U.S.A. – -(AmmoLand.com)- So you waited too long to stock up on 5.56mm and 9mm, and now you’re worried about feeding your AR-15 and Glock. Don’t worry! There are dozens of firearms out there chambered in calibers that are in stock and not for insane prices! It means shooters won’t have to sell a kidney, eat ketchup sandwiches, or dip into their stock of toilet paper!
So sit tight, buckle up and get ready to explore the world of semi-non-mainstream guns and calibers.
S&W Model 10 LEO Trade-In – .38 Special
The Smith and Wesson Model 10 has been around in one form or another since World War 1. This double, single-action, six-shot revolver is incredibly reliable and surprisingly accurate.
Chambered in various calibers, for the sake of our CoronApocalypse scenario, we’ll stick to the .38 special version. And for good reason – .38 special isn’t cheap even when people aren’t panic buying. Thus, panic-buyers haven’t stripped all the shelves dry of the caliber quite yet.
Incredibly enough, in an actual TEOTWAWKI scenario, .38 Special can be loaded with black powder and works just fine. Provided that shooters have spare primers, and they remember to thoroughly clear their revolvers afterward.
But more than simply versatile, Model 10 revolvers are still very affordable on the used market. And given their overbuilt nature, unless the previous owner was loading ICBM-level loads through his six-shooter, it should last shooters for decades. The only caveat I would add is if buying in person to inspect for cylinder alignment and play.
Surplus Tokarev TT-33 – 7.62x25mm
Based heavily on Browning’s 1903 pistol design, the Soviet TT-33 pistol is a remarkable diamond in the rough. The locked-breach, single-action only semi-automatic handgun was the precursor to the Russian PMM Makarov. It saw action in WW2, Korea, the jungles of Vietnam, and anywhere else the Soviets sent them.
Several satellite Soviet countries manufactured the TT-33, but most of them are chambered in the bottle-necked 7.62x25mm cartridge. This 30-caliber pistol round produces incredible bullet velocities for a nearly 100-year-old cartridge. In some cases, upwards of 1,500fps! This velocity makes the 7.62x25mm round very flat shooting, so stretching the legs on your Tokarev is fairly easy.
Aside from excellent projectile velocity, shooters should invest in a TT-33 (or one of the many clones) because the guns are still very cheap and still available. They’re often under $250, which helps offset the cost of the ammo, which is around 30-40 cents per round. But, given the limited popularity of the ammo, most online retailers still have the ammo in stock for reasonable prices.
AK-74M Clone – 5.45x39mm
The majority of both 5.56mm and 7.62×39 ammo is either exhausted or priced outside of most people’s means. Shooters looking to scratch their modern sporting-rifle itch need to think outside the Armalite box. Think AK, but not classic AK caliber.
The AK-74 was the Soviet Union’s answer to the 5.56mm M16. The ammunition is lightweight, flat-shooting, and not nearly as expensive as 5.56mm. While the days of crazy inexpensive surplus 7N6 are dead and gone, new manufactured ammo is still budget-friendly.
As of the writing of this article, ammunition for the ‘74 was still in stock at most major ammo resellers. The only problem is that nobody really makes AK-74 clones currently. After the cheap surplus dried up, demand for guns withered. So while shooters who already have a 5.45mm AK can still find ammo, it’s going to be tough to find any 74-pattern rifle online. Thankfully, if you live in a state with pawn shops, or if a shooter looks around for smaller mom-and-pop gunshops, the occasional 5.45mm AK pops up.
Shooters in search of one should stick to Arsenal, Romanian SARs, and anything made by boutique companies like Krebs or Rifle Dynamics.
PSA PA-10 – .308 Win or 6.5 Creedmoor
Having shot a PA-10 in 6.5CM out to a mile, I can attest the guns are unreasonably accurate. They’re also very affordable – especially if shooters buy the upper and lower separately and assemble at home.
Not only that, but should people start to panic buy magazines, SR-25 pattern magazines tend to be less desirable than 5.56 STANAGs, and thus can be found more easily.
As for ammunition, as of this article’s publication, .308 was still in stock at most places at relatively normal prices. Again, this is because, like other rounds on this list, .308 Win is never cheap. This means it’s difficult to stock up on for shooters on tighter budgets (this is doubly so for 6.5 Creedmoor). The good news is that if you have the coin, the ammo, magazines, and other components are available.
Remington 870 / Mossberg 500 – 12 gauge
You knew these were going to be on the list, they’re America’s two most popular scatter guns. This is for good reason; both are incredibly durable and unstoppably reliable.
Another great aspect is their ballistic efficacy. Have you ever heard about the home invader that took a point-blank 12-gauge buckshot blast to the chest and lived? No one has. These things are incredibly potent self and home-defense tools.
As for ammunition, 12 gauge shotshells are still available online and in local brick and mortars. Birdshot is fairly inexpensive and makes a great round to train with, but shooters worried about home-invaders or hypothetical zombies should invest in double-aught buckshot. Full disclosure, quality buckshot is very pricey – around $1 a shell. The good news is that it doesn’t take many shots to stop a threat with a shotgun loaded with defensive ammo. Plus, with the addition of slugs, few firearms are as versatile as a shotgun.
While the panic-driven hordes are stripping store shelves of toilet paper and 5.56mm, shooters who waited too long to restock should invest in less popular guns and ammo. They won’t miss out on effectiveness, and they’ll actually be able to feed their guns to practice properly. Also, stop buying all the damn toilet paper.
About Jim Grant
Jim is a freelance writer, editor, and videographer for dozens of publications who loves anything and everything guns. While partial to modern military firearms and their civilian counterparts, he holds a special place in his heart for the greatest battle implement ever devised and other WW2 rifles. When he’s not reviewing guns or shooting for fun and competition, Jim can be found hiking and hunting with his wife Kimberly and their dog Peanut in the South Carolina Lowcountry.
If you don’t have the guns and ammo then you really aren’t a prepper, are you?
True. But better to buy a Jennings at the last minute, than have to rely on an old little league bat or tire iron to defend your loved ones.
If all you had ‘before’ was a LL bat or tire iron it would be better to stick with what you know, as it is too late to ‘learn’ firearms! The likely scenario, with a ‘first-time’ user of a handgun would be that somebody would take it away from them and beat them to death with it, or, God forbid they shoot some innocent.
@USMC, Correct, and a failure to prepare on someone else’s part, is not an emergency on my part, either.
I respectfully disagree. I will help people in need. In times of severe crisis, people need to support one another. Not play maverick.
Given the current “run” on guns and ammo, if you haven’t already obtained your guns and ammo, it might be too late. “A prudent person foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.” – Proverbs 27:12. We seem to have an overabundance of “simpletons” in this country at this time.
Or, as in the case of one entrepreneur, if you have an oversupply, sell an individual roll of toilet paper for $100! NEVER buy anything when the panic is running, possible exception might be that toilet paper.lol
Geez……I wouldn’t question leaving if a 410, loaded with deer slugs, was pointed in my direction!
It’s laughable that some even question the 380. My usual reply is that they walk out about 20 feet and see if it hurts!
I saw a comparison with ballistic gel on .380 and 45acp. Shot into the same block of gel, the penetration was almost identical. More damage about the 45, of course.
In situations like this, I’m going to use an expression: if all you can get your hands on is the proverbial single shot .22 rimfire bolt action from grandpa’s storage shed from back in the day utilizing Kentucky windage if it’s to hit anything, then by all means use whatever you can! Defer the cost! You can always move up later, knowing you at least stand a fighting chance.
Or….you did like I did. I obtained a slew of firearm magazines and speed loaders from an Estate sale a couple years back. They were for all different makes, models and calibers….so, I set out to purchase new and used ARs, AKs, SKSs and the handguns that used each of the magazines and speed loaders I had obtained at that Estate Sale/Auction. Now, 2 years later, I have approx. 100 long guns and handguns…in 9mm, .223, .556, 7.62, 40 S&W, .44 & .357 Magnum, .38 Special, .22 Mag, etc.(even a couple of Mossberg 500s and Remington 870s that were just… Read more »
I have news for you. It sounds like you are indeed, married.
TC Did you take notice that the 213 pictured was a 762×25 was a combat pistol with no safety!!!!!!!!!! I got mine the hard way, a bring back from NAM!!!!
@willyd – I had not noticed. Yours is quite an expensive gun, if you consider your “trip” to NAM the cost of the gun. Can make one similar by acquiring a Yugo – trigger safety model, and replacing trigger with standard model. I’ve got a Yugo with trigger it came with. Trigger is not as comfy as bladed-safety triggers those in glock or apex’d S&W – but have not found it bothers me enough to “fix”. Love shooting the tok, but ammo’s a bit pricey for my taste certain features make it (for me) a range toy rather than a… Read more »
willyd — From one vet to another (Desert Storm,) thank you for your service brother. Like most revolvers and semi-autos in use today, the safety IS the trigger. Seen a video on YouTube of this guy fast drawing from his holster, when he accidentally shot himself down the side of his right leg. He immediately knew he was in trouble, and expressed it with explicit words. See it here at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=747_rz-qE4w This is why my pistol has a manual safety, and is one of the reasons that I bought it. It’s a Ruger P95 9mm with stainless steel slide that… Read more »
I had a Remington WW2 manufactured, “Colt” clone Gov. model 45 acp, but curses, left it there. We had Singer,Browning,Remington and Colts. All WW2 issue in great condition. Browning 50 cal. BMG`s (loved them)
Except for the ‘significance’ of this virus, I am LOL about the ‘run on guns!’ Who are buying these boys these days, the ‘unarmed’ liberal whackadoodledoo crowd that has been attempting to ban all firearms worldwide and just now feel the need to ‘protect themselves’ from the over 100 million people already armed in this country? There are enough owned firearms to arm every man woman and child able to hold one in our ‘armed’ nation! That doesn’t even account for the 40+ firearms my son has stored, new in the box, from prizes won at competitions. As ole John… Read more »
The way I see it, we need to welcome them back into the fold as lost sheep who have returned to their senses. And, they are “cashing up” the firearms industry like it hasn’t seen since WWII. We are all the better for it.
Not to feed paranoia, but I encourage my friends and family not to post pictures of them selves with guns(that big buck), etc. and tone down comments regarding the guns we all love. Different Gov. agencies have been monitoring sites for what they arbitrarily consider are those for a watch list. In the past,Ive shared info about deer hunting, "baby" that stands beside my bed.and so forth. 1 of my grandsons put stuff about his AR on facebook. For goodness sake. I urged him to take it down,pronto. If/when the Dems get control of the Gov. ,we can be sure,they… Read more »
“….they will come for our guns.” I more believe they will ‘send’ people to come for our guns, but ‘they, the instigators,’ will NEVER be the first ones through our doors! I don’t know about your state, but, in my state the moment it becomes known that any such ‘collection’ is being attempted, ‘We The Serfs’ will be knocking on the doors of those “instigators,” they may want to ‘start arming up.’ Another way of saying, this isn’t Nazi Germany, yet, and the majority of us are not the Jews of old!
Why not stay with ammunition we can get? There are tons of old cheap revolvers in .357, or 38.Plenty of both available cheap.
Why not a used Mossberg for $75.00 for the shotgun?
I got an old Savage in .308. Beded, posted and floated barrel for sure b MOA.
Thanks.
Don
I think less expensive guns (and available ammo) was the point of this article – or did I miss something? Not trying to be a smart ass, Don; my wife says it just comes naturally for me. I offer my apologies if I offended you.
Yes and no. The main point of the article is that if panic buying is centered on common calibers and firearms, buy less common ones. Not boutique or unobtanium, but less mainstream.
The Savage was $200. And no you’re fine. It’s just if the disruption goes on long you’ll need to get more ammo. The more common ammo the better I think.
If you paid $75 for a Mossberg 500, it was stolen.
Or that Mossberg is in really, really, bad shape!
Nope, quite clean. The trick is to be patient.
I agree. Plenty of people get hard up.
Nope. Asked LGS to look for a seller who was dumping a gun. He found two or three. I got one at his cost.
For the unprepared, in an “emergency” get whatever you can and load whatever you can.
Bad guys don’t like to “leak”.
Can do alot worse than having a model 10 or two! 38spl is a round i have reloaded for over 30 years and if i run low on 9mm i can bring out my model 15 and keep going for quite some time
Might be a large amount of never fired firearms when this thing settles. If Gun shops in my area are still open they are getting rich. They are very proud of their guns. Used is about 5% less than new. Nobody is smirking at my stash ( not a hoarding quantity) of ammo