Guns for emergency preparedness?, Michael Webster Syndicated Investigative Reporter
Often I get the question about what type of gun(s) I would recommend for emergency preparedness.
The answer for me is not complicated. It depends on what you’re going to use the gun for. Is it for hunting food that you’d need in an emergency? Is it for self-defense? Each gun has it’s different strengths and weaknesses and the gun you choose should be tailored to your specific needs.
The guns I have for emergency preparedness is the following:
Hand gun 45 cal colt 1911
Winchester 1200 defender riot shot gun 8 round tube fed 12 gage
Ruger Mini 14 .223 magazine fed Ranch rifle 5.56 Nato
Ruger 10/22 carbine rifle.22 LR magazine fed
Which guns will you choose? Points to consider before you add a gun or guns for your emergency preparedness.
Before you choose a gun for your preparedness needs, you’ll want to consider a few points: What Needs Will You Have? Will you be using this gun for protection? For hunting? Just an intimidation factor? Whatever gun you choose will depend on what you’re going to use it for. For example, a rifle would be better for hunting during an emergency while a shotgun would be better for self-defense.
Popularity/Availability of Ammo. You might not be able to buy more ammo in an emergency. As a rare commodity, you’d need ammo that would be popular enough to fit in your gun. You’d also need a gun that takes a very popular type of ammunition.
How Much Ammunition the Gun Holds. How many rounds does the gun hold? This might affect your decision of which gun to choose because of the needs that you have.
Interchangeable Choke and Barrel. For shotguns, the choke of the gun is the tapered build of the gun that helps determine how much the shot will spread. The choke will determine the accuracy and range of the gun. An interchangeable choke will allow you to change the use of your gun from a longer range to a shorter range weapon. The barrel length also makes an impact on the range but more importantly makes it easier or more difficult to handle in close quarter like turning around corners in your home. Handling a 4-foot gun for self-defense to protect yourself from a perpetrator in your home will be impractical.
Safe Storage. How are you going to store the weapon? Is it going to fit inside of your 72-hour kit or would it be something you keep under your bed or in the top of your closet? Will the gun break apart and store in a different space? Depending on what you’re using the gun for and how readily available you need the gun, the answers might change. But always keep your gun in a safe place away from children. If you are going to own a gun, treat it with the respect it deserves & get proper gun safety training.
Understand Your Weapon. No matter how many guns or how much ammunition you have, if you don’t understand how to use your gun and don’t have practice shooting it, it will be worthless. Or worse, your ignorance could cause injury or death for yourself, loved ones, or innocent people.
Which Gun Should I Own? Below we’ve listed the different types of guns you could consider acquiring for use in an emergency with some helpful details for each type of weapon. Please keep in mind a couple things:
• Prices for ammunition can change. The prices listed below are on the cheaper end. High-grade ammunition can be much more expensive than the prices listed below.
• *Range has many variables including: weather, specific ammo, specific gun, gun condition, visibility, and shooting experience to name a few. The best way to know the range of your gun is to use it.
High-Caliber Rifle (Price Range = $300 – $6,000 | Average Price = $800)
These weapons are designed for use in hunting large game like deer or elk from a longer distance. The ammunition is large, heavy, and travels very fast in order to take down larger game from far away with a high level of precision and accuracy.
Common Ammunition
Practical Range
Availability
Price/Round
.30-30
400 yards*
Common
$1.00
.30-06
900 yards*
Common
$1.00
.308 Win/7.62x51mm
900 yards*
Very Common
$0.90
Tactical Rifle (Price Range = $400 – $4,000 | Average Price = $1,000)
These weapons are designed for self-defense and are typically semi-automatic (you can just keep pulling the trigger to fire without cocking or reloading). Usually these weapons will hold more rounds of ammunition than a typical hunting rifle and are commonly used with a high-capacity magazine. They are usually shorter than a hunting rifle and have a pistol grip and stock combo for easier handling in close quarters.
Common Ammunition
Practical Range
Availability
Price/Round
7.62x39mm
800 yards*
Very Common
$0.25
.223/5.56
400 yards*
Very Common
$0.25
Low-Caliber Rifle (Price Range = $150 – $1,000 | Average Price = $300)
These weapons are designed for hunting smaller animals like rabbits. They have a much shorter range, but the ammunition is significantly less expensive than other weapons. With a little digging you can find rounds for close to a penny each.
Common Ammunition
Practical Range
Availability
Price/Round
.17 HMR
300 yards*
Uncommon
$0.20
.22 LR (Long Rifle)
100 yards*
Very Common
$0.05
Click on the image to compare different kinds of rifle ammo:
Tactical Shotgun (Price Range = $200 – $2,000 | Average Price = $500)
Tactical shotguns like tactical rifles are intended for short-range self-defense. They usually have a shorter barrel and a choke designed to spread the shot as much as possible. Typically these are pump action or semi-automatic weapons. Barrels shorter than 18” or weapons shorter than 26” are illegal in the USA without proper registration. Another thing to consider is shotguns are the easiest ammunition to load yourself.
Common Ammunition
Practical Range
Availability
Price/Round
12 Gauge 3” #1
30 yards*
Common
$0.80
20 Gauge 3” #2
30 yards*
Common
$0.50
Hunting Shotgun (Price Range = $200 – $2,000 | Average Price = $500)
Hunting shotguns are designed for shooting small game (especially birds). These weapons typically have a barrel 28” – 33” long. There are many choices for ammunition depending on your intended use.
Common Ammunition
Practical Range
Availability
Price/Round
12 Gauge 3” Slug
75 yards*
Uncommon
$0.50
12 Gauge 3” 00 Buckshot
50 yards*
Common
$0.80
12 Gauge 3” #7 Birdshot
35 yards*
Very Common
$0.50
Click on the image to compare different kinds of shotgun ammo:
Pistol/Handgun (Price Range = $150 – $3,000 | Average Price = $500)
Pistols, like shotguns and tactical rifles are design for close-quarter self-defense. Handguns have the advantage that they can be legally concealed with a proper permit. Ammunition is cheaper than other weapons but still not as cheap as a low-caliber rifle.
Common Ammunition
Practical Range
Availability
Price/Round
9mm
50 yards*
Very Common
$0.35
.40 S&W
50 yards*
Common
$0.40
.45 ACP
50 yards*
Common
$0.45
Click on the image to compare different kinds of handgun ammo:
Often I get the question about what type of gun(s) I would recommend for emergency preparedness.
The answer for me is not complicated. It depends on what you’re going to use the gun for. Is it for hunting food that you’d need in an emergency? Is it for self-defense? Each gun has it’s different strengths and weaknesses and the gun you choose should be tailored to your specific needs.
The guns I have for emergency preparedness is the following:
Hand gun 45 cal colt 1911
Winchester 1200 defender riot shot gun 8 round tube fed 12 gage
Ruger Mini 14 .223 magazine fed Ranch rifle 5.56 Nato
Ruger 10/22 carbine rifle.22 LR magazine fed
Which guns will you choose? Points to consider before you add a gun or guns for your emergency preparedness.
Before you choose a gun for your preparedness needs, you’ll want to consider a few points: What Needs Will You Have? Will you be using this gun for protection? For hunting? Just an intimidation factor? Whatever gun you choose will depend on what you’re going to use it for. For example, a rifle would be better for hunting during an emergency while a shotgun would be better for self-defense.
Popularity/Availability of Ammo. You might not be able to buy more ammo in an emergency. As a rare commodity, you’d need ammo that would be popular enough to fit in your gun. You’d also need a gun that takes a very popular type of ammunition.
How Much Ammunition the Gun Holds. How many rounds does the gun hold? This might affect your decision of which gun to choose because of the needs that you have.
Interchangeable Choke and Barrel. For shotguns, the choke of the gun is the tapered build of the gun that helps determine how much the shot will spread. The choke will determine the accuracy and range of the gun. An interchangeable choke will allow you to change the use of your gun from a longer range to a shorter range weapon. The barrel length also makes an impact on the range but more importantly makes it easier or more difficult to handle in close quarter like turning around corners in your home. Handling a 4-foot gun for self-defense to protect yourself from a perpetrator in your home will be impractical.
Safe Storage. How are you going to store the weapon? Is it going to fit inside of your 72-hour kit or would it be something you keep under your bed or in the top of your closet? Will the gun break apart and store in a different space? Depending on what you’re using the gun for and how readily available you need the gun, the answers might change. But always keep your gun in a safe place away from children. If you are going to own a gun, treat it with the respect it deserves & get proper gun safety training.
Understand Your Weapon. No matter how many guns or how much ammunition you have, if you don’t understand how to use your gun and don’t have practice shooting it, it will be worthless. Or worse, your ignorance could cause injury or death for yourself, loved ones, or innocent people.
Which Gun Should I Own? Below we’ve listed the different types of guns you could consider acquiring for use in an emergency with some helpful details for each type of weapon. Please keep in mind a couple things:
• Prices for ammunition can change. The prices listed below are on the cheaper end. High-grade ammunition can be much more expensive than the prices listed below.
• *Range has many variables including: weather, specific ammo, specific gun, gun condition, visibility, and shooting experience to name a few. The best way to know the range of your gun is to use it.
High-Caliber Rifle (Price Range = $300 – $6,000 | Average Price = $800)
These weapons are designed for use in hunting large game like deer or elk from a longer distance. The ammunition is large, heavy, and travels very fast in order to take down larger game from far away with a high level of precision and accuracy.
Common Ammunition
Practical Range
Availability
Price/Round
.30-30
400 yards*
Common
$1.00
.30-06
900 yards*
Common
$1.00
.308 Win/7.62x51mm
900 yards*
Very Common
$0.90
Tactical Rifle (Price Range = $400 – $4,000 | Average Price = $1,000)
These weapons are designed for self-defense and are typically semi-automatic (you can just keep pulling the trigger to fire without cocking or reloading). Usually these weapons will hold more rounds of ammunition than a typical hunting rifle and are commonly used with a high-capacity magazine. They are usually shorter than a hunting rifle and have a pistol grip and stock combo for easier handling in close quarters.
Common Ammunition
Practical Range
Availability
Price/Round
7.62x39mm
800 yards*
Very Common
$0.25
.223/5.56
400 yards*
Very Common
$0.25
Low-Caliber Rifle (Price Range = $150 – $1,000 | Average Price = $300)
These weapons are designed for hunting smaller animals like rabbits. They have a much shorter range, but the ammunition is significantly less expensive than other weapons. With a little digging you can find rounds for close to a penny each.
Common Ammunition
Practical Range
Availability
Price/Round
.17 HMR
300 yards*
Uncommon
$0.20
.22 LR (Long Rifle)
100 yards*
Very Common
$0.05
Click on the image to compare different kinds of rifle ammo:
Tactical Shotgun (Price Range = $200 – $2,000 | Average Price = $500)
Tactical shotguns like tactical rifles are intended for short-range self-defense. They usually have a shorter barrel and a choke designed to spread the shot as much as possible. Typically these are pump action or semi-automatic weapons. Barrels shorter than 18” or weapons shorter than 26” are illegal in the USA without proper registration. Another thing to consider is shotguns are the easiest ammunition to load yourself.
Common Ammunition
Practical Range
Availability
Price/Round
12 Gauge 3” #1
30 yards*
Common
$0.80
20 Gauge 3” #2
30 yards*
Common
$0.50
Hunting Shotgun (Price Range = $200 – $2,000 | Average Price = $500)
Hunting shotguns are designed for shooting small game (especially birds). These weapons typically have a barrel 28” – 33” long. There are many choices for ammunition depending on your intended use.
Common Ammunition
Practical Range
Availability
Price/Round
12 Gauge 3” Slug
75 yards*
Uncommon
$0.50
12 Gauge 3” 00 Buckshot
50 yards*
Common
$0.80
12 Gauge 3” #7 Birdshot
35 yards*
Very Common
$0.50
Click on the image to compare different kinds of shotgun ammo:
Pistol/Handgun (Price Range = $150 – $3,000 | Average Price = $500)
Pistols, like shotguns and tactical rifles are design for close-quarter self-defense. Handguns have the advantage that they can be legally concealed with a proper permit. Ammunition is cheaper than other weapons but still not as cheap as a low-caliber rifle.
Common Ammunition
Practical Range
Availability
Price/Round
9mm
50 yards*
Very Common
$0.35
.40 S&W
50 yards*
Common
$0.40
.45 ACP
50 yards*
Common
$0.45
Click on the image to compare different kinds of handgun ammo:
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