Shotguns, Buckshot, and SHTF

Marktwain | 23 October, 2011 | Marktwain

[marktwain]

Shotguns, buckshot, SHTF

With all of the insane government spending going on, and the potential of nasty inflation hitting soon, I have been looking for things to buy that have utility, trading value, and long term storage life.

I have been heavily involved in the gun culture, grew up in it, studied it, and have been a professional for the last 16 years.

Almost everyone has a shotgun. Usually it is a 12 gauge, although there are plenty of 20, 16, and 410 shotguns out there. Most people have a box or two of bird shot. They might have a few slugs, maybe a couple of rounds of buckshot, but most do not have even a magazine full of buckshot or slugs. Worse, in this area, buckshot is not heavily stocked. I doubt if the local stores have a collective inventory of 200 boxes, for a population of 100,000.

I had a couple of boxes of buckshot and slugs. I did some research and came to the conclusion that buckshot was the best SHTF shotgun round to have, and that the type developed for sale to law enforcement was the best of the bunch, and not that much more expensive. With the best LE type buckshot, all the pellets will be in a 6-9 inch group at 25 yards, and it is likely that you would get multiple hits on a man sized target at 100 yards. It turns a small game and bird getter into a very effective militia/SHTF weapon.

Most people do not have buckshot because they do not use it regularly. I happen to know my neighbors and I trust them. If the SHTF, I want them armed, and I want them confident in their arms. I pondered the situation and decided on this course of action.

I ordered a case of what I think is the best buckshot out there, Federal LE 9 pellet 00 buck with the Flight Control wad. A person that I know well in a State Patrol said that they tested it extensively, and that it gave incredible patterns (about 6 inches at 25 yards). This is also a reasonably mild load at 1145 fps, works great in manually operated shotguns, but may not work in all auto loaders.

Having a box of factory ammo that says : FEDERAL PREMIUM LAW ENFORCEMENT AMMUNITION, TACTICAL, just might put a little more spine into a recently formed informal militiaman when they need it.

I will be giving a couple of 5 round boxes of this ammo to all of my neighbors who have 12 gauges this Christmas. I believe that it will be better received than fruitcake. They all know me as a firearms instructor, so that gives it a bit more credibility.

I was able to find a case of this ammunition on the Internet for $225 dollars for 250 rounds including shipping. Other brands can be had for as little as $150/250rds, including shipping.

Buck shot is a relatively heavy munition, it is bulky, and a shotgun is not my first choice for a SHTF firearm, but for a great many people, it is the best that they have.

I highly recommend getting to know your neighbors before the SHTF.

Do most Freepers who have shotguns have a good supply of buckshot?

[Dusty Road]

I’ve got 2 model 37 Ithaca’s, ones the standard 6 shot riot model and the other was just a lucky find I picked up back in the late 70’s. It’s a 20 inch US 8 shot that was issued to a Navy Seal team.

[OldMissileer]

Everybody seems to be impressed with 00 Buck but military studies show that #4 Buck is better.

There is more shot for better coverage and yet the shot is large enough to do the proper damage.

Aim just under the groin and the #4 Buck will not only knock them down but has the best chance to rip through an artery. The lower aim point will be under body armor if the perp is smart enough to be wearing it.

[ctdonath2]

Ah, the Mossbeg 590 Mariner. If you’re gonna have a shottie, that’s the one to have.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***ATG sold 12 gauge rounds loaded with fleschettes****

If you reload, you can fill the shotgun shell with short nails with the heads flattened to make fins.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I own five A-5s. Three are Belgian. Two Japanese.
The Japanese guns are for the field...

[Cyber Liberty]

I have 2 Remmie 1100s with a bunch of these shells.

[optiguy]

Birthday gift from my wife.

[gunner03]

tie the 00buck with piano wire, awesome!

[MHGinTN]

Be REALLY prepared, all slugs and buckshot:

Keep a couple of thirty round mags loaded, one with green tip piercing rounds and the other with hollow points:

And always have a 'handy':

[Kartographer]

Prepper Ping!

[TigersEye]

I will be giving a couple of 5 round boxes of this ammo to all of my neighbors who have 12 gauges this Christmas.

Howdy!, neighbor. CO is right next door ya know. ;^)

I have more than a bunch and less than I'd like of 00buck and slugs as well as a fair number of shells in the #6-#7 shot range. What I would like to get and have put off for too long is some #4 buckshot.

I like your idea of thinking ahead to share with friends and neighbors. I think of that when stocking up on anything not just guns and ammo. It would be nice if they did their own prepping but some of them won't. As long as they're not greedy or have an attitude of entitlement to what others have I will share with them and I expect they will likely reciprocate with things they have an excess of. Like daughters. ;^)

[Kartographer]

Now if I could just find my shotgun I lost in an unfortunate SCUBA diving accident and then get some of these:



If you decide to go with the FRAG-12 HE grenade rounds (12ga.), you have three (3) types to choose from: the FRAG-12 HE (High Explosive), FRAG-12 HE-FA (High Explosive Fragmenting Antipersonnel), and FRAG-12 HE-AP (High Explosive Armor-Piercing a.k.a. High Explosive Armor-Penetrating), depending on the mission profile and requirements. The FRAG-12 grenade rounds utilize a 19mm warhead with a MIL-SPEC 1316 compliant fuze assembly, and arm 3 meters from the muzzle for safety to the shooter. Regarding armor penetration capability, the original Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) literature on the FRAG-12 stated that the standard HE round will penetrate quarter-inch (1/4”) cold-rolled homogenous steel (CRHS) armor plate and make a one-inch (1-inch)-diameter hole. The same document states that the HE-AP utilizes a shaped-charge warhead to penetrate half-inch (1/2-inch) cold-rolled homogenous steel armor plate, making the same 1-inch diameter hole. However, Defense Review was recently told that the HE-AP will now penetrate ¾-inch CRHS armor plate (unconfirmed/unverified).

The FRAG-12 HE round contains 2.8 grams of pelletized A5 RDX high explosive powder. On impact, it detonates, and you get a big bang, and a lot of fragmentation from the metal casing of the round. The HE-FA anti-personnel round a.k.a. fragmentation round contains 90 stainless steel ball bearings, but it utilizes a smaller explosive charge (approx. 1.8-1.9 grams of high explosive) than the HE round.

125 FRAG-12 grenade rounds are currently being safety-tested at Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Dahlgren a.k.a. NSWCDD. Testing is expected to continue for approx. one more month. They’ve already been testing them for the last two months.

Source: DefenseReview.com (http://s.tt/13fps)

[OldPossum]

I don’t have any guns or ammo. All lost in the boating accident last year.

Don't you people ever get tired of posting this unfunny, unwitty statement?

[Jim Noble]

I have a 12ga and lots of Federal Tactical 00, but if the bad guys are within 25 yards, you’re going to have a sucky day whatever you’ve got in a true SHTF situation.

For conventional B&E situations, it is a peerless weapon.

[servantboy777]

I'm absolutely amazed that folks are so willing to provide the world with information as to what they own....complete with pix.

Uh guys, URL’s can be traced back to the owners of the account, complete with names, addresses, bank accounts, phone records, SS#’s to name a few.

Keep your cards close to your vest.

[bgill]

What's the life, the *safe* life, of various boxes of this, that, and whatever that's stored in a dry place?

BTW, my neighbors are mostly idiots. Some are idiots with guns which puts them at the top of the don't trust list (like the one city freak who chased a squirrel from several houses down, shot it at my child's window and left it there). Others are idiots who can't abide guns which puts them right below the first group. Other potential TEOTWAWKI enemies fall below the first two groups.

[Big_Harry]

“All lost in the boating accident last year.”

I think we both had similar accidents! A good friend of mine gave me a heads up on why it is difficult or impossible to find a shotgun in a river or deep creek. The stock tends to act as a flotation device and the gun bobs along the bottom with the current. He did recovery work for years in the black water creeks of the low country and off shore of Myrtle Beach in the Atlantic Ocean.

I am sharing this info so when the feds search unsuccessfully for our firearms in the place where they went “overboard” , we can give them a plausible excuse. :)

[bgill]

Sometimes it’s best not to admit to what one has.

[momtothree]

“... we had 4 seasons: deer, pheasant, rabbit and hockey”.

You hunt hockey players in Michigan?! /s

[marktwain]

I'm absolutely amazed that folks are so willing to provide the world with information as to what they own....complete with pix.

You have a point, but as a well known local firearms instructor, I don't believe there is much chance to remain anonymous. I don't mind that the authorities realize that I am on good terms with my neighbors and that we are armed.

We are an asset to the local community and local peace officers, and they know it.

Put enough effort into tracking my url, and you could come up with a location, but the average burglar would not find it cost effective. If high level three letter agencies want more information on me, I am sure that I am in lots of data bases already.