What type of handgun would be best for a SHTF situation?

The time-honored question, but no firm answer.

I'd say look no farther than our own military, who deal with SHTF every day. What's the handgun of choice? Well, still seems to be dominated by John Browning's 1911 .45 semi-auto. That's just a big, classy handgun that'll knock the nuts off the Jolly Green Giant.

The FBI and Homeland Security have been buying up the CZ75B, the Czechoslovakian 9mm with a 16-round dual magazine. It's a maneater.

However, there's something to be said about the differentiation between semi-autos and revolvers (aka wheelguns). The revolvers will only seldom let you down — they are nothing if not reliable. The semi-autos do jam and have their own complex set of quirks.

On the other hand, the semi-autos are fast, fast, fast and comparatively lightweight next to the revolvers.

Personally, I use both.

My main squeeze is my Glock .45, backed up with a Walther PPK 380, backed up with a Ruger Security Six (357 magnum), backed up with a S&W 38 Special, backed up with a Beretta 25 automatic. I keep the 380 on my ankle and the 45 in a soft leather shoulder holster, and the wheelguns ride on my belt.

— Doc Velocity








[edit on 6/12/2010 by Doc Velocity]

Originally posted by RussianScientists
reply to post by Judohawk

 

"In the USA there will never be a day when the SHTF in our lifetimes. Our military is too powerful right now in our lifetime. Maybe decades down the road another country may become a super power, but right now there is only one super power country and that is the USA by a far stretch."

This has got to be the most arrogant and naieve words I've seen written in a while. Are you living in a different USA than I am? Wake up!! Our military is spread thinner than cheap peanut butter. Yes, we have technology and lots of it. But that will do very little to prevent a nuclear attack, dirty bomb, or suitcase nuke from getting in our mist. I don't even know where to begin. Technology will not prevent a million man military from walking over us like we are a speed bump. Do you know nothing about the New World Order and their agenda? Do you just completely trust your government?
I am not trying to be unkind, but please open your eyes to the real world around you. Plan for the worst and hope for the best.

[edit on 12-6-2010 by seeashrink]

Originally posted by Doc Velocity
The time-honored question, but no firm answer.

I'd say look no farther than our own military, who deal with SHTF every day. What's the handgun of choice? Well, still seems to be dominated by John Browning's 1911 .45 semi-auto. That's just a big, classy handgun that'll knock the nuts off the Jolly Green Giant.

The FBI and Homeland Security have been buying up the CZ75B, the Czechoslovakian 9mm with a 16-round dual magazine. It's a maneater.

However, there's something to be said about the differentiation between semi-autos and revolvers (aka wheelguns). The revolvers will only seldom let you down — they are nothing if not reliable. The semi-autos do jam and have their own complex set of quirks.

On the other hand, the semi-autos are fast, fast, fast and comparatively lightweight next to the revolvers.

Personally, I use both.

My main squeeze is my Glock .45, backed up with a Walther PPK 380, backed up with a Ruger Security Six (357 magnum), backed up with a S&W 38 Special, backed up with a Beretta 25 automatic. I keep the 380 on my ankle and the 45 in a soft leather shoulder holster, and the wheelguns ride on my belt.

— Doc Velocity

[edit on 6/12/2010 by Doc Velocity]

If you had to choose only "one" for your wife; which would it be?

I am talking an standard weapon, tried and true, that she will be able of manage safely, comfortably and skillfully.

If you don't have a wife then pretend you have one.

it might be wise to look at crossbow pistols as well for a firearm backup in the event of gun confiscation.

they have 50 and 80 pound draw, my 80 was only like 30 bucks.

they dont go *bang*.

just a thought.

I would have to say, go to a range that will let you rent a variety of weapons. Shoot them all, many times, at least 50 rounds or more through each. This isn't going to be cheap by any means. Once you've narrowed it down to a few you like, shoot them some more, a couple hundred rounds or so. If you're going to purchase a firearm, get to know it, learn everything you can about it, they all have quirks. Once you've decided, do not purchase yet. Take a firearms safety course and other low level shooting courses that do not require you to own a weapon. Once you have done those then purchase.

Now to answer your main topic of best handgun for shtf situation. Best handgun would be any revolver. Less maintenance and pretty foolproof. Round fails to go off? Pull trigger. Pretty simple. You get into a semi-auto and have a failure, would you be confident in fixing it quickly under pressure? Known many people with tons of gun experience say even they have no confidence they could fix their issue fast enough to save their life.

That is what you want this weapon for, self defense, at least if you talk shtf. Now if you want to know the best firearm for a shtf situation, non handgun. 12 gauge pump action shotgun. They are also fairly foolproof. Can be heavy and kick like a mule. however they do offer a wide variety of ammunition. You can handle just about any application with one and they are great for home defense.

That's just my 2 cents, I don't have an extensive gun knowledge or collection or anything like that. I do however own a Taurus .40 semi auto, an older .38 revolver and a Remington 870 express. The best thing I can stress again is know your weapon and be very safe with them. Educate yourself as much as you can, because after all your best weapon in shtf is your brain (cheesy I know).

Revolver, revolver, revolver. Start with a .38 (look for an old service model, maybe a Colt Police Special). You can hammer nails with those things and it will still perform. A gun is only as useful as your proficiency with it allows so practice, practice, practice. Ammo for the .38 is reasonable in terms of price as well.

Folks will talk about stopping power, ability to use clip based reloading over manual, nut with a speed loader setup and diligence at the range, a revolver will serve you well. Nothing like an automatic jamming when you need it most .....

I love how everyone starts throwing out their ideas without even reading what the OP has to say:

I know cost shouldn't be a factor but it is.

Why recommend $1,000 guns people?

My opinion is if you can only afford 1 gun get a handgun that is easily concealed. In a SHTF scenario more than likely you'd want something that can be easily hidden and carried with you wherever you go.

Something in either 9mm, .40 or .45 cal would fill the bill depending on how much recoil you are comfortable with. I can't shoot a .45 well simply because of recoil but I'm a small person even though I've been shooting for 40 years.

Semi autos are not that hard to learn to shoot and more easily concealed than revolvers.

Get one with a manual safety, double action only pistols take some time to adjust to shooting.

Brands I would trust that are not expensive would include:
Kel-tec (my favorite for cost)
Taurus
Ruger

Use hollow point ammo ( look for the HP designation)


For $2-300 you can pick up a 12 ga pump shotgun for home defense. I would use 00buckshot rather than birdshot. A folding stock is a good feature to have along with a pistol grip making it easier to use in cars or around corners in a house.

Take a quickie course at a gun range to get started.

Get your concealed carry permit if your state allows it.

That's it.

reply to post by AlreadyGone



Well for you i would say try out 5-7 guns and keep the one you’re most comfortable with.
For an experienced gun owner it is a matter of preference.
I personally own the mp-446 and love it

Originally posted by NightSkyeB4Dawn
If you had to choose only "one" for your wife; which would it be?

Ruger SP101... It's a stubby little 357 Magnum that'll fit in her purse, or in a holster inside the waistband. Very low profile, easy to handle, double-action revolver. No jamming. Women shouldn't have to deal with jammed semi-autos. Not that they can't, but we're not talking about Hit Girl, okay, we're talking about your wife. Give your wife a sweet, slick little Ruger SP101, and she'll thank you. The SP101 looks good, it feels good, and if five rounds of 357 Magnum silver-tipped hollowpoints don't meet her personal defense requirements, I think her standards might be too high.



— Doc Velocity







[edit on 6/12/2010 by Doc Velocity]

reply to post by TheFinalTruth14


Gun's are for people with no balls, plus in a SHTF kind of situation last thing you want to do is shoot at somebody and miss. They will only come back with a bigger gun, plus what you gonna do when you run out of ammo. Drop to your knees and cry "GROW A PAIR"

I don't know how it is you can promote Guns on this ATS, yet mention something like Drugs and you get shot down. Yea makes perfect sense to me, Sorry but the American attitude towards shooting anything that moves makes me sick.

Plus who you planning on shooting at, people like me and you who just want to survive. Oh you going the full hog and going to take shots at the US Army or something... Zombies maybe? Oh yea I know, the mystery people who come for conspiracy theorist in a SHTF scenario.

Go back to video games people before somebody looses an eye.

Sorry for the sarcasm but I really don't like Guns, I especially don't like Conspiracy Theorist with guns because it will make a SHTF scenario a whole lot worse.

Originally posted by NotAgain
Gun's are for people with no balls...blah blah blah

Well... You're incorrect. My balls are bigger than your head, and I like guns just fine.

That ancient anti-gun propaganda — Only fearful people need guns — is disproven every fekking day, my friend, all across this country and all around the world. It TAKES BALLS to draw down on another human being with a lethal weapon, knowing that you're about to erase somebody. And if he's shooting at you, as well, your balls are even bigger (because you're not running away).

Some people just can't do it, even when they think they can.

And then there are the Liberals out there who have never even touched a firearm, everything they know about firearms comes from the Mainstream Media, and they just know that the world would be syrupy sweet and clean and free and tranquil IF WE JUST GOT RID OF THE GUNS!!

Sweetheart, I have some bad news for you... When you get rid of the guns (and the people who use them), the world STILL smells like somebody's ass. In fact, it's gonna stink even more so, because hundreds of millions and billions of people are going to be dead and rotting in the streets, killed at the hands of their "brothers" who until recently were held in check by the armed military and law enforcement that you oppose.

Yes, dear, the Gun Issue is a power struggle, and you're on the wrong side.

— Doc Velocity

reply to post by TheFinalTruth14


There are about a million different answers to this question, depending on what your needs are. That said...

How willing are you to put in the time, effort and expense to practice with it? Reading your first post, probably not very. That's not intended as a criticism, but if you're not willing to put hours into it, a handgun probably isn't a good choice. If all you're interested in doing is defending your home, like many others I'd recommend a 12 gauge pump action shotgun. Its extremely easy to learn, easy to use (and the recoil isn't that bad), is versatile, and awfully effective within its range. They're also inexpensive. The downsides are weight and range. Even with slugs, which I prefer, range under normal use is going to be about 100 yards, which, now that I think about it, may be a good thing for a beginner. Whatever you do, plan on practicing, but especially if you buy a handgun. That includes budgeting for the expense of ammunition.

If mobility is an issue, its more complex, especially with a one-gun solution. There's always a trade off. If concealability is a concern, you have little choice but to go with a handgun...and I'd buy at least a .38 in a revolver or 9mm in a semi-auto.. but I'd also plan on buying an accompanying rifle or even a shotgun soon just for some range.

One final note: you should strongly consider adding a .22 rifle at some point. In spite of its shortcomings for defense, it does have one unique advantage: its ammunition is far cheaper and lighter than anything else. A 550 round box of ammunition can still be bought for less than $20 and is a bit smaller than a couple of 12 oz soda cans. You can stockpile a ton of it on the cheap without taking up much space, and if you needed to be on the move for an extended period, a thousand rounds of .22 ammunition or more even in a backpack isn't a problem. Its a good round to practice with, makes a good small game hunting round, and while its definitely underpowered and I wouldn't want to use one for self-defense, its not exactly a pellet gun, either.

Interesting that nobody mentioned a .50 cal Desert Eagle. It cost a little more but when TSHF you will have enough stopping power for pretty much anything coming your way. So it really depends on what you are trying to stop. If they have body armor a 22 cal is not the most effective way to go, but whatever you decide remember it is your decision.

i go for a mossberg 12ga. pump. good for getting you your food. and back that up with a .38 special or smith&wesson 9mm for protection. best bet to have all three. a long rifle wouldnt hurt for game either, .220 swift.

Originally posted by NotAgain
Sorry but the American attitude towards shooting anything that moves makes me sick.

Do you know what makes me sick? People from outside the US who feel compelled to whine and cry about our domestic gun laws. No one here is telling you what to do. I'd guess that the vast majority of us don't even care what your gun laws are in the UK, so I ask: what's the foreign obsession with American gun laws?

Anyone holding a handgun in a crowd is gonna attract more handguns towards them... I hope lots of people have handguns when the SHTF caus I dont own one... offcourse this can backfire on me but at least I wont have some self-righteous ***hole point a gun at me or my family just because the fact that I might hold one myself makes me a potential threat... I'd rather have a concealed knife then a handgun if only for the fact that a handgun threatens...

Seriously people I understand the need for self-protection but lots of posters on here create the impression they have put a (sickeningly amount of) lot of effort into pondering over what gun would best kill a fellow human being.
take a moment to step back and truly look at what you're doing... isn't it kinda sick?

[edit on 12/6/2010 by faceoff85]

As an avid 2nd Amendment supporter, I recommend to you the following two weapons.

Remington 870 Tactical Shotgun
Glock 21 .45ACP

Either one (BOTH!) are perfect for you.

Originally posted by vor78

Originally posted by NotAgain
Sorry but the American attitude towards shooting anything that moves makes me sick.

Do you know what makes me sick? People from outside the US who feel compelled to whine and cry about our domestic gun laws. No one here is telling you what to do. I'd guess that the vast majority of us don't even care what your gun laws are in the UK, so I ask: what's the foreign obsession with American gun laws?

Come up for air momentarily and you'll probably notice that NotAgain was complaining about the "shooting anything that moves" attitude, not the gun laws. As a liberal myself, I'm quite handy with the guns that I have had experience with but fortunately have not been in a situation where it would even have been appropriate to level the gun at someone, much less pull the trigger.

Of course, if I had a Mexican 15 yo kid throwing rocks at me, I'm sure that I would have blasted him to hell just like this guy did:
Border Patrol agent kills 15-year-old boy in Texas after rocks were thrown

As an American, I too am fed up with the "shoot anything that moves" attitude and especially the "I'm a cop and if you step out of line, I'll summarily execute you" attitude.

Originally posted by JohnJasper
As an American, I too am fed up with the "shoot anything that moves" attitude and especially the "I'm a cop and if you step out of line, I'll summarily execute you" attitude.

I'm not going to defend the actions of the police in any particular incident, but the 'shoot anything that moves' stuff regarding civilian gun owners is mostly garbage. Yeah, we're perfectly willing to use our firearms to defend ourselves, but the only ones running around shooting at each other gangsta style are the criminal thugs.

Maybe he didn't mention our gun laws specifically, but I've been around long enough to know that's where the conversation usually ends up. But whatever...American guns, gun laws, gun owners...I've never understood the foreign (mostly UK) obsession about any of it.

Wildey survivor .45 magnum.
Or an Automag .44 magnum.
If TSHTF then these are the Handguns i would like to have around.
Feel lucky?