What is a survival gun?
The idea of the survival rifle became increasingly popular with the introduction of the airplane, especially in military use. Pilots and air crews, especially units carrying cargo over vast distances of wilderness, needed a firearm as a survival tool. With the increase in downed pilots in combat zones over the years, the concept has evolved several times over.
Related: Historical Military Survival Rifles – The Ultimate Backpack Guns
While the survival gun has gone through many iterations over the years, the basic concept has remained the same. Ultimately, the survival rifle should be a light and versatile platform that can easily be stored. It doesn’t have to be the best at everything, but it should be capable of hunting and some basic levels of home defense.
Honorable mentions
The design often features rimfire calibers and some shotgun chamberings. Going back to the beginning, the M4 survival rifle, a bolt-action, skeletonized rifle chambered in .22 Hornet, was one of the first military-issued firearms designed specifically for survival with downed air crews.
After only a few years in service, the M4 was replaced by the M6 survival rifle, a break-action, over/under design that had a top barrel chambered for .22 Hornet, with a bottom barrel chambered for .410 bore shotgun shells. This newer design gave the user more options for defense and hunting.
Now, let’s look at some of the most popular and notable survival designs from the Guns.com Certified Used inventory.
Henry AR-7 U.S. Survival Rifle
The Henry AR-7 U.S. Survival Rifle is one of the most popular designs out there. This semi-automatic .22 LR is a takedown rifle that can be compactly stored. The small and light .22 LR cartridge is so light that it can be easily carried in bulk. While the .22 LR is not the most powerful cartridge in the world, it is readily available in many parts of the world, and its capability of taking down many kinds of game is well documented.
Related Review: Fit to Survive – The Henry AR-7 Survival Rifle
The rifle effortlessly disassembles with the removal of a threaded barrel nut and a retained pistol grip screw in the receiver. The receiver, barrel, and magazine are all stored in the polymer butt stock, making it it compact enough to fit in a backpack. It’s easy to see why this is one of the most popular designs on the market.
Related: American Oddities – Henry’s Most Unusual Firearms
Savage Model 24
The Savage Arms Model 24 started under the Stevens brand as the Stevens .22-.410. During World War II, the U.S. Army purchased over 15,000 Stevens combo guns for use in their Air Corps as survival rifles. Shortly after the conclusion of the war, the model continued under the Savage brand.
The Model 24 is arguably the pillar of Savage's combo gun line. While there were several different models with different combinations of .22 and shotgun gauges, this Model 24 is a .22 LR and 20 gauge. This design is a little more traditional, with beautiful wood accents against the blued metal.
The Model 24 is unique because the external hammer has a selector that can be adjusted to fire either the rifle or shotgun barrel. The .22 rimfire is perfect for hunting small game, while the shotgun shell is better suited for self-defense against animals or enemies. In general, combo guns are unique and uncommon, so having a model that has so much history in the design is such a treat.
Car-15/XM-177
Sadly, moving past World War II, pilots and air crews became less concerned with surviving the elements and more concerned with evading enemy forces. With the introduction of the AR-15/M-16, a whole new design of rifle became available for modification in the 1960s.
While many people are familiar with the CAR-15 (Colt Automatic Rifle carbine version of the AR-15), not as many people are familiar with the GAU-5 (Gun Aircraft Unit). The AR-15 was naturally a light firearm that was easily broken down into an upper and lower receiver, making it a perfect candidate for a survival rifle.
The GAU-5 was the survival rifle version of the CAR-15 that was placed in aircraft ejection seats and survival kits, offering downed air crews a true combat rifle to defend themselves. The 5.56 NATO round is still relatively small and light, making it easy to carry enough ammunition to defend yourself for a short period of time, while also offering enough power to hunt if needed.
While this Brownells BRN-16A1 reproduction isn’t a perfect copy, it represents the old-school CAR-15 line and the new generation of light combat rifle. The fixed carry handle, faux moderator muzzle device, and thin clamshell handguard are instant visual reminders of the Vietnam War and the humble beginnings of the AR-15.
DRD Tactical CDR-15
The DRD Tactical CDR-15 is another stand-in for a new survival rifle design. In keeping with the same thought process with the survival rifle version of the CAR-15, the U.S. Air Force adopted the new GAU-5A in 2022.
This modern rendition of the AR features an easy and more compact takedown, easily storing in a watertight case that can fit in an ejection seat. Instead of unhinging the upper and lower, the CDR-15 has a threaded barrel collar and quick-lock handguard. This allows the upper and lower receiver to remain attached while the barrel is easily removed for compact storage.
As I have stated before, the 5.56 NATO cartridge is more than capable of hunting, while being vastly superior to rimfire cartridges or shotgun shells for personal defense. The light intermediate cartridge can be carried in significant quantities, ensuring adequate ammunition to fight off potential captors.
Summary
In my opinion, the CDR-15 takes the cake as the ultimate survival rifle. While the other designs are cool, I think that regardless of the environment, the semi-automatic 5.56 platform is better suited for most tasks.
While I may never be a downed air crewman, if I am backpacking, camping, or prepping, the higher capacity and higher velocity that this platform offers will give me much more confidence than an over/under or a semi-auto rimfire. It’s a lot easier to defend against a wolf or a bear with an AR-15 than a break-action combo gun.
On the flip side, 5.56 is a capable hunting round, and it can still be used to harvest small and medium game. For all these reasons, I personally would prefer an AR-15 in a survival situation; however, I am willing to admit the discussion is very subjective. So, feel free to let me know why I am wrong and what you’d choose in a survival situation.
