Concerned American linked to my prior post, The Community Quartermaster, and also to a post from Matt Bracken at American Partisan from a couple years ago, Arm Thy Neighbor. CA has an encyclopedic memory for similar posts. Anyway, Matt said a lot of solid stuff and covers in more detail why you might want to have extra firearms on hand, and many of the comments are good as well although the comment section at AP is closed now as this is an older article. Matt recommends revolvers as the simplest to use for a non-gun owner:
That is why I encourage you to buy a few extra firearms in anticipation of this future need. I would suggest that a revolver is the simplest entry-level firearm to provide to a non-shooting neighbor. There are no magazines, safety catches or slides to learn to manipulate. You simply open the cylinder, insert the bullets, close the cylinder and the revolver is ready to go. A revolver has the shortest “learning curve” of any firearm. Anyone can learn basic gun safety and effective close-range self-defense with a revolver in one afternoon. In dire extremes you could hand a revolver to a non-shooter after a five-minute period of instruction and dry-firing. Revolvers are intuitive; you can even see if they are loaded or unloaded simply by looking at the cylinder.
Now that was written in 2019 when revolvers were cheap and plentiful, not in 2021 when you can barely obtain them. I wish I had gone to gun shows and flea markets back in 2019 and picked up 5-6 used revolvers but that is neither here nor there now. Simple is best. Revolvers, .22 rifles, pump shotguns. The SKS would be great if the price hadn’t skyrocketed on them.
Like I said, Matt covered a lot of good points in a short time so jump over to American Partisan and read his post as well.
Not completely disagreeing with Bracken on the "pull trigger, go bang revolver theory but the one factor that so many seem to forget is ease of use UNDER DURESS. Think a rank beginner is going to manipulate the reloading procedure for a revolver easier than a Glock 19 when shots are flying in both directions? Probably not. So they are good for 6 shots then what? Years ago I bought a handful of AK's thinking they would be the simplest and most reliable rifle to equip family/friends post-SHTF. Watching grown men attempting to manipulate the rock to lock mag during a stressful reload made me abandon that whole misguided adventure. Now its lots of loaded mags, AR's, and Glock 19's for everyone at my house.
Agree with the revolver issue. Most—that is 99 percent—of shootings involve less than 6 rounds. I mentioned to my 8th grade classes that an 80 year old grandmother could learn to shoot a revolver in 5 minutes. If we placed her and an MMA fighter 30 feet apart in a contest to the death, that MMA guy would be shot to death. All of his 20m years of training would not have mattered at all.
Feel good story of the day !
I would like to point out ANY deals on old 22 rifles and old single barrel shotgun should not be passed up. depends on the gauge shotgun of course and weather or not you have any ammo for it as well.
any old western or whatever 22 rifle can always be painted as long as it works and still accurate to minute of man within 100 yards regardless of how it looks. got 2 old mossbergs from out of a old basement, they look "better" with a paint job and still do under 1 inch groups at 100 yards.
barn and basement finds are good !