The Survival Battery

[Domino]

The Survival Battery is a topic of much discussion on this and other boards but rarely is it presented in a way in which encourages an overall survival strategy. That will be the attempt of this thread and I encourage others to present their own suggestions or sollutions. Also, I will demonstrate how I have accomplished my Survival Battery to fit my own personal needs and expectations. I will not go into pluses or minuses of different firearms as that would be to in depth for the intended scope of this thread. This will be an ongoing work in progress and I intend to add more in-depth information to this thread as time goes on. I figure with as many experienced people on this thread we could create a great starting point for those looking to arm themselves effectively for hard times.

A "Battery" of firearms is simply a selection of guns that can do a multitude of tasks/needs. The way I see it, the Survival Battery can actually consist of two seperate categories depending on the preppers' own personal survival strategy. There is the "Defensive Battery" in which the guns accomplish a wide variety of possible defensive needs and then there is the "Working Battery" in which the guns can be used for many types of hunting purposes. My own personal recommendation is that the Defensive Battery take a priority over the Working Battery because as I will demonstrate, the Defensive Battery can do both tasks much better than the Working Battery. So my suggestion is, if you can only afford one type then definately fill your defensive needs first.


The Defensive Battery

Traditionally, there are few roles that would ideally need to be filled in order to have a complete Defensive Battery. They are listed below with MY own minimum standards and requirements. YMMV but I feel that these are reasonable expectations from weapons designed to fill these roles.

1.) Defensive Rifle - Full Caliber (.308 Winchester/7.62X51, 30-06, 7.62X54R ect.), semi-auto, must be capable of hitting man sized target out to 600 yards. Popular choices are the FAL, HK91, AR-10, M1A, and other similar patterned rifles and clones.

2.) Defensive Carbine - Intermediate Caliber (.223 Remington/5.56X45, 6.8SPC, 7.62X39, 5.45X39 ect.), semi-auto, must be capable hitting a man sized target out to 300 yards. Popular choices are the AK-47/74, AR-15, Sig 556, HK93, Galil, and other similar patterned rifles and clones.

3.) Defensive Handgun - Effective Caliber (10mm, .45 ACP, .40 S&W, 9X19), Semi-auto, must be capable head shots out to 25 yards and body shots out to 75 yards. Lots of choices but the most popular are Glocks, Sigs, Beretta 92's, 1911's, and countless others.

4.) Defensive Shotgun - Effective Caliber (12 gauge or 20 gauge), semi-auto or pump, smooth bore, must be capable of hitting a man sized target at 25 yards with buck shot. By far the Remington 870 and Mossberg 500 encompass a huge portion of the defensive shotgun market. Other choices are the Beretta's Benelli's and the FN semi-autos.

I would recommend that you have at least one of each per family or group and ideally, add at least one defensive carbine and one defensive handgun per adult. Example, you have a 4 member group then you would ideally want have at least 1 Defensive Rifle, 4 Defensive Carbines, 4 Defensive Handguns, and 1 Defensive shotgun.

The Working Battery

Much can depend on your individual hunting needs and geographic location but as a rule I would recommend one of each of the following for a complete Working Battery. Again, these are MY own personal standards so do not take this as an all-inclusive requirement.

1.) Hunting Rifle - Full Caliber (.308 Winchester, .270, 30-06, 7mm, ect.), bolt action or semi-auto, and must be capable of reliably taking medium to large game to at least 500 yards. Popular choices are the Remington 700, Winchester 70, CZ's, Savage 10, and countless others.

2.) Hunting Carbine - Intermediate Caliber OR Magnum Pistol Caliber (.223 Remington, 30-30 .243, .22-250, 6mm, 7.62X39 OR .44 Magnum, .357 Magnum ect.), bolt/lever action or semi-auto, should be capable of taking small to medium game to at least 150-250 yards depending on needs. Popular choices are Remington 700, Winchester 70 or similar bolt actions in Varmint configs as well as "brush guns" such as the Marlin 336, Winchester 94/92 ect.

3.) Hunting Pistol - Effective Caliber or Magnum Caliber (.45 ACP, 10mm, 357 Magnum, .44 Magnun .45 Colt ect.), revovler or semi-auto, and capable of taking medium to large game out to 100 yards. Popular choices are S&W 629's, Ruger Redhawks, Glocks, and 1911's.

4.) Hunting Rimfire - Rimfire (.22LR, .22WMR, .22 Long .ect), Rifle or Pistol, bolt/lever action or semi-auto, revolver or semi-auto, and capable of taking small game out to at least 75 yards. Too many choices but the Marlin 795/39A, Ruger 10/22, Ruger MKIII, Browning Buckmark are very popular.

5.) Hunting Shotgun - Effective Caliber (.410, 20 gauge, and 12 gauge), single shot, double barrel, pump action, or semi-auto. Typically has a barrel between 22"-28", choked smoothbore or rifled for slugs. Capable of taking small game out to about 50 yards and medium to large game out to at least 100 yards. Popular choices are the same as the defensive shotgun albeit in a different configurations as well as countless single shots and double barreled models.

As you can probably see, there is definately room for overlap on the Working Battery if you pick your Defensive Battery well. And again, it will be dependant on the anticiapted hunting needs of the individual prepper as to whether or not to fill certain roles. It is also worth noting that other weapons such as air rifles, sling shots, and crossbows as well as snares and traps can be utilized in order to supplement firearms for non-critical hunting. If Hunting is not a major part of your strategy then you could simply just ignore the Working Battery.

When I get some pics up I will post pics of how I have accomplished my "Survival Battery" and I welcome yours as well as your opinions and suggestions. Also, I understand if some of you want to keep your OPSec in regard to this matter.

[Domino]

Defensive Battery

My complete Defensive Battery consists of the following 6 weapons...

1.) Defensive Rifle - DPMS LR-308 in .308 Winchester
2.) Defensive Carbine - Daniel Defense M4 XMV in 5.56X45
3.) Defensive Handguns - Glock 21 SF in .45 ACP + Glock 19 in 9X19 + Ruger LCR in .357 Magnum
4.) Defensive Shotgun - Remington 870 Express Magnum in 12 Gauge 3"

With the exception of the handguns, these guns double duty as part of my Working Battery as well. This was part of my overall strategy and I think it works well for me. It allows me to keep less guns on hand and I spend more time training with the same guns rather than having to use a different gun for every different task. All optics and slings are quick detachable to make them more adaptable and it only takes less than a minute to change the configurations of the weapons. That said they are also very effective defensive weapons which was my top priority.

Defensive Rifle - Shown below in its long range precision (DMR) configuration witn 4-14X scope then followed by its "battle rifle" configuration. I simply remove the QD scope, bipod, and monopod and then place on a lower range optic and sling. Its shown with an EOTech but ideally it will have an ACOG or similar type sight so it will increase hit probablity at longer range. Also the iron sights are capable of ranging out to 600M.



Defensive Carbine - Shown first in its "Varmint" configuration with 2-7X scope and 20rd mag followed byt its "assault rifle" configuration with EOTech, sling, flashlight, and 30rd magazine.



Defensive Handguns - Nothing really to show as there isn't anything needed to use the Glock 21 as a hunting pistol but its the only one that I'd trust for that task. I actually do have a better hunting pistol but here is a pic anyway...


Defensive Shotgun - Show in "hunting" configuration with 28" barrel w/ screw in Mod choke then in its "home defense" configuration w/ 18" barrel and sling. You can remove the Surefire light and extended magazine tube if you really want to but I find they are not really all that heavy and therefore don't get removed all that much.



Working Battery

Now that I have doubled up on at least 2 different working battery roles from my defensive battery I really only have two or three categories that I really need to fill. Just to show what it looks like on paper here is my complete "Working Battery".

Hunting Rifle - DPMS LR-308 in .308 Winchester
Hunting Carbine - Daniel Defense M4 XVM in 5.56X45 + Marlin 1894CSS in .357 Magnum
Hunting Pistol - Ruger GP-100 in .357 Magnum
Hunting Rimfire - Marlin 70 PSS + Ruger MKIII in .22LR
Hunting Shotgun - Remington 870 in 12 gauge 3"

Hunting Carbine + Pistol - I like the Ruger better than my Glock for most hunting tasks so that is why I have it. It is super tough and very accurate. Also, the Marlin is a handy little carbine and it is a great brush gun. Both guns are super easy to reload for that is why I would include them if possible. These are not mandatory though but, I like having them around. If I had to get by with one, I'd ditch the carbine and opt for the GP-100.


Hunting Rimfires - Both reliable and accurate guns that are completely satisfactory. I like the fact that the Marlin can be taken down and the Ruger's simple but effective configuration. I would hate to do without these as they would be great utility guns for small game and non-critical hunting. If I had to get by on one, I would go with just the Papoose.




So there it is, I essentially knocked out 2-3 extra guns by picking versatile defensive weapons. And I could easily reduce the Working Battery further and just adding the rimfire rifle keeping the AR's, Glocks, and 870 for other hunting tasks reducing the overall number of guns to 6. There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting more guns but ,if can get by with less without sacrificing much capability then that is probably a good thing. I look forward to seeing other methods and suggestions as well.

[lokifz1]

That's a lot of guns. More is always nice, but maybe more then is needed.

1. Rifle. 223 or larger.
2. Pistol or revolver 9mm or. 38spl or larger
3. Shotgun 12 gauge.
4. .22 rifle.

That's all most people will ever need now or after tshtf.

Buy more ammo with the saving so you can shoot more, and stockpile more.

[DannusMaximus]

That's a lot of guns. More is always nice, but maybe more then is needed.

1. Rifle. 223 or larger.
2. Pistol or revolver 9mm or. 38spl or larger
3. Shotgun 12 gauge.
4. .22 rifle.

That's all most people will ever need now or after tshtf.

Buy more ammo with the saving so you can shoot more, and stockpile more.

I appreciate the post, Domino, but I've gotta "plus 1" what ^^^^ this guy ^^^^ said.

[Kutter_0311]

That's a lot of guns. More is always nice, but maybe more then is needed.

I appreciate the post, Domino, but I've gotta "plus 1" what ^^^^ this guy ^^^^ said.

That does sound a bit heavy. What I've got...

Rifle, Hunting
-Rem 742, .308 auto, 4rd mags, scope

Carbine, Defensive
-SGL21 (x2), 7.62.39 semi-auto, 30rd mags, irons

Pistol, Defensive
-G35 (x2), .40 auto, 15rd mags, tritium night sights
-G30, .45 auto, 10rd mags, iron sights
-Kimber TLE/RL, .45 auto, 7rd mags, tritium night sights

Rimfire .22LR
-Ruger 10/22
-Ruger MKII

[Domino]

Yeah, I don't really believe in the "minimalist" approach. As I count it I have 4 rifles and 5 handguns, it doesn't really seem too overdone to me. Sure I could get by with a few less handguns (namely the Rugers) but they don't really take up much space and I like having them. The Glock 21 is my primary combat pistol, the Glock 19 is for CCW, and the LCR is the Backup Gun (BUG). Both the GP-100 and the MK III are just so practical I would hate to not have them around when doing outdoor chores or gardening. You never know when they might come in handy for pest dispatch or opportunistic hunting. Thanks for the input so far guys and keep the suggestions coming.

[bae]

I'm from the "defensive battery of belt-fed weapons" school myself...

[Kutter_0311]

I'm from the "defensive battery of belt-fed weapons" school myself...

As GD4 likes to point out, belt-fed always wins.

Sadly, who can afford to buy and feed them?

[Doctorr Fabulous]

I am getting down to a handful.

Pistols: G21, G19, and a .22
Rifles: AK, AR-15, AR (6.8), .22 Rifle
Shotgun: 20ga O/U or single-shot.

The AK is for fun, as is the .22 pistol, and I could hunt with the 5.56 if i wanted to, meaning the 6.8 is more of a dedicated hunting build. I could honestly survive well with a 5.56 AR, an 0/u 20ga, .22 rifle, and a Glock.

[Kutter_0311]

The AK is for fun, as is the .22 pistol

What kind of AK do you have that it's "for fun?" Is your .22 pistol not enough for squirels?

[Doctorr Fabulous]

The AK is for fun, as is the .22 pistol

What kind of AK do you have that it's "for fun?" Is your .22 pistol not enough for squirels?

I mean that the AK is not needed as a srs bsns gun, as either of the ARs will do the same job, and both ARs together do a better job of covering all the bases as far as intermediate-caliber rifles go. In short, I don't "need" the AK, but I have oodles of ammo and mags, so why not keep it?

The .22 pistol: a decent .22 rifle will do all that a pistol does and more, so I don't see it as a necessity. If I really had to trim down, my "ideal" firearm battery (minimalist) would be a .22LR, a 5.56 AR of the highest quality, and a 9mm handgun. most birds and small game could either be taken by snares or the .22, so a shotgun is not a necessity.

Hope that explains my logic thetre. The AK is a VEPR II, btw, and is more than adequate for any hunting or SD/HD/Warzone I'm likely to face, but I can get 5.56 ammo cheaper, and (IMO) my 6.8OTM performs better than most x39 ammo.

[Kutter_0311]

The AK is a VEPR II, btw, and is more than adequate for any hunting or SD/HD/Warzone I'm likely to face, but I can get 5.56 ammo cheaper, and (IMO) my 6.8OTM performs better than most x39 ammo.

That's cool, I guess I'd just consider it another SD/deer rifle. Spares are handy.

I like the .22 pistol b/c it's lighter than the rifle. I'm already carrying an SGL21 and a G35...

[KnightoftheRoc]

Since the title is SURVIVAL Battery, my list is short
.22LR bolty for small game that still has enough meat left on it to bother cooking it
.270 Browning BARII for big game (deer, bear, etc)
12 ga shotty for HD/SD, avian hunting, could also be used for small game or big game, just not as effectively
I don't currently have a handgun, but I'd like to if I can ever afford the reams of paperwork.

I find these three guns cover all my needs, so I can focus on stocking ammo, and training with them. I don't see me being in a firefight, but I can still put enough lead in the air to keep their heads down while I run like hell.

[Doctorr Fabulous]

The AK is a VEPR II, btw, and is more than adequate for any hunting or SD/HD/Warzone I'm likely to face, but I can get 5.56 ammo cheaper, and (IMO) my 6.8OTM performs better than most x39 ammo.

That's cool, I guess I'd just consider it another SD/deer rifle. Spares are handy.

I like the .22 pistol b/c it's lighter than the rifle. I'm already carrying an SGL21 and a G35...

Oh hell, we're rucking this shit? .22 Rifle and a G19 (as soon as I get one.) Or .22 pistol and the AR. All depends on the climate(human and natural), area I'm in, and disaster at hand.

[Domino]

Oh hell, we're rucking this shit? .22 Rifle and a G19 (as soon as I get one.) Or .22 pistol and the AR. All depends on the climate(human and natural), area I'm in, and disaster at hand.

I think that would be more the old "Bug Out Gun" thread. This is more about bieng self-sustainable for an extended period rather than just bugging out on foot with minimum gear. I do find it a bit strange that when most people think "survival" they seem think of it as improvising and getting by with as little as possible. While some improvising would definately be necessary and you can't prepare for everything, isn't it better to have more preparations in order to increase your odds and dictate the improvising to non-critical tasks? The way I see it, picking the wrong firearms could be a very serious mistake and thats why I have such an extensive list of firearms roles in the "Survival Battery". But YMMV and everyone should prepare for the worst that they expect is possible, that is the point of this thread.

[Tetra Grammaton Cleric]

Oh hell, we're rucking this shit?

-

[Kutter_0311]

Oh hell, we're rucking this shit?

I only bring it up because I'm not just the ground combat element, but the recon element as well.

Mama and the kids get to ride in the van. Daddy gets to hump it out on point.

[bae]

I'm from the "defensive battery of belt-fed weapons" school myself...

As GD4 likes to point out, belt-fed always wins.

Sadly, who can afford to buy and feed them?

Me, but I planned ahead

[AKFTW]

My "battery":

Glock 17K w/Advantage Arms slide:
Carry gun, competition pistol, and sidearm. With the .22 slide it's a great practice gun, good for plinking, and great for teaching new shooters.


AKMSF solid wood sidefolder AK (now with light, not pictured):
Defensive/combat rifle, compact carbine (when folded it is very portable) 3 gun competition, AK platform trainer for new shooters. My favorite gun with a lot of hard work and TLC put into making it what it is today.


10/22 CRR w/ Tech Sights:
.22LR training/teaching rifle, small game hunting (theoretically speaking, no experience there), plinking, target shooting. Everybody needs a 10/22.


Looking to maybe get a cheap pump shotgun for "PC" home defense and 3 gun, like a Norinco 870 clone, then I am all set. There are plenty of neat/cool/interesting guns that I'd love to own but I might be moving out of the country in a few years after college anyway, might as well get the basics and spend the money on practice, training, and skills that I can take with me wherever I go.

[lokifz1]

To me survival battery is the minimum of what you need. Kind of like having a biscuit.

Once acquired, there's nothing wrong with adding some gravy. I have lots of gravy.

[Domino]

To me survival battery is the minimum of what you need. Kind of like having a biscuit.

Once acquired, there's nothing wrong with adding some gravy. I have lots of gravy.

So you prefer to have as little as possible in order to survive? Do you just like to make your life more difficult or is there some sort of holy virtue to be had by getting by with less, like Ghandi or something? The simple fact is that getting by with the bare minimum is not a very sound survival strategy, particularly if you underestimate what you really need.

If you apply this logic to all preps equally its easy to see the fatal flaws. Would you just want to get by with just barely enough food and water for one person to last 3 months OR would it be better to have enough for your whole family for 1 or 2 years? Would it be best to have just enough medical supplies and medicine to last if you get sick or injured once or twice OR would you want enough to last your family for 10 years of bad health? Would it be better to have just enough ammo to go hunting a few times OR would it be better to have enough to fight a small war? You see my point?

Of course, I acknowledge that you can never have enough of any necessary prep but you at least want more than the bare minimum? Right? I feel the real point of this thread is to give people quality information that would give them the best possible chances of survival; and then they can go from there to determine what they think they need.

[Winston Smith]

That's what I always thought, a .45, an AR style .223, a 12 ga and a .22 should be all you need for any task in a survival situation, and great ammo availability. If you can only take 3, leave the shotty.

[sarky]

Defensive rifle: AR with LMT upper with 6.5 Grendel barrel
Defensive Carbine: Same gun with either 5.56 or 7.62x40WT barrel
Defensive handgun: a pair of Beretta 92SBs
Defensive Shotgun: Mossy 500. If they are in close I'll use the Aguilla shorty buckshot or slug shells. It gives me more rounds in the tube.

[Jsimmonsgr]

Large bore long range, Remington 770 30-06( optics, tuned trigger and bolt), Mosin-Nagant M-38 ( optics, tuned trigger and bolt).
Carbine caliber medium range, AR-15 20" DMR( tuned action and trigger, optics), AR-15 16" M-4, (optics), AK-74 Tantel ( ironsights), SKS.
Pistol, 1911 .45 x2, Browning Hi-Power 9mm, Bersa .380 x2,
Shotguns, none.

I figure this load out gives my family the best chance of survival, most of the weapons are ok with minimal maintance ( ARs and 1911s are the exception), any maintance needed is easy to do in the field. This load out is easy to find ammo for, good at long range, good at medium\close range, and allows faor fast travel as it covers both defense and hunting at the same time.