Preppers: How Many Guns Are Enough?
Kevin Felts 12.06.17
While at a local gun store looking to make my next purchase, I started asking myself, “How many guns would a survivalist need?” The easy answer is, “You can never have enough guns.”
Sportsmen look at firearms one way, and preppers look at firearms a different way. Someone may ask, “Kevin, how do preppers look at firearms?” I am glad you asked.
In general, preppers look at firearms not only for home defense and hunting, but also ammo availability, recoil control (can all members of the family shoot it reasonably?), and whether they are easy-to-use handout weapons for friends and family.
For example, how many hunting rifles would someone need in the event of a collapse? One for myself, and then a couple to hand out to friends and family members. However, the calibers should be family-friendly, meaning no excessive recoil. The calibers should also be ideal for hunting wild game in your given area.
Hunting Rifles
My main deer rifle is a Remington model 700 chambered in 280 Remington / 7mm Express. The 280 is a 30-06 case necked to 7mm, and it kicks pretty good. I would not want my daughter shooting it, not when there are other rifles in the gun safe. The FN/FAL in 308 Winchester would be a better pick for her. The FN weighs around 10 pounds and kicks less than the 280 Remington. Then there is the Marlin 336 in 30-30 Winchester and the SKS in 7.62×39.
What is wrong with the above picture? No two rifles shoot the same type of ammunition. When I go looking for another deer rifle, should it be in 308 Winchester, 30-30 Winchester, or 7.62×39?
To me, the obvious answer is to pick up another Marlin 336 in 30-30 Winchester. Ammo for the lever action is cheap, readily available, and effective on deer-sized game. As for family-friendly, the recoil is not excessive.
Also, how many firearms would you need for small game? Are two or three 22 rifles enough? Are two or three shotguns enough? Should the shotguns be 410, 20, or 12 gauge? Readers may be quick to say everything should be 12 gauge. However, not everyone likes the recoil of a 12 gauge.
Defensive Firearms
How many defensive firearms do you need? Should they be shotguns, rifles, or a combination of both?
My go-to defensive rifle is the AR-15. Recoil is minimal, parts and accessories are easy to find, and training is easy. You can take someone who has never fired an AR, give them five minutes of training, and they should have the basics down.
What about the AK-47? My daughter does not like the recoil of the AK, and magazine changes require more practice than the AR.
Defensive shotguns, that is easy: 12 gauge with either slugs or buckshot. However, since I live in a rural area, shotguns for defense (other than home defense) would probably be a waste of time. Shots at human enemies out here could easily be 100-200 yards.
Final Thoughts
Once you have all the bases covered, then comes redundancy. If a hunting rifle goes down, you should have another to take its place. After all, what good does 1,000 rounds do when nothing can shoot it?
Let’s get back to the gun store. It came down to either buying another AR, a lever action, or a shotgun. I was really leaning towards a Mossberg or Remington 20 gauge pump action.
What do the readers think? Given your current firearm setup, what would your next purchase be?
