5 Essential Guns for SHFT 

I think the best tip is to stick to common service calibers. Exotic/special calibers could be impossible to get if SHTF. These are usually on sale multiple times a year, so stock up.... .22, 9mm, .45 ACP, .308, .30-06, 5.56. .223, 12 GA., 20 GA., .410......

Most of us are way beyond Individual preparedness. We’ve become more community focused now. With some firearms manufacturers producing uppers and decent lowers for approximately $200.00 per section and a Romeo 5 for $120.00, 1,000 rounds of 5.56 for less than $300.00, you can arm your community at a reasonable cost. There is no “I” in FREEDOM... 🇺🇸

Meanwhile in Europe, I can't even legally own a throwing knife...

.22 LR rifle with suppressor is best for taking small game and not letting everyone know where you are!

i don't have a ton of cash to spend so bought myself a glock 22, modded the barrel, bought 5 extra mags and i train myself to employ it in both defensive and offensive capacity. i also make sure that i'm fit cause it don't matter what weapons you have, if you can't move around fast enough and get yourself in a position that would give you an advantage against an aggressor, you're fucked. training yourself in preparation to a possible shtf situation is the key to surviving. if you have a gun, be proficient with it. if you're in a place where you can only have a knife, train yourself to be good at it. work with what you have, train to be proficient at it.

Not trying to encourage us breaking the law now, but in a situation where you know that there will be NO rule of law, I'd say go while with SBRs and learn how to make home made suppressors. At the point, all bets are off. I'm saving my hearing during the end of the world

So my 5 guns: 18in AR in 5.56 with a 1x8-24 optic as my go to rifle (accurate fire 0-500 yards) 20in AR10 in .308 with a 4x12 optic as my long range (100-1000 yards) Mossberg 590a1 as my 12ga Ruger 10/22 takedown suppressed Glock 34 with plenty of 33rd mags

I talked to a man that trapped for a living at a trapping show. He lived and trapped in the far north, very close to the arctic circle. He owned 4 guns. A 300 win mag, an 870 Remington 12 gauge, a 44 mag S&W 629, and a 22 lr in a S&W model 617. Interesting man to say the least.

my go to rifle would definitely be the venerable ar-15 my long range rifle would be a bolt-action in something like 30-06 or 300wm. my shotgun would be a 12ga with either 00 buck or slugs (probably a little of both) my handgun would be either my current ccw (1911 in 45acp) or something in 9mm (probably glock) my 22 rimfire would most likely be the henry ar7 survival rifle

Hell Yeah !!!!! The Henry silver Big Boy 357 magnum is my SHFT, with my Ruger single action 357 magnum. Another awesome video Sootch00 an always long live the republic my friend.

If you plan on having a group of people, .22LR 10/22 would be #2. In SHTF nobody wants a hole, so any resistance will grab respect. You can buy cases and cases of .22LR ammo, and with 10-25 semi auto .22 rifles you can make your homestead a lead porcupine! With plenty of people not knowing how to handle a gun, within 100 rounds you can have most people on target at 100-200 yards with a .22LR. That way you can cheaply arm and within hours train every able bodied person in your group, as well as send people out for hunting with it.

Glock 19 MOS Gen5 9mm BCM AR15 20" 5.56 DD AR15 10" .300 S&W M&P AR in .22 or Ruger Takedown .22 Rem 870 DM 12ga

9mm pcc/pcc pistol: ar9 or extar ep9 9mm pistol: G19 or canikEC 22lr: ar22 or 10/22 223/5.56:ar15 or tavor 7.62x39: ak47 or galil ace 12 gauge: mossberg 500 or 930spx The most reasonable caliber from top to bottom with a couple examples each. 9mm an 22lr could be swapped for the number 1 and 2 spots depending on the situation.

These are a ton of good choices and you nailed it with this selection but one I like that you didnt mention is the SKS! I love my SKS! Its just a fun nostalgic style rifle and I am a fan of it esp 7.62x39 is readily available as well!

So I won’t go into specific Rifles and or handguns because there are so many preferences so I’ll go off of my caliber list. 7.62x51 or 7.62x39 223 x 5.56 12 gauge 22LR 20 gauge 45 You can’t forget about the infinite ammo 9MM.

1. AR 15 20" barrel. 2. Glock 19 3. Savage .308 bolt action 4. Mossberg 12 GA 5. .22 rim fire bolt carrier for AR 15 and 25 round magazine.

My Go-T0-Rifle: SKS (7.69X39) - live in CA (Plus it has a built-in bayonet, just in case things need to be stabbed :) )

Way to go Sootch. Very informative. Good overview . G d bless and long live the republic.

S#$% hits Fan The

Its good to have a nice pellet gun. I bought one at Bass Pro Shop with a scope. Perfect for hunting small game and doesn't give your location away. Plus pellet guns have came along way. I shot my in the back yard and almost freaked out thinking the neighbors were going to call the cops. Thing was loud and powerful.

I'd stick with my AR for a number of reasons. I prefer my AR pistol, for ease of use and mobility. My family will all have their own AR so I'm not worried about barrel length, range, or whatever, someone in my group has an AR to cover all the basics and we'll all be using 5.56 caliber so it makes things less complicated.

*Extensive IMO:* .22lr pistol, 9mm, .45acp .22lr rifle, 5.56, 7.62x35 (aka 300 blackout), 7.62x39 (AK round), .308 (semi for battle/hunting IMO), .300 win mag(hunting, area dependent 12 Gauge *Only 5 IMO:* .22 rifle, 9mm, 5.56, 12 gauge, .308.

Grab a gun or two, train with them and stock up on ammo! Be prepared patriots, winter is coming!

Seems to me the best weapon for SHTF is the one in your hand when the crap is flying. To cover everything though, and make sure you can find ammo, if you have .308 rifle (any platform, should penetrate all soft armor, black tips will penetrate armor plate) 12ga (pump or auto, for hunting and short range, slugs can penetrate some soft armor) 9mm/357mag (your sidearm should never leave your person) and 22/22mag (for protein gathering, though it still can be a deadly sniping tool in a rifle) In a WROL or Tyrannical situation unconstitutional laws such as the NFA will have no justification and weapons such as SBRs, SBSGs SoSGs, etc as well as devices like suppressors, shotgun traps, mines, etc will be fair game for anyone protecting life and property.

If I could only have 5 . I'd choose common calibers for sure . Wildcats wouldn't be a smart move . 9mm , 22lr , 556n, 308 , and 12ga would be my choices . To be specific here's what I'd choose . Glock 19 G4 or G5 ( WC / Vickers Battle Sights ).. Ruger 10/22 Heavy (PA 1-6× 22LR ACSS ).. Colt LE6920 M4A1 SOCOM 14.5" with YHM Turbo K Suppressor ( Trijicon TR25 1-6× ).. Aero Precision M5E1 308 with YHM Resonator (1-8× ACSS ). . Remington V3 Field Sport 26"VR. .

Ruger PC carbine is a good option you can set up to use the same magazines as the handgun you carry and it is a take down

Thanks this is really great information, and right along the lines of what I tell all my friends. What I tell them is an order of purchase 1.12g shotgun 2. Ruger 10/22 3. 9mm handgun (Glock or Smith and Wesson) 4. Ar-15 5. 308 battle rifle . For firearms novices the 12 gauge serves the purpose of home defense and shows them the destructive powers of a firearm and how important it is to respect that. The 10/22 will get them into rifle marksmanship cheap and I recommend they go to a project Appleseed shoot to get proficient with it. The 9 millimeter handgun is an excellent choice because one it's a NATO standard cartridge and two it's also the cheapest to shoot and to practice with. Once they get proficient with those three they're definitely going to want an AR and we'll be over the big scary black rifled part by then.

I love my AR 15. It's a great gun, and that is my go to gun. But I also like the 7.62 mm round. And it has many uses. So I had to go out and pick up a VZ 58 to keep as a backup. I love that gun too. Now here is an interesting gun. A Sub-2000 chambered in 40 caliber. Matches my M&P 40 perfectly and fits nicely into a small shoulder bag that is easily concealable. And that one may be the best gray man bug out bag gun out there. My bug out bag easily holds my Sub-2000, my M&P 40, and about 300 rounds no problem. I am really not that interested in shooting someone at 1000 yards. If he is really 1000 yards away, I can most likely avoid him. And besides that is really not a skill I am interested in picking up. Specially since where I live there are so many trees everywhere. I can't see at 250 yards. And no I'm not talking about walking out into the middle of the Interstate highway to shoot someone.

Excellent video, Don! One thing I think would have been a plus to add would be a suggestion on how many mags that the magazine fed firearms should have. Buying the rifle is part of the equation, ammo is another part, and mags is the third vital part. Optics and other add-ons are secondary and certainly help, but aren't vital to the operation of the rifle.

I would pick a ar15 , single action.22 bearcat, and beretta 92 in 9mm. The bearcat can use .22short and .22lr.

1) Handgun 2)AR SBR 5.56, 3)Shotgun, 4) .308 5) .22

Great video thank you for sharing. I have an AR-15 but i found i can only carry so much ammo for it. I also have a 22LR in AR Platform the amount of ammo I can carry for my 22LR is amazing having a 22 hand gun also means I only need to carry one ammo type.

Which one do you recomend for shooting the Hood of your car. Lol. Just recognised you in a gun fails video.

Saw in my feed at midnight at midnight...I don't need sleep I need answers!

My little collection is built around my family make-up. "go to rifle" are 5.56 AR platform. Long range rifles are .270 caliber. Pistols are 5.56 with forearm braces, or 22 caliber semi-autos for concealed carry. Shotguns are 20 gauge. All this is for the ladies of the house or for bug out situations. I personally carry my S&W model 686. and my Henry arms lever action, both chambered in .357 magnum. I have zero issue with recoil or weight.

Love your choices but for SHTF I would keep on hand if bunkering in 10,000 per carbine 5,000 rounds for the long range gun. 1500 rounds of various shotgun 1500 pistol 500 rounds of 22lr As defensive ammo and I would double these numbers for training ammo. Yes I'm already working on my stock piles now.

Patreon member here: This is one of the best lists I've seen. Besides a second AR-7 -- "Don't leave civilization without one" -- I'm really liking the .357 Henry. The shorter length is the big selling point for me. AND easier to handle inside a vehicle.

Which rifle do you recommend for shooting a hole in a Ford's hood? :-)

Just FYI, common calibers disalear from shelves in bad times. I remember only being able to get stuff like 17 HMR for months at a time. Glad I had a 17

Ruger 10-22 takedown Springfield M1A Scout Squad. (308) Remington 870 Express Tactical (12g) Glock 23 (40 S&W) S&W Model 29 (44 mag and 44 spl)

man im so happy you still post videos . thanks sootch!

For the 22lr I actually mentioned this in another video earlier I have a ruger 10/22 but I keep a cmmg 22lr conversion bolt and mag in my pack with a brick of ammo. 30 seconds and I can swap bolts in my go to ar15 then I can shoot some food or whatever I need to a little quieter. I prefer my semi auto shotgun. I’d like to think I have all ranges covered with my 14.5’ 223 with a 1-6x acss my 20’ 223 with 3-12x Bushnell AR Optics scope. Ks47 with the 1.5-5x leupold. Ar15 in 6.5 Grendel 4-14x primary arms Orion acss. Ruger American 243win 4-16x diamond back tactical. Actually have managed to store up 460rds of 100gn sp for it too. G17 m&p 2.0 9mm walther ccp 9mm Phoenix 22lr pistol. But in all honesty if shtf and I had to roll out I’d grab my 14.5’ 223 snap off my Grendel upper and throw it in my bag which also had the 22lr bcg. Always have my m&p on me my 17 with extra mags stays in my pack with all the other usual goodies

A lever action is a good first choice.

as always a pleasure to listen to your viewpoints. thank you for doing so much for us novices in terms of education on guns and survival topics

Dang Sootch!!!. This dropped right in he middle of work... I'm saving it till this evening so I can watch it along with Military Channel, Garand Thumb as a Triple Header... !!!! Lol...

Powerful video!!! Thank you for sharing.

Those not so friendly states would be no more in a SHTF situation. Magazine capacity wouldn't be an issue.

I would disagree about how much more reliable the akm is. I'd emplore everybody to watch the "in range tv" akm mud test. It fails miserably while the ar 15 being a closed system runs like a champ under the same circumstances. Both are good, and have their caviots. I just don't put my ego into my firearms.

I think there is at least 2 categories of preper guns, home base guns and Bugout guns. If I can't stay at my survival location with all my preps I'm taking an HM Raider AR pistol, Mossberg shockwave, Glock 17 gen5, and possibly if there's room a 357 magnum revolver probably the SW 686 plus for that extra round.

Ak47, 1911 45acp, and a sawed off double barrel will do just fine, lmao.

While I absolutely LOVE modern hand guns and would never give up my Walther PPQ or my Glock for anything, in a SHTF situation, you also need to have something like a Ruger Old Army and a PCP rifle that you can hand pump for hunting small game.... The very first thing that will be raided is the Gun Shops so ammo will be scarce. The most popular stuff will go first ..... for long term make sure you have something the casual and noobs arent looking for,.

my list would be somewhere along the lines of (5.56 AR), 243 or 270 "maybe both" if I acquire a 308 or other caliber at some point this may change. For shot gun I'll go with 20ga with assorted ammunition "just to save weight as apposed to the 12ga" for small caliber rifle I'll go 17hmr instead of 22lr "much more accurate and a little more power and in my area can be found easier than 22 at the moment "this may change if 22 becomes more available in my area" for hand guns it would be 22lr 9mm 45acp and 357mag.

BCM AR15 Beretta 1301/Mossberg 590 Glock 34/Glock 48 Ruger 10/22 Bergara B14 HMR/Tikka T3 (.308) Marling 336 Dark These are my picks

Hello from Boston. Building preps here.

Great video my brother.. I think everyone has their personal choices and I hope they make the right choices to be in the field because this Revolution and Civil War is going to be nasty.. I hope you and your family and friends are prepared mainly physically and mentally and may God bless you The Patriots will win this battle Oorah

Years back I worked in a place that did a huge amount of LE business. We were having a conversation with the head of one of the police departments about how much ammunition you would need if things went bad. He said at least 50,000 rounds. A bit more than the 1,000 suggested.

I'm going to completely reorganize this list as prioritizing what you get. 1. Midsize 9mm pistol such as G19. You want something concealable yet large enough to defend against multiple attackers. 2-4. These will be 3 rifles. I would lean toward a 10-22 first as it will get you game and get you through defensive situations in a pinch as well as provide you with the most training for the least money. Next, would be your go to rifle. I actually really like the AR pistol type firearms for this role to include a 12.5" .308 AR-10 if you foresee armored enemies or the need to engage targets/medium size or larger game out to 600M. At the point you are in this type of rural environment, maybe it would be more advantageous to go 12.5" AR-10 with a .22lr pistol to cover taking game. More generally speaking though, I would advise an AR-15 pistol with an 11.5-12.5" barrel with a 5.56 or .223 Wylde chamber and 1:7 or 1:8 twist and put the long range option at number 4. I actually still really like the 12.5" .308 as an option for what I consider medium range engagements and don't foresee most people needing to engage beyond the easily 600M range of that platform. If you do want/need the range though I can't advise many of the options Sootch presented. Firearms like the FAL, CETME, and G3 tend to be accuracy limited to around 600M even if the cartridge is effective beyond. A 2 MOA rifle gives you a 12" group at 600M. A 1.5 MOA rifle will give you a 12" group at 800M. A 1 MOA rifle will extend that to 1200M. Max effective range will depend on the distance the projectile goes transonic, projectile energy, and the range a 12" group can be held. 5. A 12 gauge shotgun is optional. It has limited usefulness. It is far from the best home defense option. It is useful for hunting especially flying game. Really though, the .22lr will be just as if not more useful depending on your marksmanship for taking any game that isn't in flight. For survival, you don't need the sportsmanship of shooting birds in flight so my recommendation for a 12 gauge isn't going to target it's usefulness against anything animate. I'm actually going to recommend something like the Shockwave or Tac-14 for their portability and usefulness against inanimate objects. A 12 gauge's main usefulness during SHTF is going to be breaching. If you don't need to breach, you're going to be less armed with a 12 gauge than your Go-to rifle in any situation. This is going last on the list also because a pump action 12 gauge is the least likely to ever be banned and would belong to the last category of firearm banned. Beyond breaching, the other benefit of a 12 gauge is giving you the use of a very common type of ammunition. If you don't like what I have to say about the 12 gauge shotgun, then you don't like the conclusion that military and law enforcement have come to. Those 2 entities also have the limited usefulness of less than lethal loads.

If you wouldn’t carry a 22 now to defend yourself during peaceful times with rule of law why in the world would we consider carrying a 22 Long rifle during violent times without rule of law? During violent times the criminal element moves parasitically from resource to resource. Scooch I’m glad you brought that up.

I still say go with what you shoot best and are most familiar with. I do believe you should try and train on as many platforms as possible, but train mostly with what you own and shoot best.

Have you heard of all the things we have to do to a “assault” rifle here in California? It totally makes you not even want to get one. Some of the things I know is can’t wrap your hand around the grip, all that featureless stuff, or you need to pull a pin out and open it up to reload it. As well as that new ammo law bs. Yep there is the USA and then there is California. If I said I didn’t have any American style rifles I would be lying 🤫. Keep up the videos my friend, I never get tired of watching. (Or spending money on things you review🤑)

That's what i have for now lol M&P9 Shield everyday carry M&P 15 Sport II .223/5.56 Stevens 320 Field (savage arms) 12 ga Mossberg 702 Plinkser .22Lr and ammo and first aid kits with tourniquets :)

Sootch is the man his videos always make my day... keep up the awesome work bud hit me up to shoot sometime!!🤣

I am working my way up to an AR, I wanted to get really comfortable with my Walther’s first. 💚

For shtf, lever action all the way. Easy to repair and no gas system to fail. Also a pump action shotgun. It can fire anything.

you always have the coolest guns and great video by the way

I don’t think living in the city area I necessarily need a long range rifle.

Ar-10 is my go to rifle , 223 is my secondary rifle mini 14 .

Another great video, thanks for posting.

I agree with all of the weapons, just not the order. I’d put a handgun a #1 because you can have it with you all the time and conceal it. #2 would be the go to rifle, #3 shotgun, #4 .22lr rifle and last would be a king range option.

Oh almost forgot I think a good rifle that fits in this is a CZ Bren 805. Not the easiest to get parts but you should stockpile beforehand like anything else.

100% agree. Just wrote article pointing out this same list. Also mentioned “communist” states.

Good stuff, widely used firearms plus I reload all the common calibers. Have lots of reloading supplies plus plenty of factory ammo all the way to .338. Shotgun ammo we buy only, it’s cheap and piles up quickly. Have way more in ammo, supplies and firearm parts than the actual firearms. Good quality guns will usually last a lifetime ( we can work on what we shoot) and I think we’re ready with this part of prepping. Now what about those fish ponds and planting fields? Thanks for a great video.

1. Ak 47 2. FN 17 3. Modified G36 4. S&w mp 10 5. Modified Saiga 12 drum

Ruger 10/22 takedown with Magpul X22 stock, shortened barrel, silencer, aimpoint scope. The user can carry hundreds of rounds, hunt quietly (and not blow game apart), carry in a backpack and use for self defense if necessary. The best way to win a conflict is to avoid it.

Man I really dig the outro music .....it sounds like classic 70s rock. I expected Neil Young to come in at any moment, lol

Another great video. Hard to not start with a shotgun if you have nothing and work on the other four as money allows. Get a good 870 or 590.

Greetings, I am interested in notifying my surrounding neighbors to prepare for SHTF with a flyer into their mailbox. Can you advise what process you would go through to complete this task. Cheers,

Well said and agree totally.

If I had to bug out to the bush I would carry a .22 rifle and a pistol. Ammo weight would be the factor there. Bug out any other place it would be my x.45 carbine and pistol.

I say whatever makes you lethal but also what has a massive parts network, common cartridge. I think a good bolt action is very useful, as well as some type of .22 for small game. A good 9mm like a glock or shield is ideal, 9mm seems to be the best choice. And obviously a good 12 ga shotgun like a mossberg or Remington. Those repeaters are stupid fun though, love em.

It must be amazing to be an American unfortunately I’m not an American but I would love to become one god bless America 🇺🇸 ❤️

Get a quality AR pistol with SBA3 brace. you can swap a rifle stock on if needed. (when there's no more gun law)

If I could only choose one caliber it would be 357 magnum because it's almost as versatile as 12ga, but the ammo is smaller and lighter weight. A 357 magnum rifle has the same energy as a 223 rifle. Plus you can shoot 38 special for small game and 357 magnum for larger game. 38/357 mag are also very easy to reload using homemade lead bullets and there is a wide selection of gun powders you can use for it. Rare calibers might be okay if you reload your own ammo like converting 223 brass into 300 blk brass or like converting 308 brass into 7mm-08, 338 federal or 358 win, but I agree that common calibers like 22lr, 9mm, 223, 7.62x39, 308 and 12ga is probably a better choice. Especially if you don't reload your own ammo. The calibers I reload are 380 acp, 38 special, 9mm, 40 s&w, 45 acp, 357 magnum, 400 corbon, 10mm, 44 magnum, 223/556, 300 blk, 7.62x39, 30-30 win, 243 win, 308 win, 270 win, 30-06 sprg, 12ga, 20ga and 410ga.

5.56, 9mm, 12 gauge, and of course 7.62×39

With potential headspacing issues over time, My AK itch has died off because of lack of durability.

What type of wood was the furniture made of on the AK that you were holding?

I am surprised that nobody considers a revolver as the handgun of choice. A 357 magnum would be ideal, especially if you have a 357 magnum lever action.

I think a revolver needs to be the sixth type of gun. Doesnt really matter the purpose or caliber, just have a good revolver.

in the country..you need a ar ..shotgun and a semi pistol..that will cover it pretty good

I would add one or two good quality air rifles to that list. Not talking about a $19.97-29.97 Walmart Daisy, but something a little higher end, along with a few thousand pellets.

Awesome video! -Dimitri

Handgun is #1 priority for me,The last thing I plan on doing is walking around brandishing a long rifle,That is just asking to get killed,robbed or followed. I plan on looking as inconspicuous as possible. Don't get me wrong,A long rifle has it's place but in my opinion it should be on the back burner,Handgun 1st - Don't attract attention but remain deadly!

The AK-47 is reliable... As long as you don't have cast trunnions. I do want an AK, but I want something built on forged or milled trunnions. So I just built an AR for the meantime

Forgot the 6th category: #6 - Crew Serve

My strategy is to get one firearm for all nato rounds or at the very least top of list in regards to popularity. Grid down, you want to have weapons that will have a plentiful amount of ammunition. 9mm 22 5.56 12 gauge .308

Since i have a family with several children of varying ages i try to have something for everyone in a shtf scenario. Right now my go to would be: ruger 10/22, 9mm of your liking (don't want to upset any Glock fanboys), ar-15, lever action rifle in 38/357, revolver in 38/357 (S&W 686 or GP 100) and 22lr revolver S&W 617 that' six firearms for six family members.

Slugs can reach over 300 yards actually, but can shotguns be zeroed with great accuracy? A rifle still might be the best choice 😉

Just don’t get a century USA built ak like sensible has.

Any ideas for elderly folks? Or Veterans??????? *******5 MINUTES LATER******* Nevermind.......I Got It Covered!!!!!!!

I consistently dropped the 600m pop-up target with my m16, so to say that an ar15 is anything less doesn't make sense.