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Let's set the guidelines for this question.

No machine guns
Weight is not an issue
Size is not an issue
You have infinite ammo

There was an EMP everything is down and you and your family are going to have to survive for the next several months at least. No you don't have any food stored up but you have 1 weeks supply of water. You are only allowed to choose one gun for self defense/food/anything else you need a gun for. Which gun would you choose and why???


I would choose my Remington 870 express super mag in 12 gauge. I'd choose it because of the reliability of the pump action and the round. The reason is, is because of the diversity of the round. You have everything from short range to longer range with slugs, and you have a devastating self defense capability with buck shot as well as you can shoot 2 3/4 all the way to 3 1/2 shells. Again the reason I chose a pump instead of semi auto is because of the reliability and beefyness of it and because of how diverse it is. And if you didn't have infinite ammo you could find the stuff needed to reload and you could shoot anything from nailed to bolts out of it and be ok. You can't do that with a rifle.

My #1 concern would be gathering enough food. Protection would be an important but secondary consideration. When I was a kid my first gun was a stevens over and under .22/410 I could easily get just about any small game with it. Squirrel, rabbit, duck ... I today I think I would choose a scout M6 or something similar. It breaks down to be fairly packable.

A secondary choice would be an AR15 but it would be a little tougher to shoot something like a squirrel or running rabbit.

cmgee67 wrote:Let's set the guidelines for this question.

No machine guns
Weight is not an issue
Size is not an issue
You have infinite ammo

There was an EMP everything is down and you and your family are going to have to survive for the next several months at least. No you don't have any food stored up but you have 1 weeks supply of water. You are only allowed to choose one gun for self defense/food/anything else you need a gun for. Which gun would you choose and why???


I would choose my Remington 870 express super mag in 12 gauge. I'd choose it because of the reliability of the pump action and the round. The reason is, is because of the diversity of the round. You have everything from short range to longer range with slugs, and you have a devastating self defense capability with buck shot as well as you can shoot 2 3/4 all the way to 3 1/2 shells. Again the reason I chose a pump instead of semi auto is because of the reliability and beefyness of it and because of how diverse it is. And if you didn't have infinite ammo you could find the stuff needed to reload and you could shoot anything from nailed to bolts out of it and be ok. You can't do that with a rifle.

[sarcasm]This has never been discussed before.[/sarcasm]

I don't think there is a "correct" answer. Powerful arguments can be made for a .22LR revolver. Powerful arguments can be made for an AR10. Powerful arguments can be made for single-shot break action shotgun.

Personally, I couldn't choose, nor do I have to. I have a nice little collection, most of which were purchased exactly because they fill a specific role in my armory. I could possibly narrow it down to 2 or 3 if I had to.........but I don't have to.

Liberty wrote:A secondary choice would be an AR15 but it would be a little tougher to shoot something like a squirrel or running rabbit.

Well, the rules say weight and size are not issues, and you have unlimited ammo, so an AR15 with uppers in several calibers (and barrel lengths) could be very versatile.

Just one gun!
BLASPHEMER!!!

Well, good grief. If size and weight aren't issues and you can have unlimited ammo, I'd say an M2.

apostate wrote:

Liberty wrote:A secondary choice would be an AR15 but it would be a little tougher to shoot something like a squirrel or running rabbit.

Well, the rules say weight and size are not issues, and you have unlimited ammo, so an AR15 with uppers in several calibers (and barrel lengths) could be very versatile.

Hard to beat a shotgun for small game if its moving or a .22 for a little more distance. Size and weight are always an issue if I got to lug it looking for food. The main advantage an AR15 offers is long distance for defense or larger game. I don't have either gun, So for a real scenerio, I would be taking my Ruger 9mm and my .308 Ruger Scout. Mostly for their rugged reliability. The Ruger Gunsite was designed with this type of thing in mind, but it would tear up a lot of good meat in small game.

That's a hard choice, but if I could only have one it would be an AR-15 in .556 with iron sights. Big enough for hogs and deer. Small enough for rabbits and coons. And yes a coon makes a good meal. Good for self defense. Performs well at both long distances and short.

Ar15.

Liberty wrote:

apostate wrote:

Liberty wrote:A secondary choice would be an AR15 but it would be a little tougher to shoot something like a squirrel or running rabbit.

Well, the rules say weight and size are not issues, and you have unlimited ammo, so an AR15 with uppers in several calibers (and barrel lengths) could be very versatile.

Hard to beat a shotgun for small game if its moving or a .22 for a little more distance. Size and weight are always an issue if I got to lug it looking for food. The main advantage an AR15 offers is long distance for defense or larger game. I don't have either gun, So for a real scenerio, I would be taking my Ruger 9mm and my .308 Ruger Scout. Mostly for their rugged reliability. The Ruger Gunsite was designed with this type of thing in mind, but it would tear up a lot of good meat in small game.

My RGS would certainly be at or near the top of my list.

I think it depends on the game in your area. Where I am presently, it would be a 12 ga used on dove, quail and rabbit. The occasional deer if I choose to expend the added energy. I have been in parts of San Antonio and Pipe Creek where deer were available off the back porch. A .22 would have been sufficient. I also have been in the high country in NM where I would most likely take my .308.

Suppressed .22 pistol. In that scenario I don't want to attract unwanted attention.

Can I pick the AA-12?

There would be several factors to consider, as previously posted. Location, type of food source, the population density, which would raise the need for defense, etc..

I agree with cmgee, a pump 12 gauge shotgun would be difficult to beat for a wide variety of situations. But if I lived where Grizzly bears were a problem, that may not be the best choice. Given, my current situation, the area where I live, population density, type of game in my area, I would definitely opt for my shotgun. For food gathering, I would most likely use traps and snares, rather than shooting at everything, but it would give me the widest range of choices, if I needed it for food gathering, or self defense. JMHO