If your end days prep ammo choices were distilled to one round, which?

[FCG LLC]

I am myself inclined towards 9mm/124grain, but as I am not much of a hunter of 4 legged creatures, I admit to being leagues out of my depth on this topic.

So, if I could only have one round, what is that one caliber versatile enough to bag small and medium sized game, and still be able to defend a position?

Or am I overthinking this?

 

[Toecutter]

357 mag, in a shtf after supplies are exhauseted it can be reloaded with black powder and used in a revolver or lever gun.

 

[Deplorable Me]

.357 magnum.

 

[Criticalt]

.22- you can carry a crap load of them and kill most animals with a well placed shot.
Or
9mm- you can carry alot and they can kill most animals, especially with a rifle.
Or
308- versatile for hunting and defense.

My answer is 45LC because I have a rifle and a carbine in this caliber.

 

[Bananabandit]

357 mag gets my vote.

 

[FCG LLC]

Ok. So far unanimous. I have a .357/.38 gun and to my recollection that round is supersonic from 125gr all the way up to 180gr (I guess it depends on how many grains of powder it is sitting on.

Ok. So far each of you has gone for a rimmed, supersonic cartridge as your primary over rimless. Please school me on my shortcomings (that didn't come out right...).

What makes the .357MAG so versatile in a SHTF /scenario? What do you envision your 3 or 4 possible SHTF scenarios would look like?

Thanks much!
FCG

 

[Phauxtoe]

yup 357, can be loaded down to be able to take a squirrel or hot enough for a dear!
Nothing else can do that as well!
fit my revolvers and my bolt gun!

 

[Celt]

I'm not a reloader yet so for me I would need manufactured ammunition. I'd be very tempted to stick with 22 long rifle because you can put 500 rounds in your pocket and barely notice it. And it's easy to store thousands upon thousands of rounds. It's also highly scavengeable.

You can carry a handgun to go with the rifle as well. It's not very powerful but I still wouldn't want to get hit with one in the face. The next logical choice would also be and 9 millimeter and I can be shot through a rifle and a handgun. And like I said above you can still carry a lot of that. But I find it very hard to turn away from Old Reliable 556 as it is extremely versatile.

But if it really had to just be one I think I'd have to stick with 22 long rifle.

 

[fnfalguy]

My gut answer is 12ga.

 

[GOPerfect]

I would chose 9mm. I have lots and lots of it and I like the way it shoots.

 

[Phazer]

A 200 rounds of 22LR and a box of 9mm SD rounds go in each bug out bag.

If you have to keep mobile to live, weight is an issue and a serious factor to consider. 22LR may be a low power round, but it fits into multiple platforms and is way better than a pointy stick in a fight.

 

[Marine Cpl]

9mm. You can take down man, coyote, deer, bear, and rabbit depending on the round you use.

 

[GTN]

9mm for me. Pistols for defense and carbine for hunting and defense

 

[FCG LLC]

yup 357, can be loaded down to be able to take a squirrel or hot enough for a dear!
Nothing else can do that as well!
fit my revolvers and my bolt gun!

What kind of dear? Like a , rabid, out of control, murderous ex-mother in law? Or the 4 legged type?


10mm can also be loaded across a very broad spectrum. There are however maybe 100x as many guns chambered in .357MAG compared to 10mm.

 

[FCG LLC]

.22- you can carry a crap load of them and kill most animals with a well placed shot.
Or
9mm- you can carry alot and they can kill most animals, especially with a rifle.
Or
308- versatile for hunting and defense.

My answer is 45LC because I have a rifle and a carbine in this caliber.

If you had the funds, and the time to plan this out, would you stick with 45Long Colt?

 

[Criticalt]

If you had the funds, and the time to plan this out, would you stick with 45Long Colt?

I really do like 45LC, so if price was not an issue, yes. Id find a couple revolvers to go with the rifles and be all set.

 

[Greywolf224]

.357 for my CCW and my carbine that I have yet to buy.

 

[C3D]

.223. Capable of use in AR rifles, bolt action and pistols (albeit ugly ones).

 

[FCG LLC]

Toecutter, BananaBandit, Mr. Minion (sir)

Any insight on what makes the .357MAG the ideal SHTF round for you?

 

[Criticalt]

I will add that I will be reloading my 45LC.
So I can have the normal big and slow bullets or, make them a bit snappier for different situations.

 

[li02liberty]

As much as I like 9mm I would have to vote for 357. You can load it for black powder if you run out of smokeless.

 

[meketrefe]

The 9mm can be loaded for black powder too.
The firearm will determine how we can use it too.
I guess the real advantage of the 357 is that it can be loaded with almost double the amount of bird shot too.
And a light and short lever action might be the perfect gun to do it all pretty well.

This leads us to the .410. This might be the most versatile in a SHTF in the woods.

 

[FCG LLC]

How involved is it to reliably suppress .357MAG?

 

[Brian Colt]

[QUOTE="FCG LLC, post: 32950, member:versatileam myself inclined towards 9mm/124grain, but as I am not much of a hunter of 4 legged creatures, I admit to being leagues out of my depth on this topic.

So, if I could only have one round, what is that one caliber versatile enough to bag small and medium sized game, and still be able to defend a position?

Or am I overthinking this?[/QUOTE]
.22 easiest to carry. 45lc/.410 very versatile, Circuit Judge takes either.

 

[meketrefe]

How involved is it to reliably suppress .357MAG?

Same as any other pistol caliber.
No excessive pressure or heat so in that sense the suppressor doesn't have to be as strong as hp rifles.
Long barrels with low subsonic loads will suppress themselves pretty well too.
This is a great opportunity for the 170-180gr FMJ and hp.

 

[Magnus]

.223 my rifle would be the main firearm during a shtf shituation.

 

[ArmedCorgi]

Ugh!!! I can't choose....guess I'm dead. Honestly 22lr makes more sense from a survival stand point. However, something with more punch that is also versital would be desired too. I've been seriously entertaining the idea of a pistol caliber carbine in either 40 s&w or 9mm that takes Glock mags.
I love my guns. Each one has an equally important mix of utility and personal value for me. which means I'd probably be a deer in head lights come shtf. Makes me think about trading a lot of my stuff towards a more practical PCC and same caliber handgun set up.

 

[Bananabandit]

I'm not a reloader yet so for me I would need manufactured ammunition. I'd be very tempted to stick with 22 long rifle because you can put 500 rounds in your pocket and barely notice it..

Im gonna stop you right there. How big are your pockets? You must h ave a strong belt. Im no sissy bitch, but a brick of22 has some weight. But i get what you mean

 

[Phauxtoe]

9mm. You can take down man, coyote, deer, bear, and rabbit depending on the round you use.

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HA, 9mm on a rabbit!
sure you can shoot it, but most of the meat is gone!

 

[Marine Cpl]

HA, 9mm on a rabbit!
sure you can shoot it, but most of the meat is gone!

If you use a hollow point yes. Fmj, no.