What would be the best survival gun adaptive for all types of situations. If I have to move out quickly and live with the gun for an extended period of time, along with my survival kit, what weapon would be my best choice with less weight, long lasting ammo and best for defense.

What is your definition of small. If you carry a magnum around then you can most certainly defend yourself.

There is no such thing as a best survival weapon, there is only which weapon is best for you and your needs. If you have lots of money to spend buy the best - but if your like me and don't have lots of money, then buy the best that you can. Caliber is a matter of choice as is your weapon and all things must be considered; Is the caliber suitable for self defense/hunting?, How many rounds of ammunition do you expect to carry with you?, How heavy will all that ammunition weight?, And what will the cost be for all of your ammunition? For myself, I chose a Savage .22 bolt action rifle because it's very accurate (I can put a round into someones eyeball at 100 yards), the rifle is simple to break down and clean or you run a bore snake through the barrel in a matter of less than one minute. The only thing more reliable than a bolt action would be a single shot rifle. The ammunition that I found shoots the best is also the cheapest (Remington Thunderbolt), and I have saved over 6000 rounds so far and believe me the ammo can that its in is very heavy. The .22 long rifle is the most under rated round ever and most believe it to be inadequate as a survival weapon. These people have never seen what a .22 bullet can do up close, I have and believe me there is plenty of power. Now the .22 may not be the best choice in every circumstance, but 95% of the time it will serve you well. For the other 5% of the time when I need to stop something quick, I'll use my Marlin 45/70 guide gun.

Something as versatile as an AR-15, or a SKS has it's use in a survival situation. Both are able to take larger game animals (shot placement is important here), and both are able to be used in self defense. Both are also cheap, and light on recoil.

I'm quite fond of a pistol grip shotgun.

Easy to carry, totally effective, and I can load my own if I have to.

I have a Smith and Wesson stainless Bodyguard with a cloaked hammer and shaped grip that I stay in practice with too, but frankly . . . I KNOW I can use a shotgun with authority. I'm better than even my grandad bird hunting. It's an ugly little gun, but MADE for my hand.

If you're going to carry a pistol, you'd better know how to use it and have practiced enough to be a good shot. My mom was on the army pistol team and she liked to shoot skeet with her brothers . . . with a pistol. I KNOW what a good pistol can do, the problem is, the vast majority of people don't actually know how to shoot one effectively.

Even mom's home protection weapon was a pistol grip shotgun in a sling mounted behind her headboard. She always said, "I can cut anyone in half with a shotgun and not worry so much about killing someone with a bullet that goes through a wall." (Of course, the load is the thing . . . now that is an art in itself.)

My husband is VERY good with a rifle, so that's what he prefers, he's pretty useless with a pistol. On the other hand . . . shotgun's good for him too.

A Savage 99 or Browning BLR in .308 with a couple of .32 ACP to .308 cartridge adapters. Hunt anything from small game with the .32s to big game with up to 220 grain bullets. Will do for defense (five or six rounds pretty rapid fire), is fairly politically correct at the moment, and will make a good backup or hunting only weapon after you can get something better for defensive use.

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Jerry D Young

I believe in a mixture of pistols and long guns. I also know that you must train and practice with both, so you can handle any situation.

I know a lot of people disagree with me on this, but I will not use a shotgun or rifle for home defense. Any bullet or buckshot that does not hit a bad guy will travel through walls. Is a loved one on the other side? If you must use a shotgun for home defense, use 7-1/2 shot game loads. If you hit a bad guy at self defense range, it will take him down. If you miss, modern building materials, including drywall, will absorb the energy from the shot. What does get through both side of the wall will not have enough energy to harm a loved one that may be in the next room.

For survival I have enough guns to go around so I can arm my whole family. I would be carrying my 9MM, my 357 snubbie, and my AR myself, and other family members would be carrying my shotgun, hunting rifles, 22 rifles, pistols, etc., as I believe they can handle them.

As someone mentioned earlier, there is no best survival gun. I have a variety so I can take care of situations as necessary. I am capable of handling everything from small game all the way up to bear, and any bad guys that may wish to harm my family and me, and take what we have worked hard to get.

As I stated earlier, you need to train and practice with every gun you have. This is the only way you will know exactly what you can do with each and every one, and handle any situation that comes along.

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Hope for the best, but plan for the worst.

NRA Certified Instructor for Basic Handgun and Personal protection in the Home.
V.F.W. Life Member
NRA Member
U.S. Army Veteran

There is no such thing like that as a best survival weapon even if we carry a gun we would not at times able to defend ourselves but a stick would do the job, so my view is don't take before handed that Guns are the best.

Queenie, an SKS fire the 7.62x39 round, which is equivilante to the venerable 30-30.

While shot placement is always important, it is not nearly as important with the 7.62x39 when compared

to the AR-15s .223 round. When choosing a firearm for survival first question is what

kind of game are you going to hunt primarily? If it is small game I say go with an

accurate .22lr rifle. if it is going to be birds, medium game and big game, then a

good 12 ga. pump shotgun is the ticket. You can even invest in a spare rifled barrel

for longer accuracy with saboted slugs

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Retired Navy SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape) Instructor
certified pistol, rifle, shotgun, home defense Instructor
NRA Life Member
Survival & Disaster Preparedness Instructor

manojjonam10 -- I'm not trying to be flip, but the best defensive arm is the one YOU feel most comfortable handling with authority. Larger calibers are great but won't do you any good if you're prone to flinching, distracted by muzzle flash, or can't provide quick follow-up shots. Need to consider your surroundings as well ... in confined spaces (hallways and such) a .357mag or .45acp can disorient some just from concussion discharge and muzzle flash (at night). Whatever you decide to purchase, the most important thing to do with your firearm of choice is to PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE with that firearm until it is like an extension of your arm. Not only will you be safer handling the gun, you'll determine what ammo it likes to feed reliably and get comfortable with issues like clearing stove-pipes, reloading when empty (etc) when you're not facing a pressure-filled situation. Knowing those things provide confidence in your abilities, and confidence is a major factor in any self-defense situation (IMO).