Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Obviously, anyone can build an armory for less than $1,000. The question is: Can you build an armory with high-quality weapons for less than $1,000?
A lot of you are probably thinking, “No way.” At one point in time, you would have been right. But like other technologies, firearms continue to improve and you can now get high-quality rifles, pistols, and shotguns for affordable prices. You just have to know what to get.
Let’s talk about how you can build an urban survival armory for less than a grand.
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Why You Need An Urban Survival Armory
First and foremost, why do you even need an ‘urban survival armory’ to begin with? In fact, what is an ‘urban survival armory’?
Basically, an urban survival armory is simply an armory of personal firearms that you would use to hunt defend yourself during an urban disaster.
How does this differ from a ‘normal’ survival armory?
Simple. The guns you would need for an urban environment are not necessarily the same ones you would need for a rural environment.
For example, a scoped bolt action hunting rifle is not a gun you would need in an urban area because you probably won’t be doing any long-range shooting.
Instead, the guns you need for an urban environment need to be guns you can use to defend yourself in close quarters or against multiple attackers.
Types of Guns You Need In Your Urban Survival Armory
So the big question you probably have: Which specific types of guns do you need to have in your urban survival armory?
Well, before we get into the specific makes and models, let’s discuss the basic types of guns you need.
Semi-Automatic Rifle With A Detachable Magazine
Basically, an AR-15, because it’s really the best semi-automatic rifle with a detachable magazine that also fires an intermediate cartridge.
And by best, that doesn’t mean it’s objectively the best, but it is the most popular centerfire rifle in America with readily available ammunition and spare parts, and that means a lot.
There are many reasons an AR-15 or any other semi-auto rifle is a good choice for an urban survival scenario. It has a large magazine capacity, which makes it a good choice for defense against multiple attackers.
The 5.56x45mm NATO round also has very minimal recoil, and the AR-15 is already a highly ergonomic rifle, making it great even for beginners.
Finally, the AR-15 also has far more stopping power than a handgun, and greater range than a shotgun. Don’t underestimate it. Even though semi-auto rifles are rarely thought of as being defensive arms, the truth is that they are actually great choices for the task.
In short, having a semi-automatic rifle for defending your house or apartment is going to give you a major advantage over your attackers.
Shotgun
Next, you’re going to need a gun that you probably expected to see in this list from the beginning: a twelve gauge or twenty gauge pump action shotgun.
Shotguns are among the most practical and versatile of weapons ever produced. In fact, the only things you really can’t do with them are concealed carry (at least not easily) and long-range shooting.
The reason shotguns are so versatile is because of their ammunition. You have a wide variety of options for defense, range use, and hunting alike.
Buckshot rounds are the predominant choice and are incredibly effective self-defense loads within close range, especially with 20 gauge and 12 gauge. Birdshot rounds are good for clay pigeon shooting, small game hunting, and bird hunting. Can they be used for self-defense, too? Yes, but they are far from the best option for that.
Finally, slugs can be used for big game hunting within moderate distances, though you’ll probably only be able to hunt small animals in urban areas. That being said, slugs can also be used effectively for self-defense, and again within reasonable distances.
Pistol
Specifically, a mid-sized or compact 9mm Luger pistol with a large magazine capacity would be a good choice.
There are many reasons for this. For one thing, 9mm is by far the most common pistol caliber in existence. It is cheap, it is plentiful, and it is suitable for self-defense when using the proper loads.
As a compact or mid-sized pistol, the gun will also be easy to conceal on your person, and this is something invaluable to you especially if you don’t want hoodlums or cops seeing that you have a gun on you. It’s certainly an advantage that you would be unwise to overlook.
Finally, having a large magazine capacity reduces the number of reloads and enables you to engage multiple targets. People in an urban survival scenario are more likely to be working in groups of two if not significantly more.
For these reasons, a 9mm semi-automatic pistol with a large magazine capacity that is also small and light enough to be concealed is by far one of the most important weapons to have in a defensive scenario.
Keep in mind that a pistol can also be used as a general purpose sidearm or as a backup arm to your shotgun or rifle.
Del-Ton Core AR-15 – $400
There was a time when AR-15s were incredibly expensive and could only be had for about a grand or more, at least for a quality one.
But those days are long gone, and the budget AR-15 market has really been exploding since around 2014. The Del-Ton Core AR-15 is one example of a budget AR-15 that is made for the $500 mark or less. And online, they can sometimes be found for around $400.
Granted, this will be a very basic and no-frills AR-15 without very luxurious accessories. But then again, for less than five hundred bucks, who are you to complain?
Take note that the Del-Ton is hardly the only budget AR-15 in this price range. Far from it, in fact.
Anderson, DPMS, ATI, Ruger, and Smith & Wesson are all examples of manufacturers that make high-quality AR-15’s at a low and affordable price point.
Maverick 88 – $200
The Maverick 88 is a budget version of the Mossberg 500, which is one of the most popular and reputable shotguns ever made.
In fact, the Mossberg 590 was the only pump action shotgun to pass the U.S. military’s brutal torture tests in the 1980s.
While Mossberg 500s are already affordable and can be had for around $300, the Maverick 88 is around a hundred dollars or more cheaper if you’re really on a serious budget. As a pump action, it will feed just about anything and everything that you put through it.
Taurus G2C 9mm – $219
Without question, the Taurus G2C in 9mm is one of the best quality budget pistols on the market today.
The G2C is actually a development of the Taurus PT111 G2. The only difference between the two is that the G2C lacks the safety lock of the PT111 G2, which many people don’t like for a number of reasons.
The G2C is a reliable handgun that is compact and yet large enough to get a full firing grip over. As a result, it is suitable for both concealed carry or as a general purpose sidearm. It has a 12+1 capacity, so it has enough ammunition for you to defend yourself against multiple attackers if need be.
It also has very aggressive stippling on the grip for wet and slippery conditions, in addition to a loaded chamber indicator, a reversible magazine release, and a framed mounted thumb safety.
Conclusion
In conclusion, by now you should see that it is perfectly possible to put together an arsenal of quality guns to use in an urban survival scenario. It’s not like these are the greatest guns ever made, but they are without question quality guns and that’s what matters.
In addition to affordable guns, you’re going to need lots of ammo. All of this stuff can add up fast–to well over $1,000 if you’re not careful.
So before you buy another gun, you should join the National Gun Owners Association & Buyers Club. As a member, you get access to guns and ammo at wholesale pricing without having to get an FFL. There is a monthly fee, but the savings will make it pay for itself and then some in no time.
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Is you were to start a hobby foundry and a gunsmith work bench thing, and thoroughly research those guns you could make them for free, except for box magazines. If you did that and learned to make armor you could have free(except for material prices) armor, melee weapons, crossbows and guns.
The most common semi auto with a lagre capacity is not an AR 15 it’s probably a 1022
If the article referenced rimfire as part of an urban arsenal, then yes the venerable .22 would be on the list. While I personally believe every gun owner should have a .22 pistol and rifle in their collection, if only for its economy in keeping skills up, it wouldn’t be on the list of survival weapons in an urban environment for a multitude of factors.
NSSF estimates, based on sales and surveys, places the number of AR’s in American homes at close to 10 million, and that’s a 2018 estimate. With the civil unrest and the CoVid scheme, the number of gun owners alone has gone from 393 million in 2018 to over 500 million so far in 2020. I couldn’t find a estimate for how many ARs have been bought since January 2020, but considering the out of stock and backorder status of the major suppliers, it must be a considerable percentage of the recent purchases.
Historically, the civilian purchase of arms following a war that reflect what the military used, really started up after WW 1. The 03 Springfield and all of the clones. Post WW 2, the Garand and the M1 Carbine through the Korean War were highly popular. The US Military’s decision to adopt an intermediate cartridge and system, really started in the late 40’s and 50’s culminated with the adoption of the M16 in the 60’s. Although refined and improved, it’s remained basically the same system for over 50 years. That’s a considerable longevity for a Battle Rifle. Even though the 5.56 X 45 cartridge appears to be shelved by the US in favor of a bigger cartridge in the future, the basic rifle system won’t really change. The fact that the AR platform can host a very wide array of cartridges, with a minimal requirement of part changes, illustrates the genius of Stoner’s design.
While a .22 should be in everyone’s arsenal, it’s a 2nd or 3rd tier gun in a urban survival setting. It wouldn’t be my first choice for personal defense in any situation.
The Israeli urban snipers use .22s. It can be a deadly shot if placed right and put a suppression it the gun will sound like a pellet gun.
If the gun is actually reliable why not?
I would buy a Rem. 870 express 12 ga. And look at a pistol caliber carbine like a Ruger 40SW Police Carbine.
friends don’t let friends by Taurus
Taurus…are you kidding me? If your life depends on it, go with a dependable maker.
Allan,
I must respectfully disagree with you regarding Taurus products. My background is as a small arms repairman during Vietnam, a 60+ year firearms collector, a 15 year member of the American gunsmith association, and a very satisfied owner of several different Taurus pistols. My wife and I are both avid shooters ,and have only had problems when we were using cheap gun show ammo. My first m. 92 had a minor problem but Taurus took care of it and I had the pistol back in less than 2 weeks.
If you’ve had a bad experiance with the brand , was it traced to an actual problem with the pistol ?
The main reason I bought my first m. 92 was economics, all subsequent Taurus’es were purchased because of my satisfaction with the brand. And as the artical stated, were tryi g to keep cost down. Again brother this is only my opinion.
I have to agree with Rick, I’ve several Taurus guns, pistols and revolvers, that I’ve never had any issues with any of them. The G2C is an excellent gun for the money. I don’t own one, but I’ve handled and fired several that friends own. All functioned flawlessly, and fed several different brands of target and defense loads without a hiccup.
We hear horror stories all the time, and Taurus gets there fair share of them, but when you’ve seen recalls for just about every Manufacturer on the market, and a number of those that makes you ask “How did this make it to market with this flaw,” you realize that every company can produce a stinker. Three years back, there was a recall on Winchester XPR’s with faulty safeties. The turn around time on my son’s XPR was nearly 90 days. While I applaud Winchester for recognizing, accepting, and repairing the flaw, that turn around time isn’t something to brag about. It’s poor customer service.
Almost one year after the above reply . We have added another Taurus to the lineup. This is a stainless .357 mag. 7 round . I like having firearms that will take different options of ammo . The .357 mag .will take wadcutter .38 spec. all the way to the hottest .357 +P rounds . My .44 mag will do the same in .44 special up to my .44 mag bear hunting reloads (not a load you want to shoot too often , unless you are one that also enjoys root canal ,without novocaine
🙂
I’ve never had a problem firing Taurus myself. I find that any weapon that fires and gets the job done ,is a good weapon.It’s all about the snobbery. Gun snobs put down anything that doesn’t cost a small fortune. Glock fanboys are a prime example. There are plenty of lower cost options nowadays that are far cheaper and just as dependable. Most are just paying for a name, social status and bragging rights.
I agree. I have had the Taurus G2C for several years now and put thousands of rounds through it without issue except low grade (cheap) ammo and it still cycled well with the occasional primer misfire, and the floating pin of the handgun allows for 2nd and 3rd strikes just incase it isn’t a total dud. I plan tor relegate it to back up at a later date as I also have a folding KelTec sub 2k 9MM that uses Glock mags and I am very comfortable as well with the Glock 19 and 23.