Survival Guns and Ammo

As you guys know, I'm a bit of a prepper.   For the most part, I prepare for minor disruptions, but there's always the "end of the world as we know it" scenario that lurks in the back of your head.  In the event that society just eats its own tail, or even an event in the vein of Hurricane Katrina or the LA riots, security of your person, your property, and your family are a major concern.

Lucky Gunner Ammo is asking bloggers what products on their site could be used to prep, and is holding a contest for those who respond.  Since they're primarily an ammunition dealer, I'll talk about which guns from my collection and ammunition from their site I would find most useful.   Even without the contest, I have to say I'd endorse them as a great resource for bulk ammo and other shooting supplies on the web, and have used them several times in the past.

For close-in security, I'd probably stick for the most part with my Mossberg 835 12 gauge.  The shotgun has the advantages of being dirt simple and reliable, easy to keep clean and maintain, and pretty forgiving on the aiming side if you need to use it for personal defense.  It can also be used to hunt small game or birds.  Lucky Gunner stocks a large assortment of shotgun shells both for hunting or personal defense.

For my pistol selection, I'd take two.  My 1911 in .45 ACP and my CZ-82 in 9x18 Makarov.   Both are reliable, simple, and again, just plain easy to clean and maintain.  The CZ is fast becoming my carry gun of choice due to how well it shoots.  .45 is one of the most common calibers out there, so I could either trade for it or use it as trade goods if it came to that.  9x18 is cheap as dirt these days if you buy in bulk, so I can buy a lot and store it against the day it's needed.

For longer range shooting, either for hunting or security, I'll have to stick with my Mosin Nagant 91/30.  Yes, it's ugly as sin, kicks like a mother, and requires that you slap it around to cycle the action, but I've put several thousand rounds through it and never had a non-ammunition related stoppage.  It's also accurate enough to hunt large game out to about 200 yards, especially if I mount the scout scope on it again.  Ammunition can be had that ranges from military surplus grade to match grade for differing uses, and is cheap compared to comparable .308.

You'll notice that all of the links on Lucky Gunner I provided are to bulk sales.  Two reasons:  Buy in bulk, save money.  And always buy enough ammunition that you can practice often and still have a good reserve in case you need it.

Hope this was helpful.  I'd love to hear your ideas for the guns and ammunition you'd choose if you needed them for a survival event.