THE RELIABLE .22
Successfully surviving in built-up areas is about deep hiding. City survivors must always keep their presence secret, which is often a difficult task when there are wild edibles to be taken or intruders to be quietly dealt with. As mentioned, this will require a good, familiar .22 rimfire rifle or a near equivalent and a silencer or a near equivalent.
Again, my dinosaurism may be showing, but I prefer a good old rugged .22 caliber bolt-action rifle to any other kind. Autos use too much ammo and seem more subject to malfunction. Levers and pumps are far too complicated in dirty, desperate circumstances. Keep in mind that .22s are for surreptitious duty, not primarily for defense, although there is that element as well. Slow reliable, long-lived bolts or even single-shots are OK.
SUBCALIBER DEVICES
Rifles set aside for duty around the retreat should be very quiet. Quietness can be accomplished with a silencer, low-velocity ammunition, subcaliber devices, or a combination of all of these. I prefer subcaliber devices, which currently are legal and can be just as quiet as illegal silencers. Many work well in existing rifles or shotguns without modification. My .308/.32 ACP subcaliber device in a Remington Number Seven rifle will drill a phone book at 200 yards without changing the scope’s setting!
Subcaliber devices are little gizmos that slip into standard rifles or shotguns, allowing them to fire smaller rifle or pistol ammunition. There are two types. One has its own short barrel, the other uses the barrel of the rifle in which it is operated.
I first encountered these devices in the Philippines on the Island of Mindanao in the hands of insurgents. They used a device allowing captured .223 or 9mm pistol ammo to be fairly accurately fired in 12- and 20-gauge shotguns. In this case, the device itself provided a short, rifled barrel that stabilized the bullets. They got about 9-inch groups at 150 to 200 meters—close enough for military work.
Subcaliber devices are made to convert a large number of rifle cartridges and calibers. In addition to ones allowing .223 and 9mm to be fired in a 12 gauge, I use models providing for .22 LRs to be fired in a .223; .32 ACP in a .308; and .22 LRs in a .30-06. Use of .32 ACPs in a .308 is very quiet. Virtually as quiet as conventional silenced rounds. Accuracy out of long guns is good to extremely good. We consistently place rounds in a 10-inch-square phone book at 200 yards with one of these devices. Fifteen years’ experience indicates that, when shot in the head or neck at that range, deer-sized critters are efficiently reduced to possession.
During this era of suppression-fire philosophies, subcaliber devices are not particularly common or popular. Single-shot people like them, but to those who enjoy turning ammunition into a hail of fire, they are just a curiosity. Several national manufacturers produced these devices at one time. Currently MCA Sports and the Ace Bullet Co., 2800 West 33rd Road, Anchorage, AK 99517, are the only game in town. The price is about $25 each.
HANDGUNS
Nothing significant—except possibly the advent of supercompact carbines firing rifle rounds—has occurred that changes my mind regarding use of pistols in city survival situations. Truth is, most people do not use conventional pistols with sufficient skill to make them practical. Accuracy with a pistol at any range is really tough. True proficiency only comes by constant practice over a period of 6 to 8 years and, in my opinion, from being around someone who is a really good pistol shot. Apparently this association with an outstanding pistolero leads to personal confidence that one can really hit targets at extended ranges (more than 5 to 7 yards).
The display of a pistol on the belt leads to less crime and more civilized behavior; there’s no question about that. But to say this is also true in a tough city survival situation is difficult.
But, assuming that getting hits on target with a sufficiently powerful single hand weapon to make a lasting impression is important, I would choose an AR-15 pistol with a 40-round magazine. Currently these either must be built from parts or from a kit offered by AR-15 component manufacturers. With a shorty stock they are marvelously effective weapons out to about 100 yards. Why they are not much more popular is a mystery. Probably because it is not easy to assemble one of these pistols and have it function reliably.
Yet, most city survivors will feel they must have some sort of handgun. This is understandable even if the idea is less than practically defensible. When funds are limited for both guns and ammo, it would seem wise to first lay in something common, reliable, and simple, such as a .22 LR. A rugged, reliable Ruger standard auto comes immediately to mind. Three important goals are accomplished. Owners of .22 handguns can learn to shoot at minimum cost and with minimum disruption. Also, they have a gun for which they should already have a ton of ammo.
Next, when it seems terribly important, I would purchase a high-quality, military-grade 9mm pistol. This will give you more options, because 9mm universal ammo is more likely purchased as surplus, scrounged, or captured. Military pistol designs are important because these guns have the ruggedness and reparability vital for city survivors.
My choice is still a high-capacity Browning Hi-Power or a Beretta Model 92. Certainly there are others just as good, but—like women—it’s all in the eye of the beholder.
SHOTGUNS
No city survivor I talked with used shotguns of any type, in spite of the fact that shotguns are almost always the last guns to be demonized by governments. Perhaps this is because shotguns are so far removed from being military weapons. The fellow from Beirut simply said he wouldn’t be able to get one because the military didn’t use them.
Perhaps the military use of shotguns isn’t widespread because they have limited range, make a great deal of noise, ammo is tough to resupply and cumbersome to carry in any quantity, and very few shotguns are of sufficient strength to stand up to military/survival duty. Under some specific circumstances, some shotguns may be acceptable military weapons in built-up areas, but keep in mind that we are going to keep our heads down and survive, not engage in military actions unless absolutely forced into it.