Lever gun as bug out weapon & general surivial gun

Well as we all know, guys getting into discussions about shootin’ irons can really butt heads about what is considered the ‘best’ weapon for this, that and the other use. But for today’s post, I’m not pushing what’s ‘best’, just my personal, quirky favorite weapon ideas for a general purpose survival, self defense, a weapon that’s decently strong with hitting power, has ammo that’s way cheaper than most other carbines, and has the advantage of using the same ammo your sidearm eats. And, that weapon is……a Winchester 94 “Trapper” in .357 magnum/.38 special.

The .357 handgun has a proven track record from the 1930′s as having impressive stopping power, fired out of revolvers with 2 inch to 4 inch barrels, the typical carry gun for civilians and cops for many years. Now, firing those same rounds out of an 18-1/2 inch barrel, you get even better power, because the extra length pushes the bullet 300 feet per second, or more, faster than the revolver.

In my post about putting a peep sight on my Winchester Trapper, you saw the pictures of how I now have mine set up with the fast acting peep sight.

I found the neat stock cover on Ebay, a fellow hand makes these for many different firearms bulmast1  . So, I have 10 rounds in the gun plus the 9 on the stock cover plus the 25 on my pistol belt and 7 in my 7 shot Taurus 66, and 2 speedloaders with 7 rounds for the 66, which is the one from the post about adding a laser sight to it. Light, maneuverable, good firepower. I run .38 specials for practice with the 94 and my Taurus 66 revolver.  I usually keep a couple extra boxes of ammo in my BOB. If you can’t get out of a situation with 150 rounds, then you’re probably gonna have a bad day.

One other thing to consider, many people consider the ‘cowboy look’ of this weapon to be less intimidating than the typical ‘black gun’, so perhaps one could wander around in a post SHTF barter zone without getting so many people all antsy about your arms.

Winchester 94 on youtube.  A few good videos showing the 94 in action.

To give you an idea of the power of these cartridges, here’s a video of .357 mag ballistic gel, 158 grain Gold Dot, 4 inch revolverSo, considering the damage out of a 4 inch pistol, how ’bout from an 18 – 1/2 inch carbine?

The only thing I’ll admit is ‘lacking’ from my 94 survival carbine is the ability to ‘spray and pray’ from a 30 round magazine like my Mini 14 or my AK-47

 

Related articles

• Obama must now make gun control his legacy (newstatesman.com)
• Gun Advocacy Group Responds: ‘Gun Control Supporters Have The Blood Of Little Children On Their Hands’ (thinkprogress.org)
• The Truth About the Guns Used in the Newtown School Shooting (thetruthaboutguns.com)
• How To Shoot A Rifle (answers.com)
• Twelve facts about guns and mass shootings in the United States (proglib.newsvine.com)
• Clackamas Town Center Shooting: Gun control advocates say they will press for assault weapons ban in Oregon (oregonlive.com)
• Gun Control? Let’s Make That Weapons Control. (corporatecriminalsexposed.com)