Remember when you were these cute yet annoying little brats playing soldiers or cowboys or ninjas or Jedis? Remember when you pretended that broomsticks were guns and those fallen branches were swords? How about the time you imagined your flashlight was a lightsaber? It’s all fun and games back then. Nowadays, you should consider stocking up on survival weapons to prepare yourself for the apocalypse or some other emergency situation.
The days of pretend play are over. You now have to think about the safety of your loved ones as well as your hard earned property. Below are some examples of survival weapons you should consider getting.
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Survival Weapons: Firearms
Guns are easily the survival weapons of choice for many. They can be used to protect yourself, your family and your property from different threats. Guns are also commonly used to hunt animals, eliminate pests, and to while away the time.
You can use it from afar or within arm’s length depending on the kind of gun you have. If you’re dealing with zombie, however, the sound may put you at a disadvantage as we’ve seen in countless films and TV shows on the popular genre. That said, you should know when to use and not to use firearms.
These survival weapons have their own advantages and disadvantages so you should choose wisely. Also, guns don’t clean themselves. You’ll need the right gun cleaning kits and other accessories to keep your babies working fine when the need arises.
Types of Firearms
According to Preppgroup, there are five kinds of guns that you should have in your stash of survival weapons. These are the semi-automatic pistol caliber, revolver caliber, rifle caliber, shotgun caliber, and the .22 Long Rifle.
Semi-Automatic Pistol
Pistol calibers are the perfect survival weapons because they are lighter and smaller than other firearms. They’re easy to carry allowing you to be mobile and quick on your feet, which are important if you’re trying to evade a threat. These handguns are also easier to conceal, which gives you an advantage against would-be attackers.
The most popular semi-automatic pistol calibers are the 9mm, .40 S&W (Smith & Wesson), and the .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol), according to Preppgroup. The Glock 19 is another semi-automatic pistol that is pretty popular. It can hold up to 15 rounds and can take 17 or 33 round magazines.
Revolver
Rick Grimes made mincemeat out of every zombie and evil human being that tried to hurt him and his group with the help of his axe, a .357 Magnum, and a whole lotta badassery.
Revolvers like the Colt Python Grimes used have their share of fans. In fact, a lot of people will say the .357 Magnum is one of their sentimental favorites just because of how good –looking they are. For gun aficionados, however, they’ll surely include these revolvers in their arsenal of survival weapons because of their simplicity, stopping power, and versatility.
Revolvers are so popular that the likelihood of finding ammunition during the apocalypse is a lot higher than most other firearms. Plus, you can also shoot .38 Specials from a .357 Magnum.
Rifle
Preppgroup stressed that rifles offer a better chance of putting down threats. In fact, only 20% of people survive after being shot with a rifle. On the other hand, 80% survived being shot by a pistol.
If you’re serious about protecting your loved ones, you need a rifle as part of your collection of survival weapons. These rifles will be your primary weapon while your sidearm will be your last resort or if you need your weapon to be hidden.
The .308 Winchester and the 5.56x45mm NATO are two of the best rifle caliber around and should definitely be among the survival weapons for any SHTF scenarios. Like the .357 Magnum, these two rifles are common, which means more ammunition.
.22 Long Rifle
Another must-have, .22 Long Rifles are favored as survival weapons because they can hit a target from a distance, don’t make that much of a sound, and have low recoil. Most homesteaders prefer the .22 LR since they’re great for hunting small game. Also, they’re pretty affordable compared to the other survival weapons under firearms.
Shotgun
In No Country For Old Men, Javier Bardem’s bloodthirsty character, armed with a Remington 11-87, faced off against the protagonist played by Josh Brolin, who had a sawed-off Winchester 1897 shotgun.
Shotguns are not only popular in movies. They’re pretty handy in real life as survival weapons, especially for home defense. These guns are often used for close range fighting since you’re supposedly more likely to hit your target or targets without really aiming. This has been debated for some time now.
Still, the stopping power of shotguns coupled with a more accurate aim should be enough reason to include them in your stash of survival weapons.
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Survival Weapons: Bladed and Edged Weapons
Guns run out of bullets. When they do, you need an alternative weapon to fight off the undead or other threats. Bladed weapons are the next logical choice as the best survival weapons for the apocalypse.
Knife
Apocalypse or not, you must have a good sturdy knife. And we’re not talking about kitchen knives. A pocket knife with blade measuring up to three inches in your possession should be part of your everyday carry (EDC) list. These are items that you keep in your possession every day that may be useful in times of emergency.
Such pocket knife can do enough damage if used correctly. However, survival knives are the better option when it comes to survival weapons. Fend off threats with a mean looking knife but when it comes to it, you need to know how to use your knife in a fight.
Machete
Machetes are more than just survival weapons. They are also useful in chopping wood, clearing brush, hunting and other tasks. And as Jason proved in the Friday the 13th franchise, machetes are great for hacking away at your enemies.
Machetes have large and broad heavy duty blades that are far longer than a knife. It’s this fact that makes machetes one of the most effective close combat survival weapons ever.
Axe or Hatchet
Like most survival weapons in this list, the axe is both a tool and a weapon. Axes, particularly those with long handles, are best used for chopping wood and breaking doors open. An ice axe, meanwhile, is used mainly for ice climbing but can double as a weapon as seen in some action and horror movies.
Those with shorter handles are lighter and easier to, well, handle. As such, they can easily be wielded in a fight. Native Americans used tomahawks, axes that can be turned into a throwing weapon. Rick Grimes (again) also used a Cold Steel Axe Gang Hatchet to split zombie heads open.
Katana
Grimes is not the only The Walking Dead character we’re going to mention here. His significant other, Michonne, makes deserves her time in the spotlight for her incredible sword fighting skills. Michonne’s weapon of choice is the katana.
The katana, aka samurai sword, is one of the best survival weapons against zombies since it’s designed for close quarter combat. The length of the sword allows you to attack with ample space between you and the flesh-eater. It’s also great for slashing as we’ve seen Michonne do time and time again.
Survival Weapons: Blunt or Trauma Weapons
If you can’t blow the brains out or slice ‘n dice the threat, you could bludgeon it to death instead or at least hit it strong enough to neutralize it. Melee weapons that are designed for cracking skulls open are called blunt or trauma weapons.
Maces, clubs, staves, and war hammers are trauma weapons used throughout history. Nowadays, you can use some everyday items as a melee weapon. Baseball bats, hammers, police batons, wrenches, cricket bats, frying pans and even banjos can be used to bash the brain of a zombie in.
Other Survival Weapons
Crossbow
Thanks to that Darryl Dixon dude in The Walking Dead, the crossbow shot up the list of most badass survival weapons ever used to fight off zombies. It’s also effective against humans and wild animals.
According to Survival Sullivan, however, the crossbow is best suited as a backup weapon. While, it’s true that it can be effective in hunting and self-defense, the crossbow still has some disadvantages.
For one, it’s too clunky. Despite what we see on the TV, it’s quite difficult to run and move around while carrying a crossbow. Also, forget about trying to conceal it.
But what really relegates crossbows to reliever status is their lack of ammunition. You can only load a few arrows at a time. Plus, loading it can be quite a downer. You’d probably be swarmed by a horde of mindless creatures before you load your crossbow.
The Excalibur Matrix 405 Mega Crossbow is one of the best of its kind. The 290-pound recurve crossbow features integrated R.E.D.S. string suppressors, an Ergo-grip thumbhole stock, BCY Dynaflight 97 string, and Guardian Anti-Dry-Fire System. There’s also a built in release to keep you from firing a bolt when uncocking.
The crossbow, which comes in a gorgeous Mossy Oak Tree stand finish, boasts a velocity of 405 fps and a 13.9 inch power stroke. It weighs 6.2 lbs and measures 36.2 inches with the bolt topping at 18 inches long.
The Excalibur comes with a cheek piece, a rope-cocking aid, a four-arrow quiver with bracket, and four Diablo bolts and 150-grain field points each. Finally, each package includes a Twilight DLX Scope with 30mm rings.
Longbow
Longbows were used in medieval times so it’s a no-brainer that it can be one of your survival weapons. Like the crossbow, they’re silent and deadly making them effective hunting tools.
The problem with it is that you need to train long and hard to get the hang of it. The fundamentals of shooting a longbow are quite simple but to be effective, you need to train with it properly.
Also, there’s the issue of ammunition. Hawkeye eventually runs out of high tech arrows so you’re more likely to waste your supply.
When it comes to dealing with the apocalypse and the dangers that comes with it, it’s best to have a stash of survival weapons ready for use. It also pays to know exactly how to use each one so a bit of training is necessary. Most importantly, you should be prepared to do what needs to be done to protect your loved ones from any threat. That includes improvising when your survival weapons are rendered useless. Check out this list of everyday items you can use as improvised weapons by The Art of Manliness.
Now we here at the Gentleman Pirate Club understand the sensitivity revolving firearms nowadays. It’s clear that something needs to be done to prevent these senseless killings. While we pour our hearts out to all the victims and their families of mass shootings, we also would like to stress the importance of having different survival weapons for self-defense. Again, for SELF-DEFENSE. Not for attacking and ruining the lives of innocent people. There’s a huge difference.
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