Gun Digest Book of Survival Guns

256 Pages·2012·8.56 MB·English

by  Scott W. Wagner

GunDigest® BOOK OF
SURVIVAL
GUNS
Tools & Tactics
for Disaster Preparedness
SCOTT W. WAGNER
Dedication
o work such as this would be possible without the support of
N
family and friends. I wish to thank my wife, Bobbie, for patiently
putting up with me and two gun safes in the house, including
one in the bedroom. I also wish to thank my sister-in-law, Mandy
Hughes, for her photographic work and contributions. Several of my
police academy cadets participated as models in the photos, and I
appreciate their efforts, as well. Many thanks to the Special Forces
operators, who provided their insight, as well as my law enforcement
friends, who have suddenly realized the seriousness of this topic. Finally,
thanks to my friend and survival expert “Bill,” who helped confirm my
concepts were on the right track. I also wish to thank the following
manufacturers and companies for providing test and evaluation
materials for use in this book: Bates and Dittus BLACKHAWK!
Century International Arms Crimson Trace Del-Ton Firearms DPMS
IO Firearms, Inc.
Food Insurance Ithaca Firearms Lasermax
Marlin Firearms Maxpedition Maglite
Mossberg Firearms
For those of you who have chosen to be ready, and who may have
suffered some ridicule for your beliefs, I would offer this. There was
once a man named Noah. He prepared an ark to save his family and the
animals specified by God from an impending flood that God said would
wipe out all animal life from the earth. It took Noah and his family many
years to complete this work. Although the Bible does not record it, there
is no doubt that he was the object of ridicule and scorn by those who
were soon to be wiped out. Keep preparing. While we hope the things
we are preparing for never come, we want to be ready in case we do. We
owe that to ourselves, our families, and our trusted friends.

Contents
Dedication
Introduction
Chapter 1
What’s the Big Emergency? What’s Everyone Worried About?
Chapter 2
Sheltering in Place vs. Bugging Out
Chapter 3
Primary Weapon Selection
Chapter 4
Rifle Remedies, Full-Bore and Full-Length
Chapter 5
Short Stuff: Scout Rifles, Levers, and Pistol-Caliber Carbines
Chapter 6
Shotguns, a Top Choice for CQB (Close-Quarter Battle)
Chapter 7
Handguns: Don’t Leave Home Without One
Chapter 8
Less Lethal, Still Necessary
Chapter 9
Ammunition Considerations
Chapter 10
Off-Duty Carry for the 21st-Century Cop
Chapter 11
Tactics
Chapter 12
Emergency Evacuation: Needs Beyond the Gun
Introduction
ccording to the National Geographic television show Doomsday
A
Preppers, approximately 45 percent of the population has been
preparing at various levels to cope with some form of upcoming
societal upheaval, either at a local or national level. The forms of
calamity that motivate individual “preppers,” as they are called, are
myriad, ranging from comet strikes and volcanic eruptions in
Yellowstone National Park to localized disasters such as tornados and
hurricanes, and on up to things on a national or even global scale, such
as would happen in a complete economic collapse. No matter the reason
for the crisis, the concepts for survival are the same: provide for long-
term food, water, medical supplies, and the general security needs for
yourselves, friends, and family members, when the traditional needs of
substance provision are either temporarily or permanently unavailable.
While there are a number of survival guides both from FEMA and
private sources available to the public that promise to cover this topic,
there is very often one aspect overlooked, and that is the selection of
weapons and tools that provides the best security for prepared families
at a reasonable cost.
Gun Digest’s Guide to Survival Guns covers not only the selection of
firearms, but other concepts such as layered defenses, caliber selection,
action types, ammo types, carry methods, and commonality with other
weapons systems. An examination of support gear, including carry and
storage systems, along with transport modes and deployment (Chapter
12, “Emergency Evacuation: Needs Beyond the Gun”), is presented and
contrasted to weapons systems and defense methods already in place for
those potentialities. Pre-disaster travel will also be explored, as well as a
discussion of triggering events. Recommended firearms training plans
are also scrutinized.
The Gun Digest Book of Survival Guns should appeal to a wide variety
of people interested in long-term survival, whether the endangering
event is on a local, state, or national level. Cops, civilians, and soldiers—
everyone who is interested in keeping themselves and their families
intact when these perilous events occur—will find useful information in
this text, regardless their stage of preparation or belief system. An
intense focus on practical firearms to obtain prior to these events sets the
Gun Digest Guide to Survival Guns apart from other works written towards
this topic. I hope you will find this information and the concepts
presented therein helpful.—Scott W. Wagner
A well-stocked survival food supply. This is essential where you’re planning on bunkering down
for the long term, a concept known as “sheltering in place.”