Guns Not to Buy For Survival
There are countless books
, articles and blog posts dedicated to choosing survival guns. What I haven’t seen much of is suggestions for what not to buy.
I’m sure many will disagree with the conclusions given here, or have other suggestions that I failed to mention or overlooked.
In some cases it isn’t a matter of overlooking or forgetting to mention a certain manufacture, but simply the fact that I have no experience with the firearm not on the list.
Unlike some others, who tend to give endorsements or criticize without firsthand knowledge, I only give advise on things I have personally used, tested, worked on and evaluated.
Best Avoided
If I failed to mention a manufacture that you know produces junk don’t be shy, please share your experience with us in the comments below 
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December 16th, 2009 at 6:48 AM
I am going to say this in defence of my beloved Hi Point.
Let all the haters of this gun go and spend $400, $500, or $600 on their firearms. My Hi Point is NOT Ugly, (I in fact love the way it looks, handles and shoots, I have a compact 9mm). It never failed me, I shot EVERY SINGLE round I fed it. It is very reliable, durable and accurate on the nose.
I would challenge any Glock, Sig, Smith & Wesson, Springfield, Kahr, or Beretta with my Hi Point. It would put you guys to shame, not only because it shoots great and does all what I have said, it is the fraction of the cost of your gun. So there you have it.
Buy a Hi Point with confidence. Any problems? You have a lifetime guarantee. I want to see THAT in a $600 gun once it malfunctions.
I also have a Phoenix Arms HP22A it is a sweet gun, solid and great to shoot, so do not beleive the crap you hear about it. I shot close to 1000 through it, NOT A SINGLE PROBLEM.
Phoenix Arms also have a LIFETIME GUARANTEE like Hi Point.
I bought a Hi Point C-9 9mm (new), Phoenix Arms HP22A (new), a Heritage Rough Rider (new), a Llama .22 (used) and I paid only $550 FOR ALL! Take that you high payers!!!!, not only that!! NOT A SINGLE ONE OF MY GUNS MALFUNCTIONED AFTER 1000S OF ROUNDS! and I simply LOVE my guns!
'nuff said!
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December 16th, 2009 at 5:18 PM
First of all all of our revolvers say "Charter Arms" on the barrel not Charco Arms. We are a family owned company that has 24 employees that are all U.S. citizens, active shooters, and actually care about the products and quality of them. We have a "Lifetime Warranty" which we certainly could not support without quality. Call our customer service department and a real person will help you. The surface finish on our chambers is 32 micro and spent shells fall out. Our frame is stronger then a S&W as well as smaller, in addition our cylinder assembly is held in by our frame, a S&W is held in by a small screw which has a tendency to fail.
Nick Ecker owner of Charter Arms
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December 22nd, 2009 at 12:13 AM
Any hand gun might do well for personal protection but in a survival situation I wouldn't care much about conceal carry. AK-47 would be my best option. Powerful 7.62×36 round,high capacity magazine,reliable,rugged,easy to maintain. Add a scope and you can bring down some pretty big game with it, not to mention how intimidating it looks to any would be bandits you might encounter. Yes if you meet up with me in a survival situation you can bet I'll have my AK.
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December 29th, 2009 at 12:31 AM
What ever you purchase, regardless of brand, test it thoroughly. I've seen high quality firearms fail and low quality firearms work fine.
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December 29th, 2009 at 8:11 PM
I had a Ruger P90 once upon a time ago. Enjoyed shooting it more than the Beretta for awhile. For me, its S&W or Ruger for handguns. Rifles and shots are Remington and a few other manufacturers. If you can't afford a SuperDuper Blunderbuss 3000 MBR, then get a decent Remington 870, a Ruger 10/22, a Remington 700 in 30.06 and an SKS or AK variant from Classic Arms. For a handgun, pick up a S&W 40 or Ruger revolver. Those are my picks.
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December 30th, 2009 at 6:39 AM
I am an idiot. I put the recoil spring in backwards reassembling my S&W Sigma .40. Any tips on how to take it back down or do I have to send it in for repair? thanks for any help.
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December 30th, 2009 at 3:09 PM
Life time guarantees doesnt matter much when shtf!!
first handgun i bought hi point 9mm first pull of the trigger it jammed
second handgun i bought glock 19 first pull of the trigger Bang!
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December 31st, 2009 at 6:50 AM
I live on a small cattle ranch/farm. I can shoot most days and have a Colt 22 Targetsman that shoots round after round without problems. I also shoot a Hi Power Browning with the same reliability. I do not clean my guns as often as I should and the scoped AR15 “kitgun” is the only rifle jam problem I have. Because this is the gun I use to keep dogs off my new calves, I do the cleaning. My Norinco AK is my favorite but is not as flat from 50 to 150 yards as the 223 however the AK is my pick if it would be a defense situation. The ammo is also cheaper (unless you reload). I also have a Colt 70 light weight 45acp that I bought new. The feed problems were solved by a Wilson mag. It is a fun shooter but 9mm is much cheaper to shoot. My son has a Taurus 92 in 9mm and it is an excellent gun but does not have the accuracy of the Browning or Colt. The 9mm seems to be the ideal round for me with the low recoil that is fairly mild and the hotter ammo is good for defense and, again the price and supply. The mystery gun for me is a Colt 32 auto pocket pistol, 1908 I think. Small tiny sights and a marginal round does not make this a 1st choice for almost any usage. But, I can hit with it at 25 yards as well as or better than any hand gun I have fired. The 32 S&B ammo is almost up to 380 specs but still not up to 9mm or better. Sure is a fun shooter though. The big sleeper is the Tok and CZ 762×25 which is a really hot little 30 cal handgun round that has more energy than a 45acp. Ammo can be bought at about 12 to 15 cents a round at J&G. It does have recoil and noise but you can shoot it for about half price. I do not enjoy shooting one, about like a 38 2", which brings up Charter which is a GOOD little gun, shoots as good a Smith.
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January 2nd, 2010 at 3:25 AM
Regarding the Ruger P90, I've owned one since 1998 and have fired it on a weekly basis since the purchase, I've used numerous types of bullets, hollow pt, semi wade cutter, RN ect., along with minimum to max loads and in all kinds of weather, snow, hours in the rain, ect. and after thousands of rounds fired, I've had three rounds jam, all from out of round cases (bad relouds) Although not the shinyest or prettiest handgun out there, it is a very dependable and capable weapon.
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January 2nd, 2010 at 3:18 PM
Excellant list!!!
I have dealt with some Taurus pistols and found them a very good value.
Shop around & utilize layaway!!
Take care –
Rourke
WorldInfoCD.com
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January 3rd, 2010 at 12:17 AM
I have 3 Hi Points a 380 a9mm and a .45 they go 'bang' every time I shoot them! I never had any problems with them.
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January 3rd, 2010 at 6:07 PM
pardon me but im rather new at this … i do enjoy your site though mr. Creekmore. thankyou for it. anyways on with business…
i have a taurus .357 snub nose 5 shot revolver, a S&W .357 6 shot revolver with 6" bbl. I have fired several hundred though both revolvers and love 'em.
I just purchased a M&P ( apparently made under the S&W brand) .45 10 shot semi auto ( just shot 5 rounds through it new years morning..thrilling the neighbors.. over the holidays though i spied my next purchase an AR-10 7.62 bsttle rifle .. denny denison was asking 1485.00.. anyone know about those rascals?
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January 12th, 2010 at 7:08 PM
I can't let a chance to endorse my newest fave little pistol slip by me. Get yourself a CZ vz82 before the surplus ones start to dry up. Outstanding little things.
–
Little Jerry
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January 23rd, 2010 at 1:54 AM
Best gun to buy to CYA?
The one that goes bang, every time the trigger is pulled! If it's cheap, buy two.
It doesn't matter if it cost $100. or $1000, if it don't go bang, it ain't worth crap!
Battlefields have been littered with AK-47s, & M-16 that didn't go bang when it was supposed to.
The grave isn't impressed by price tags.
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January 30th, 2010 at 6:14 PM
nothing like a bunch of freakin gun snobs,I have both a Hi Point C9 and the Pheonix HP22A, both are reliable and fire every time I pull the trigger.The Pheonix 22 is not a "survival" gun its a plinker.As for the Hi Point, its a very reliable gun,even the most expensive guns will jam once in awhile,and all guns will have a "favorite" brand of ammo.
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February 14th, 2010 at 5:44 AM
Had a Para-Ord 13-45 bought brand new spent 350 trying to get it to run through a single mag without a misfeed or orther problem 3 different springs ramp work new mags new springs for mags and sold it biggest POS I have ever owned.
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February 22nd, 2010 at 6:38 PM
I'm confused, We're talking survival here right ? Why would anyone in their right mind want a handgun in a survival situation ? The reality is that your gonna have to hunt for your meals. A smaller caliber/gauge shotgun or rifle is without a doubt the way to go. Ammo is cheap and readily available. So here's my list of the top 3 "Survival Guns" in my gun cabinet.
(1) A 410/.22 Over Under Combination Rifle & Shotgun in one. They are small, pack easy, reliable and the Ammo is DIRT CHEAP. The offer both the knockdown power of the .410 for birds and the long range .22 for small game/protection.
(2) A .22 Caliber Scoped Rifle (no gun cabinet should be without one). You can pick up a good semi-auto w/scope for under $200.00 (The Remington 597, Ruger 10/22, Marlin 60) And once again .22 ammo is dirt cheap.
(3) A 12, 20 or 28 gauge shotgun. These offer many different shell sizes for everything from small game to waterfowl. And if you add a slug barrel, Deer.
Forget about the big caliber fancy guns. Overkill will get you killed in a real survival situation.
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February 28th, 2010 at 3:29 PM
personal preferance ?
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May 21st, 2010 at 10:30 AM
I owned a charter arms bulldog.Other than it’s caliber there is nothing to recommend about it.I spent more time fixing the screws that would back out then I did shooting it. I dropped it one day and the aluminum (or pot metal) sub frame broke at the trigger guard. The internal parts resemble prizes out of a crackerjack box. Pretty similar to an RG actually. I later gave the gun away to a friend who wanted it,after warning him.He doesn’t shoot the gun these days either. Big thumbs down,if you can afford no better,buy a high point.
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May 29th, 2010 at 9:18 PM
I have a Hi- Point C9 and have never had a jam or failure to feed with it, in fact it will out shoot any of my Beretta’s or Sig’s every time.
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