Many factors are involved in selecting the optimal cartridge for survival. Here’s your guide to making practical choices
by Richard Mann
The choice of an adequate self-defense cartridge is largely situational. In any survival setting, your primary concerns are security and sustenance. Lost in the southeastern United States, a powerful cartridge is not that important, but in the wilds of Africa or Alaska there are big beasts to worry about. Then there’s the less likely apocalyptic circumstance where security and protection are most important. You may need protection from armed combatants as opposed to wild animals. Answering the survival cartridge question is complicated because of the varied conditions and extensive options. Let’s see if we can simplify it some.
Protection from Animals
A cartridge capable of protecting you from wild animals should be sufficient for stopping them as opposed to hunting them. You can effectively use a .30-06 Springfield or .308 Winchester to hunt most any animal, but neither cartridge is ideal for stopping large, angry beasts. Where you’re apt to encounter big and dangerous animals, a cartridge in the class of the .45-70 Government or the .375 H&H Magnum should be the minimum. For lesser predators like black bears, wolves, and mountain lions, something like a .308 Winchester would be sufficient. Though I’d not feel adequately armed with a shotgun in Africa, a 12-gauge loaded with slugs would provide great protection anywhere in North America.
Protection from Humans
When dealing with rioting mobs or armed humans, the .308 Winchester would also be effective. But so, too, would the .223 Remington/5.56 NATO. These cartridges are also available in carbines and rifles ideally adapted to the combat/personal protection application. The shotgun is a viable choice as well. Loaded with slugs or buckshot, any gauge shotgun is an excellent protection weapon. But the shotgun has limited range and the more distance you keep between you and your assailants, the better.
Finding Food/Hunting
If you must hunt for food, a rimfire cartridge will suffice. Small game is easier to find, kill, and prepare than larger game, and this is the true forte of rimfire cartridges. They can also work on bigger game like deer and even feral hogs. You might even be able to convince a wolf, mountain lion, or bear to leave you alone with a rimfire cartridge, but it’s not a wise gamble. So, while a rimfire might be all that’s needed to keep you fed, it might not be enough to keep you from becoming food. Also, just as a shotgun can provide protection, it’s a very good tool for collecting food.
Is a Shotgun Cartridge the Answer?
This all might seem to suggest a shotgun cartridge is the best cartridge for survival, and it is a popular choice; however, it has downsides, and you could make the argument that relying on a single survival weapon/cartridge is illogical. Shotgun cartridges lack reach and the ability to engage anything with precision. Also, to take full advantage of what you can do with a shotgun, you’ll need various types of ammunition, such as slugs for protection and large critters, buckshot for self-defense, and shotshells for small game.
What about Handguns?
It seems very shortsighted to not carry a handgun in addition to any long gun in a survival setting. A handgun is the most portable firearm, and depending on the cartridge it is chambered for, you can use it for security and sustenance. Rimfire handguns are ideal for small game, the 9mm and .45 are perfect for self-defense, and more powerful and larger bore handguns can stop most critters. You can also have a handgun — revolver — chambered for the same cartridge as your long gun, and this greatly simplifies ammunition concerns.
Holding Up or Bugging Out
When choosing a survival cartridge, you should also consider if you’ll be holding up somewhere or if you’ll be on the move. If you’re hunkering down, there’s no reason you could not have multiple firearms chambered for multiple cartridges. If you’re mobile, you’ll have to carry everything, either in a vehicle, on a horse, or on your person. In that instance, a survival arsenal is not appropriate. Consider this; in addition to the weight of any gun/s you might carry, you must also carry ammunition. The chart below shows how many rounds of each cartridge would weigh one pound. In addition to other survival gear, how much ammo will you want to carry?
Cartridge / Cartridges per Pound
- .22 Long Rifle / 125 rounds
- .22 Magnum / 107 rounds
- .223 Remington / 38 rounds
- 9mm Luger / 37 rounds
- .357 Magnum / 28 rounds
- .45 Auto / 24 rounds
- .30-30 Winchester / 21 rounds
- .308 Winchester / 19 rounds
- .45-70 Government / 13 rounds
- 20-gauge / 13 rounds
- .375 H&H Magnum / 11 rounds
- 12-gauge / 11 rounds
Practical Decisions
If you’re holding up, a three-gun approach makes sense. Some sort of centerfire handgun chambered for the 9mm Luger, .357 Magnum, or .45 Auto for last-ditch self-defense seems mandated. A rifle or carbine chambered for the .223 Remington or .308 Winchester makes sense as well. Select the one capable of dealing with the largest beasts you might need to stop. For the third gun, a 12-gauge shotgun of some form provides a rounded arsenal suitable for most any situation.
For remote on-the-move operations in a non-hostile situation, a long gun and a handgun make sense. Choose one in a cartridge with sufficient power to put down the largest beast you’ll likely encounter. For the other gun, you should probably choose a rimfire cartridge you can use to obtain food. You’ll be able to carry a lot of rimfire ammo and you’ll need that gun most often. The 22 Long Rifle is a great choice, but the 22 Magnum offers a power and reach advantage out of proportion to cartridge weight. And, unless you’re stuck on grizzly island, you should not need pounds of ammo for your powerhouse.
Bugged out and having to deal with hostile humans changes everything. It pretty much solidifies your need for a battle rifle or carbine in .223 Remington/5.56 NATO or .308 Winchester. Select the one suitable for dealing with the largest non-human predator you might encounter. And don’t overlook the .30-30 Winchester. With modern ammo, it’s very effective out to around 200 yards, and a .30-30 carbine is very portable. Your handgun should probably be a fighting gun, too. The 9mm Luger wins out because you can easily carry more ammo. A rimfire conversion kit for your pistol, along with a hundred rounds of ammo in your pack, makes sense.
Though it might seem a little antiquated or cowboy, you could also make a valid argument for a lever gun and a revolver chambered for the .38 Special/.357 Magnum. With modern ammo like the Federal HammerDown load, a .357 Magnum rifle is a solid 200-yard performer, and your long gun and handgun can share ammo. Throw a 22 LR revolver on your other hip — especially one with a second cylinder for the 22 Magnum — and there would be few situations you could not effectively deal with.
Simple Survival
Your ability to locate ammunition once you deplete your supply is also important. Some ballistically appealing cartridges are not very prevalent. If you stick to the cartridges included in this list, their wide use from coast to coast makes ammunition easier to find; however, realistically, a long-term survival situation is unlikely. The odds of being stranded in a remote location for a day are much higher than being lost in the wilderness for a month. You’re less likely to deal with mass lawlessness than with a single, short-term riot. And being stuck in the aftermath of a hurricane is exponentially more plausible than the collapse of civilization.
It’s comforting to be prepared for the worst but first prepare for the most probable. Just make sure your plans and the cartridges you choose for what is likely to happen dovetail into your plan to survive the most terrible possibilities. Plan realistically, practically, and keep it simple.
- Choosing the Best Survival Cartridge - January 17, 2025
