Basic Emergency Firearm Preparedness

There have been a few topics recommending to buy guns over the last couple of weeks, so I thought I'd post some basic knowledge about the types and uses for the lesser-informed on the gun subject.

I'll touch upon each type in the order that I consider important, with the emphasis on effectiveness and versatility.

#1
Shotguns:
These are some of the most affordable and effective firearms available today for the widest range of purposes. Often costing as little as $250 brand new, or even less in good used conditon.
The reason I place the shotgun in the #1 position, is that it can be used for almost anything that a gun needs to do, all with one gun and a variety of ammunition. Nothing else matches this versatility.
Get a 12 gauge shotgun because the ammo is the most widely found and it is the cheapest ammo of all the gauges, due to higher selling volumes. Cheaper than smaller guage ammo. And more powerful.
It can be used for anything up to bear-sized animals with slugs, deer-sized animals with buckshot, smaller varmints and game with some of the medium shot sizes like #6 shot, and birds of various sizes with #7-1/2 shot(or other sizes of small shot).
The main limiting factor with a shotgun is effective range. It is only good with slugs to about 100yds, and much shorter ranges with various shot loads. Generally around 40yds max for shot. However, this is enough range for the average person's property size, and makes up for lack of range with being able to take birds in flight for survival purposes, which no other gun can really do unless you are Annie Oakley.
It is an excellent gun for defense and home protection and property protection, hunting land animals or birds, and is relatively cheap. For self defense, slugs or larger Buckshot like 000 or 00 will work great.

#2
22LR Rifles
The "king" of rifles is the .22LR, which is sort of funny when you consider it is a small rimfire cartridge that many think is puny. While it is the about the smallest and cheapest rifle out there, it can do amazing work with small game out to 50yds, and is cheap cheap cheap to feed ammo. You can get thousands of rounds of ammo for less than $100.
It is certainly not the best self defense cartridge, but it can kill or deter human attackers, but is not good at stopping a determined attacker immediately. However, 10 rapid rounds of .22LR into an attacker will probably stop him or make him want to go somewhere else immediately, like to a hospital. One well-placed round can stop him, if you have enough skill to do it.
Good .22LR rifles can be purchased for around $200 and up, and they can be stocked with lots of ammo for cheap. Any caliber that you haven't run out of is better than a bigger caliber ammo that you are out of. It sucks to be out of ammo. Remember that.
A Ruger 10/22 rifle is a semi-automatic 22LR rifle that is probably "the standard" in these types of rifles, and parts are easy to find.

#3
Center-fire Rifles
A center-fire cartridge rifle is a more powerful type of rifle for more hitting power and longer ranges. Deer hunting rifles fit this category, as to most other rifles that aren't .22LR. They are all powerful enough to quickly stop any human attacker, and gather larger game at moderate to longer distances. Skill is required for longer distances, and will require extra special practice for that.
Bolt action rifles work fine, and are reliable, with less moving parts. However they are relatively slower to get repeat shots off, compared to semi-automatic types. But they should not be ignored because they are quite effective and can be shot fairly rapidly with some practice. A Remington 700 is a good choice for this type, or a used Mauser that is in good condition. Lots of choices actually, so you should study up to see what you might like.
Lever action rifles like a Winchester 94 are what the cowboys used, and work fine, and are faster than a bolt action, but not as fast as a semi-auto. .30-30 is the most popular and useful cartridge for the lever action guns. Very good guns.
Semi-auto rifles are faster for follow-up shots and some are military type rifles which are hi-capacity magazine-fed rifles. These can hold up to 30 rounds(or more) in their magazines so you don't have to reload as often. Popular ones are SKS, AK47, AK74, AR15, FN-FAL, HK91, HK93, etc, etc. In my opinion, best utility for the money is an SKS with the standard 10-round fixed magazine. Replacement hi-capacity magazines often cause reliability problems in this gun, so the 10 round is just fine. Best bang for low bucks. Next would be an AK47(shoots the same bullets as an SKS), costs more, has reliable 30 round magazine capability. Others listed cost more than $600 so it will be an investment of cash. Spend what you feel is best.
Ammo for these guns are often military surplus and not too awful in price, but expect to spend at least $300 for a case of 1000 rounds of ammo for these. Possibly more, as ammo prices are increasing rapidly.
Recoil can be noticeable on center-fire rifles, so try to pick a caliber that is .308 or smaller, unless the primary target is large bear. Standard military caliber cartridges are good choices because they are plentiful and cheaper than sporting ammo is.

#4
Pistols
Pistols/handguns are for defense purposes primarily in close-quarters or when concealability is primary. They can be used for close-range hunting, if they had to be. They are not a good substitute for a rifle or a shotgun. Consider it a personal protection for urban carry or for a back-up to your rifle if you need it as a last ditch weapon to save your life. Pistols are "sexy" and people gravitate toward them, but they are generally the least capable form of weapon and the hardest to shoot well.
Probably the best bang for the buck is a Glock 19, which is a 9mm that carries 15 rounds of ammo in the magazine, and costs under $500. If you prefer a larger caliber like 45ACP, that's fine and there are some fine pistols(including Glocks) for that too.
I mention Glock because it is a reliable gun that is rugged, and is pretty inexpensive, and holds alot of rounds in the magazine.
If you're not urban-based and have no need for a concealable weapon, then the handgun can be deleted if the budget for firearms is very limited.

Special Note:
Body Armor
Body armor is available to the public, although you may encounter restrictions in some local areas, or certain stores might not sell it to you if you aren't LEO. But, you can get it, if you look hard enough.
And so can other people, who might intend on attacking you.
So, when considering that you might encounter an attacker wearing body armor, it affects the choices of firearms and calibers.
The "soft" body armor that is lowest cost, and more often seen, is generally rated for pistol calibers up to .44magnum, and will stop small rifle calibers such as .22LR, and also stop shotgun rounds.
You'll need to use a centerfire rifle cartridge to defeat this type of body armor.
The "hard" body armor seen on TV on military soldiers is a ceramic type that repels centerfire cartridges, and is very difficult to penetrate. It is very expensive, hard to obtain, and it is unlikely that you'll encounter anybody wearing it, unless they are military. To defeat it, you will need an unusually large and powerful rifle, such as a .338Lapua, which will cost you an arm-and-a-leg to buy and feed ammo to, and kicks like a mule. So, if you see somebody coming for you that looks like "The Michelin Man", wearing hard ceramic body armor, consider not engaging(and getting away), unless you can shoot the areas not covered by the body armor, from behind a solid cover protection like a dirt berm or something.

Summation:
To sum up, I think to be well-rounded in your firearms collection, it would be a very good idea to have a good pump-action 12ga shotgun with a variety of ammo types for protection, game, and birds, if you only could have one gun in your budget. Remington 870 Express would be a good choice, with replaceable chokes or IC fixed-choke.
The next one to buy would be a Ruger 10/22 .22LR, and a whole lot of ammo and spare magazines for it. You'll at least have a gun of some type that you won't run out of ammo with, to keep you alive.
Third would be a form of center fire rifle in a caliber, type, and price range that you feel comfortable with. An SKS would be my choice if budget was a concern.
Fourth, a handgun as a personal siderarm if you think it is required for your particular needs. Probably best lower cost gun would be a Glock 19 9mm.
In that order.

Spare parts such as springs, pins, firing pins, cleaning supplies, would be good things to have, to keep your firearms running. Get them before the world stops turning.

Oh, and one other thing to add.
Practice, and become familiar and proficient with whatever firearms you buy. Learn to operate it and shoot it well. Learn to maintain and repair it. Buying a gun and putting it in the closet until the day you need to use it to try to save your life is a very bad idea.

If anybody has any particular questions that they'd like covered, just ask them on this thread, and I'll do what I can to answer them.