I guess it would depend on the ammo you are able to get and put away for future use. You said ammo was severally limited; a gun is nothing more then an expensive club without ammo. For survival use I would want a good supply of ammo put away. If you are restricted in the amount you can buy, I would but up to that limit every time you were allowed to buy it. When you go out to target shoot, don’t shoot it all up, save 10 rounds from every box of 50 and put them away for future use.


Is there a limit to how much you can have on hand? And if so, are you comfortable with storing more then that limit for survival needs?

As far as choices of calibers, 12 gauge and a 22 lr rifle are a good choice. These 2 will pretty much handle all your needs. Handguns are nice if you are allowed to also have one of them, but the 12 gauge can fill in, in the middle of the night just as well as a handgun. It’s much more powerful, and more intimidating then even the biggest handgun. Just looking at the business end of a 12 gauge can many times defuse a bad situation. And everyone on the planet knows the sound of a shotgun action being racked. It gets attention like no other sound.

I know many will disagree with me, but a 10-shot 22 pistol is (Ruger, 6 inch or longer barrel) enough to stop a person if you shoot well, nobody has a bulletproof face. If you shoot them 10 times they are going to loose interest in you.

Also it is nice to have a rifle and handgun that use the same ammo. It makes buying, storing and carrying logistics a lot easier. Also a 22 is not intimidating to woman, they can handle a 22 without being afraid of it. A gun your wife is afraid to pickup is next to useless.

My x-wife (we were married at the time) loved shooting the 22 lr’s and the 32 Mags pistols & revolvers. She hated the 38-357 Mag, 45 ACP, 9mm and she definitely did not like any of the rifle calibers I shot in the contender (a single shot handgun) I think the single shot contender makes an excellent survival gun, but many seem to think you need a fast shooting gun. I like a single shot and feel very confident with it. A 45-70 or 357 Max bullet coming out the barrel will do in anything I’m ever going to see.


If you feel you must have a larger caliber handgun, of the choices you listed. Go with the 38 spl. Don’t bother with the 32 or 380 ACP pistol rounds. They will not give you much more then a 22 rifle or 6-inch pistol for stopping power and ammo cost many times more.

If you are not restricted in your gun purchases, it opens up your choices and you can end up with 1 or 2 (or 4 or 5) of everything you want, this was my chosen method.