When I first saw the title of the article, I thought it was geared toward all survival situations. In a true long term survival situation, harvesting game is certainly top of the list. But other situations will come up also. How about a zombie invasion? SHTF and you're defending your home and family. Car load of thugs pulls up and out jumps 4 headed for your front door. Stockpile of food running low, you live near water and have plenty of ducks, geese, turkey and other foul in the area. Whitetail is abundant in your area along with other larger game.
Just my opinion but if I had to choose just one weapon to deal with a long term shtf way of life, it would be my Mossberg 500 with shot and slug barrell. Shot for self defense, foul and small game, all kinds of loads for all kinds of situations . Slug barrell for larger game which can be accurate at 100+ yards. If you have to bug out - carry the shot barrel loaded with buckshot, strap the slug barrell to your pack and hit the road.
Just my opinion.
Hint: It’s right between your ears.
If I had to pick one gun and only one gun it would be a 12 gauge Mossberg 500 or Remington 870.
Nothing beats a good shotgun in utility.
But firepower isn’t an issue regardless of the survival gun you choose—just as long as your first aim is true.
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Definitely 12 ga for the Zombies, although a case could be made for 20 gauge if you forsee an all day shoot of the fast ones.
A day of that and you can get a really bad shooting bruise with a 12 ga.
At least that’s been my experience.
Every time I read an article from Field and Stream, I had the impression they just didn’t know that much about firearms. Weird but using terms like kickback instead of recoil? Using flat nosed .22 LR rounds? You would have to search long and hard to find flat nosed bulleted cartridges.
I have an old Charter Arms which is one of the first AR-7’s. I don’t consider it a survival tool. More like a toy from an old James Bond movie, Russia with Love to be exact.
In a survival situation, I would think that you might not always have the time and resources to take large game, butcher it and try to preserve it. So I would think an accurate .22 for small game and maybe a .410 shotgun would be the best. Also some basic fishing gear and traps.
Not so good for the zombies though.
I would include a frog gig myself.
A lot of this is very subjective and includes the environs one intends to do their surviving in, what one can shoot well, etc. No single weapon will be the ideal for both harvesting squirrel and warding off grizzly bear attacks. Concealability of a weapon may be critical in some circumstances and not an issue in others, etc. Of course one who planned ahead would start out with a good stock of ammo already laid away, but sooner or later it will exhaust itself and then either availability, foragability or reloadability of ammo becomes a consideration. While I have a few firearms that suit certain needs better than others, if I have to grab but one and make a run for it, I’m slinking away with my folding stock M1 carbine.
Nice to have a gun of any kind with ammo. But it you don’t, having a good knife will increase your chances. Especially if you have read up on making snares, figure 4 dead-fall traps etc..
“If you’ve watched Survivorman, it’s hard to ignore the fact that Les Stroud, the star of the show, seems to starve during every episode.”
I know it! It’s very instructive to see him make the mistakes you don’t want to make but how many times is he going to say, “I shouldn’t be drinking this water without boiling it because of Giardia but I’m going to drink it anyway.”
Regardless, it’s an enjoyable show.
sw
If I’m choosing a .22 for survival, I’ll stick with a lightweight (stainless barrel, plastic stock) 10/22. Reliable and accurate as hell with a boatload of aftermarket items to make it smaller, lighter and more accurate.
The AR-7 is good for pilots, but I’m not a pilot, so I’ll carry the larger, more accurate 10/22.
Gold coins and a canteen.
For the long haul, wouldn’t a bow gun be better so the arrows can be retrieved and re-used?
Carry 20 rounds of 223 - it'll take everything from a rabbit to a white tail deer without much damage to the meat, and 20 rounds are small and light. And it will stop a man out at a good range (as far as I'd want to have to shoot; if I can't avoid a confrontation at a distance of 150+ yards, then I'm doing something wrong!)
Then carry 20 shells of 20 GA - 6 of 00 buck, and 14 of #6 birdshot. The buck for bigger beasts (including those that walk on 2 legs), and the birdshot for, well, birds.
All together, with a decent 4x32 scope, you should be right around 10 pounds and have enough "firepower" to feed yourself for a VERY long time!
.350 Remington Magnum??????????????????
After his first box of twenty is depleted, what does he expect to do?
He mentions he has a sleeve to use what he calls. .38 Auto???????????????????
This guy is supposed to be a gun writer? Where do I sign up?
.410 double barrel
Ruger single action revolver. Comes with two cylinders, .22 LR, and .22 Mag..I’d go with the papoose over the AR-7. And if I was up to the weight of the Browning or Marlin takedown 22s, I’d skip that feature, and go with a Henry. Well made, accurate, and cheaper. Or I’d get one of those combo rifle/shotguns, maybe .22/410, or .223/ 20 or 12 gage.