It's always interesting reading about peoples choices of sidearms for survival, having been a survival instructor and SF trooper for over 24 years. So much information is necessary to begin choosing, but among the most important is to consider what the "threats" are where you will be at. There truly isn't ONE sidearm that does the trick. Living in Montana I have a RUGER .480 because I often horseback in Griz country, however one of my favorite sidearms is a RUGER .22 stainless with a fluted barrel. I guess it's all up to your tasts and being knowledgable about the threat, and capabilities of each firearm to meet those threats. JB