EFFECTIVENESS — Survival guns must be effective in terms of completing the task assigned to them. This means that you can only evaluate a particular weapon based upon what it is designed to do in order to judge effectiveness. For example, the 5.56mm AR-15 and its variants work very well for a number of tactical purposes. In terms of dealing with single or multiple aggressors within 300 meters, it is generally very effective. However, if a 5.56mm AR is the weapon you choose to take with you for protection against grizzly bears in the wilds of Alaska, then its effectiveness rating, and your I.Q., would be very low.
If your primary mission is to address single/multiple human threats at ranges within 300 meters, there are a number of possible weapons choices for this purpose. Of course, some choices will be better than others, and there are also weapons that may be selected for this purpose that are totally unsuitable, and that’s what we are trying to avoid. Effectiveness in terms of a survival firearm used for defensive/assaultive purposes includes its potential ability to hold off, stop, or turn large masses of people away from your position.
Some weapons are extremely effective in stopping single offenders, due to the amount of destructive energy each particular round puts out, but, due to lower ammunition capacities, would not be effective in dealing with larger groups of assailants. For example, in the incident portrayed in the movie Black Hawk Down, two Delta sniper team members, SFC Randy Shugart and MSG Gary Gordon lost their lives after they volunteered to protect downed chopper pilot Michael Durant (who was later captured), from hordes of Somali assailants. At least as depicted in the motion picture, the two Delta Operators were armed with 1911 .45s as their secondary weapons, but the ammo supply for the pistols was exhausted in short order. The .45 was very effective in its basic mission of personal-defense, but not in terms of being able to hold off large masses of angry, determined individuals. The lesson here is that, in order for a weapon to be effective for survival, it must have the highest magazine capacity possible.
SUSTAINABILITY — While shelter-in-place guns can be of a wide variety of calibers since you will have room to store plenty of ammo, any evacuation gun should be chambered for calibers commonly available and popular in any locale, in case you are forced to resupply on the move. I love the 6.8 SPC. In fact, my department sniper rifle is chambered in that caliber. But it is not the gun I am going to take with me when I evacuate, even if I had an M4 carbine chambered for it. How many Wally World type of stores carry it? Stick with the calibers that are popular with civilian shooters, law enforcement, and military users, where not only ammunition is more likely to be available, but also magazines for your weapons in case some of your supply is lost. More on caliber selection later.
Shelter-in-Place Guns
Now that you know the basics, think in terms of some specifics. If you have evaluated your living situation and decided you will make a determined stand for the short or long term in a defensible home position, then you will have the most flexibility in the weapons you choose, the simple reason being that, in your home, you can load up on all the support supplies you will need for that gun. Also, the weight of the weapon itself will have little bearing on your decision to use it for defense. Remember that the weapons you select in the shelter-in-place category are all subject to change. If the disaster is a natural one and your home is laid to waste, you’re going to have to evacuate with as many supplies as you can take, previous plans notwithstanding. You may not even be able to get to all your guns. If your home is not defensible and you have planned to leave your home from the get go, then the weapons you choose must be light and sustainable in the long term. You might have chosen a Barrett MRAD in .338 Lapua Magnum as a long range shelter-in-place weapon—and it’s a great one—but it’s not one you want to trek over long distances, and it has no CQB (close-quarter battle) value.
The Layered Defense
Layering your defense is a basic principle as old as armed combat itself. It simply means that, ideally, we have different weapons that are particularly effective for different distances. This is likely of greatest importance as you set up your plan for long-term sheltering-in-place. If you are going the emergency evacuation route instead, it will mean that you have fewer specialized weapons that you will need to make work in a wider variety of circumstances, unless you have an exceptional transportation system. Ideally, the weapons selected should cover these basic ranges/conditions:
• Long-Range — While our modern military snipers are getting kills out to 2,000 yards or so, this is performance reserved for a few highly trained and exceptional individuals with very specialized rifles, mostly bolt guns. For the average shooter or law enforcement officer, “long range” is anything beyond 100 yards, especially when one considers we’re talking about being on the “two-way range,” where targets shoot back. In these situations, a semi-auto rifle equipped with a lighted reticle variable scope of no more than 15-power works extremely well, although certain battle rifles with precision iron sights are also effective. Full-power battle cartridges on the order of .308 or .30-06 are excellent performers for this challenge.
• Mid-Range — Anything from 100 yards down to about 25 yards. Several weapon types come to mind, but basically a high-cap semi-automatic rifle of intermediate caliber reigns supreme.
• CQB — Close Quarter Battle, or 25 yards down to eye-gouging distance. High-cap semi-auto rifles, shotguns, pistols, pistol-caliber carbines, and edged weapons are at the forefront here. The intermediate semi-auto rifle, especially with a bayonet affixed, is an excellent choice, as well.
I’ll be covering weapons other than firearms later on, but in the next several chapters, let’s take a look at the hardware that’s the core to this book, the rifles, shotguns, and handguns that make the best options for your survival.
CHAPTER FOUR
Rifle Remedies, Full-Bore and Full-Length
If I could have one and only one survival firearm, it should be a rifle. A good rifle is the most versatile and effective weapon you could possibly select. For example, no matter what an individual Marine’s specific job responsibility is within the Corps, that Marine is first and foremost a rifleman. That is their foundation, and it should be ours. But which rifle?
There are many, many fine survival-ready and worthy rifles out there. The biggest problem is selecting just which one is best for you. So let’s start the selection this way, by asking this question first: Which types of rifles are illegal within the jurisdiction you currently live, if any? If no type is restricted, then your choice is obviously wide open, but if semi-autos are illegal where you live or limited to 10-shot-only affairs through permanent modifications, then you have some limitations, but are not out of the fight.