A different take on "what if"

[xk31]

We have seen quite a few threads dealing with guns that you want/need/have in case of a breakdown in society/cataclysm/natural disaster or whatever. By far, the vast majority of the replies, if not all are from within the continental United States. Let’s hear from our non-USA residents. What guns, do you want or have that would be your go-to guns in a case of emergency. What calibers are common in Europe, Africa, Great Britain, South America, and the Pacific Rim? Are pistol calibers even available? What are the most common non-military rifle, and pistol if available, calibers in your country? Is the 22lr as ubiquitous around the world as it is in the USA? How about shotguns? Is the 12 gauge as common in the rest of the world as in the USA? I think that hearing from our friends in countries other than the USA can give us all some good insight. So, with that in mind, let’s hear from you.

[GatorFarmer]

Google "FerFal" and "Argentina" and you'll come across a fairly well known set of writings about life in Argentina during recent hard times. Some people say it isn't/wasn't as bad as that... but eh.. people always used to think I was telling tall tales about life in Lansing (MI) too.

The general commentary on other boards when the subject came up was that in the UK shotguns and a few bolt actions rifles would most commonly be found. Contrary to popular belief, handguns are still available there under limited circumstances, but are comparatively hard to come by. Easier in the Channel Islands and Northern Ireland, more difficult in the mainland though there are exemptions for black powder and collecting certain historic arms.

Oddly... it's surprisingly easy to own surplus military vehicles in the United Kingdom... so tanks and armored cars can be had even more easily than in the United States.

Up in Canada... they can have all the 1911s they want, and indeed inexpensive Norinco firearms are readily had. This includes M14 clones and SKS rifles. Though only five round mags are legal, larger capacity mags that are pinned (and could be unpinned in a bad situation) can be had. It also perfectly legal to have what would be considered short bbl shotguns in the U.S. and the Mossberg 590 (in full size guise) is a popular choice for Canadian survivalists. Other popular survival guns? Shorty shotguns, Norinco .45s, Norinco M14 clones with "pinned" mags, the SKS with a pinned mag.

.380 autos are common in South and Central America owing to laws against military calibers being privately owned. Glock makes a .380 pistol - not marketed in the U.S. - that is popular. The Beretta 84 series was/is also popular.

In those areas where one can be legally, or quasi legally obtained, one of the tricked out Colt 1911s in .38 Super - such as the El Jefe model - is a status symbol.

The Aussies have various shotguns, lever guns, ever popular Enfields and .45 autos. For some strange reason the Aussies banned smaller caliber handguns so you can't have a .357 magnum these days, but a .44 Magnum would be fine. Some Australian police have .40 caliber Glocks, but I'm not sure if the round is commercially available there.

There's a 10 or 15 rd mag limit in New Zealand, but handguns and I think the Mini14 are legal, as are sporting weapons. ARs and AKs are heavily restricted. NZ police generally are armed, at least not heavily. For years a 3" Model 36 was the issue weapon. I'm not sure if these have been supplanted.

In many parts of Africa where there really is no law, officially the law limits one to blackpowder muzzle loaders, but battered AKs and G3s rattle around in land rovers.


AKs can of course be had legally, illegally, quasi legally or made in the basement the world over alongside home brew 9mm SMGs - which turned up in some numbers in Chechnya.

[Cyrano]

The Stens, Brens, Stirlings and Thompsons I saw in New Zealand were held legally and had full capacity magazines. The most common US weapon I saw in collections was't a Smith or a Colt, but an M1A1 Thompson.