The "big 4" survival firearms are:

[EMrider]

Some of the .22 pump air rifles are pretty nice. Very practical for small game, as they are for the most part silent, and it's easy to carry a pocket full of pellets.

If you need to supplement your food, and save on ammo, plus be silent, it's a good thing.

Problem being, in my view, is it's more to carry, as I wouldn't substitute one of the 'big four' to carry one.

However if you are in a group, having someone carry one makes good sense.

Lighter ammo means more "rounds to the pound". One of the reasons the Military went from .30 cal rounds to the .556.

If "survival" meant having to live in the wilderness and be self sufficient for an unknown and possibly extended time period, I'd go with a Beeman R7 .177 cal air rifle. These can easily take small game inside of 60 yards, they are ver quiet, light, reliable, need no maintenance and I can carry 2,000 rounds easily in a couple pockets. The R7 could keep one well fed for years.

Lugging around a small armory is not a good survival strategy. If personal protection were a concern, throw in a Glock 19.

R

 

[nutpantz]

If your talking survival vs self defense then drop the 233 and get a hunting rifle.
Dump the pistol and carry more .22
If you really need 4 weapons..
Big game rifle
Small game rifle
Bird shotgun
Gun you like to play with but really has no purpose.

written in your mud with my stick

 

[cnynrat]

Why stop at 4?

 

[RHINO]

if i find myself in the situation i'll grab the 12guage and 10-22. its what i have always planned on so i have stocked up on ammo for those two. with the shells i have for the 12 i could get by without the 22, but we all know how usefull a 22 is and how much ammo you can carry in a small space. i really dont think big game would be on my list since i most likely wont be able to store the meat for as long as it would take to eat it.

 

[cnynrat]

Something to consider with regard to your pistol choice is that if you get a .40 cal pistol in most cases you can easily convert them to 9mm by replacing the barrel and getting some 9mm magazines. It can be a relatively cost effective way to cover yourself for 2 different pistol calibers to give you flexibility based on ammo availability. You generally can not go the other way (9mm to .40 cal).

I'd also note that during the last "crunch" (2009) .40 cal ammo was more widely available in my area than 9mm. A significant percentage of police departments have gone to .40 as well, so I think it's as likely as 9mm and/or .45 cal to be available, perhaps more so because it seems demand is less from the general public compared to 9mm.

Can't really argue too much with the rest of the list in the OP. Depending on where you live and whether you might have an opportunity to be hunting large game it might make sense to add a large caliber bolt action rifle to the mix. Chose a caliber you like, but 30-06 or .308 would seem to be the best bets if you are looking for good availability of commercial ammo. If you reload you will have more flexibility.

I also like the idea of having a small frame backup revolver, even if that most often will add another caliber to be stocked. But then, as I said a few posts back, why stop at 4?

 

[BIGdaddy]

Here's a great example of using a non-traditional firearm for hunting purposes:

Hog hunt with .40 PT140 2.5" barrel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PInyXzaE1ug
(caution: Graphic Hunting video with kill shot at 4:58 or so. Parents beware)

While graphic, its a very good example of a clean, humane harvest of a food animal with a weapon that can be carried all day. And as Dave says above, the .40cal cartridge is widely used by police departments, and was widely available during several "rushes" on ammo in the last few years.

 

[Chili]

AR-15, Glock 19, Remington 870 and Ruger 10/22

Found this on a survival type forum and I really can't argue with it at all.
Glad to say I have got it covered....except I prefer my Glocks in .40 caliber.

All my local stores are sold out of the "big four" except for the 870.

Sounds about right to me.. Except instead of a Glock 19 I have an XD40. I had the Glock 23 but after trying it out, found that I shoot much better with the XD. I have small chubby hands.

 

[ObGobOobaleeney]

Love my Savage 24F-12 double barrel combination rifle/shotgun. .223 on top, 12g on bottom. It's my favorite, most-used hobby weapon. The combo's were originally designed as an airman's survival gun. The stopped making them recently, but many are still out there for sale.

 

[Storz]

Glock 17 (9mm) here

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2

 

[Mack4]

10mm

There is a really good breakdown on handguns for protection in the field by Chuck Hawks.

If you're going to use an auto loader for hunting you can't do much better than a 10mm. Also, some states have handgun hunting regulations based off of case length, which excludes most popular handgun rounds. (9mm, .40, .380 ect).

From personal experience a 10mm Auto will allow you to efficiently harvest white-tailed deer with proper manipulation of the sights and trigger.

There is a good article about taking a bear with a Glock chambered in 10mm.

If you add a carbine conversion from Mech-Tech to your 10mm autoloader you can also enjoy carbine handling and accuracy in a already hard hitting round without having to carry a separate weapon system and ammunition.

-Mack

 

[HillbillyfromAL]

The only thing I would change is the Glock. What they call a safety I call the trigger I just hate the ergonomics of them honestly. I'm a 1911 fan all the way.
Oh and as to the AK not being on there. There's no need now that we have piston driven AR's. I wouldn't trade my LWRC for 2 AK's. JMHO

 

[Lynn]

If you add a carbine conversion from Mech-Tech to your 10mm autoloader you can also enjoy carbine handling and accuracy in a already hard hitting round without having to carry a separate weapon system and ammunition.

-Mack

I've been fascinated by the CCU conversions for years, but practically it wouldn't be my choice. Even when carrying a carbine, I would still want to have a pistol on my side. You could, I suppose, buy two pistols and convert one to carbine, but why would you do that when you can buy a carbine for the price of the pistol and CCU kit? Or less? I'm not up on 10mm offerings, but I'm betting there is a good carbine out there somewhere.

Personally, I have a very small budget. I'm thinking a good .22 rifle, 9mm pistol, 9mm carbine, and 30-06 gamegetter should make a pretty good set.

 

[F5driver]

There is a really good breakdown on handguns for protection in the field by Chuck Hawks.

If you're going to use an auto loader for hunting you can't do much better than a 10mm. Also, some states have handgun hunting regulations based off of case length, which excludes most popular handgun rounds. (9mm, .40, .380 ect).


From personal experience a 10mm Auto will allow you to efficiently harvest white-tailed deer with proper manipulation of the sights and trigger.

There is a good article about taking a bear with a Glock chambered in 10mm.

If you add a carbine conversion from Mech-Tech to your 10mm autoloader you can also enjoy carbine handling and accuracy in a already hard hitting round without having to carry a separate weapon system and ammunition.

-Mack

In these crazy times the only handgun ammo I can find is 10mm.

 

[Lynn]

Love my Savage 24F-12 double barrel combination rifle/shotgun. .223 on top, 12g on bottom. It's my favorite, most-used hobby weapon. The combo's were originally designed as an airman's survival gun. The stopped making them recently, but many are still out there for sale.

I had a Savage .22/20-gauge that I bought when I was a kid. Mail-order from JC Penny, IIRC. Those were the days...

I sold it a few years ago because I never used it. They're pretty heavy to tote around, and single-shot. Personally, I think a single-caliber magazine-fed long arm and a long-barreled .22 revolver would be more practical.

 

[Lynn]

Setting particular makes aside, and thinking about caliber / effective range, etc., I have a proposal, just for the sake of argument. And I expect argument will ensue

The 12-gauge pump is a very versatile arm. With a rifled barrel and the right loads the effective range is out to about 150 yards. Considerably less if you are wanting a merciful kill on a deer, but as pointed out earlier, large game harvesting is probably not the best option in a survival situation. For the purposes of influencing an individual with ill intent, let's go with 150 yards.

The 5.56 has better range, say 200 yards?

But it seems to me they are in pretty much the same effective range. I'll call it medium range.

So, the 12-gauge will cover the medium range, plus has great versatility if you include both smooth and rifled barrels and a wide variety of loads. I say let's ditch the 5.56. (Them's fightin' words, rat there! Guys love their ARs!)

Plus, even during this current panic, with the gun cases and ammo shelves bare, there is still a pretty good selection of 12-gauge ammo to be had.

So I would propose:

1. OCrap range: pistol in caliber of your choice, always on your person, concealable
2. Medium range: 12-gauge pump (rifled barrel/proper loads)
3. .22 rifle for small game harvesting (in addition to the 12-gauge/smooth barrel/proper loads)

My fourth would be a a pistol-caliber carbine.

Justification:
Few of us are as good as we think we are with a pistol. For home / close up defense a carbine has a much better sight radius and longer barrel than a pistol; both of which increase accuracy. And a shorter barrel than a shotgun (16" v. 18"), making it slightly easier and quicker to maneuver in tight places. Plus IMHO a pistol caliber like 9mm isn't as likely to shoot through walls and stuff as either a 5.56 or 12-gauge. I have to leave the pistol on the list, though, since it isn't practical to keep a carbine on your person at all times, and nearly impossible to conceal.

If I had a five-gun rack, and especially if I lived in, or expected to be surviving in, the wide-open spaces, I would add a long range arm; a scoped 30-caliber rifle (.308, 30-30, 7mm, etc.). But probably not in place of any of the other four.