Question From a Reader: Best Survival/Bug Out Handgun

This is a question posed by a reader; any input from anyone else would be appreciated. I may be long winded in my answer, please bear with me.

"Hey Jack, I have a question I want to pose to you and your followers, and it may be a little off topic but I'll ask anyway: in your opinion, what is the best all purpose handgun for a survival/"bug out" situation? I would like to hear people's ideas and why they chose the handgun they did. Thanks in advance"


*By the way nothing is ever off topic. I'll work to find an answer if someone has a question. The only thing I don't touch is medical advice (I don't want to kill anyone)

Many people argue this question for caliber choices and weapon types. This is a highly debated topic, the reason is many factors and variables go into selecting a handgun. Whether it be financial reasons, skill level, scenario, or bug out location etc... So I'll try to cover all the reason why I believe what is the best handgun type/caliber for different scenarios.



Most of the time I hear this question answered people immediately say a .22 caliber pistol. You can carry a lot of ammunition, hunt small game, its relatively quiet, and you can defend (somewhat). I would agree with this if I were in a secluded wilderness survival situation. In a total collapse of civilization situation-- where I have to hunt daily for food it would not be bad to have either. But then again, I would prefer to have a .22 rifle instead of a pistol. Because of improved accuracy. The problem I've had with semi-automatic .22's is that they are finicky when it comes to ammunition. They sometimes don't cycle and they hang. I've had the Sig Sauer Mosquito (sold it because of this reason) and the AR-7 Survival Rifle (it too was notorious for malfunctioning and I sold it).

Some folks say they would prefer to have a revolver because malfunctions are less likely to happen. To me if  S$@# is hitting the fan I want high capacity mags...lots of them. In a gunfight--I'll take the chance of my weapon malfunctioning while the other guys reloading his wheel gun any day of the week and twice on Sunday. *if this ever does happen to someone out there-- seek cover and clear the malfunction, then send shots down range from that high capacity magazine!


I have shot and have been trained in many types of firearms from silenced handguns and MP5's, full auto AK-47's to .50 caliber machine guns and Mk 19's. Because of this; pistols to me were developed for close quarters combat as a secondary weapon to your rifle and not hunting. With that said I don't look to hunt with my handgun; although very possible. The pistol I favored using the most was the .45 MEU (SOC) pistol. Basically a customized .45 caliber on a 1911 frame. Mainly for it's knockdown power, and it feels great in the hand. It is single stack and you do give up a few rounds if you choose the 1911 over a handgun that accept's high capacity mags. I own a Kimber Custom II and it would be the first weapon I grab if things go sour. I also use the 1911 Chip McCormick Mags and I'll do a complete write up on those in the future (but I have them in 8-10 rounds). Many Federal agencies as well as some Special Operations Communities around the world choose the .45 caliber--because of the knockdown power.


I also have a Glock 17 that wouldn't be too far behind. The Glock is an amazing pistol that can take an immense amount of abuse. They have high capacity mags and are very accurate weapons. And again, many LEO's are issued Glock's (although in .40 cal) as a service weapon (there has to be a reason why). I chose 9mm which is more prevalent to come across (the round is very popular). The 9mm round will do the job, and its the chosen caliber for standard troops serving in the U.S. Military(again there has to be a reason why). As long as you have well placed shot's you can easily take any wrong-doer's down.


I personally prefer the .45 1911. But if one of my friends or family asked me "what would be the one handgun in a survival/bug out situation I'd recommend" I would say the Glock17. 

• fairly inexpensive
• uncomplicated (less malfunctions)
• easy to operate
• high capacity mags
• The 9mm round is plentiful and cheap considering
• very accurate
• tritium night sights are not too expensive for it and I highly recommend them if you have a Glock
• You can also get a .22 conversion kit for the Glock. That = cheap target practice and versatility

I could keep on. Thanks for the question and  I hope I answered your question. Let's hear what you guys thought out there is. If you would like to comment lets take it to the forum tab on the top of the page and we can discuss further.  I opened a thread titled "Best Survival/Bug Out Handgun" Thanks