When you have to survive a catastrophic event, your survival depends primarily on food and water and being able to defend yourself, and building an arsenal of firearms is something most preppers contemplate. It should be stressed that the most important thing is having at least one gun. From there, you can start building an arsenal and have different firearms you can use in different situations.
Building your firearm arsenal might be the most costly aspect of your preparedness. It’s something that can’t be overlooked though, and you don’t need me to tell you that. For those who can’t legally own firearms, based on criminal history of laws of the country you live in, other weapons for defense are available to you, but nothing matches the power of a firearm. You might not be in the financial position to build an arsenal overnight, but Rome wasn’t built in a day either.
Should You Start With A Pistol?
If you only have the budget right now for one firearm, a good pistol is probably the best place to start. You can hold a pistol comfortably in your hand, and you can also easily conceal a pistol if need be. It is also easy to carry on your person, and you can either tuck it in your waistband or use a holster. I prefer an ankle holster when I am carrying a gun on my person in day to day life, but you could also use a shoulder holster or a holster that attaches to your belt. When I’m wearing long pants, an ankle holster works best for me.
I really prefer the 9mm pistol for various reasons. I find it to be very dependable, and it has a very low recoil, which makes it efficient. The ammunition is plentiful and reasonably priced. Viewing my pistol as an instrument to save my life, I feel most comfortable with a 9mm. Others might have different preferences, but if you are unfamiliar with guns and don’t know which pistol would be right for you, consider a 9mm for its ease of use and how forgiving it is. I love the 9mm so much and feel so comfortable with it that I’m considering buying a 2nd one over having variety.
A Shotgun Is A Great Way To Defend Your Home
After you have a good pistol in your possession, where do you turn to next? I would start looking at picking up a good shotgun. To many, a shotgun is the most versatile SHTF weapon. Shotguns are typically inexpensive, built for utility, and they also make quite a statement when pointed at someone.
The most common shotgun is a 12 gauge, and for that reason it is a good choice. Like with our previous recommendation, the slugs are plentiful and inexpensive. A 12 gauge shotgun is a very powerful weapon, and having one within an arms reach of your barricaded front door provides about as much peace of mind as you might experience when the world is in turmoil.
Are Rifles A Feasible Option?
A 22 caliber rifle might also be a gun you would find worthwhile to add to your arsenal of weapons. While a 22 is not the hardest hitting caliber, sometimes that is the point, and you only want to get someone to back down without taking their life. If you put a 22 in someones kneecap, whether using a 22 caliber rifle or pistol.
The main benefit you would find with a 22 rifle or pistol is how cheap and abundant the ammunition is. When there have been ammo shortages in the past, from the pandemic to the gun grabbing during the Obama years, often the only caliber available in scant amounts was the 22 caliber. You can really store up on this ammo and have hundreds or thousands of rounds at your disposal.
If you have to leave your home for safety and retreat to a bug out location, a 22 rifle is a great weapon to have with you at said bug out location. I haven’t done this yet, but I am planning on having a 22 rife and plenty of ammo stashed away at my bug out location, along with other essentials. I don’t know if any hunting opportunities will exist of if the animals will sense danger in the world and bug out themselves, but the opportunity to do a little hunting exists with a rifle also.
We don’t recommend high powered rifles like the AR-15 for people preparing to survive. Guns like these are not practical because of their high price tag, ammunition cost, and general difficulty to obtain. If you’re a total gun nut and guns are your life ok sure, but weapons like these are just not practical for people whose primary function is survival.
