Bows V.s. Guns

Traditional bows are relatively silent & good for hunting if you are skilled in using one. They are light & sustainable. Compound bows in my opinion are less practical in a wilderness situation, & they are NOT sustainable.

Modern guns are good for defence, better than a bow, especially when defending against people who do have guns. Guns have a shock value, the crack or bang plus the fast moving bullet can be unnerving, more so than a bow. But if you are using a modern firearm for both defence & hunting, then you are going to need more ammo. Ammo is heavy unless you are using a .22 rimfire. In my opinion a .22 rimfire is a good choice for defence. Modern firearms on the whole are NOT sustainable. Sooner or later you are likely to run out of ammo & there will be no way of replacing it. Modern ammo (except the .22 rimfire) is heavy, & you can't afford to compromise the carrying of other important equipment/supplies. If you are a part of a group, then some members could carry extra ammo, but again, there could be more important items to pack other than ammo.

Flintlock muzzle-loading guns are more sustainable than modern firearms. They can be used for hunting & defence, although a wise person would also set up a trapline to save ammo. A flintlock does not require primers or cartridges, although if you are using a smoothbore, you can make your own cartridges for faster reloading. If a flintlock should malfunction, which is not usual, it can easily be converted to a matchlock & you can continue to use it. A flintlock can be used for making fire without the need to use any gunpowder. Ammo is lighter regardless of the caliber because you do not need to carry as much round ball as you would if you were using a modern firearm. Spent lead is retrieved from shot game & remoulded for further use. Gunpowder weighs a lot less than lead so you can afford to carry more of it. You can also make your own gunpowder if the ready made item is not available & other projectiles can be used if you should run out of lead.
Flintlock pistols are excellent for self defence, & in some places more readily obtainable than a modern pistol. matching a pistol in caliber with your long-arm will save you having to carry two sizes of ammo & two different ball moulds. Common calibers range from the tiny .32 caliber rifle, which has more killing power than the .22 rimfire, to .74 caliber smoothbore muskets. The smoothbores are more versatile in that they can digest bird shot, buckshot & round ball, or a combination of any two of these. This too includes the smoothbore pistols.

I have bows, modern firearms & muzzle-loading guns. If I had to leave on my own & could only carry one longarm, I would take my .62 caliber fusil with my .70 caliber smoothbore pistol (the .70 caliber smoothbore can fire the .60 caliber ball patched or wadded.

If you are in a group I recommend that there is a mixture of modern firearms, bows & muzzle-loaders.
Keith.

.32 caliber flintlock rifle with double set triggers.

.62 caliber flintlock fusil with a 42 inch barrel.

.70 caliber smoothbore flintlock pistol with a brass cannon barrel & a left hand lock.

 

No, it is a matter of being prepared for any eventuality. The average person can't be sure what is going to happen & can't know whether they can stay or have to move. Not a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket.
Keith.