Survival Guns on a Budget

[Mecanik]

A 22lr bolt action a pump 12 guage shotgun and a cheap revolver in .357 mag. There's no need for a high powered rifle of any kind. The only thing your going to be hunting is small game and defending yourself from people at close range. The .22 will run about 150 bucks the shot gun about 200 bucks and the revolver about 300. Keep it simple. A marlin 22 a Mossberg shotgun and a what ever pistol.

 

[hawaiian420]

Ill tell ya this much....I dont wanna have to protect my property with a gauge and a 357. Maybe in the city thats fine if you never plan on leaving your house. But a rifle with a little more power than a .22, would be nessesary IMO. SKS's are very cheap and are very effective....

 

[chemist]

Survival is an interesting word in this context. The two extreme interpretations are self defense and small-game hunting, which might lead you the Mosin for SD or this for hunting:
<broken link removed>

But the only weapon that can bridge both applications IMO is the 12 ga. Many, many buyers agree that the Mossberg 500 combo kit is a real value.

 

[Caleqs]

$300- he could buy 2- Glenfield Model 60s used and $100-$150 worth of .22 ammo (Used Glenfields are $60-$100ea)
$700 See above and add a used Glock 9mm for $350 and $50 in ammoz.
$1000 See above and add $200 pump shotgun and $100 in various shotgun shells.(Slugs for deer, Buckshot for defense, #6 for birds)

I'm with coctailer on this one, but would likely go SKS/Mosin for the $300 category.

 

[Caleqs]

Go with KelTec

I'd stay away from second and third tier brands like the KelTec. Even Taurus. Better off with higher quality weapons with better supply of parts when you need them (Glock, Sig, etc.)

 

[ThemGunsThough]

$300 - H&R Shot gun $100 (with E-Coupon at Big 5), $100 Used High Point handgun, and a used Marlin for $100.
$700 - $180 Mossberg (or New England) Shot gun, $250-300 SKS , $200 Ruger 10/22, and the rest on ammo
$1,000 - Ruger 10/22 $200, Mossberg Shotgun $180, AK47 $400, and the rest on ammo.

 

[PMKN_PI]

The 1000 dollar budget sounds a lot like my stable of guns...(my memory isnt sure about a couple of these figures, but its close)
Taurus PT111 compact 9mm... about $350 (was great for a beginner like me a couple years ago and been rock solid reliable, and easy to maintain)
Marlin 795 .22lr semi-auto ...$130-140 (same as pistol above...great for beginner like me)
Mosin Nagant 91/30 7.62x54 ...$99 at Big5
Yugo SKS with Tapco Intrafuse stock,handgaurd,grip,rails,20rd magazine,and a steel 30rd mag...$300
...all for less than 900, and ammo for all four is cheap, and you can start to buy a little of it for all 4 with the remainder.

 

[beavernation]

So here's my take $300 gets you the best (used)12 ga pump shotgun that you can find. Stock up on the most Low Recoil Buckshot that he can find. The key here is the newer LR ammo which is so much easier to teach the wife and kids with. A 20 ga pump would be a better choice but the ammo availability is limited. This should take care of your #1 priority which is short range defense of your family and property. $700 adds a good quality bolt action .22 rimfire with a 4x scope and lots of HP ammo. This will cover your second priority which is providing food for the family. At $1000 I would add an AK74 and all the ammo I could get. The availability of the cheap ammo for the 5.45 is the main reason this is my choice. No handgun is based on my opinion that if the SHTF then I am not really worried about concealability.......my .02...

 

[Gunner3456]

There has to be a pistol in the mix. If you have to go out and forage or try to barter and have a gun showing, someone will shoot you for it. You conceal a pistol, slip around unseen as much as possible, and hope that any deadly encounters are therefore close range.

 

[Wenis]

Handgun first, and I'm not trusting my life to a hipoint or a single shot shotgun, sorry, I'm just not. SHTF/Life or death is just that. You're more likely to need to use the gun on a person before shooting 'game', so concealment is an issue. The shotgun can use bird shot, buck shot or slugs.

For $1000, get a Glock, a Remington 870, and spend the rest on magazines, a holster, sling and ammo.

 

[wjv]

Given his budget limits: A .22 with 5,000 rounds of ammo, that he takes to the range and practices with will serve him better than a gun with "expensive" ammo that stays in the closet all year. . .

 

[slimmer13]

Id probably get this: AR15 COMPLETE UPPER! 223 5.56 AR-15 FREE RECEIVER : Semi-auto at GunBroker.com
Then a 10 22 and a moss 500. Then steadily buy ammo and mags as I could afford them. Possibly a p95 instead of the mossy

 

[Phather]

$300 - 22lr rifle and ammo. My preference would be the Ruger 10/22 as it is reliable, eats any ammo, and has numerous parts available to it. Anyone is capable of shooting such a small caliber, so the whole family could use it. Ammo is dirt cheap compared to more powerful, or any other for that matter, cartridges. The nice thing about the 10/22 is that you can get high-cap mags for it.
$700 - above plus a pump shotgun. I would prefer 12g due to ammo availability. Mossberg 500's are time tested and rugged. Maverick 88's are a bit cheaper but still pretty good. Get a mix of slugs, buckshot, and bird shot. The versatility of this firearm cannot be understated. There is nothing more devastating close up and with slugs decent combat ranges can be achieved. Slugs allow for hunting of large game as well. Birdshot can be used for small critters and birds.
$1000 - above plus mosin nagant or SKS. The SKS has higher capacity, but the mosin is good if you want more stopping power. An SKS runs about twice the price of a mosin, but ammo is half the cost of the mosin, so in the long run the SKS can be cheaper if you use it at the range. The SKS is more easily handled by the younger children than the mosin, but the mosin will probably outlive your grandchildren even if you never clean it.
Just my .02

 

[A.I.P.]

I buy pants with large pockets, not Fashion Foward perhaps but I can stick a pocket auto or 38 spl in one with only a slight bulge that could be confused for a part of my anatomy. So I recomend that type handgun

 

[benja455]

I'd stay away from second and third tier brands like the KelTec. Even Taurus. Better off with higher quality weapons with better supply of parts when you need them (Glock, Sig, etc.)

Third tier? Right...and who came up with these tiers?

ANYWAY...I'd agree on the sharing of calibers...so as Kenno stated, you could get a KT P11 9mm or .40 as the compact, a S&W 59 or 40-series as the full size and a 9/.40 Sub2000 for the rifle. Subcompact, full size and carbine all share the same ammo/mags (saving time, money and storage space in the long run).

Here's an example:

KT P11 = $200 - $250
S&W 59-series (5903, 5904, 5906, 910, 915) = $300 - $350
KT Sub2000 = $350 or so (if you can find them)

Total: $850 - $950...if you're on the low side, use that to pick up a .22LR rifle with a scope...if on the higher side, put it toward ammo or one of the following:

Mossberg 500 ($200)
SKS ($200)
Mosin Nagant ($100)

And just to placate Jeff Jackson, you could always get a Glock or Sig and then go with the Glock/Sig version of the Sub2000. And by the way, Jeff...where would you find the "better supply of parts" for foreign guns in this scenario? Kel-Tec is based in Florida.

 

[Lord Kimbote]

I know this has been beat to death, but I don't think you can sing the praises of .22 lr loud enough. For $50, you could buy (and carry) 2200 rounds of ammunition, which could last for years. It's a light, small round, but even deer are not immune to it.

I will disagree with some people about the need for a pistol as a survival gun. Yeah, a pistol is very useful and ideally everyone would own one or more, but it is defensive only (with some exceptions).

With $300, I would go with the 10/22. Even though it is not the best .22 out there, it is inexpensive and the parts are everywhere because everyone has one. Also, you would have $130 left over to buy a scope (~$50), extra magazines and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

With $700 (or more precisely $400 left over from the .22 set-up), I would recommend a Mauser, Mosin or other milsurp rifle. You can get either a Mauser or a Mosin for less than $200, and surplus ammo is cheap ($80 for 440 rounds of 7.62x54R, or $80 for 360 8x57 Mauser). These are the very definition of offensive weapons, and are powerful enough to take any game animal on this continent.

With $1000, I suggest a 12 gauge shotgun, probably a $100-$150 dollar Mossberg. A shotgun can be used for virtually anything, the ammunition is inexpensive and 12 gauge shells are so common they are sold at some gas stations. If someone would insist on a pistol, I would recommend a used Glock 17/19/26 because of their reliability and the low cost of the gun, ammunition, and accessories.

 

[knuckle Head]

There has to be a pistol in the mix. If you have to go out and forage or try to barter and have a gun showing, someone will shoot you for it. You conceal a pistol, slip around unseen as much as possible, and hope that any deadly encounters are therefore close range.

*** EXCELLENT POINT ***

 

[slimmer13]

I guess I have a philosophical difference of opinion on this one. I think the dog with the biggest teeth will be left alone.

 

[Gunner3456]

I guess I have a philosophical difference of opinion on this one. I think the dog with the biggest teeth will be left alone.

Well, my wife and I were walking down our country road when we encountered a loose Rottweiler which got too close and severely worried us. I pulled my Glock and killed him. I've never considered shooting a Yorkshire Terrier, LOL.

If you've been out scrounging for wood or something and have an armload, your rifle will be slung over your shoulder and out of immediate use, but of great interest to bad guys. If all you have is a hidden pistol, you might not be interesting to anyone.

 

[slimmer13]

I think that the kind of person who would rob another is a coward, and is looking for the victim who is weak and who he percieves as easy prey. I think my Spikes AR on my shoulder with my kimber on my hip gives the impression that I am anything but easy prey.