[MaxVeers]

I've got a machete under my bed, and a 20-gauge shotgun I recently purchased. I'm looking into a handgun and a rifle, as well... I assume, if Z day were to arise, 20-gauge shells wouldn't be excessively plentiful, so maybe a .22 LR rifle and .22 LR pistol might be a good idea. Something else as available and interchangable might be nice. I'm looking for under 200 bucks each. Any suggestions?

[DocTongue]

MaxVeers said:

I've got a machete under my bed, and a 20-gauge shotgun I recently purchased. I'm looking into a handgun and a rifle, as well... I assume, if Z day were to arise, 20-gauge shells wouldn't be excessively plentiful, so maybe a .22 LR rifle and .22 LR pistol might be a good idea. Something else as available and interchangable might be nice. I'm looking for under 200 bucks each. Any suggestions?

The machete is a solid start. The 20-gauge would certainly serve you well enough, as any gun is better than no gun at all. Yes, the 20 gauge shells wouldnt be as abundant as say 12 gauge or .410, but there will be enough around.

As for what you should get, well you have a number of options. You aren't going to find a .22 Rifle and a .22 pistol for $200 or less together. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend using a .22 as your primary weapon - you're going to want something bigger, trust me. The comfort you will get from that bigger caliber will help you psychologically. Not to mention, at farther ranges that puny little .22 will have some issues penetrating the skull. But, the .22 is a must have for anyone's anti zombie arsenal both rifle and pistol.

The .22 rifle I would recommend highly is the Ruger 10/22.

It can be had for anywhere from $150 to $250 and is dead nuts accurate, semi automatic, and can be outfitted with 10, 15, 20, or 30 round magazines. Reliable and simple.

Pistols will run you a little more. That's not to say you can't find them cheap. http://www.hi-pointf...oint_45acp.html
Hi Point makes very affordable handguns chambered in 9mm, .380, .45 ACP, and .40 S&W. They may not look pretty, but they shoot straight enough and can take a beating.

If you really had you're heart set on a .22 pistol, Ruger makes great ones as well as Walther.

This is my Walther P-22, and I love it to death. I would definitely carry it as a backup gun (My S&W 908 in 9mm would be my primary sidearm.) It runs about $450 but you can find a used one for well under that. It's semi automatic, 10 round magazine, and can be fitted with a barrel extender. It's very accurate and has great ergonomics.

But if you want my opinion, you're better off with a bigger bore rifle. Go out and find yourself a WWII era battle rifle, like a Mauser, Springfield, Enfield or Mosin Nagant.

Mosins are cheap (and by cheap I mean $90 cheap), durable, hardly jam (although they can suffer from sticky bolt syndrome) and pack a hell of a punch. The ammo is common and cheap (7.62x54R).

I prefer the Mauser. This is my Yugoslavian M48 Mauser, which can be found for about $200. It has all the perks of the Mosin, but is a little shorter and more maneuverable and the butt is reinforced with steel for head bashing action.


But really any military proven bolt action rifle will do the trick, and they usually don't run you that much money.

Just to make my point a little more visual for you, here is an 8mm FMJ round (what my Mauser shoots) and a .22 LR round. What would you rather shoot a zombie with?



Basically, you get what you pay for (but deals are certainly out there to be had). But it's easy to overspend; You don't need to spend $800 or $1000 on some sort of crazy assault rifle. Simple is good, and anyways, when it comes to capping Z's you don't need anything extravagant.

TL;DR
Get a Ruger 10/22 if you really want a .22 rifle. But I would say get something bigger, simple, and reliable. (Mosin Nagant, Mauser, Enfield).
Ruger Mark I through III pistols and Walther P-22s are great .22 pistols, but can run you a bit more than you might want to spend.


Definitely also look into a 12 gauge shotgun.

I love my Mossberg 500 :evil:

This post has been edited by DocTongue: 21 June 2009 - 11:48 PM

[ZedHunter]

I agree with ^^ that guy.
I recommend a 10/22 since you can make them how you want it. Keep it how it is or make it completely tactical. Up to you.
If you want a rifle, go with what he recommended.

Now shotguns, I agree with him. mossberg 500 all the way. Preferably a Mossberg 500 Persuader. Its an 8 shot [7+1] with a 20" cyl bore.

I'm not a pistol person [yet].

But, I definitely like the idea of a machete. I'm looking into a nice axe and machete. Maybe something that doesnt require you to sharpen an edge. Like a baseball bat or something blunt.

BTW-20 gauges are great. I love my single shot 20ga. :)

[MaxVeers]

ZedHunter said:

I agree with ^^ that guy.
I recommend a 10/22 since you can make them how you want it. Keep it how it is or make it completely tactical. Up to you.
If you want a rifle, go with what he recommended.

Now shotguns, I agree with him. mossberg 500 all the way. Preferably a Mossberg 500 Persuader. Its an 8 shot [7+1] with a 20" cyl bore.

I'm not a pistol person [yet].

But, I definitely like the idea of a machete. I'm looking into a nice axe and machete. Maybe something that doesnt require you to sharpen an edge. Like a baseball bat or something blunt.

BTW-20 gauges are great. I love my single shot 20ga. :)

I've got a single shot 20, as well. Most people here say it wasn't a good idea, but it was cheap, it's extremely simple (one shell, load it in, close it, pull the hammer back, pull the trigger... Nothing to screw up but the aim), and it'll make you conserve your ammo.

New England Pardner?

[ZedHunter]

Very similar. It's a Rossi. Yeah, in a situation where a fast shooting gun would be ideal, a single shot isnt the best choice. But, it helps you rely on aim and doesn't waste all your ammo within an hour. I dont buy as much ammo for my 20ga compared to my 12ga or my 10/22.

Also, I agree with you on you cant mess it up except aim. The operation of a single shot is so simple. Open it, pop a shell in, close it, shoot it, open it and repeat. Not many parts to mess with, either.

[Dave Of The Dead]

I love my Mossberg 500 Persuader in 12 ga and would recommend the gun for anyone. If you really want to keep it cheap, then you are going to need to break some gun buff rules. I have looked into Hi-Point plenty and have found that they are ugly as hell but can be as reliable and accurate as any other brand name gun if maintained. If you want to keep it interchangeable, go with the 9mm carbine and one of their 9mm pistols. They're heavy as bricks, but yes they shoot decent.
Go with the mosin nagant for a cheap ass rifle that will serve your needs. Pistols run a high price, thats all there is to it. So good luck finding a cheap one that isn't made by a "shady" company.

[mattifikation]

I'd never buy a Hi-Point. Some people give it rave reviews (other than the looks department,) and some people say it's awful. To me, that indicates that their guns probably have a good design but lousy build quality. Some people get great Hi-Points, some people get crappy ones, and I'm not willing to bet 180 bucks on my life. Are you?

As for .22's, I wouldn't go that route. If you want to shoot pop cans, go for it. If you expect to ever have to actually use it against "Zombies," I'd get something with more punch to it. If you absolutely must however, the 10/22 is the gold standard by which other 22's seem to be compared.

Another often overlooked, but useful suggestion for a 22 rifle is the Henry AR-7 survival rifle. You can break it down and store it in its own buttstock, and it floats.

http://www.impactgun...9835002006.html

But honestly, instead of buying two 200 dollar underpowered .22lr guns I would just buy one 400 dollar gun that actually has some amount of testicular presence. Smith and Wesson, Taurus, and Ruger all make semi-auto handguns that can be had for less than 400 dollars.

For rifles under 400, you could get a lever action 30-30 in that price range. SKS rifles used to run under 400, I've heard they've jumped in price to nearly the cost of a low-end AK-47, but you might be able to find a private seller somewhere who doesn't know that. Cha-ching. :-) Or, if you know somebody who's got the tools, you can probably just build your own gun from an 80% completed receiver and keep it real cheap.

Edit:

Or, you can organize one of those "Turn in your guns!" drives and get a bunch of stupid liberals to sell you all kinds of guns for a fraction of their real value. I suppose you'd need an FFL thingy for that. Not sure, I'm not a lawyer. However that tactic would probably involve some kind of lying, possible commission of fraud, an over-abundance of worthless guns to dispose of, and you going way over your overall budget to pay for all that crap... but hey, "each" gun would run you under 200. :-p

And since I'm getting into the shadier aspects of gun acquisition, there's always the awesome, balls-brassifying solution of pepper spraying a security guard and then running off with whatever he carries.

This post has been edited by mattifikation: 22 June 2009 - 04:01 AM

[bandits1]

I agree with mattifikation - save a little longer and buy a better gun. Z-day is probably not going to happen for at least another three or four paychecks - you have some time.

[mattifikation]

Don't actually do those last two things I suggested. They weren't real advice... they were just statements about things that *could* theoretically be done.

[Darkness]

"This is about low budget, so be sure to add the cost of the weapons in your information." ;-)

[CAVU45]

Matt's got it right. Save your money and buy a good, reliable weapon rather than a few pieces of crap. I would never trust my life to a gun that cost under $200. Single shot shotguns and .22s may be good for bird hunting and plinking, but not for self defense.

This post has been edited by CAVU45: 22 June 2009 - 05:43 PM

[homelitexl]

i recomend a reminton 870 12 gauge new 200$
a m-1 garand aroundd here there 250$ for a good one fires 30-06 rounds
A EUROPEAN AMERICAN ARMORY SA COMPACT CCOMES IN A 380 0R 32 CALIBER. sells for 160.00 according to my shooters bible anyway.

[50 cal]

When people ask me about me a cheap gun for defense, I ask them "How much is your life worth?"

I have SIG pistols that I have bought for around $700 new, this was some years ago. AR's that I built for around $800. I like Remington shotguns as a preference. Mossbergs are good, but I prefer Remingtons.
Some of the old mil-surplus rifles are fun to shoot but ammo unless you lay a bunch back to hoard can be a pain to come by later. I have an 8mm Mauser that I bought for $80 back in the early 90's. Bought 2 cases of corrosive ammo for it. 1770 rd case for $90 each. Those were the glory days of ammo. We won't see those days again.:-(

[ZedHunter]

Hate to break it to you...but I havent seen a Remington 12ga for $200 brand new.
If there is, I'd like a link.

[Bob]

+1 on the Remington shotguns.
I have bought 870s as cheap as $60, it was functionally perfect but needs to be refinished.

Often the difference between the cheapest thing on the market and a good used gun is only a couple of hundred dollars.

I have passed up quite a few Glock model 22s for $300, that's only about a hundred more than a highpoint.

A single shot shotgun runs about a hundred, I can buy decent 870's all day long for $175 to $200. I have recently seen new ones for $250 to $300.

Buy whatever makes you happy, it's no skin off my butt.

[CAVU45]

homelitexl said:

i recomend a reminton 870 12 gauge new 200$
a m-1 garand aroundd here there 250$ for a good one fires 30-06 rounds
A EUROPEAN AMERICAN ARMORY SA COMPACT CCOMES IN A 380 0R 32 CALIBER. sells for 160.00 according to my shooters bible anyway.

Damn! I want to shop where you do! Drop some names for us. I'm sure others would love to buy some hardware at those prices. As for the EAA .380 pistol. If memory serves it was the little Tanfoglio pocket pistol, similar in design to the Walther PPK. I don't know if it's even made now, not having seen one in ages.

[Hitman]

I'll get in line for some of the Garrands for $250 also .

I stick to some of the more mainline makers if I was looking at getting a pistol for personal defense . the tarus 24-7 line is very reasonable . you could also hunt up an old norinco or LLama 1911 for around $350 or so .

every once in a while a PD trades in handguns , thats where Bob saw the glock 22's (and there was a good # of 23's , I kick myself for not getting one then) , Austin and I believe Houston traded them in for new ones . they flooded the market for a while . I picked up a used PD 9mm sigma with night sights that was sold the same way . it set me back $225 around 8 years ago .

[CAVU45]

Quote

I stick to some of the more mainline makers if I was looking at getting a pistol for personal defense . the tarus 24-7 line is very reasonable . you could also hunt up an old norinco or LLama 1911 for around $350 or so .

Used Norinco's is all you can get now. They are fine pistols though. Surprisingly well made. I picked one up on a whim back in the late eighties. I still have it today and actually made it my daily carry gun until I got my Taurus PT945. Llamma 1911's can be had new for around $300. But quality is sketchy with them. You might get one that works, you might not. I wouldn't trust my life to a Llama. Not a new one anyway.

Quote

every once in a while a PD trades in handguns

Definately a place to get a good gun at a surplus price. Most haven't been shot that much and are in damn good condition.

This post has been edited by CAVU45: 23 June 2009 - 12:42 PM

[Bob]

Exactly right!
Police trade ins are generally a bargain.
They are generally maintained by a trained armorer.