Getaway Guns

Okay, so it was one of those conversations which “never happened,” didn’t involve alcohol, and it boiled down to this: If you absolutely, positively had to boogie down Broadway in a complete societal collapse, what guns might you want to have along for the ride?

There are criteria for the selection process, of course. We’re not talking about the late John Taffin’s wonderful treatise on “Perfect Packin’ Pistols” a couple of years ago. We are talking about practicality.

First, let’s discuss the criteria. Your gun(s) must be chambered for common cartridges; that is, ammunition should be as universally available as humanly possible. Your choices would definitely have to deliver enough power to stop a fight or stop something for the dinner table. Your “getaway gun(s)” must also be portable. You’re not going to be lugging around a Barrett .50 BMG after your vehicle runs out of gas.

These stipulations would rule out such calibers as my favorite .41 Magnum — for which I’ve sometimes searched sporting goods and gun shops in vain for cartridges — or dragon stoppers such as the .460 or .500 Smith & Wesson, the .480 Ruger, or the diminutive .25 and .32 ACP. Even the 10mm may not make the cut, since I’ve been in stores where there was no 10mm ammunition and not much prospect of getting any. This might also bump the .40 S&W off the playing field. Even the .380 ACP was scarce. Likewise, the .454 Casull and .475 Linebaugh probably ought to be stashed unless you’ve got a few hundred rounds of handloads (which I definitely have for the .41 Magnum). Likewise, I’m a fan of the .32 H&R Magnum, and even like the .327 Federal, but here, again, ammunition availability would eventually become a problem.

Which Handguns?

This shakes out rather simply, and here are my handful of handgun caliber choices.

Which Handguns?

Leading the pack is the .45 ACP, for which there are loads of handguns and lots of available ammunition. I cannot recall ever stopping at a sporting goods store, gun shop or even a mom-and-pop general store in some regions where there “might be some boxes of shells on a back shelf.” Most important about the .45 ACP is its reliability as a stopper. That big, slow-moving bullet with the near-half-inch frontal mass can stop bears, bad guys, bucks, bulls and bunnies (if you’re a good enough shot) for the stew pot. My choice would be a 1911-type pistol.

Surprise, the .22 Long Rifle lands on the list for a couple of reasons. You can carry a lot of ammunition, it can ruin someone’s day in an emergency, and a properly-placed 40-grain RNL through the ear of a deer can put meat on the table. Also, ammunition is available virtually everywhere. And if worse comes to worse, the rimfire is a nasty little round for covert activity. Honorable mention: .22 WMR. My personal choice is the Ruger MKI, II, III or IV, but there are lots of choices from Browning, S&W, Taurus and other folks.

A quality .357 Magnum is on my list. A revolver chambered for this round might be more practical than a .45 Auto, except in the firepower department. Unless your wheelgun choice is an 8-shooter, the automatic would have you beat for capacity. The Model 19 S&W is a great sixgun, though I might opt for an N-frame Model 27 or 28, or one of the L-frame models. Since a .357 Magnum can chamber any .38 Special on the shelf, it is versatile and in a complete breakdown, all you need is loose ammunition to stay armed.

Then comes the 9mm, for which there are plenty of choices and tons of ammunition, from FMJ to really nasty JHP loads. I no longer own a 9mm, but I used to shoot them a lot in competition. If that’s your bugout gun, you’re adequately armed. Since I prefer semi-auto pistols with exposed hammers, I’d go with something from SIG SAUER or S&W in that realm, but your opinion may differ.

If you absolutely need a big-bore magnum, the only logical choice is the .44 Magnum. Ammunition is fairly common, and my experience with guns from Ruger, S&W and Taurus has been quite satisfactory. I’ve loaded up some .44 Magnums for a pal’s stainless Super Blackhawk, and my brother has a Redhawk of which he is rather fond, and it is dead-bang accurate. Also, if you can’t find magnums, these handguns will digest .44 Specials.

What About a Rifle?

There are really four practical choices here, in my humble opinion, and they all have to do with ammunition availability.

My first option would be a .308 Winchester, since it is capable of long-range accuracy, short-range devastation, ammunition is commonly found from Alaska to Florida, and it definitely fills the need as a survival gun. A good bolt-action specimen from Winchester, Remington, Savage, Browning, or any other quality gunmaker suffices. I wouldn’t turn my nose up to an old Harrington & Richardson single-shot with a break action, bull barrel and exposed hammer, either.

Likewise, any bolt-gun or the Model 1895 Winchester lever-action in .30-06 Springfield would be a superb choice, and ammunition would be fairly easy to find. My late uncle sold his pre-’64 Model 70 to someone other than me, but I have a Marlin bolt-action which has toppled bucks out to 350-400 yards.

Naturally, the .223 Remington/5.56mmNATObelongs on this list because ammunition and magazines can be had anywhere. In a real social breakdown, you just might find one lying around in the rubble or in an abandoned building or vehicle. C’mon, we’re talking about a “Twilight Zone” level of national or world catastrophe. Think positively, u’ll be among the survivors.

Lastly, in a tight spot, the .30-30 Winchester meets my criteria. Ammunition is fairly universal, guns for it are relatively light and simple to operate, and out to 150 yards or so, whatever is on the other end is going to hurt.

Honorable mention is earned by the .45-70 Government, an awesome cartridge capable of bringing down anything on the North American continent. You might not be able to find ammunition for it everywhere, but with a .45-70 someone could get whatever else he/she might require.

And we’re back again to the .22 Long Rifle, just for the sake of covering all the bases. A Ruger 10/22 makes a great survival gun, and don’t discount a Marlin Model 60, a Savage or any other rimfire rifle. Winchester’s classic Model 62 and the original Rossi reproduction, if you can find either, are gems.

And Finally, Shotguns

There are only two rational choices, a 12-gauge or 20-gauge, either a pump or semi-auto. It’s the ammunition problem, again. It’s not always easy to find 16- or 28-gauge, and even .410 bore ammunition isn’t always in stock.

The shotgun has often been overlooked as an emergency tool, but never by me or anyone I know. We’ve seen them work. We’ve made them work. In a social collapse, they would work again.

Important Victory

There was an important gun rights victory last month when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a Minnesota case involving an Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling which upheld a district court’s injunction against a state prohibition on young adults applying for concealed carry permits.

The case is known as Jacobson v. Worth, which evolved from the original Worth v. Harrington, filed in June 2021 by the Second Amendment Foundation, Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, Firearms Policy Coalition, and three private citizens, Kristin Worth, for whom the case is named, Austin Dye, and Axel Anderson.

The decision has far-reaching implications. By allowing the injunction to stand, Minnesota’s ban is out the window. Other circuits could adopt a similar perspective as time goes on. In the final analysis, 18-to-20-year-olds could regain their full Second Amendment rights across the map.

Of course, gun control zealots are predicting total catastrophe. They haven’t been right so far.

I recently read an online article by Dave Workman titled “Are You Packin’?”  In the article is a picture of what looks like a Commander 1911 with bone stocks in a rough out IWB holster. I tried blowing up the picture and still can’t make out the maker’s mark.  Can you please ask him who made the holster?  I would have reached to him directly, but I couldn’t find contact info for him.

Thanks very much.
With my best regards,

Chris Oslin
Crofton, MD

Dave replies: Chris, you’re the second guy who asked about that rig. It’s from High Noon Holsters out of Tarpon Springs, Florida. The holster is called the “Tail Gunner.” Thanks for the inquiry and for reading Insider Online.

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