. It was quickly discovered in the Middle East wars that the enemy could outrange you in an engagement even with an ancient Russian Mosin Nagant or British lee enfield rifle (yes we found those too) and even the AK has a farther range.

So the Army in its wisdom brought the M14 out of retirement which fires the 7.62x51 cartridge. They created what has come to be known today as a "DMR" or designated marksman rifle. This gave each platoon a few soldiers or Marines who could counter the fire and actually hit back at an enemy who was beyond 600 yards. The 7.62x51 also has a habit of turning cover (something that protects you) into just concealment (you hide behind it but it the bullet will go through it).

For most people the AR is fine, it's affordable, easy to find, cheap parts abound, easy to work on and the ammo is cheap (right now, just let mullah Obama open his Muslim mouth about gun control and it will shoot back up).

The AR is also physically a comfortable firearm for many people, it's not to big, it's recoil is light, and their are a million different ways to set it up to fit your body. Overall it's fine.

There's one last consideration with the AR and it's gathering ammo by living off the land. Let's say Obama or Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton decides to suspend the Constitution and that your their slave. Who would try to enforce that? Why some government goons would of course and guess what ammo they will be carrying? Yup 5.56 or 7.62x51 (308) so you and a few patriot buddies dispatch a death squad, and liberate their ammo. If you shoot the ammo your enemy uses you will always have a supply to gather.

As for glass I'd reccomend a 1-6 or 1-4 variable optic meant for CQB (close quarters battle) it gives you enough magnification to make some medium range shots and do some recon with out being bulky or getting in the way of close range targets. With a true 1 power scope you fire with both eyes open so having that variable magnification and a 1 power setting is a nice thing to have.

 

[favoritetoyisjoy]

I can't imagine that anyone into firearms would want to be limited to one gun, I wouldn't either, and I'm not.

Military personnel are capable of carrying 100 pounds on an all day march, I'm not. Typically, the military are frequently re-supplied, but in worst case scenarios, civillians in a SHTF situation won't be. And as far as carrying stuff, I recall carrying a 7-1/2" Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 Mag on my hip while hunting one day when I was about 25 years old. By the end of the day, my hip was sore and lame, and I never carried it again while hunting, but I wasn't used to hiking or hunting either. I'm 61 now, and that old memory convinces me that even an extra 3 pounds to carry can be a lot for some.

In my worst case scenario, my family and I will be on foot, so that's where the one gun concept is coming from, as I already know that I (we) won't be able to carry enough stuff to sustain us for very long.

Perhaps a better question for most of you would have been "What would your ultimate survival battery look like?".

As far as defensive rounds are concerned, not very many people question the defense capabilities of the 45 ACP, 40 S&W, or judging by its popularity, the 9mm. (No one volunteers to be hit center mass with a 22 LR either.) Yet the 5.56 has better energy and penetration at several hundred yards downrange than these trusted handgun calibers have at the muzzle.

Will people be carrying defensive handguns during SHTF? You bet, and I may be one of them, but the reason won't be because they can take down elephants or go through an engine block. So my reasoning here is that if people can justify trusting their lives to commonly used handgun rounds, they shouldn't have too much of an issue with the 5.56 as an "adequate" round even though it won't do everything.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

I hate guns. I do not mind telling you.
I can see in some cases there needs to be one.
But if 399 starving marauders attack your house, what good is one gun... 100 guns going to do you?
I am not being negative about the OP... more power to you if you have these things and know how to use them. Kudos.
I also realize that in the real world the insurgents naturally take the path of least resistance. If you have a 9 foot wall and a 50 caliber mounted on top of your house... and I have nothing but a mailbox with a smilely face... you can see which way the evil people are going to go first.
I guess at some point we finally get back to faith in God to protect you. Eventually an army will come that you will not be able to fend off no matter how many guns you have. Some predict that 60% of the unprepared population will be gone very quickly. I am talking about "those who dwell safely" (or think they do) in the mega cities. A civilization of 350 million was never designed to survive in such a small area without electricity, gas, oil, mega crops, water from a faucet, and a working automobile. These sardine packed unprepared tens of millions will just be lost.
Pump up on these:

Romans 8:28 King James Version (KJV)
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Proverbs 2
11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:
12 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man,
from the man that speaketh froward things;

 

[favoritetoyisjoy]

Didaskolos,

Proverbs 21:30: "The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord."

Do you think that just because someone is armed, he would have no need to exercise faith? Would being armed guarantee his safety or make faith obsolete?

Matthew 6:25-33: "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

But it's OK to store up food and clothing, and to engage in other forms of non-weapon related preparedness, right? Are there really 50 justifable reasons why Christians should be prepping or should we just exercise faith and pray?

James 5:15: "And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him."

If one of your loved ones gets pneumonia or breaks a bone should you take them to a doctor or just exercise faith and pray? If someone is beating to death a loved one, should you do your best to protect them or just exercise faith and pray? After all, the worst that can happen is that they'll die and go to Heaven, right?

 

[MrJim]

Aw c'mon get back to the topic already

Just finished putting a new peep sight on my old .44 Magnum Marlin ("JM" marked for those that can appreciate it ) but I wouldn't choose it as a "one gun"...yet...

 

[favoritetoyisjoy]

I can appreciate the "JM" marking but I've been hearing that the new models are generally improving from what they were, and that a few have claimed that they've gotten a new one that is as good as the pre-Rems.

I have a 1977 vintage Model 94 in 30-30 and it's fun to shoot, but I like the Marlins because of their design, they're scope friendly and in my opinion, had fewer quality issues up until the Rems.

 

[MrJim]

I can appreciate the "JM" marking but I've been hearing that the new models are generally improving from what they were, and that a few have claimed that they've gotten a new one that is as good as the pre-Rems.

I have a 1977 vintage Model 94 in 30-30 and it's fun to shoot, but I like the Marlins because of their design, they're scope friendly and in my opinion, had fewer quality issues up until the Rems.

Time will tell if the "Remlins" are as good....Remington's reputation has been spiraling of late....

 

[favoritetoyisjoy]

The post-JM's seem to especially have issues with the wood to metal fit, which is so fundamental to gun making that I can't quite imagine why. Be that as it may, what happened to quality control? It may be be coincidental but soon after the gun manufacturers came out with their el cheapo economy models it seemed as though they cheapened the higher grades as well.

 

[MrJim]

The post-JM's seem to especially have issues with the wood to metal fit, which is so fundamental to gun making that I can't quite imagine why. Be that as it may, what happened to quality control? It may be be coincidental but soon after the gun manufacturers came out with their el cheapo economy models it seemed as though they cheapened the higher grades as well.

Problems began after Remington acquired Marlin....and when you add up all the problems with Remington these days..

 

[Cernunnos]

I hate guns. I do not mind telling you.
I can see in some cases there needs to be one.
But if 399 starving marauders attack your house, what good is one gun... 100 guns going to do you?

399 starving marauders . . . assuming the most unlikely (that they'd attack in some organized fashion and not feed on their own fallen) are not outside the realm of "able to be defended against". It boils down to tactics & a suppressor goes a long way toward making "shoot and move" work. Assuming contact distance is 600 yards, and people jog on the average (starving folk aren't as fast as well fed fitness freaks, so I am building cushion into our math problem) at 4.2 mph, one has a little over 4 minutes to reduce the threat. I am fairly certain I could burn through 6 magazines at 30 rounds each in aimed fire (they aren't getting back up/ they aren't zombies it doesn't have to be a head shot to count) in two minutes. So your 399 is 39 by the time I need to run. It only takes 8 magazines to give everybody their very own bullet with rounds to spare to double tap the fast/ armed/ leaders. What it boils down to is, picking off the survivors of the initial rush from your own perimeter, while they are focused on getting through whatever you have used to secure your supplies. To put it another way, the "castle" was not just a defensive structure in the way you see it portrayed in modern movies. . . it was the ability of fighting men to go out of the castle and retreat back into it/ go out and flank the enemy while they were attempting siege, that really gave it teeth. Which brings me to my answer to the OP

If you could only have/own one gun to suit any and all survival scenarios, what would it be, and why?
Share your opinions, I'm looking forward to them.

AR15 with several barreled uppers:

Lets have a .22 conversion upper (for small game/ cheap target practice) 9"/ Trijicon RMR / suppressor

Lets have a .300 blk upper (for medium game and 2 leg predator mitigation) 10.5"/ FLIR RS32 1.25x5/ suppressor

Lets go with a .223 wylde upper (for medium game and 2 leg predator mitigation) 18"/ Trijicon 4x32 with top mounted RMR

End result is the same lower with the same trigger feel and "manual of arms" being able to be transformed into three very different tools with four pushes of the pins and a magazine change. Might be "cheating" the one gun question, but the AR has the ability to be used like a golf bag, picking the upper for whatever application is at hand . . . when was the last time you saw someone golf with only a 7 iron?

 

[William67]

Either an AR or AK in 7.62/308. Good for hunting big game or for defense. Preferably with a 30 round mag.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

399 dead bodies out in my front yard....
What a image that draws.

 

[Cernunnos]

399 dead bodies out in my front yard....
What a image that draws.

Fortunately & often unfortunately, humankind still walks about with a herd mentality. It was you who postulated "399 starving marauders attack your house" and the truth is, when people in a mob / riot mentality see their leaders, fast and armed go down . . it elicits panic and withdraw. It is the whole reason for the specialized anti-riot rounds you see police using, like 12 ga baton, rubber buck, and 12 ga beanbag. The civilian in a teotwawki scenario is not required to try and preserve tax payer's lives, less than lethal becomes a liability & the slow rate of fire and limited range even more so. So applying good criminology theory to the scenario you created, suggests that tactically engaging the hoard with lethal fire at range will drop enough of them to cause the group to turn away from their target/ start looking for a softer place to maraud.

 

[4thWatch]

I'll look for and distribute a small book that was handed out that taught a sniper/DMR/ marksman about the psychology of the mob and how to diffuse it with selective kills. If you watch a mob for a short time you can detect the "leaders" those who hold sway and guide it's movements.

You don't always need 399 bullets, sometimes 1 or 2 will diffuse the situation and cause the herd to flee. I'll poke around my trunks and see if I can find the booklet it's small but has really information on detection of the leader and applying force at the right time. If I can find it I'll PDF it and get it on a server for download.

 

[MrJim]

I'll look for and distribute a small book that was handed out that taught a sniper/DMR/ marksman about the psychology of the mob and how to diffuse it with selective kills. If you watch a mob for a short time you can detect the "leaders" those who hold sway and guide it's movements.

You don't always need 399 bullets, sometimes 1 or 2 will diffuse the situation and cause the herd to flee. I'll poke around my trunks and see if I can find the booklet it's small but has really information on detection of the leader and applying force at the right time. If I can find it I'll PDF it and get it on a server for download.

That would be interesting..

 

[favoritetoyisjoy]

[QUOTE=" Which brings me to my answer to the OP



AR15 with several barreled uppers:

Lets have a .22 conversion upper (for small game/ cheap target practice) 9"/ Trijicon RMR / suppressor

Lets have a .300 blk upper (for medium game and 2 leg predator mitigation) 10.5"/ FLIR RS32 1.25x5/ suppressor

Lets go with a .223 wylde upper (for medium game and 2 leg predator mitigation) 18"/ Trijicon 4x32 with top mounted RMR

End result is the same lower with the same trigger feel and "manual of arms" being able to be transformed into three very different tools with four pushes of the pins and a magazine change. Might be "cheating" the one gun question, but the AR has the ability to be used like a golf bag, picking the upper for whatever application is at hand . . . when was the last time you saw someone golf with only a 7 iron?[/QUOTE]

It's not cheating if you can make it work. But if I (personally) was on foot for very long, carrying "everything", one or two of those uppers would probably get left behind, which brings me back (personally) to "one gun".

That's the hard part, knowing what our individual worst case scenario will be. If I could stay at my residence without any outside threat, I could grow a massive garden, stock up on everything, keep my firearm and ammo collection, reloading equipment, etc.

 

[Shane R]

A lever action .357. It's got enough pop for medium game. It's got enough accuracy for small game. It's got enough capacity for a short skirmish. It will not break down and it can feed multiple types of ammunition as long as they are rimmed and the proper diameter.