You are going to be carrying this on your back, and all the ammunition you can keep with you as well as any accessories to keep that gun operating. This is where KISS logic is very much in play as well as your personal skill and confidence for operating the firearm you use. Something to consider for any out there willing to turn themselves into a pack mule so they can have a rifle for this, a shotgun for that, a handgun for this, and maybe another rifle and oh how about another back up handgun. Go for it. I am sure you will make a looter very happy when they stumble on your dead corpse after you have died from thirst because you did not have enough space for something to treat or carry enough water with you.
The AK-47
This should be the obvious one for anyone who has ever had a seat at a debate on why these guns are the best thing since sliced bread.
Pro’s: They run forever, low maintenance is required, so easy a monkey can use it. You can bury it in mud and sand rinse or shake it clear and rock and roll. Anything hit center mass in 300 yards is going to be dropped and it has a lot of stopping power, enough to chew through concrete cinder blocks like paper.
Cons: You are most likely going to be a target for everyone who wants one of these in such a situation so strap on your bullseye, Rambo. Another drawback is the weight and space ammunition and magazines will
take up, making you sacrifice space that could kill you. On the other hand you just made yourself a one man army.
Number Two
Remington 870/Mossberg 500 12 gauge
Pro’s: You have the advantage of carrying different types of loads, from rifled slugs which will give you effective range out to a hundred yards, to bird shot if you need it for small game. This gun is absolute carnage at short range with the correct loads for defense purposes and is a nightmare to confront in close quarters. You also have a decided intimidation factor on your side, whether you simply rack the slide, or let someone stare down the gaping maw of oblivion you will absolutely earn respect from anyone facing you.
Cons: The big draw back is the weight. These guns are not lightweights and their ammunition will drag you down and take up a lot more space than anything else you could pick from. About the most you can load is 10 rounds with tube extensions, and your rate of fire is going to be about one round per second. The weight and space of ammo will seriously limit you on how much you can carry. Also you are limited by affective range stopping power to about 100 yards with rifled slugs.
Number Three
The AR-15/M16
Knock everything you think you know about the AR out of your head unless you are an AR nut and follow the advancements religiously as some do. Between adding a piston drive and changing calibers out you have something that can easily run and gun with an AK, only you have so many more options than an AK does. If this is your tool, chances are you are a psychotically devoted nut to your gun and you are aware of all the tools and toys you can add on this bad boy. Depending on what round you are set for makes it hard to gauge what cons
you are going to have, but starting with the .223 argument. There is a great myth that the .223 was made for wounding targets. If that was true in Vietnam it is totally not true today. The affective range on a 223 can reach out to 500 meters and as any ak47 freak should grudgingly admit, the AR wins on accuracy. The biggest reasons why our troops are mounted with AR/m16’s in 223 is being able to carry more ammo into the fight and having less weight on their shoulders. Additionally these guns are no longer the plastic toys your granddaddy sneered at telling you how delicate they are. If you think an AR cant handle the torture you would go through like an AK, think again. A brother who runs the https://www.facebook.com/vuurwapen page did a torture test of an AR on Youtube. He ran ammo through it til till the furniture caught on fire, cooled it off by dropping it in a mud puddle a couple of times and kept going with it some more.
Pro’s: more accessory and option combinations than you can shake a stick at and list here. Accuracy, range, firepower, the AR has the capability of bringing everything to the game to defend yourself and put meat on the grill for you as well as make sure you have a chance at saving space for other survival needs besides ammo and magazines.
Cons: Like the AK-47, run with this and strap a bullseye to your butt. You got something everyone wants; You better
be ready to fight to keep it.
Number Four
Lever Action 30/30
whether it’s a marlin or a Winchester this is a gun you want if you want to keep a low profile. You can drop just about anything you shoot at within 200 yards.This gun ranks higher on confidence level because chances are your daddy handed it to you when you were learning to shoot and you have lived with it your whole life and know this gun inside and out better than your own underwear. In either event, you are planning on avoiding a fight and don’t want to carry a weapon that will make you an automatic target for anyone with an eye for something flashy. After all, its just a lever action right?
Pro’s: you are less likely to be a target, the 30/30 round is a proven round to get the job done for anything you use it on.
Cons: While this gun compares a lot with the shotgun in terms of capacity, the main difference is affective range and a slightly faster rate of fire. This is a gun that you use sparingly and every shot you make has to count.
Number Five
The Ruger 10/22
I know I just made some people go “What?!” That’s ok, I will do it again in a minute. Remember I am ranking based on skill and confidence. It is obviously going to take a higher skill and confidence level to pick this gun over the others because it is a .22 However, a .22 is enough to kill a man or drop a deer if you know what you are doing. Just don’t go after grizzlies with it or you will get swatted into the last century.
Pro’s: ammo ammo ammo. The 10/22 is nearly as easy to accessorize as the AR and has the benefit of having magazines which can range up to 100 round capacity. You can carry around thousands of rounds of .22 where someone can only carry a couple hundred rounds for their AR or AK. So grab you a couple of banana mags and cases of .22’s and start shooting on Sunday and keep going all week, month, year long.
Cons: It’s a .22, you better be a good shot or whatever you hit is not going to be on your table or if you used it to try to defend yourself with and missed a vital organ you better double, triple and double your triple shots and hope its enough.
Top gun
The Flintlock muzzleloader.
The only time you will ever see someone carrying one of these is because he wants you to see him. You have two options if you have a brain. Run for your life, or figure out why he is allowing you to continue living and be totally cooperative. Option C for the brainless, you try to fight and chances are your scalp or your ears will be this man’s newest trophy. Where you are struggling to survive in a hell on earth. This guy is thriving. Chances are he doesn’t even have a heavy pack. This is a person who ranks at the top of the food pyramid, he has nothing of value to you therefore fighting him is a no win proposition.
Pro’s: arguable that there are any unless you know how to make your own gunpowder and make your own shot. The best reasons for carrying a flintlock is that it makes you someone who has little of value to another person to fight over.
Cons: too many to list unless you know exactly what you are doing. Your have the gun with the slowest rate of fire. Every shot must always hit its mark for you and if you ever get into a fight where you are out numbered you can easily be overwhelmed.
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