Best weapons for my specific SHTF defense

[DaveL]

I have a very specific situation that I welcome your thoughts on. I am mid-60s in age and kids are all gone. Oldest two are active Air Force, the younger three will probably want to come home if it gets really bad. I just sold my house and don't want to buy another one. So creating self-suffiency is not easy. I am in good physical health and have hunted and been around guns but don't consider myself very good with them at this point. We will probably join with my wife's sister on some land in southern Indiana if things get really bad. So we will have a nice garden and some land to raise animals on ... as well as proximity to good hunting areas. It is on the edge of a small town, but down a long and "hidden" lane. But would probably need constant protection if people knew we had a lot of resources. At my age, I can provide protection better than I can provide heavy field labor. So my weapons could be very important. My wife's family is not into guns at all. But they are very good with growing food and other important survival skills. They won't have many/any guns to contribute to the cause.

My main question revolves around your thoughts on what weapons are best for my specific situation. I hope I will only be protecting our home and land. I don't anticipate going after anyone/anything. I also anticipate needing to do some hunting.

I have VERY limited funds to invest in guns & ammo. I currently have a Beretta 92 and a Hi Point 995 - both 9mm. I have 2,000 rounds of basic ammo. My wife and I can easily use both of these and my kids will quickly be able to.

My thoughts are that I want to stay with one caliber as much as possible and still accomplish my goals. I don't want anything in a larger caliber unless there is a strong reason to. I don't see a use for another pistol. I would like a .22lr rifle so we can shoot a lot more rounds inexpensively. But, i wonder if I am just as well off investing the cost of a .22 rifle into 9mm ammo and just shoot what I have more. That makes sense to me. It does leave me without a good squirrel rifle (at least I think it does). I am thinking a shotgun would be a good investment for my situation. It would give me a solid defense weapon as well as a good hunting weapon. I am leaning toward a 20g 870 so it was easy for my wife to be ultra-confident in using. I don't really see a benefit in a 12ga for my situation. I am also thinking about getting at least one more 995, for my wife or kid(s) in case we all need a gun at the same time. Maybe even two more.

Am I on the right track? or not? I'm open to all ideas.

 

[gunman41mag]

You do know you'll be needing a SHOTGUN & a 308 WIN. rifle you decide if you should get a bolt or semi-auto

 

[RichardR]

Uzi.

You definitely need an Uzi.

 

[SSGSAD]

Dave L, you, will want something long range, 200 yards, depending on how big the land is that you, will be on... I like to have twice the range of my enemy, a sks, ak, is good for around 300 yards, so I think a .308, sighted in around 400 - 500 yards, wouls suit you ..... JMHO ....

 

[Josh922]

I am also thinking about getting at least one more 995, for my wife or kid(s) in case we all need a gun at the same time. Maybe even two more.

That isnt a bad idea, those hi-point carbines are great for the money. if you can shell out about 50-75$ more you can get a kel tec sub 2000. neat little carbines, they can take beretta mags as well so you can share mags for your carbine and pistol. easy to conceal too, they have a pin or a button or something you press and they fold in half. good for a duffel bag or BOB or what have you.

 

[gunman41mag]

Uzi.

You definitely need an Uzi.

He already has a HI POINT 995

 

[DaveL]

He already has a HI POINT 995

Haha... NICE!

 

[mrjarrell]

If you're going the shotgun route in 20 gauge make sure you get one with switchable barrels. One rifled and one not. Mossberg makes a few that come as a set. That solves the hunting and home defence issues for the wife. I'd also suggest adding a rifle to the equation. Pistols are fine, but they're what you use to reach your rifle.

 

[DaveL]

Dave L, you, will want something long range, 200 yards, depending on how big the land is that you, will be on... I like to have twice the range of my enemy, a sks, ak, is good for around 300 yards, so I think a .308, sighted in around 400 - 500 yards, wouls suit you ..... JMHO ....

yeah, the .308 is where I would go if I went large. Hmmmm ... was hoping I didn't have to, but ...... this is the input I need!! thanks ....

 

[longbow]

.22 something......would help....

 

[DaveL]

.22 something......would help....

yeah, I know *sigh* ... I would get a CZ ... either bolt or auto ... not sure which.

well, or maybe the S&W assault style ...

 

[RichardR]

I wasn't trying to be silly or anything when I suggested an Uzi.

Uzi's were designed for combat, so they are very rugged & reliable, High Point's not so much, Uzi's also have a much higher magazine capacity, again High Point's not so much.

Uzi's are more expensive than the High Points, however they are less expensive than say an AR15 chambered in 9mm would be.

So yea, Uzi.

You definitely need an Uzi.

 

[ViperJock]

yeah, I know *sigh* ... I would get a CZ ... either bolt or auto ... not sure which.

well, or maybe the S&W assault style ...

If you are going to get a .22 for this purpose, I would get a bolt (for accuracy) with a magazine (to improve the speed a bit). The CZ (452?)you mention is a good choice. I have one and the thing is a tack driver. You can get 10 round mags for it and with a little practice the bolt won't slow you down much.

Another line of reasoning on the .22 is something semi-auto with a can. Ruger now makes a 10/22 already threaded. You lose a little accuracy but you make gains in other areas.

 

[Bunnykid68]

A shotgun for up close and personal. 10/22 Ruger for sure. 25 round factory mags makes for lots of reliable shooting. You can carry 500 rds of .22 in your front pockets if need be at a cost of $15-20.

That is where I would start if I had nothing.

 

[spencer rifle]

Mosin.
Takes care of long distance and will take down a bear.
Cheap gun, cheap ammo.
Just make sure to sight it without the bayonet.

 

[gunowner930]

If your defending a large piece of open land, I don't think 9 mm or .22 LR will be sufficient until the attackers get very close. A 16 inch 5.56x45 AR does a great job of combining close range effectiveness with long range effectiveness. However, your hi-point 995 will work great at close range, not so much at long range. So I would invest in a battle rifle in 7.62x51, 7.62x54r, or 30-06. Rifles like the AR10, FN FAL, M1A, and the M1 Garand are all great semi-auto choices for your situation. But you said your on a very limited budget. That leaves one choice: the Mosin Nagant 91/30, now it is a bolt action rifle. But, it's cheap (as low as $80), reliable, rugged, and packs a big punch at long ranges with the 7.62x54r (cheap ammo also).

 

[Lynn Smith]

Coming here you will get many different opinions. They will vary from the very tame to the down right outrageous. Just keep a cool head and take a little good information from each.

Along with everyone else I have some advice as well. Take what you find helpful and leave the rest in the electronic world of the forum.

You have two weapons chambered in 9mm. That is a better start than a lot of people I talk to that want to purchase fire arms. You also have enough rounds to start hitting the range and keep back. Excellent.

Since I doubt you will need to shoot 500yrds to 1000yrds on your property I would keep this as your basic armament for the moment. Getting a second 9mm pistol and rifle should be on your "get in the future list". So search the internet and even hit a range that rents firearms and test out different manufactures to find one that is both in your price range and comfortable for you.

First though I would recommend a good 12 gauge shotgun. It is excellent for both hunting and home defense. Get everyone familiar with it.

Second I would get a good .22 rifle. I would suggest a ruger 10/22 since they are accurate, won't break the bank, and last forever. Use this rifle to practice with. Learn or relearn all the fundamentals shooting .22 and not 9mm. It will save a lot of money. You will still have to practice with the 9mm, but the majority of your plinking should be with the .22. Adding a .22 pistol to the mix will make pistol practice cheaper as well.

Once you get to this point you are using two pistol calibers and on shotgun caliber. That will keep ammo prices down for you. But now is when you decide if you want to keep with the 9mm or get a 500yrds to 1000yrd weapon. Only you can make this decision based on location, costs, and training.

While there are a lot more things I could say I will keep this as short as possible and just add one last piece of advice.

"Two is one and one is none". If you can afford two of the same weapon it will keep you from getting into a bind if one has a malfunction that cannot be remedied. Having a backup is good if you can swing it.


Thanks for reading,

Lynn Smith

 

[canav844]

I'd go with a mid length AR, something desgined for 5.56 for effective usefulness out to 400 yards, but will accept .223 for close in stuff and $100 conversion kit to get shooting .22lr cheap and be effective for small game, low power or no power red dot for close range with co-aligned iron sights for distance. One weapon, 3 calibers for under 1k investment in the gun covering across the room to across the field, defense and food. Yes it might not be able to reach out an touch your enemy at 850 yards, and it might be a bit bulky for room to room, but it's an all rounder that'll serve the multiple roles on a budget. Beats $250 for a 22, plus $800 for a .308 savage and glass, plus $300 for a shotgun and learning 3 new guns and having to practice with 3 new guns.

If you can add a bolt action Savage 308 or AR10 down the road great, but stock up on .22lr for food as long as you'd need, and 5.56 to keep the 3-400 safety bubble, with the 9mms you already have being close in personal protection and multi person armament. With the conversion and enough .22lr rounds you can afford to practice often on the same gun as you'd need in defense situation, no learning another gun as you would with a 10/22.

 

[kybares]

You have laid down some pretty interesting parameters. Very limited budget, very little depth in firearm support, and a very large task for one man to to handle alone. Although you stated you are in good physical health, you also stated that you are not up for the physical labor aspect? My suggestion would be to list your assets as well as liabilities honestly. You have two weapons of common caliber. (Asset) One short range and one shorter. (Liability) Sorry, but a 9mm, no matter what length of barrel it comes out of is still a 9mm. 100 yards at best. And being human, you need sleep, so someone/something needs to sound an alarm 24/7. With what you currently have, I would look at creating a fallback plan. The alarm is sounded, and if the conditions warrant, suppressive fire is employed. Immediately, everyone heads to a safer place pre-determined, except one that only retreats 100 yards. That one lays down suppressive fire while you run back 200 yards. You begin leap frogging like that until you run out of ammo, targets, or threats. It is my opinion that they (whoever they may be) don't want you, they want the goodies you may have. What you want, is to live another day, retreat with the force you bear. Unless you can come up with the funds, mindset, and arms for each able body at your retreat, I say RETREAT as safely, and as quickly as you can. As all of this is just my opinion I will also add, the Ruger 10/22 is about as foolproof as they come for any uninitiated, and would suffice for keeping the unwelcome visitors at bay while you fall back to safety. Spend time planning now, spend money when your plan comes together. I hope this comes across in the manner it was intended.

 

[.452browning]

IMO

A .22 is always nice to have. Ammo is dirt cheap and it can take all small game and some small-medium size game. A good .22 can be acquired for $150-$200.

A shotgun is a must for my SHTF and for everyday hunting/defense use. Birdshot for small game, buckshot for HD, and slugs for large game/HD. A shotgun is too versatile to dismiss from SHTF category I think. A maverick 88 12 gauge can be acquired for $200.

A mosin 91/30 is a bear of a rifle. Rifle is around $100 and ammo is around $100 for 440 rounds. Powerful and accurate enough.

An AK47 is more expensive, around $400, but ammo is not as expensive as quality 5.56mm. AK is tough as nails and is accurate out to around 300yards. Ammo is about $120 for 500 rounds last i checked.

An SKS is another good choice.