# Best Bug Out Gun



## shaolin (Dec 31, 2012)

I got a pal and I told him for a bug out situation that I felt a .22 Ruger Mark 3 would be the best choice. He thinks something more powerful such as a 9mm is in order so I am taking him to the range to try out some of my pistols. He wants to shoot the Beretta 92FS, S&W M&P , and Glock 17 in the 9mm and I am going to let him shoot the Ruger 22/45 just so he can see the benefits. I know a .22LR is not a great man stopper but it can kill and I felt hunting small game would be more useful than Self Defense in a Bug Out Role. Am I wrong? Granted if it were me I would take the 9mm too but I have the option of taking more than one gun while he can only buy ONE. What would you advise me to do at the range or should I let him pick out what makes him happy?


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

The best possible "bug-out gun," in my way of thinking, is a fairly powerful, accurate _rifle_.
I suggest something in .308, or .30-'06.
If it has a scope, it should also have backup iron sights.
And you need at least 100 rounds of high-quality ammunition, and something in which to carry the cartridges conveniently.

A wise man once said that one uses one's pistol only as a means of getting back to one's rifle.


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## SouthernBoy (Jun 27, 2007)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> The best possible "bug-out gun," in my way of thinking, is a fairly powerful, accurate _rifle_.
> I suggest something in .308, or .30-'06.
> If it has a scope, it should also have backup iron sights.
> And you need at least 100 rounds of high-quality ammunition, and something in which to carry the cartridges conveniently.
> ...


True. A good bug out bag(s) should contain several different firearms. I would opt for four. Yes this can be a pain but bug out bags, when outfitted correctly, are going to contain a lot of things other than firearms. It is also going to depend largely on where the person lives when thinking firearms. If it's just one bag, that does limit one immensely.


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## shaolin (Dec 31, 2012)

I would take these weapons with me.
Ruger Mark 3 Hunter
Glock 19 
Ruger 10/22
Bushmaster M4


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## Smitty79 (Oct 19, 2012)

shaolin said:


> I would take these weapons with me.
> Ruger Mark 3 Hunter
> Glock 19
> Ruger 10/22
> Bushmaster M4


Only thing missing from this list is an 870.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

How would you guys carry all that stuff?
I couldn't, not even when I was 50, and really active.
And then there's food and water, and a blanket and a poncho, and extra sox, and...

It's my strong opinion that you don't need a shotgun.
Anything you can do with a shotgun, you can do with a rifle.
And there's no need to hit birds "on the wing." There's no place for "sportsmanship" in a survival situation.

I vote for one really good rifle, as I wrote before, and one adequate pistol, probably in .45 ACP.
For the rifle, 100 rounds. For the pistol, 50. That's enough for a year, if you're careful.

And, BTW, the pistol stays on your person at all times, even when you've grounded your pack and ammunition belt.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

If push turns to shove, and I feel the need to "bug out", I'm heading to my local Circle K convenience store, take it over, and barricade myself inside it.

BTW.....if you feel the need to bug out, just where are you going to _bug out _to?


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

paratrooper said:


> ...if you feel the need to bug out, just where are you going to _bug out _to?


I'll go down to the ferry landing and hijack a ferry, of course.
I'll be wearing a black eye-patch, and I'll say "Arrrgh!" a lot.

Next stop: Tahiti!

Are you with me, Mr. Christian?


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> I'll go down to the ferry landing and hijack a ferry, of course.
> I'll be wearing a black eye-patch, and I'll say "Arrrgh!" a lot.
> 
> Next stop: Tahiti!
> ...


So......just how far away is Tahiti from your ferry landing?


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

paratrooper said:


> So......just how far away is Tahiti from your ferry landing?


Well...We're on an island in the Pacific Ocean.
And Tahiti is an island in the Pacific Ocean.
So, how far could it be?

Arrrgh!


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> Well...We're on an island in the Pacific Ocean.
> And Tahiti is an island in the Pacific Ocean.
> So, how far could it be?
> 
> Arrrgh!


So......it could be closer than you think......or further than you think.

I get it now. :mrgreen:


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## DanP_from_AZ (May 8, 2009)

paratrooper said:


> . . . . BTW.....if you feel the need to bug out, just where are you going to _bug out _to?


I'm sure as hell not going give out THAT info on any Gun Forum.

I'm on the Homeland Security list of potential domestic terrorists. I meet ALL of Big Sis's original criteria. Except I'm not a veteran. My loss.
I will say I have scoped out my place. In a vehicle. Not many have been there. And not many can GET there, vehicle or foot. And if I can get there
before being spotted by drones, ALL is hidden. Jeez, I'm sounded like a survivalist.

Since I can get my vehicle to carry all the stuff, I'll just take a bunch of "items" that have a lot of ammo already packed.

.308 Rem. 700 VSSF with Millet "Tactical" 6-24 x 50mm Mil-Dot. I will have the high ground, backstop secure. Long-Range.
5.56 NATO SIG-Sauer 516 "piston" M4 Clone. Lots of 30 round mags preloaded. For close-in "Last Stand".
9mm Beretta 92 and extra mag. For continous carry. Like it was said, to use to get to a rifle.
.22LR Buckmark with red-dot. Getting meat for the pot. It's been a LONG time since I ate rabbit off a stick.
12 gauge Mossberg 8-round cylinder bore. 7 1/2 birdshot for little meat critters, #00 at night.
.454 Casull Ruger Alaskan snubby. Just for a warning shot to totally scare off any two-legged scavengers wandering by.

Gotta have water. I've got the supply. Just need a long-term supply of "tablets" to supplement a sun disinfecter.
A "smokeless" cooking device. And a whole bunch of "comfort stuff" to make life easier, and worth living a while longer.

Damn, I LOVE being paranoid. What think you, NSA ? :mrgreen:

Well, on second thought, maybe I'll just fire up my generator, and hunker down by my DirecTV until "they" get me. :smt1099


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

DanP_from_AZ said:


> ...[M]aybe I'll just fire up my generator, and hunker down by my DirecTV until "they" get me. :smt1099


Now, that's my kind of guy!


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## Glock Doctor (Mar 14, 2011)

Bug out, Hell! Where ya going to run to? If, 'they' want you, they've got you. Your only saving grace is that, 'they' are, probably, going to be too busy trying to save themselves in order to be able to come after you.

During the 1967 riots in Newark, NJ (Yes, I was there.) all of the Italian families banded together and closed off the streets leading into their close-knit neighborhoods. When the large rioting crowds came up Bloomfield Avenue they saw the cars blocking the streets, and the heavily armed homeowners standing behind these barricades.

The large rioting mob suddenly stopped, milled around for awhile, threw a few rocks and Molotov cocktails; and, then, began taking some well-aimed gunfire from the men behind the barricades. After the shooting started the rioters quickly lost their forward momentum, and began diving for any available cover. Faced with a smaller, but determined, group of cooperating homeowners and neighbors, the rioters sensed imminent failure, lost their resolve, and scurried on back to the city where they continued: looting, pillaging, and setting fires before finally engaging the New Jersey State Police and National Guard. (Whom, I might add, would have been entirely overwhelmed without the intervention and support of Anthony Imperiale's neighborhood, 'Italian League' otherwise known as the, 'North Ward First Aid Squad'.)

So far no popular news source, or academic historian has recorded how many homes and lives the, 'NWFAS' preserved and saved while the violent Newark riots were going on. I can tell you this, though: Far from being a threat to society these heavily armed Italian-American citizens proved themselves to be a stabilizing force to the city. The presence of so many concerned citizens with guns actually contained the rioters, slowed them way down, and encouraged a much quicker end to Newark's completely out-of-control civil mayhem than might otherwise have been the case.

As far as I'm concerned Anthony Imperiale was never the racist the popular press painted him out to be. Instead Anthony Imperiale was an Italian-American, a concerned citizen with a strong sense of community, a natural leader, and always a gentleman to his backbone. In a different time, in a different age, in a more honest political environment, Anthony Imperiale would have been a popular (and, perhaps, nationally acclaimed) folk hero.

Today, everybody talks about, 'bugging out'. Run, run, run! Take care of yourself, first! The point I would make is that, sometimes, it's better to stand your ground. The problem is that standing your ground often requires both a strong personal commitment to your community as well as genuine cooperation among neighbors. (Personal qualities today's socialist orientated, 'big government' no longer encourages people-in-general to subscribe to.)


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## SouthernBoy (Jun 27, 2007)

Glock Doctor said:


> The point I would make is that, sometimes, it's better to stand your ground. The problem is that standing your ground often requires both a strong personal commitment to your community as well as genuine cooperation among neighbors.


This is true IF you have as you say, the cooperation and commitment of your neighbors and your community. Were a situation to arise that there was a wholesale national collapse of the economic and infrastructure systems, then there would be sheltered enclaves, pockets, of just such communities across the country. If they had any hope of surviving, they would have no choice but to use deadly force for crimes much less serious than what we are required to adhere to today. Simple things, such as theft of food stocks, fuel, firewood, blankets, and breaking and entering would have to be dealt with immediately with extreme measures; summary execution. No time for trials or feel good measures. Those niceties are left to times where civilization reigns.

The majority of Americans would not make it. They would succumb to the rules of how they were raised and what they were taught. Perfect food for ranging hordes not of the same mind as they. Harsh times mean harsh measures.... it would not be pretty.


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## SMann (Dec 11, 2008)

I say rifle also. My first choice would be an M4. Best all purpose rifle in my opinion. Of course not backing up any long gun with an always holstered handgun would be silly. I like a 9mm Glock for that.


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