Looking back, Magic Prepper recommends the two firearms to get you started into a battery of prepping firearms: a Glock duty sized 9 mm pistol (he is sporting a Glock19) and an 5.56 mm AR15 from a reputable manufacturer. The primary reason is logistics: parts, accessories and ammo are all widely available. He then goes into some specific features. For instance, he recommends being able to mount an optic to the handgun and that it have a rail for a weapon mounted light (WML) even if you decide to not mount one. As far as the AR15, he recommends one with a 16-inch barrel to avoid any legal issues that might come with shorter barrels, and a full length handguard with a full length top rail so you have the maximum flexibility in mounting optics, lights, etc. He also notes that it is easy to find classes to train on these specific guns: using them, fixing them, etc. And, in that regard, he notes that these firearms are also easy to work on. And because of the lower overall costs, it allows more money to actually pay for training, ammunition and practice so you can get good at shooting them.
I can't really disagree with him if your goal is to have a general set of firearms for defending a homestead or participating in a local self-defense group. Of course, if your goal is concealed carry and pre-SHTF self-defense, the firearms you select might be different. For instance, while Magic Prepper considers the Glock 19 the smallest he would consider for a prepping handgun, I consider it to be the largest of the Glock pistols suitable for daily concealed carry. In fact, in that case, a Glock 19 or similarly sized weapon with the optic and WML would be good for a "night-stand gun" and then a second, smaller pistol--perhaps even a pocket sized pistol or revolver if your circumstances dictate it--for concealed carry.
VIDEO: "I Wish I Knew This Before I Started Buying Guns"
Magic Prepper (7 min.)
While my opinion here doesn't specifically relate to the article and post-SHTF use...I'd like to relate that, for people who do a lot of traveling...or else live in a municipality or state where AR's and/or so called "high capacity" semi-autos are illegal, the good old lever action and revolver combo is still an excellent alternative. Having a carbine length lever gun and revolver in the same calibers (.357/38, .41 and .44 mag, .45 Colt etc.) still allows you to be "well armed" and to travel across state lines while being "compliant." I own AR's and striker fired polymers, yet I still love to keep a revolver-lever combo on hand. It would be my go-to in probably 90% of the situations I might encounter during my lifetime. The settlers out West discovered this some 150 years ago and it is no less effective a toolkit today for most folks.
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