Bug-Out Guns. Guns I don't own.

Last article, I talked about guns that I owned that I would grab if ever there was an almost-world-ending emergency.

The same disclaimer stands as before. This discussion is for entertainment purposes only, and does not immediately assume that the world is actually ending.

This article, we are going to be talking about guns that perfectly fit the bill, but that I do not currently own.

I feel like I should first lay out the requirements for this to be a gun on the list. It's not like I am just pulling this out of my ass, all willy nilly...

So lets start with the scene... There is a disaster that happens, The whole world is freaking out. There are looters and murderers out there and they are going around being bad in whatever town or city you are in. You need to get out of the house/apartment/condo and survive.

We are talking about this in a "pre-hypothetical-disaster" standpoint, so we have no idea what the disaster will be, and there are many theories on how the world will eventually end or how civilization may fall, but we have to "be prepared" for any and all of them if possible.

While there are many other supplies that a person might take with them on this journey, we are specifically talking about the gun.

You have to be able to hunt with this gun. My requirements are that it be able to reach out to about 200 yards, comfortably, but still be able to take down game at close range if needed. I want to be able to hunt a variety of game with this gun as well. too small of a caliber, and it will be hard to take down larger game. too big of a caliber and there will be nothing of the small game left after I shoot it.

You must also be able to protect yourself from all of the bad guys using this gun. I would take into account the magazine size and reload time of each weapon as well as ease of use. As I mentioned in my last post, it is not about the bullet as much as it is about the shot placement.

This gun must also be rugged. I have no idea where I am going to be at. I may be in the city, the country, the mountains, the forest, or any of these combined. This gun could get wet, dirty, dry, or dusty. I would need to stake my life on this gun, and I cannot risk it breaking or jamming. I also will probably not have time to clean it, so I can take that into account.

The weight is also very important. This is going to have to be slung on my back while I carry it around. I am also going to have to carry as much ammunition as I possibly can, so the lighter, the better.

And... I think... That's about it... OKAY! to the fun stuff!

Gun #1:

AK-47 SBR with folding Stock.

oofdah! starting off strong here!

Let me get to explaining one thing before I go into this much. 

SBR stands for Short Barreled Rifle. The ATF felt like they needed something to do, so they are attempting to enforce a law that says any rifle must have at least a 16" barrel. you can request the ATF approve a rifle with a shorter barrel, but it takes about 6-8 weeks, and there is a bunch of paperwork and a $200 tax stamp. but after that, it is perfectly legal! 

SBRs have their upsides and their downsides. upside is that they are shorter overall. They will get hung up on things a lot less, and it is easier to clear an area or a house with a shorter overall length. The down side is increased noise, a slight decrease in accuracy and velocity of the projectile. In AR-15s, there is also a decrease in reliability. With AKs, that is reduced quite a bit. ARs have a direct impingement gas system, where as the AK has a piston driven gas system. While piston systems are not perfect, they are more reliable than DI.

If you ever think of rugged guns, the first gun that comes to mind HAS to be the AK-47. One of my favorite movie quotes is from the movie Lord of War:

"An elegantly simple 9 pound amalgamation of forged steel and plywood. It doesn't break, jam, or overheat. It'll shoot whether it's covered in mud or filled with sand. It's so easy, even a child can use it; and they do."

This is what the AK is all about. It is the bad guy's weapon. It is sloppy and crude and ugly, yet, is one of the most beautifully designed rifles in history. Easy to manufacture for the Russians, effective for anyone using it, and it just works. It always works.

The secret is in the loose design. The gun was designed with loose manufacturing

tolerances, and the gun always works because of it. You never need to clean it. You never need to care what you drag it though. In fact, I have friends that had cleaned their AKs after about 5 years of owning it, and it ran worse than in the five years prior to its first cleaning. Yes... You read that correctly... The AK will run better when it is dirty...

So why the folding stock? Size again. If you fold the stock, you can stuff it in a bag. you can also get a sling on it and throw it on your back too, but the folding stock is so cool. why not get it?

In terms of optics, I would put a lower power scope on it. maybe a fixed 5x scope or something. I would put it on the side scope mount that is raised just enough to see the iron sights below them.

The 7.62x39 caliber round is small enough to take down rabbit sized game without destroying it, and large enough to take down a deer. The whole round is on the small size so you can carry a lot of it. The mag is easily changed and holds 30-40 rounds.

This would probably be my number 1 choice for a survival gun.

Gun #2

AR-15 in .223

WHAT??!? didn't you just spend the gun above talking about how much better the AK was than the AR?!?!?!?

yes... sort of...except I still love the AR!

Many of the pros you get with the AK above are applicable to this AR as well, except I would not do an SBR for it. the decrease in reliability is just too much for me to handle.

The AR is still a super reliable weapon. It needs a bit more tender loving care, because it should be cleaned every once in a while, but will still continue to work through thick and thin. The round is smaller than the AK but still large enough to kill a deer. still is mag fed, with 30 round mags. I would still do the same optics. a lower power fixed scope with iron sights, but these would need to be canted. 

.223 is also readily available and if I am scavenging, I should be able to find it at just about any sporting goods stores.

That pretty much sums that up...

Gun #3

Ruger 10/22

If you read my last article, this may sound familiar.

I am a massive fan of the Ruger 10/22 and the .22 round in general. They are relatively inexpensive, Semi-Auto, and you can buy BX-25 mags, which allow you to shoot 25 rounds off in a row! There are few rifles more reliable than the Ruger 10/22 and it is usable by everyone from the age of 10 to the age of 95 (assuming they are mentally capable of safely handling the rifle).

Some people might dismiss the .22 caliber round because of it's size and lack of knockdown power, but keep in mind, this is a survival rifle. You will have no problem tracking that deer for a mile if it means food on the table tomorrow. Not the quickest death, but it will keep you alive. and there are many other animals that you can eat that are much smaller than deer. It can reach out to 200 yards if you have a good optic and a calm day but the reason you pick up the 10/22 is because of the weight of the ammo. 

You can carry thousands of rounds of .22 and use your rifle for a very very very long time before needing to fill up. yes. Thousands of rounds.... As in... More than 1000 or 2000 rounds. They sell boxes of 550 and I can easily fit four of those in a bag to sling on my back. easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Most 10/22s come with iron sights which are not bad. You can put scopes and red dots on them if you like as well. There are also different stocks you can put the gun in to give it more attachment spots
and to look like other guns. No one needs to know that you don't actually have a PS-90...

Gun #4

Any Bullpup .223 rifle

I am mushing these guns together for a few different reasons,

Firstly, there are a lot of them. Just about every company is making a bullpup rifle in .223. Secondly, I have never fired any of these, so I have no idea about the differences or about triggers or anything. 

I have heard a lot of good things about these rifles, however. As an example, the IWI Tavor is made by a company who is based out of Israel. I do not know much about Israel, but I do know it is dusty there. Any weapon the Israelite's manufacture is going to be required to be as reliable as possible. 

Bullpup rifles are basically the same as other rifles, except the bolt and action of the rifle are located behind the trigger and fire controls. This allows the rifle to be an overall shorter length while keeping a longer barrel. This means you can have a short rifle, without waiting 6-8 weeks for the ATF to get back to you!

They normally use normal AR-15 mags, and have the same caliber as AR-15s.

Gun #5

Henry Survival Rifle in .22

This may seem a bit obvious. because it is.

Henry makes a really cool rifle that is inexpensive and really really portable. 

What makes the Henry rifle different from the 10/22 is the overall portability. The entire rifle can be taken apart and stuffed in the specially made slots in the butt of the stock. the stock then seals up and becomes completely waterproof. 

The entire rifle is super light and as I mentioned with the 10/22, the .22 round is an excellent survival round. 

The downside to the Henry is that you cannot put a scope on it, unless you no longer want to put everything away in the stock. You are also limited to three ten round magazines that will fit in the stock. Otherwise, almost identical to the 10/22

Gun #6 (last gun, I promise)

Any pump action shotgun in either 12 or 20 gauge

This is another one that I am grouping up because there are a lot of pump action shotguns out there.

My personal favorite is the Benelli Super Nova, because that was my first shotgun and it has treated me well, but there are many many many other guns and everyone has a different opinion about which one they like best. No answer is the wrong answer here. Shotguns are fantastic survival guns and pump shotguns give you that added durability.

I have had someone dunk my shotgun down to the bottom of the swamp and pull it up and it was fine. A bit stiff, but it still fired and cycled. 

Shotguns are unique when it comes to ammunition consumption. They have many many different kinds of shots you can shoot out of a shotgun from bird shot to slugs. This allows you to hunt one of the most prevalent creatures in the world, birds! you can kill small game with bird shot as well. You
can kill deer with buck shot. You can defend yourself with the shotgun. 

There are two massive cons with shot guns, however. The first is distance. You are probably only good to about 50-75 yards with a shotgun. even with slugs. This makes it harder to kill your dinner if you cannot get close enough. It also puts you at a disadvantage if your attackers have rifles like the ones I stated above. 

The next is mag size and reloading. at best, your mag holds... maybe nine rounds? and to reload, unless you walk around like a competition shooter with a speed loader, you have to do it one by one, and it may take you a while. On top of that, the ammo is pretty big, and it may be cumbersome to carry around.

however, due to the variation in ammo a shotgun can shoot, it is pretty hard not to put it on this list. On top of that, shotgun ammo may be the most prevalent ammo in the country. Even if you live in a state that doesn't like guns, you can probably get a hold of a pump action shot gun, assuming you are in good standing with the law.

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Well, that is pretty much it...

In my opinion, these would be some of the best Bug-out Guns if you have them. While I did my favorite at the beginning and my least favorite at the end, the four in the middle are pretty interchangeable for me.

What do you think? agree? disagree?