If I Could Only Have One Firearm…

If I could only have one firearm in an SHTF grid down disaster scenario, it would be…

… a Glock 19. A Colt 1911. A Ruger GP100. An AR-15. An AK-47. A Mossberg 500. A Marlin 336. A Winchester Model 70. A Ruger 10/22. A Barrett .50 caliber rifle. A muzzleloader.

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Those are just a small handful of the responses that you are likely to receive if you ask someone what their one gun to have in an SHTF disaster would be. 

Each of those above guns and ones like them would certainly provide you with a large number of advantages (as well as disadvantages). You see, there (unfortunately) is no one gun that can do everything for you.

A Winchester Model 70 is great for big game hunting and anti-personnel use at long distances, but for concealed carry or close quarters home defense? It sucks for both of those uses (good luck conceal carrying a rifle!).

Conversely, a pistol is great for home defense and concealed carry, but vice versa would suck for long-distance shooting or big game hunting. 

Now you may tell yourself that the obvious solution to this problem is to use more than one gun in an SHTF disaster.

But what if you’re not able to? What if you need to bug out of your home right then and you can only bring one firearm with you?

In that case, what would that one gun be?

What Are The Options?

Well, you have a very wide variety of choices for a gun in an SHTF disaster (as in literally any gun out there, or at least any gun that you own).

Now that being said, there are a large number of guns that most people would probably agree are not very good options for an SHTF gun, assuming you could only have one.

For example, take a .380 ACP pocket pistol or a .38 snub-nose revolver. Both of those types of handguns are certainly very concealable, but they are not at all very practical. Both have a very limited capacity, are difficult to shoot well due to their high recoil, and limited stopping power (at least with the .380).

For another example, a Barrett .50 caliber rifle also likely isn’t going to be a good choice for an SHTF rifle. That’s the last type of gun that you will want to be hauling around all day every day. 

There are also a large number of guns that those same people would probably agree are a very viable choice for an SHTF firearm (again, assuming you could only have one).

For example, most people would agree that a semi-automatic rifle such as an AR-15 or an AK-47 is a very viable choice for a disaster firearm. Both the AR-15 and the AK-47, and other semi-automatic rifles like them, offer you a large magazine capacity of thirty rounds (or more) that makes them a perfectly good choice for defending yourself against multiple attackers. That’s also not to mention that a rifle offers longer range than either a handgun or a shotgun. 

Another viable choice would be a bolt action hunting rifle, something with even more power than a semi-automatic chambered in an intermediate cartridge and that can tough targets at long distances. 

Another viable choice would be a shotgun, and specifically one chambered in either 12 gauge or 20 gauge. Shotguns are among the most versatile firearms of all time due to their practicality and a wide selection of ammo choices. 

With slugs, you can go big game hunting. With birdshot, you can go bird or small game hunting. And with buckshot, you have what is easily one of the most effective close-range home defense and self-defense weapons on the planet.

Yet another viable choice most people would argue is a semi-automatic handgun, and specifically, one that is mid-sized (compact enough to conceal but large enough to fight with and control), chambered in 9mm, and with a large magazine capacity. Examples of pistols that fit these criteria effortlessly include the Glock 19, Smith & Wesson M&P9 Compact 2.0, CZ-P10C, and the Walther PPQ to name a few.

And yet one more viable choice that many people would be very likely to cite is a .357 Magnum revolver. Revolvers are simple, durable, reliable, easy to operate by anyone, and when chambered for .357 they can also chamber and fire the lighter .38 Special cartridge. 

That’s also not to mention the fact that .357 Magnum can be used to bring down some game such as deer, whereas 9mm would most likely be too light. Those who could struggle to operate a semi-automatic pistol could shoot a revolver no problem.

The point is that you have a very wide variety of choices for an SHTF firearm assuming you could only have one. And each of those above options isn’t perfect, having their own unique set of pros and cons. 

But What Is Really The Best Choice?

But what is really the best choice for one gun to have in an SHTF disaster scenario?

Well, it’s really up to you, but there is something to think about: Are you really going to be doing any hunting in an SHTF grid down disaster? You see, if you live in the city, you’re most certainly not. And even if you live out in the rural areas or make it out there, literally millions of other people are going to be big game hunting as well.

This means that the populations of game animals such as deer and elk is going to fall dramatically, and your chances of making a kill are going to fall dramatically with it. 

Therefore, if what you’re concerned about the most is using a gun for hunting, you probably need to rethink things through a little. 

And here’s one more thing to think about: do you really want people to know that you have a gun on you? Do you want other people, criminals, or law enforcement to see that you have a firearm? Because if that happens, you’re going to attract attention, and specifically you’re going to attract attention that you most likely do not want. 

And yet one more thing to think about: if you are ever attacked suddenly when you least expect it, you want a gun that you can draw as quickly as possible to defend yourself, right?

Is slinging a rifle or a shotgun over your back really the best bet when you think about things from that perspective?

Not really. In fact, not at all. But what is?

That’s right: a handgun. 

You see, a handgun can be carried concealed on your person at all times so that no one else knows you have it on you. And when you need to use it, you can draw it quickly. In contrast to this, you would have to keep a rifle or a shotgun or any other long gun relatively close by and out of sight, but not on your person. 

This isn’t to say that a handgun is a perfect choice for a one gun SHTF firearm, but as we’ve already touched on, no gun really is. But this is to say that a handgun is quite arguably going to be your most practical choice.

Whether you choose a revolver or a semi-automatic for your handgun is largely up to you. But just know that 16 rounds in a Glock 19 or 19 rounds in a Canik TP9 is A LOT more firepower than 6 rounds in a Ruger GP100 or 5 rounds in a Smith & Wesson Model 60. 

There’s a saying in the gun world that more bullets equals more time in the fight, and a semi-automatic pistol (even if it requires more training to operate for members of your survival group who are more inexperienced) is going to be a much better choice for defending yourself against multiple attackers than a revolver is. At the very least, it’s just something for you to think about.

Conclusion

There’s another short answer to this question of what the one gun to be in an SHTF grid down disaster scenario should be: the one you’re the most comfortable with. 

Seriously, what gun do you shoot the best? Which one do you like the best? Which one would you seriously feel the most comfortable with?

Because in the end, you need to use the firearm that you are the most proficient with and that you feel you will be able to use well to defend yourself with.  

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