Any prepper must have thought about adding firearms to their survival kit in case SHTF. However, many don't consider the repercussions of using guns in dangerous situations. Most would probably imagine just firing away at any threat that crosses their paths. Unfortunately, SHTF situations aren't as easy as that.
There is no doubt that guns are loud; very loud. The crack of gunfire can bring about many terrible things. For one, any loud blast will scare away any and all wild game in the immediate area, which would make hunting difficult. Gunfire can also cause short-or even long-term damage to your hearing. This could hinder you in a dangerous situation. Not to mention all the attention you would be getting from firing a gun. Anyone within the vicinity will know where you are and that you have a gun. This is the kind of attention you don't want to attract when you're trying to escape danger.
One solution is to eliminate, or at least muffle, the noise of a shot. In any dangerous situation, staying quiet can mean the difference between life and death. (h/t to SurvivalSullivan.com)
Keep the element of surprise
One of the best ways to remove the sound of gunfire is through the use of a suppressor. Investing in one will give any prepper a tactical benefit in any survival situation. (Obey all constitutional laws when acquiring or deploying suppressors.)
When a gun fires a shot, supersonic hot gasses are generated and exit the muzzle. If left unmoderated, this blast will be responsible for a sharp pressure increase that can cause an ear-splitting boom. A suppressor traps the gasses and slows down their escape, drastically reducing the sound of a gunshot.
Staying hidden can be an important advantage for preppers. Having a quieter gun will bring much less attention to you, allowing you to escape dangers before they even acknowledge your presence. (Related: Prepper essentials: A guide to camouflaging your property.)
Quiet guns for quiet folk
Here are three guns that could help you stay as quiet as a mouse in any survival situation:
- HK 45 Compact Tactical .45 ACP pistols may not have aged well and there are probably much better alternatives for combat and self-defense handguns, but one of the greatest advantages they have over other pistols is how easy they are to suppress. The HK45 Compact Tactical is designed to be a suppressor-ready host. It can also have an 8- or 10-round capacity in a small frame, which is usually enough to get the job done. If you want to stay silent, you can never go wrong with an HK45 Compact Tactical.
- Ruger 22/45 Lite with thread-on suppressor This lightweight pistol sports an excellent control layout with suppressor tolerance, allowing you to mount something like a thread-on suppressor to make it barely louder than an air gun. It also comes with a receiver top rail that makes it easy to mount optics upgrades like sights. The combined weight of the pistol, its spare magazines, and the suppressor will take very little room in any bug-out bag, making it the ideal gun for many survival situations.
- Q Honey Badger Semi-automatics can bring a severe beatdown to your eardrums while also notifying everyone in town of your presence. Even when suppressed, most rifles are still quite loud. Fortunately, the Q Honey Badger exists. This highly refined semi-auto rifle hosts a slick .300 Blackout cartridge, a round optimal for subsonic use and is as quiet as the quietest 9mm submachine gun.
Stealth is an important factor if you want to get out of a dangerous situation alive. Take the time to add suppressors to your firearms to significantly increase your chances for survival. (Obey all constitutional laws when doing so, of course.)
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