If you could only have 1 Rifle/Carbine and 1 pistol in an apocalypse scenario which would you take? Dangers are both 2 legged and need to eat so may need some game.
I would love to take my 10mm handgun and Ruger LC Carbine, but ammo may be a bit rarer and the ammo is heavy. Then 5.7x28 could carry lots of ammo but the ammo is like the rarest of everything I own. I guess practically I would take the 10.5inch 5.56 SBR and 9mm M9. Both easy to get parts and ammo would be far more practical.
Just bored so posting haha, but honestly the little prepper in me thinks about it sometimes. In all honesty I think I could carry thousands of 22lr rounds so maybe that is the answer my MP5 22lr and 22 Beretta. The MP5 always fires no matter the ammo the HK MP5 22 eats damn near anything, the Beretta pistol is pretty simple so it does well most of the time. 10/22? There are what a gazillion of them out there? I bought one this week because every shooter should have one.
The apocalypse is not gonna be a bunch of Tactical Tommys running around in plate carriers and NVGs with $3,000 ARs. It’s gonna be a bunch of hungry, dirty, desperate people scavenging for whatever they can and resources will dry up quickly.
The chances of running into and needing to take down something that 9mm can’t handle will be extremely small and most of your hunting is going to be small game, squirrels, rabbits, etc.
And what are the two most commonplace calibers in the US at the moment? .22 (by FAR) and 9mm. Glock magazines are probably the most common as well, and a Glock will run for years and years on minimal, if not zero maintenance. The 10/22 is as reliable as a .22 gets and not overly finicky itself. Both are light enough to be carried for long periods without being a burden, and both are relatively quiet rounds in the grand scheme.
I’d love to say a .357 magnum but an all-metal revolver exposed constantly to the elements will likely develop rust issues before a Glock ever would become inoperable and .357/.38spl wouldn’t be as easy to find.
Yeah I love the 357 also, I think we have the same problem (5.7mm is just not out there), what we would really love to have just is not practical. Now that you said it maybe 10/22 and and reliable 9mm handgun for defense.
I think it’s going to depend on what the shirt hitting the fan is.
I mean global social/government collapse will lead to a different scenario than global pandemic than Nuclear apocalypse.
Also I think you need to take in the ingenuity factor. People are going to NEED to improvise and it’s not inconceivable that SOMEONE/s could devise body armor out of common stuff or that “small game” could evolve to be too smart to hunt.
Then you have to consider the “Neegan” theory that says large groups of malicious people will band together and likely will find the resources to control smaller groups.
I think .223/556 is just a more versatile cartridge than .22 and you’ll be able to find plenty of both in any p/a stash.
But lets face it. with a significantly reduced human population you’re gonna end up facing down bears,big cats, and packs of wolves…you’re better off with mags full of spicy .556 than a bunch of 9 and or .22.
I think I’d carry an ar and a small mag loaded 12g. Both platforms offer a statistical advantage. over a .22 and a 9.
Makes me think about Vietnam and our troops picking up the AKs laying with the dead enemy soldiers because the early iterations of the AR sucked in the mud. I guess today’s AR would be better here in Texas. But I do appreciate the qualities that a 10-22 would have. Small, light, relatively quiet, ammo weighs nothing. As for pistols, it’s hard to beat a Glock, but I also love my XDS and XD subcompact. Both have run flawlessly for me for years. Of course when you put half a box of ammo in the Sub it gets pretty heavy.
And then there’s what knives I will take. This is such a rabbit hole. But a fun one…
AR - CZ 75
In the SHTF situation…
I won’t be alone, SO and Dog will do their part also
Wife - Her Shield 9 and her .22 AR
Doggo is a strong girl - she could pack ammo like a champ.
I would love like you to take my 5.7 weapons, but battlefield pickup on that ammo is dang near impossible i’d figure, therefore like you, i’d take a 5.56 Pistol/sbr and a 9mm most likely, and if i have a bonus, i’d love to grab a 10/22 scoped w/suppressor. Of course the other two would also be suppressed. I’d go Glock 19x for my 9mm handgun, only cause simplistic = less problems, and they’re about the simplest firearms out there… and well there are tons of them out there so parts scavenging if necessary shouldn’t be too difficult. same for the AR pistol, and the 10/22 if necessary. the 10/22 would be mostly for small game, and of course those occasions when i can get in close, undetected, and put one in a very strategic spot to drop someone or something if need be.
Now depending on the AO, you’d possibly want a larger caliber for something such as say a bear, boar, or large moose. My AO does not require such things. However in my situation, I do not know how long i would be around din the apocalypse scenario due to reliance on medical devices and medicine itself sadly. Im physically just not the man i was 7 years ago sadly.
this is very very true, and i wish more people both in and out of prepper/firearms communities would realize this. a good education would be some of what’s been happening in Ukraine now. of course i dont really think they were permitted firearms like we are, but look at what’s happened to their population during this 3 year war, and their living quarters/ homes.
one thing about doggo being an ammo pack horse, is that doggos do go where they want at times, and in a firefight, it may not be near enough to you to reload. especailly if it heaven forbid got hit first or sppooked cause of the sounds…
If Ammo was not an issue, my carry list would be very different. i’d be PS90, my Rock or 5.7 handgun, a silencer for both of course…
but this also makes me want my 1911s, so its hard to decide in a ammo doesnt matter scenario.
just need dumb cr batteries.