Gun Digest Book of Survival Guns

^{Having a Bates and Dittus UBL37 mounted under an AR-15 acts as an intimidation force multiplier. Aggressors don’t need to know that either less lethal or civilian legal flares or explosives will be launched, rather than the high explosive military rounds that the 40mm M203 grenade launcher shoots. The author’s UBL is mounted to his custom CMMG mid-length 5.56mm Sun Devil custom lower via a rail-to-rail adaptor. Note the Lasermax green laser on the top rail of the UBL37; the author’s AR is otherwise kept light, since the UBL37 weighs four pounds. Diamond iron sights are by Diamondhead Tactical.}

^{Loading the UBL 37 is similar to loading an M203 launcher. Its latch releases the barrel/chamber assembly, which then slides forward. A round is dropped in and the barrel slid back until it latches.}

^{To fire the UBL37, the cocking latch on the right side must be pulled back and the safety taken off. For law enforcement use, this feature is a plus, since a live less-lethal round can be carried chambered but un-cocked until needed. The military 40mm M203 cocks on loading.}

^{The author launches a civilian legal smoke round from the UBL37 downrange at a distance of 300 feet. Quality 37mm rounds are usually good for a 450-foot maximum range.}

There are other launchers on the market. Some of them are foreign imports and some are lighter, but considering the fact that you can beat someone senseless with a B&D and not hurt the launcher, that’s the way I’d go. B&D also markets a stock conversion kit for the UBL37 so you can fire it from the shoulder if you don’t want to leave it on your M4. While I wouldn’t equip every M4 I had with one, it does add a bit of additional “force multiplier” ability to your survival armory.

^{The white smoke 37mm rounds could be used to disrupt or discourage aggressive groups of people without having to result to lethal force. Remember that a smoke or flare round striking someone in the head could prove lethal and that flare rounds fired on the ground can start fires.}

^{With a 12-gauge or, in this case, a 26.5mm adaptor, other civilian-legal rounds can be fired from the UBL or ExD launchers. Do not get a 12-gauge adaptor and fire standard 12-gauge slug or shot rounds. That is illegal, since you just turned a signaling device into a firearm (read that as a “zip gun”). Also, keep in mind that 37mm shells are all blackpowder charged, so standard factory 12-gauge smokeless rounds are of much higher pressure. Here a 26.5mm maritime signaling flare is loaded into a B&D Adaptor. After firing, empty shell casings drop free from the launcher when the barrel is opened (top right).}

^{The new Bates & Dittus nine-inch UBL37 is shown mounted on the author’s M4. The full-size UBL37 is shown with the M4 stock and pistol grip conversion kit attached. The 12-inch UBL37 can fire long 37mm rounds as shown standing in front of the author’s pack to the left of the short 37mm rounds. The latter is the only size digestible in the nine-inch UBL37.}

CHAPTER NINE Ammunition Considerations

By now you have probably noticed that I’ve left out of these discussions one type of ammunition and weapons system, and that is the rimfire.

When times are hard and dangerous, having a rimfire weapon, specifically a .22 LR rimfire weapon, will not only be handy, but possibly downright necessary. There are several reasons for this.

First, there may be times when you want to keep the noise level down and not draw a bunch of attention to your location. I can tell you that living out in the country, an unsuppressed .22 can be heard from quite a ways away, not as long away as a centerfire pistol, rifle, or shotgun, but it’s still audible. This may mean that, if you can afford it and want to get the tax stamp for one, a suppressor might be a good idea to dampen the noise even further.

Second, you may want to have a lighter weapon to take small game with for supplementing your food supply. The .22 LR is the best choice for this, as it is truly a universal round and available in many different configurations, and anything larger will destroy too much meat, a crucial component of your survival that will be at a premium.

Third, children or members of your party who are recoil-sensitive may be better served with a .22 for their defense. They will certainly be able to carry a lot of ammo for a long distance in a very small space. Summed up, the .22 LR is a necessity.

As I see it, there are two ways to go with the .22. Over the last couple years, replica .22s, built as close as possible to mimic or serve as sub-caliber understudies to their full-size cousins, have become extremely popular. I have worked with some really great representatives of this type. Given the right brand and model, many are nearly indistinguishable from the centerfire versions, down to operating controls, size, and weight. A particularly popular weapon that has been made over into a .22 LR version is the AR-15. Smith & Wesson, Colt’s, and several other AR makers have rimfire versions of their centerfire lines, usually made under license agreement with other companies who specialize in these types of weapons, and they are definitely true to the originals. There are also a plethora of .22 LR uppers or conversion kits that can be dropped onto an existing centerfire lower.

For playtime, such systems work fine. For survival time, I want a dedicated rifle and don’t want to have to switch things off and on. To that end, one of the rimfire ARs that I don’t like is the model made by Ruger. Instead of developing a new rifle or contracting the job out to another manufacturer, Ruger opted to build its model around its own fine 10/22 rifle, keeping the controls of that rifle intact. While I’m sure this works in terms of being a fun shooter, it certainly doesn’t serve as a trainer or potential fighting weapon, because it doesn’t operate like a real AR. Much the same can be said of the Mossberg Tactical .22. Neither it nor the Ruger are the close copy of the AR that the Colt’s and Smith & Wesson models are. The Colt’s version, made by the German firm Umarex, is the most accurate copy of them all, with several variants, including a full-size rifle, available. Umarex also make a great copy of the Colt 1911 pistol.

One of the best producers of .22 LR replica guns is German Sport Guns (GSG). Its GSG 522 is an outstanding semi-auto copy of the MP5. I had one that I unfortunately had to sell at a cash-strapped point in time. Equipped with a 25-round magazine, it was the most reliable semi-automatic .22 rifle I think I have ever handled. I took it to a .22-only match at a nearby range. It never missed a beat, while other folks fielding customized Ruger 10/22s with extended magazines experienced regular jams. Controls and charging operation on the GSG 522 were exactly the same as on an MP5. GSG also makes an excellent 1911, the GSG-5. With a frame made of Zamak alloy, it imparts the solid feel of the 1911 without the expense. Equipped with adjustable combat sights, beavertail grip safety, curved mainspring housing, and combat trigger, the GSG-5 is an excellent sidearm in and of itself.

Of big news from GSG is its upcoming Stg44 .22 replica. A copy of the German assault rifle that appeared too late at the end of WWII to help the German Army (good thing), it did spawn the development of the AK-47 by Mikhail Kalishnikov two years after the war ended. I am awaiting a copy of that rifle for testing, but if it’s anything like the other GSG products, I’m sure it will not disappoint. Speaking of AKs, GSG also has a .22 variant of that weapon.