If I was going to carry a rifle and revolver for survival, my rifle would be the big bore my revolver would be the rimfire. In most pure survival cases a six inch 22 revolver would work very well for survival. The exception being having to survive in large bear country. I was only out for 28 days, my only weapon was a puma skinner. I could have lived quite well had I had my model seventeen. As it was, I could get within spear chunking range of deer but could have harvested them easily with the Smith & Wesson had I been able to bring it.
I would take the opposite logical approach. Rimfire .22 Ca. Rifle for scrounging small game ( added benefit of low noise) and stalking deer at close range, and my Colt King Cobra, or S&W 657 mountain gun for close range self defense ( by 4 legged or 2 legged aggressors). My rifle would be my pristine condition Remington Nylon 66. - No small mags to lose, and the internal feed tube is protected by the surrounding stock.
With good stalking skills, a .22 rifle with 40 gr. High performance ammo ( like CCI Velocitor) , can reliably be used to harvest deer within 40 yds.
By using the term " Survival guns", my assumption is that we are talking about firearms used primarily for hunting game in a wilderness environment, and not as a Military, or paramilitary type primary use. If that is the case, my choices would be quite different.
