Survival Weapons List

When you need food, water, shelter or rescue but have no idea how, when or from where those resources will come, you are in a survival situation. Your survival supplies should contain weapons such as knives, firearms, hatchets or sling devices. When choosing your survival weapon, understand how to operate it safely and take time to practice using it, to increase your accuracy.

  1. Firearms

    • Many experts recommend the use and storage of firearms and ammunition for self-defense and hunting during a survival situation. The idea of gun ownership is controversial; some denounce the idea of having or storing guns, preferring instead to use knives, hatchets or slingshots. All agree that anyone purchasing a firearm should receive proper training and education on gun handling, ownership and licensing laws. Firearm types include pistols, rifles and shotguns. Pistols are handheld, while rifles and shotguns are held against your shoulder to aim prior to firing. Spend some time working with gun sellers, local shooting clubs or indoor shooting-range operators to familiarize yourself with the different types and sizes of firearm, to learn your personal preferences.

    Knives

    • Survival knives typically have large blades, averaging 4 inches or longer; some knives have a serrated edge and a smooth edge. Knife handles are made from various materials. A survival knife can shred slivers of bark to start a fire, be struck against a magnesium block to produce sparks for fire starting, kill and dress small animals or cut rope for shelter building. Some survival knives are sturdy enough to double as a hammer; place one side of the knife against the wood and then strike on the other side with a rock. Although survival-type knives are recommended for survival purposes, even a smaller pocketknife is better than no knife at all. Using a smaller knife as a hammer risks damage to the blade.

    Hatchet

    • Hatchets, available in different sizes and styles, resemble miniature axes. Some have foldout blades; others are fixed and about the size of an average hammer. A hatchet is useful for cutting thicker branches, killing and dressing midsized animals and, possibly, self-defense. An axe would also perform these functions, but a hatchet is smaller and lighter in weight, making it easier to transport if you are forced to carry supplies on your back.

    Sling Devices

    • A slingshot is a Y-shaped piece of plastic, wood or metal, with surgical or other rubber tubing attached to the end of each upper section of the Y. A leather pouch is fixed near the middle of the rubber tubing. A projectile -- which might be a steel ball bearing, a glass marble, a BB or a rock -- is placed in the pouch, pinched and pulled back. Aim at your target and let the pouch go. The stone sling, another sling weapon, is most famously known from the biblical story of David and Goliath. Ancient soldiers used a long leather strip with a circular pouch in the end; a soldier would attack enemies by swinging the sling around several times to build momentum and then flinging the stone out of the pouch at his opponent. In a survival situation, you could use this method to cast a stone forcefully into brush or thickets, to force possible prey to come out of hiding.