Hi, Guys:

I'm working on a book geared toward new preppers about what guns they should consider buying, first.  In my opinion, the five basic guns every prepper should own (at a minimum).  No, I'm not talking about surviving a scorched earth scenario like in Cormac's "The Road" but rather the type of scenarios civilized society has had to live through (the ups and the downs) over the past 200 years or so.  

My problem is: While I enjoy guns and I've attended pistol and rifle classes at several of the top gun fighting schools-- I'm far from an expert.  So, I'd like some other opinions I can incorporate into the book to give readers a greater perspective.

So, if you're interested in reading what I've written and then e-mailing me some of your own opinions that I can incorporate into the book: PM me and I'll e-mail you a PDF version of what I've written so far (about 10,000 words).  

Note: This is not some kind of marketing ploy and I'm not trying to sell you anything.

Thanks.
CRJ.

AR-15

I should clarify: I'm not looking for "what" you think are the best five guns, but rather "why" you think they are.

AK-Can be reloaded with black powder and cast lead and still function.
















 

Ok, the ones I listed would cover just about every imaginable scenario and are in common use in this country. Ammo, mags, spare parts availability are a priority.

 

Winchester 1300 or Remington 870. Every FUDD on the planet owns one of them . Bartering parts / ammo would be easy. Plus, they're shotguns...

Not enough penetration.

Needs moar 50cal.

Your post was probably too long for most arfcommers to read, 10,000 words meh.

5 guns sounds right, you need a 22 rifle, a 22 pistol, a real rifle and pistol and a shotgun.

I'd never want to hump all that and the ammo to go with it, many preppers will go with just a 22 pistol or an ar...

Some of these folks they have on shows like doomsday preppers go so far overboard.

Material preps are really only good short term in a static location training and practical portable reusable preps will go a lot further...

the people who will probably do the best are the ones who already live the life and have the means to defend it.

$0.02

I honestly have yet to see the point of having a .22 pistol for SHTF. Anything that requires the drawing of a sidearm more than likely needs to be shot multiple times with something that has some punch. A .22 rifle is a great asset, but the pistol just doesn't seem to have much going for it. They are great little guns and I adore my Ruger 22/45, but if I have to pick 5 it gets left in the safe.





 

Agreed.

Let's say the economy falls apart like it did in Argentina in 2001 or in Cuba '92-93 -- WHICH FIVE GUNS and WHY would you tell your Aunt Emily to keep after Uncle Louie (the AR15 gun-junkie) takes the dirt nap... assuming she'll need to sell all the rest.

If you don't plan on hunting, AR and a Glock will do you just fine.
If you plan on hunting, add a shotgun and 10-22 and a scope to take on and off your AR.
a 38 spl with shrouded hammer would be a nice to have.

Thats what she said.

Previously I'd say something in .223 and 9mm.



After recent events, It might be better to get a sort of common hunting round that hordes of people won't be clamoring for, but still reasonably easy to find.



In the end, the best thing to do is to get a reliable gun, parts, and your own ammo.



ETA:



Glock 9mm

AR or AK

Shotgun - 12g

I kind of had the same opinion the idea is it uses the same ammo as your 22 rifle and it is very small and light, when you may be hiking for hundreds of miles ounces matter.

I'd probably just go with an ar and a 9mm

1.  A .22 bolt action magnum with a good scope. It will shoot .22 shorts, longs, or long rifles, or .22 mag. These five bullets will kill almost anything I'll need to kill, are not bulky, hopefully will be easy to obtain once again. (I have a Anshutz that meets this need but its not in magnum caliber).

2. A 12 gauge pump shotgun . It will shoot slugs/00 buckshot, #4,#6,#71/2, and #8 shot. It is a solid man stopper, very reliable, and can be used in many roles plus 12 ga shells are common.
(I have an Ithaca 37 that does all this).

3. A large frame .357 revolver. From .38s to full power .357s. I have a S&W model 27 for this.

4. .308 AR variant. Hunting, self defense. Scoped. I have a DPMS LR308. Great hunting rifle, can scope or use carry handle sights.

5. CZ SP01/ Browning High Power - 9mm carry gun, concealable, large magazine capacity, accurate. I have both CZs and BHPs.

1. 5.56/AR-15 - in common use, parts/tooling are readily available, handy out to 200 yd, easy for non-shooters to master, NATO round





2. 
   .22LR/Ruger 10/22 - in common use, parts/tooling are readily available, easy for novice shooters to handle, large volume of ammo easily stored





3. 
   .357 Magnum revolver/GP100, 686, etc. - in common use, indestructible, can use multiple calibers (.38 Spl/.357), creates a big hole
   
   
   
   





4. 
   9mm handgun/Glock 19 - in common use, parts/tooling are readily available, many parts interchangeable with other Glock models, easy to repair with minimal tools, NATO round





5. 
   12 gauge pump shotgun/Remington 870 - in common use, parts/tooling readily available, easy for non-shooter to master, ammo commonly available

If possible I'd add a 6th item: a scoped rifle in a common caliber (.308, .30-30, .30-06, .270, etc.).
 
 
 
 

For preppers you want guns that are reliable, easy to maintain, and have a good spare parts base available. That leads you to pick the obvious "most popular" guns in each category.

Semi-auto rifle - AR in 5.56 by one of the better manufacturers. This meets the requirement for a defensive rifle that can double as a light hunting rifle. The AR is really "America's Rifle" now and parts and accessories are common. I'd stay with 5.56 over .308 or 6.5 Grendel (etc) because while the 5.56 guns can share parts pretty much universally across manufacturers, that's not as true with the other calibers.

Semi-Auto pistol - Glock 17 or 19 in 9mm. Glocks are durable, reliable and common as dirt these days. They are easy to work on and parts are available. I'd lean toward 9mm for a prepper, but .40 S&W or .45 ACP could also be considered. (For your specific requirements I'd list the S&W M&P as a second choice, even though I personally prefer it over the Glock. It's just not as common with as an established parts base as the Glock).

Bolt Rifle - Remington 700 - .308 Caliber. Should do anything you need a bolt rifle to do. Popular with parts and accessories available.

Shotgun - Remington 870 - The "default" 12 gauge. A good rep for reliability and common as dirt. Parts and accessories are easy to find. Second choice would be Mossberg 500 series, including the 590.

.22 Rifle - Ruger 10/22  For pretty much the same reasons as every other choice. A multitude of parts and accessories exist. Second choice would be Marlin 795 (?).

I came here to post pretty much this exact list. I was going to say Beretta 92 for number five and I imagine this is the one that is most subject to preference.  Any 9 mm carry gun that is fairly rugged and common will do.

Ruger 10/22 - Most popular 22 sold in USA, lot's of parts would be around, ammo is widely available, inexpensive, and effective for many application to a good shooter.  Not to loud.
Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 pump 12 ga.  Interchangeable chokes and barrels allow one to hunt everything in the CONUS.  Same rational as above also, except they're loud.  Excellent close in defense gun.
A 9mm Glock.  Again, reliable, lots of parts, ammo, etc.
A Remington 700 in 30-06.  Repeating here again.  Most versitile center fire cartridge in America, widely avaliable, in a popular, proven platform.
Last but not least I have to give you two here.  Both an AK and an AR platform for pure firepower.

Why five and not four or six?

It sounds like a Cosmo article.

The guys storming the beaches at Normandy only typically carried one or two guns each.

I see a trend here.

AR-Defensive capability, reliable, durable, easily repaired, parts & ammo availability, commonality

Glock 17-Defensive capability, reliable, durable, easily repaired, parts & ammo availability, commonality

Rem 870-Hunting/defensive, reliable, durable, easily repaired, parts & ammo availability, commonality

Rem 700-308 Win or 30-06-Hunting, long range defensive capability

.22 rifle-a 10/22 would be a natural choice-Great for hunting, low report to avoid attention, easy to stockpile 22LR

My .22,.308,5.56 and 9mm would all have suppressors.