Best Guns for SHTF Scenarios? 3 Great Choices in 2023

Guns for SHTF Scenarios

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When you mention S#!t Hitting the Fan a few different scenarios might play out depending on who you are or the last movie you’ve seen. While there are a variety SHTF, apocalypse, EOTWAWKI scenarios, we’ll explore three scenarios and what I think could possibly be your best option for survival in them.

Scenario One: Shelter in Place

Maybe the world has been overrun by zombies or the next pandemic is wreaking havoc causing chaos. Either way you’ve decided the best option for now is to shelter in place. What do you choose as your primary (or possibly only) means of defense?

I’m sure the trusty 12 gauge or AR pops into mind for many people. And obviously these aren’t bad choices by any means, but there is another weapon that edges ahead in my opinion.

And it’s not a pistol!

But it’s close. A pistol caliber carbine would be one of my first choices if I wanted a weapon that could easily defend against threats that are inside or attempting to get inside.

Shotguns tend to be a go to for home-defense for a lot of people. When something goes bump in the night and waking you up, they are a great option in the right hands. Shotguns have limitations though. They aren’t the easiest to maneuver indoors and shorter barrels and stocks to compensate for this just decrease their effectiveness outdoors. When it comes to capacity the shotgun is outdone by a large majority of pistols.

The AR is a more than little better suited for defense in this type of situation than the shotgun. It has great range and handling for engaged threats advancing on your residence but not as agile once moving around inside.

Now a firearm around the size of a carbine in a pistol caliber (think AR-Pistols or the Ruger PCC) may not be the first one to pop in your head when thinking about a SHTF plan but hear me out.

A PCC uses a longer barrel making rounds like the 9mm a lot more effective and accurate at a distance. It may not bridge the gap between a .223 in an 18inch barrel but it increases your effective range to a more than reasonable distance.

Unless the area around you is completely flat and open for miles, you probably don’t need to be able to engage at more than a hundred yards.

Chances are you already own a pistol as well. AR pistols in pistol caliber and other PCC’s often accept pistol mags from major brands. A PCC that accepts 9mm Glock mags is a great companion to a 9mm Glock. Not only is it a reason to buy the 33 round mags but should one weapon fail or not be available all of your mags and ammo are still usable.

It should also be noted that mag compatibility between weapons should be considered when buying them for the express purpose of emergency situations with multiple people—in other words, buying models for you and your family that accept the same magazines to some extent.

Top 10 9mm Carbines | Best Pistol Caliber Carbine (PCC)

Scenario Two: Evacuation

Depending on your area or the nature of the excrement colliding with the cooling unit, something may happen causing you to have to get up and go. If your instinct to immediately don full battle rattle then just take a breath and relax for a minute.

Our priority when on the move should be carrying only what we need. Even an extra pound will add up make a big difference mile after mile of traveling. If your plan is to drive out a car may not be useable at all even if it runs. Most cars require roads and I’m imagining a majority of main roads will be packed.

Here is where a pistol is going to reign supreme. Easy to conceal, good capacity and able to be suppressed. And we’re assuming of course we are evacuating to an area that is supposed to be safe from disaster. Here is where discretion is your best friend.

Carrying a rifle to a military checkpoint may not go over well and increases the chance a deadly misunderstanding between you and authorities. With a rifle over your shoulder, you’re going to be received by people a lot differently as well, which is all and good for the most part.

But for those with ill intent that won’t be swayed they will just change their strategy. Instead of intimidating you or other nonlethal means, they may just take you by surprise to avoid having to deal with your rifle. Carrying a rifle will essentially make you a hard target when being viewed as a soft-target could save your life. Both are still targets but are generally dealt with differently as threats.

But there is more than just one scenario that might require you to evacuate and there’s no guarantee that you’ll find safety. Should things go all “purge” and it’s everyone for themselves then a semi-automatic rifle or PCC are going to be your top choices. This is a scenario that resembles an active battlefield that most and should be treated as such. If you’re worried about a scenario like this, I hope you’re buying more than just guns and ammo. Items like body armor, suppressors, and NVG’s are worth far more than another gun.

Top 10 Concealed Carry 9mm Pistols 2022 | Best 9mm CCW Handguns 2022

Scenario Three: Survival

Something more probable to happen versus our other situations would be a wilderness survival scenario. Maybe you’ve escaped the next plague by running off into the wilderness or you’ve become stranded with your bare essentials from a plane/boat wreck.

Here our primary focus isn’t defense, while it’s still a focus, it’s more sustenance and rescue. We want a weapon that can defend us from the occasional threat but more importantly hunt and signal with.

My personal choice in this situation would more than likely be a bolt action rifle in .223 or similar caliber. I wouldn’t choose anything large than a .308 for the sake of weight and recoil. The rifle itself would in the bare minimum have iron sights and then maybe a scope. Back up iron sights are something to be considered when in unpredictable environments. Should my scope break I know I can still aim.

A super popular choice for “survival” guns in the .22lr. For good reason too. I can’t knock the .22 for its accuracy, portability, capacity, ammo weight, and small game capabilities.

Consider I can carry a handful of .22’s for every few .223, there better be some decent tradeoffs. And there is: with a .223, we get a weapon capable of taking down much larger game than rabbits and squirrels. Correct placement of a .223 round will easily take down any animal in North America. Again, shot placement is key.

Remember, we’re hunting for survival and not for sport so taking shots that you may not normally take will happen. If that means putting one in the back of a skull of a moose while you sit above in a tree then that’s what happens. The bolt-action rifles are also nice because there are fewer moving parts to worry about making it easier to maintain when you have little to nothing to maintain it with.

TOP 10 BEST SURVIVAL RIFLES FOR THE APOCALYPSE

Final Thoughts

Your main priority should be to survive and that includes more than just firearms. If you can only get one then get the one that checks most of the boxes for your situation. And remember there’s a good chance you’ll be able to acquire more later on.

If you live out in the open country, a rifle may make more sense than a pistol. Urban environments and dense woods may not make a rifle the most viable option.

Also, if you’re in an apartment or even home in a town or city the chance of a fire starting and spreading to you is high in SHTF scenarios. You are more likely to have to leave regardless of how well prepared you are.

When all is said and done if I could only choose one weapon for any of the above scenarios it would be a pistol in 9mm. Easy to carry ammo, good capacity, easy to reload. You can also add a red dot, light/laser, and suppressor making it a very versatile weapon. Then of course there’s battlefield acquisitions which is exactly what it sounds like, to acquire something on the battlefield.

This, to me, makes caliber exchange kits and multiple caliber weapons sort of a moot point for most situations. If I find a weapon and ammo I’m not going to try and decide what is better and potentially leave one behind, I’m going to shove it in my belt next to my other gun and keep going. Good luck in the next apocalypse!

  • Stephen Ball is a former U.S. Marine, blog writer, and gun enthusiast. He has 20+ years of experience hunting and handling firearms. He’s had the opportunity to work with nearly every caliber and model available on the market from 1911’s to P90’s. His favorite carry gun is the Glock 26.

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