Pick one gun for woods survival

[KJQ6945]

That's a game I guess...

Not sure, yell up the stairs and ask your mom.

 

[bulletsmith]

I have no experience in Alaska, though I have spent some time in Northwest Ontario. Black bear and moose are the two animals I think I would concentrate on trying to avoid. If you stumble upon a mom black bear I'm not sure the gun matters as much as response time and training does. The same may go for a big cow moose if she decides you are a problem. Most people will be surviving on small animals for survival. A large kill will attract unwanted dinner guests, and trying to store large amounts of meat will do the same. I like the pump shotty for versatility and low tech. I'm not sure how an AR, or any semi auto will fare in the cold and wet for extended periods of time.

And my mom agrees with me.

 

[6mm Shoot]

I like the shotgun answer. The only problem I have with it is the weight of ammo and all the types you would need. I'm not saying it isn't doable. I think you could carry the same amount of ammo with the 358 Winchester and carry less weight.

I also like the idea of a turn bolt in 358 Winchester. I don't want a single shot for survival. I think the OP said something about the two legged types coming after you. So I would want at least 5 rounds on tap. I have a 358 Winchester and like it a lot. When I lived in Kentucky it was my go to rifle.

I have a AR in 6mm X 45 that could take care of most of jobs talked about. The big animals could be a problem for the little 6mm X 45. I know that the 243 has taken most of the big game in the US. Then it runs a lot faster than the 6mm X 45 will.

If I am going up against a big bear I want the 358 Winchester with the 225 gr bullets. It can also be used on small game just like they did in the old days. Bark them. It is shooting just under the animal in a tree and the bark and bullet parts kill the animal. For that task you would want some 158 gr soft lead bullets. They also could be used for head shots on rabbits or ground hogs. With planing a bigger caliber can be used to take small game with out to much loss of meat. Now how likely are we to run into a bear? Where I live? Not at all likely. Then that wasn't the set of rules set up by the OP. With his rules I would have to go with my 358 Winchester.

Where I live my S.H.T.F. gun is my 6mm X 45 AR. It is accurate and has more punch than the 223 and has all the advantages of the AR. Ammo is light, fast reloads and parts for it are every where. For the same weight I can carry twice as many rounds as with the 358 Winchester.

 

[redpitbull44]

I'm glad you mentioned barking small game, as I failed to do so.

 

[Zoub]

Well, don't be a ****y with your scenarios.

You are out on the open ice on cross country skis. There are three of you, one is gravely injured but not dead. You will have to take turns carrying him. Polar bears are known for their ability to smell anything. Your closest point of rescue is a minimum three days trek away.

What gun do you carry?

 

[Zoub]

I've always wondered about people die in the wilderness because people couldn't find them. It's baffling to me actually. If I was lost in the wilderness, and needed to be rescued, I'd start the MOTHER of all forest fires. If that doesn't get someone to take notice, nothing will. Bonus for scaring away dangerous animals.

One explanation is there comes a point where more knowledgeable people may quietly walk off and leave other people to their own devices. Like when one insists on starting a huge wildfire, the other invokes the Darwin rules of natural selection and walks away.

 

[Alpo]

Well, don't be a ****y with your scenarios.

You are out on the open ice on cross country skis. There are three of you, one is gravely injured but not dead. You will have to take turns carrying him. Polar bears are known for their ability to smell anything. Your closest point of rescue is a minimum three days trek away.

What gun do you carry?

.22 Shoot your buddy before the bears get him. It's mercy.

Don't you watch Z Nation?

 

[bwframe]

One explanation is there comes a point where more knowledgeable people may quietly walk off and leave other people to their own devices. Like when one insists on starting a huge wildfire, the other invokes the Darwin rules of natural selection and walks away.

 

[Zoub]

.22 Shoot your buddy before the bears get him. It's mercy.

Don't you watch Z Nation?

That's an option. My Dad carried the guy for three days. Lots of Polar bears stalking them.

 

[Alpo]

And what gun did your dad not need?

 

[Zoub]

I don't really know. I would assume it was one of the rifles often seen in pics from the same time period 49-51 before he went to Korea. Weather guys tended to travel light, even in combat. One of the rifles looks longer then his skis.

The key was vigilance, not getting in a shootout with polar bears. There were plenty of dead guys to smell but none within reach of the bears.

 

[Kutnupe14]

Well, don't be a ****y with your scenarios.

You are out on the open ice on cross country skis. There are three of you, one is gravely injured but not dead. You will have to take turns carrying him. Polar bears are known for their ability to smell anything. Your closest point of rescue is a minimum three days trek away.

What gun do you carry?

Set up the gravely injured guy in a tree, leave him with whatever provisions you have, and come back for him 1.5 days later. AR-15, lol

 

[10mmfan]

My ar15. Good for defense with right bullets can hunt anything east of the mississippi and with an fmj bullet i dont believe it would destroy small game especially with good shots on head or neck of the animals. I dont have a can yet but if i did i believe it would be a great unit as an all around survival, defense, and meat harvesting rifle.

 

[oldpink]

Just thought of one that has it covered all the way around: Savage model 24, preferably (did they make them in this exact configuration?) with the upper barrel in .22LR and the lower barrel in 20 gauge (good) or 12 gauge (better).
Big or small, near or fairly far, you're covered for small game, birds, big game, plus any critters that may do you harm.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I think in all probability, it would be easy to avoid a bear confrontation, so it's an unlikely event. Secondly the bears I would most likely encounter would be black, not griz. Black are obviously the more likely to be taken down by an AR. I think the most probable encounter would be of the human and canine variety, which would mean multiple, quick, assailants. I'll take my AR all day long over a pump shotgun.

Pfft... everybody knows that all you would have to do is rack your pump shotgun and just the sound will cause all the multiple assailants to flee in terror.

 

[Zoub]

Set up the gravely injured guy in a tree, leave him with whatever provisions you have, and come back for him 1.5 days later. AR-15, lol

Polar bears, arctic circle, open ice.........no soil.......so no trees, no nothing but crevices to fall into.

Your math is off a bit. 3 day trek out means 3 day trek back to the tree and 3 more days back out. That means injured guy spends 6 days in a tree and 9 days before he gets help. He died sometime during day 3 after the last time my Dad picked him up and reached the water. You also can't set fire to the ice and snow!

This is where gun selection is a joke without other skills. The gun won't save you, it's just a tool. It's been my experience the most dangerous element in the wild is lesser trained humans who don't take direction well. Most problems can be avoided. Most are caused by those who ignore good advice.

Every one of my personal SHTF moments came when I broke the rules alone or an idiot in a group pulled everyone down.

 

[Thor]

Not sure, yell up the stairs and ask your mom.

No, no...that would be downstairs to ask my son.

 

[wtfd661]

Pfft... everybody knows that all you would have to do is rack your pump shotgun and just the sound will cause all the multiple assailants to flee in terror.

FINALLY someone who gets it!!!

 

[DoggyDaddy]

FINALLY someone who gets it!!!

I heard it on the internet and at countless LGS counters, so you know it has to be true!

 

[nakinate]

That's an option. My Dad carried the guy for three days. Lots of Polar bears stalking them.

Well my dad could beat up your dad!

That's what this conversation has devolved to right?