Top 5 Survival Guns

Top 5 Survival Guns

Take your pick–earthquakes, fire, severe weather, civil unrest, a terrorist act? Whatever the catastrophe, having a survival firearm should be the norm today rather than the exception.

The reasons to have a survival firearm or two are endless and unique to you and your environment. In general, it’s fairly straightforward. Self-defense and hunting are naturally the top uses for a survival gun. Since we are talking about an out-of-the-norm event, I would want to keep my selections simple. To accomplish this, I would consider such factors as ammo availability. Within the United States, some calibers that would be much more likely to be found in stressful times are 22 long rifle, 12 gauge, 223/5.56, 9mm, and 30-06. Less prevalent are 22 magnum, 28 gauge, 222, 357 sig, and 270 Winchester Short Mag. In other words your survival gun should be in a caliber that you have a good supply of, or calibers that might be easier to find via scavenging or barter. Another factor I would consider is the track record of reliability with my chosen gun, whether by reputation, personal experience or better yet, both. Confidence in the firearms’ system—including accessories and ammunition, as well as my ability to use them well, is critical. Efficiency of operation, basic field maintenance and ease of transport are also points to consider.

With the above in mind, here are some of my top picks:

The Ruger 22s, the Bearcat Revolver and 10/22 takedown

The Ruger 10/22 has been around for decades and has proven its worth. In the takedown version with the accompanying pack, this is a great choice for a survival gun. Chambered in 22 long rifle, it’s very adept at taking small game and even self-defense if it comes down to it. Another plus, you can get 15- and 25-round Ruger factory magazines for this platform. Put a Ruger Mark III pistol or Ruger Bearcat revolver in the case with the take down 10/22 and you have a wonderful little survival pack that shoots the same caliber and can be easily transported.

A mighty duo. Kel Tec PMR and CMR in .22 magnum

Ok, I know that one of my criteria for a survival gun is ammo availability. In this case the Kel Tec PMR 30 pistol and the sister CMR 30 carbine are chambered in 22 magnum. If you have laid in a good supply of this hot 22 rim fire cartridge, it would be hard to overlook these two firearms for survival considerations. Kel Tec has designed these guns to take the same 30-round box magazines. Both guns are lightweight and compact. The carbine has a collapsible stock that slides down flush with the back of the receiver and has a full length picitinny rail for an optic of your choice along with BUIS. Pack these two guns in a covert pack like the Defcon Compact Assault Bag and you have yourself a slick bug out package.

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Remington 870 Shotgun

It’s not hard to justify a shotgun in a survival setting. My choice would be a police model 18 inch barrel, cylinder bore choke, three inch chamber with an extended magazine … in 12 gauge. This gun has been around for decades and has been proven in many harsh conditions. In just this one platform you have a short range rifle (100 + yards) with a rifled slug, a great self-defense and hunting round with 00 or #4 buckshot and a small game load with anything from #8 to #4 birdshot. Door breaching ability is also among the shotgun's assets. I have personally taken small to medium size plains game with 12 gauge using buckshot in Africa. I prefer a fixed stock and either a standard front sight bead or simple rifle style express sights. A copy of this excellent firearm lives in my vehicle at all times.

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Remington 700 with custom, shortened barrel

Do not get me wrong, I like my semi auto AR and AK platform carbines. But in a true survival situation I may need to consider not just defense, but the ability to hunt and bring down big game at further distances. I like short barreled carbines, and since ease of transport is a consideration, a bolt action in a 16” to 18” barrel fits the bill. The old Remington model 600 Mohawk (18” barrel) is one of my favorites. Likewise a Remington 700 in a short 16” barrel works for me (mine is a Remington 700 LTR on which I have cut the barrel down to 16”). Both my rifles are chambered in 308 and are sub 1 MOA guns if I am doing everything right. I can easily make hits at 500 to 600 yards and beyond, making these compact rifles great for hunting or other needed “precision fire” without lugging around a 12 to 15lb sniper system.

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Here's a Glock 17, Ruger Bearcat, and Kel Tec PMR 30

Aside from a rim fire handgun, the need for a reliable center fire pistol is obvious. There are many choices here to choose from and I believe you should select make, model and caliber based on your needs and likes. For me it’s hard not to consider a Glock 17 or 19—the company’s full size and compact 9mm models. Its reliability and ease of operation has been proven for decades now. We could sit and discuss caliber all day, and yes I like the 40 S&W and the 45 ACP among others. But 9mm ammo is very easy to find, accurate, and I can carry more of it in the higher capacity magazines that the Glock 17/19 features. You could also consider coupling your Glock pistol with a Kel Tec Sub 2000 in 9mm or 40 S&W and now you have a short carbine that runs on your Glock magazines … not a bad option. You can fit the pistol and the Sub 2000 (which folds in half) in a very small backpack, a nice transport and covert method of carry.

These are but a few of many choices. I believe that the key is to keep your selections simple, reliable and practical. The decisions are yours. The goal is to be prepared. Do you have anything to add? Let us know what you top survival guns are in the comments. Then, when you're done with that, make sure you like our Facebook page.

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