When prepping for any impending urban or suburban disasters, appropriate firearms are quite important. Drawing from expert insight, here are three recommended ones: access, effectiveness, and pragmatism.
The .357 revolver, without a doubt, gets recommended as highly as one can. It’s just really simplistic and versatile. It will fire both .357 Magnum and .38 Special ammunition, providing a greater source of ammunition to choose from. The .38 Special is milder in recoil and is, therefore, ideal for novices; the .357 Magnum packs heavy stopping power. At the same time, the revolver is easy to use, so any user will understand how to work it with no complications, and it holds six rounds, ample for self-defense. In addition, one can conceal it, hence giving liberty in many other situations.
Those requiring equal portions of reliability and performance will opt for semi-auto versions chambered in an AR-15, Mini-14, or even a SU-16, all in 5.56 NATO. The rifles offer a very high degree of efficiency with high capacity and user-friendliness. Since they have proven their efficiency to be accurate and easy to handle, they are very handy in home defense. They will not be the choice for hunting medium to large game, but their use in an urban setting as tools of self-defense is their main use, at which they do excel.
Another good choice would be any break-action 12-gauge shotgun, either over/under or side by side. Simple, and thus very reliable; no doubt, most effective at close range. The mechanism of its operation is pretty easy to understand by a person who isn’t exposed that much to firearms. Its size prohibits it from being an ideal bug-out weapon, but when it comes to home defense, nothing beats the stopping power.
Other honorable mentions would be any striker-fired 9mm pistol, it does hit a balance between ease of use and versatility, or the .22 semi-auto rifle since that’s the easiest to shoot accurately and its ammunition is the cheapest and lightest. The pump-action 12-gauge shotgun is still largely chosen, mostly due to its higher capacity, but it requires just a little more familiarity to run effectively.
With newbies, the best that would be recommended would be a Ruger 10/22. One of the customers stated that when he chose the Ruger 10/22 Carbine #1103, it was because of its reliability and large number of after-market accessories available, besides being easy to use. He liked the birch wood stock, as it was more like the classic variety. He stated that the design of this rifle is plain unobtrusive and easy on the eyes. Although many have been scared off by the cost of ammunition, and its prices are a bit steep, this Ruger 10/22 retains much popularity simply because it is so reliable and easy to maintain.
Others like the Henry lever action .22 for its ability to digest all types of .22 ammunition out there and for its superior fit and finish. Many more just like the Ruger 10/22 a lot because semi-auto makes it a good deal more practical every day and a good deal cheaper. While Henry provides a unique shooting experience, generally speaking, it is outclassed by the Ruger 10/22 in terms of reliability and versatility.
Proper firearms for urban prepping will boil down to ease of operation, versatility, and practicality. Heavily recommended are the .357 revolver, just like the semi-auto rifle chambered for 5.56 NATO, and the break-action 12-gauge shotgun. If a person is just getting into it, a Ruger 10/22 always seems to end up in the mix.