A Survivalist's list of weapons

Honestly it's a subject that's been done to death and then beaten down some more. But I'll keep it brief and pretty simplistic as to the "what" and "why" of my choices. What are your choices? And why?

Sidearm(s):

Glock 23 (Gen 4) 

[.357, .40, 9mm]

Self Defense, Home Defense

• Ease of use
• Low requirement for cleaning
• High reliability
• Very high durability
• Ability to fire different calibers with interchangeable barrels and magazines

Walther PPK

[.380 ACP]

Self Defense

• Easy concealability
• Good last resort or backup weapon

Longarm(s):

FEG AMD-65 (Custom)

[7.62x39mm]

Home Defense, or Tactical (Short to Medium Range)

• AK-reliability
• Low requirement for cleaning
• No problems with different grades of ammunition
• Inexpensive rifle
• Inexpensive and common ammunition

Mossberg 500

[12 ga.]

Hunting, Home Defense

• Robust build
• Good deterrent
• Inexpensive and common ammunition
• Wide variety of 12 gauge rounds for multiple purposes

Savage Hunter 11/111

[.223, .270, or .308] 

Hunting, Tactical (Medium to Long Range)

• Lightweight
• Simplistic design and operation
• High reliability
• Affordable
• Accurate

Your Very Own Ammo Dump

Remember Burt Gummer from the film Tremors? Remember that outrageous basement he had and all the guns, ammo and gear to survive the end of the world? Don't you sometimes wish you had the funds to have such a thing?

Suffice to say a lot of people probably do.

Here's the thing - no matter what caliber you're looking to stock up on - it'll probably end up costing you a bit of money. From dirt cheap Russian 7.62x39 ammo costing you a mere 12 cents a round to expensive .308 rounds costing you almost 3 dollars a pop - in bulk it'll cost you.

How much are you willing to spend on a single online or in-store order?

First and foremost have a good place to store it; an attic that doesn't leak, a basement that doesn't flood, a stand-up gun safe (if you own one) and most importantly somewhere where children cannot easily get to it. If you don't have a gun safe and are going the ammo-can route that's perfectly fine. You can get surplus ammo cans in a number of different sizes for very little - either online, gun shops or in your local army surplus store.

Here's a tip: if you don't want to spend 200 to 500 dollars in one go then buy a little bit at a time. Whether you're buying pistol, rifle or shotgun ammo you can get pretty much any of it at your local gun store, or if you feel like living on the edge Wal-Mart will do too, I guess. Buy 20-50 rounds at a time. Maybe a box or two a week on your way home from work or when you're doing your regular around-town errands. It'll accumulate in your ammo cans fast enough. In about a month I was about to amass over 300 rounds of the cheap Russian TulAmmo, one box of Winchester and one box of American Eagle 7.62x39 ammunition.  Did it cost me more than buying in bulk? Yes, a little, but sometimes it's easier to buy in little spurts when you have many other expenditures and financial responsibilities to attend to.

Another note - find a relatively dry and cool place to store your ammo. And yes, most ammo can last quite a while in rather adverse conditions, but wouldn't you rather be safe than sorry? Newer plastic ammo cans have an O-ring that helps protect against moisture, which is nice if you have 20-30 boxes of stacked ammo you're planning on storing for the long run.

Your everyday domestic AK manufacturer (Boiled Down)

Arsenal Inc.:

Quality: ****

Availability: ****

Price: $$$

Overview: High quality imports with a wide variety of AK's donning the "SA" and "SGL" designations. Quality comes at a price though - expect to pay anywhere from $800 to around $2000 depending on which specific model and caliber.

Century International Arms:

Quality: **

Availability: ****

Price: $

Overview: Probably the most common of all imported AK's are Century Arms' rifles, which flooded the market years ago and continue to do so to this day. Although sometimes cheaply made, often with milled receivers and canted front sights you do get what you pay for. And their guns are by far some of the cheapest AK's out there with most of their rifles selling for less than $500.

Red Jacket Firearms (Sons of Guns):

Quality: ****

Availability: ***

Price: $$-$$$

Overview: Popularized by Discovery Channel's "Sons of Guns," Red Jacket Firearms has a reputation for great quality and lifetime warranties. Sometimes on the expensive side, these well-made rifles are more than worth the price.

Tenessee Guns International (TGI):

Quality: ***

Availability: **

Price: $$
Overview: Recognizable for their quality work and importation of Hungarian AMD-series AK's built on the original FEG receivers, TGI stands as a good mid-range AK seller. Their rifles are of good quality and have the reputation to back them up without the higher prices of companies like Arsenal. The only real drawback to the TGI guns is that they are not as common or as well known as Century Arms or Arsenal and some gun stores may not know them.

There are plenty of other domestic manufacturers\importers of AK's in the U.S., but this is a pretty good cross section and start for someone who hasn't seen all of the reviews there is online.

Please see our Introduction Page if you're new.

Conceptualizing Loadouts - Part 1

Creativity in this field helps a lot. Mish and mash ideas you see on others to create your own. What works best for you?

Here is our page on some of our concepts of loadouts, which will be updated on a regular basis: Loadouts Page

Just because you saw someone on Youtube with an 80 lbs. rucksack doesn't mean you'll be able to hoof it. Extrapolate from your research to find a setup that best suits you. Are you looking for something that's for Frontal Assault? Breaching? Recon? Scavenging?

There is a lot of information out there on different types of thinking of the subjects as well. My opinion: take what you agree with from a number of different ideologies on the subjects and come to your own conclusions with your own situation and plans.

In terms of survivalists, militias or weekend warriors - I think being prepared for anything is a great idea as long as you know your own boundaries, especially financially. There are inexpensive options for any kind of person, but things can get pricey and fast. So be prepared as early as possible!