The Truth About Survival Guns

I like the weird and odd. I appreciate when companies do weird things, even if it doesn’t make all that much sense. One of the oddest genres of firearms is survival guns. The purpose of these guns is to produce a lightweight, easy-to-carry gun that is often touted as the perfect stowaway gun. 

It’s a gun you can attach to a pack, shove in a truck, or put in a boat or plane in case you need to bail out and survive in the wild. They are typically lightweight and often break into multiple pieces or fold in half to reduce their profile. Famous examples include the AR-7, the Chiappa Little Badger, the 10/22 Takedown, and more. 

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They often weigh less than five pounds, and calibers like .22LR and .22 Magnum are popular options. Small ammo makes for lightweight guns; you can theoretically carry a ton of it in a small space. Single shots are the most common, but semi-autos certainly exist. They are often stripped down to the bare necessities and tend to be quite cheap. 

The Truth About Survival Guns

I like them. I think they are fun, downright neat even. However, I doubt the survival gun is effective. I think the idea of a survival situation is that we’ll be stuck in the wilderness for so long we might starve, which, on its face, isn’t that realistic. 

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We have a pretty robust network of law enforcement and first responders in this nation with planes, helicopters, and drones. Even if you get lost, stranded, or hurt, there are very few environments or locations where a rescue wouldn’t occur before you starve to death. 

The Survival Gun – Will You Have It?

I live in a rural area, and I go hunting, fishing, hiking, and try to convince my kids to try camping. I spend a lot of time outdoors. Outside of hunting, I don’t bring a long gun with me for these trips. However, I always have a handgun on me, just my normal EDC. 

This will be the case for most people. A survival gun seems like a neat idea, but for most people, they are highly unlikely to bring it on their adventures. No one plans for a bad situation, but as gun owners, we tend to prepare for them. However, should I be in a survival scenario, my EDC handgun can probably solve most problems. 

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Even if I brought a survival gun with me, how much help would it really be? Rimfire survival guns would limit your ability to take game. The most common game for most of us would be rabbits and squirrels. How many calories would I expend trying to hunt versus the meager amount of calories these lean animals provide? 

We’d get rabbit starvation if it went on long enough. 

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If I’m starving, then hunting ethics are off the board, and you can bet I’m going to try to kill a deer with a .22LR. My shot placement better be perfect. I’d probably have more luck downing medium game with my 9mm handgun than with a .22LR. 

If I’m starving, then a lot has gone wrong. I’ve been out there for a long time, and no one has found me. This means I’m in an extremely rare scenario, and in that extremely rare scenario, I’ve remembered to bring my survival rifle and ammo for it. 

But, But, But…

A big “but” in this discussion is larger-caliber rifles and .410 shotguns. The Chiappa Big Badger, the Savage Model 42, and the Centurion Survivor all offer a lot more firepower. Of course, the guns get bigger, and the ammo gets heavier. 

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If I had to choose any of these, it would probably be the Model 42 or a replica of the M6 survival gun. This way I’d have .410 and rimfire options. Now, our gun’s weight and size have increased. It’s become less convenient to pack and carry. Is the likelihood of me packing it out going to decrease? 

Would any of these guns be a better option than a Garmin InReach? They cost about the same, but the InReach, and similar satellite devices would bring help, so I wouldn’t even get hungry enough to use the gun. Plus, they are smaller and lighter than any gun, so easier to toss in my pocket or pack and go. 

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If I had to defend myself during a survival situation, well, I’d prefer the 9mm semi-auto option over a breech-loading .410 or .350 Legend. It’s less ballistically capable, but faster to take repeated shots. Most predators would be dissuaded fairly quickly from repeated hits with a 9mm in North America. 

Albeit the .350 Legend or .410 would hit significantly harder and do a lot of damage. Much more than a handgun round. If you’re in an environment with bears, then this becomes a bit more crucial. However, in that case, upping your handgun to some variety of magnum caliber would still be capable of successful defense. 

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In Defense of Survival Guns

I still like survival guns. I think they are neat and can be handy. In my role, I use them as working guns more than survival guns. It’s a pest remover I can toss in the side-by-side and not fret much about it getting beat up. I think they are just marketed wrong. 

However, I’m of the opinion that the handgun I already carry daily is perfectly fine for survival purposes. I’d rather have the handgun and a jar of peanut butter than a survival rifle if I were lost. Optimally, I have a handgun and a satellite signal device over a survival rifle. 

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My point being that if surviving is your goal, there are better options than a minimalist long gun when we examine the situation critically.