knife>gun in survival situation?

mora 2000 $30.00 ragweed forge h&r 12 or 20 guage single shot shotgun $90.00 at walmart. Neither will win a beauty contest both will pull there wieght and out live thier cost 10 fold and are plenty tough.....so I don't know ho much money you plan on coming into but if it's more than a buck 30 spend the rest on your sweetie (the true secret to survival is a happy Mrs.) take care and choose wisely young jedi...in answer to your question if I had to choose, I would choose a knife 100 out of 100 times
 
My Browning Camper and 45 LC

knifeandgun008fo9.jpg
 
I think the answer to your question would depend upon what the circumstances of your "survival situation" are. In an urban enviornment where there is civil unrest but easier access to basic necessities such as water, shelter, and food, a gun, along with an adequate supply of the appropriate ammunition, would be preferable. It might also be easier to get such items or to protect what you have with a gun in this scenario. In a wilderness enviornment a substantial blade would definately be the priority. But, IMO, it is always best to have both just in case. It would suck to have to take on a grizzly or a cougar with any knife, no matter what the quality. If you can get one of each. -DT
 
dttomcat said:
I think the answer to your question would depend upon what the circumstances of your "survival situation" are. In an urban enviornment where there is civil unrest but easier access to basic necessities such as water, shelter, and food, a gun, along with an adequate supply of the appropriate ammunition, would be preferable. It might also be easier to get such items or to protect what you have with a gun in this scenario.
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My thoughts exactly!

You didn't really specify whether this was to be a defensive weapon or something to take game with. For defense in an urban environment, a good auto pistol like a Glock would be my choice. In black bear country, a .357 revolver, like the Ruger GP100. In grizzly country, a Ruger Super Redhawk in .454.

For feeding yourself outdoors, any high quality .22 rifle.

I really thing big "survival" knives are way overrated. I have gotten along just fine outdoors all my life with a multi-tool and an axe!
 
I agree with a lot of what's already been stated: what "survival" situation are we discussing? If we are talking about being out in the woods/forests/desert of the U.S., I can think of no better firearm than a good, lever action .22 (Henry, Marlin, etc.). If we are talking about running into vermin such as the 61 year old piece of trash from Georgia who perpetrated the hideous crime there recently, then a good, reliable handgun would be in order. It doesn't have to be fancy or have a lot of gadgets. A good, used S&W Model 10 in .38 Special will suffice...IF you take the time to get to know it and how to use it effectively!

Ron
 
dberry said:
Got into an interesting debate yesterday about the real importantce of a firearm in a survival situation. Basically what sparked it was the fact that I am soon going to have a fixed amount of $ to spend on gear. I am going to either buy a pistol or another hard use knife(which I need to complete my gear). I think that a gun is imporant but a knife will keep you alive longer. My thought is that you cannot make shelter, fire,etc with a gun. I thought it would be a good subject to discuss and you can give me your .02 about getting a gun or knife to put in my BOB Thanks:)
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Can I assume you are talking about a survival situation like lost hiker, back country vehicle breakdown, bad weather?

With the exeption of self defence, have any of you ever read or heard of a survival story where a gun would have made a difference? Unless we're talking the woods loonie preditor thing, I'd rather have a good knife than a gun. That gun is not going to let me get to dry wood in the middle of broken off boughs, make a shelter, deadfalls, fish traps in streams, clean small game and fish, make a fish spear, or a zillion other things. And I'm not even sure a gun would have helped the youg girl that was just murdered. A gun is not a magic wand that you wave, you have to have the mindset to use it without hesitation. Most peacefull people will hesitate. Of note is that wacos like this guy only prey on the weak. An elderly couple, a small 120 pound lone female. I'd be willing to lay money he did not even have a gun. Most drifters/lurking criminals don't just in case of a shakedown by local LEO's.

I'd put my money into a good knife and some gear like a Siltarp and poncho, and a clean used .38 revolver. Older Smith and Wessons can be had for very reasonable prices these days of black wonder guns with high cap magazines, and loaded with some good ammo give a very good level of protection. Heck, even a little N.A.A. .22 mini revolver out of sight in a jacket pocket combined with awareness of what and who's around you will get you by. Think of how many people this SOB in Georga passed by in between the elderly couple and the girl. He was looking for an easy mark.

Unless one is marooned really far back in the wilderness, like Alaska or the North woods of Canada, I just don't see a gun as part of a survival kit. In most of the U.S. there are few places you can't walk out of in a few days to a road, ranch, or something, that you will have to hunt for food. Shelter, fire, and being able to navigate for those few days are way more important than lugging a couple pounds of gun and ammo for hunting. If I was hunting, I'd want a good .22 rifle for small game, or a poached small deer. A nice simple break open H&R shotgun would also serve.
 
STAGE 2 said:
If you have a gun then you can get yourself a knife:D
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Or the guy with the gun can get himself a new Knife :D

If I had to choose one I would always chose the knife simply because it can do more and won't run out of ammo.

However if I already have a Sak and an Hatchett or another sevicable but not ideal blade combo, and only 250$ to spend I would probably spend it on the gun.

I picked up one of the Rossi matched pair 20g/ 22lr, this fall for 100$ I have found Ruger and SW revolvers used for 250$ or less. Depending on what you want it for you can probably get both just figure out the uses for both and prioritize accordingly.
 
Small SAK(15)
folding pruning saw(10)
good NWA 5" Sportsman knife(150)
Glock 17/9mm(350)- would prefer the Glock 20/10mm in upper NW
CZ Scout .22 LR(200)

I would happily go into the woods with these choices. & do. :) I am not willing to rely on MY skills with a pistol to pot squirrels. Man has to know his limitations & if my eating or not is at stake, I do not trust MY abilities to take small critters with my pistola.
A single shot 12 or 20 guage(20 for me) could replace the CZ. Just my .02. on gun and knife requirements.
2Door
 
I agree with most of what's being said. State your budget, and definition of survival. I picked up a great user mossberg 500 12 gauge for $120, and can pick up a good .38 revolver (snub nose) for about $150-$200. Then go get yourself a Mora and a KaBar. You're looking like $300-$350 for the whole set up and you're good to face whatever is needed.

And yes, you can SO get firewood with a shotgun, slugs, and complete lack of intelligence!!!
 
IMO when your bushin it a side arm is a useful tool. The only reason for having it though is for the things that will want to eat/hurt you.

onyl use i can think of for a gun when your in the bush otherwhise a knife suffices.
 
Get a decent knife spend $50 and get one you cant break. Or go to the dollar store and get a Chinese knockoff sak.

Skam
 
I'm a little more inclined to carry a pistol than some of you are, but I'm nowhere near as young, fast, strong, and agile as you may be. The bottom line is I always have a pistol on me unless I just have to go where they are forbidden, such as a federal office building. Usually it's only your financial survival that's at stake there, though.

Just FYI, about two years ago I found an excellent "trail gun" for many environments at a very good price. It's a 6 inch Ruger Security-Six double action, adjustable sight .357 Magnum revolver. Total price out the door was $195, including sales tax and the background check. There are other such deals to be had if you shop smart.
 
There's more to it than a gun and a knife. Shelter, fire, water, signaling gear, MacGyver stuff like wire, line, and duct tape, a first aid kit-- those are the things that will keep you alive and need to be well covered before I would invest in a firearm.

On the cuttin' side, a mora and a folding saw will get fire and shelter and take care of any general cutting chores. Something like a Leatherman Wave would do the trick and you can go a long way with a decent SAK.

In the firearm side, all the politics get to raging, but I would choose something that would get some game. A simple shotgun covers a lot of bases-- birds and wabbits or just about anything else you run into. Even a singe shot scattergun is going to look pretty mean from the business side if it comes to self defense. I sure as heck wouldn't start an argument with somebody holding one! Other than that, a light .22 rifle gives you a lot of ammo in a small space. We used to hunt grouse with a .22 single action pistol-- too dumb to fly away. If you were hungry, a nice roasted grouse would do the trick!
 
dberry said:
Got into an interesting debate yesterday about the real importantce of a firearm in a survival situation. Basically what sparked it was the fact that I am soon going to have a fixed amount of $ to spend on gear. I am going to either buy a pistol or another hard use knife(which I need to complete my gear). I think that a gun is imporant but a knife will keep you alive longer. My thought is that you cannot make shelter, fire,etc with a gun. I thought it would be a good subject to discuss and you can give me your .02 about getting a gun or knife to put in my BOB Thanks:)
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I've seen some .45 acp pistols at a pawn shop for under $200.00 and maybe even under $150.00. They hold somewhere around ~10 shots give or take 2 rounds, and they are about the size of your hand laid out. Really light and doesn't take up much space. If this is more for protection in the wildy I would just fill up the clip and that's that, but if you plan on doing other things with it, gathering food, I would bring a few extra rounds as to keep the weight to a minimum. So let's say you spend a good $180.00 on the pistol, since you did say either a pistol or hard use knife, you could still purchase a descent knife for your purposes. Now you just have to figure out if you are getting a folder or a fixed blade knife. If you were planning on spending around $250.00, then you would have about $70.00 to spend on a knife. Folders are my forte, but a good fixed blade is going to be cheaper. A sog seal pup at the local Academy here runs $69.99, so that covers a half-descent fixed blade. Now you get the gun and a knife. Hope this helps with your budget, J.
 
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