Posted on 02/07/2019 4:28:13 AM PST by Travis McGee
ne of the most commonly talked about topics in the preparedness world is some form of “what weapons do you need to survive XYZ?” or “The top 5 must have weapons”. Many of these articles and videos, however, seem to follow a one size fits all approach to weapon selection. As prepared citizens, we need to make sure that we not only have tools to use, but that those tools are the ones best suited for the job. Many of us are working with small budgets for preparedness supplies, and thus I think that there are crucial aspects of weapon system selections that are often overlooked.I certainly do not consider myself a firearms expert by any means, but there are some considerations that I feel you should make when deciding what weapons systems to acquire. There are three main aspects of a firearm that you should consider when choosing your weapon.
The first issue to consider is the availability of ammunition. Take a hypothetical situation where you are trying to choose a bolt gun in either .308 or 6.5 Creedmoor.
(Much more at link)
(Excerpt) Read more at americanpartisan.org ...
There is so much that is unrealistic in the article that I feel I must say a few words.
1st Home defense in normal times. It is wise to have a weapon that uses ammunition that you have a large store of. I like 9mm because it is effective, safe and cheap. My wife likes 38 because it is effective and cheap. Because the 38 special ammo actually has a larger charge than the 9mm I am afraid that if I ever have to shoot someone the round would go through a person and injure someone else so I like the slightly less powerful 9mm.
2nd S#!t hits the fan world. If the world falls apart then it doesn’t make much difference which ammo is cheaper or easier to get, you will only be able to have what you have. There is no way I will be using ammo for barter I will be keeping all I have and looking for more.
Home defense in a world gone to Hell in a hand basket is a little different situation. Long range shooting could be very important. I’m not rich, I’m not poor but I don’t want to spend my money on something that I will not be ableto keep in good repair, therefore a military hardened weapon would be the best choice, something that can take a lot of abuse. I love the AK or varieties of them that are still used in many military’s all over the world. However they are not really long range, perhaps a good 100 yards top for me but the Russians made a wonder weapon a hundred years ago that can still be had brand new and never used. The Mosin-Nagant is a most wonderful long gun. If you need to shoot at 1000 yards I can’t think of a better gun to do it. I have a couple and they are straight shooters at very long distances.
So my conclusion here. Don’t have a large variety of weapons that use a lot of different ammo sizes. Stock a lot of ammo, not to barter but to have if you need it. Learn to shoot well, make sure your kids and grand kids know how to shoot well. Practice, practice and then practice some more. Then, carry. Carry all the time. We never know what will happen tomorrow, probably the same as happened today but just incase the world blows up be prepared.
True, and I have a Glock 26 with lots of 10 round magazines, and a few 15 round G19 mags.
I am very light on my AR magazines, however, and you remind me that I need to build up my magazine and 5.56mm ammo reserves.
Last gun show I was at I got several PMag gen2 30 rounders, in the package, for $10 each. I kick myself for not buying more.
I am building some AR-15s in .300 Blackout. I have a nice Mexican Mauser action with a heavy barrel and scope in .308.
Shotgun? A Maverick Arms 12 guage with a regular barrel and a slug barrel.
Handguns in .380, 9 MM and .45 ACP as well as .22 LR.
I would like to get an AR-7 and that new pump .22 from Henry Arms is appealing. I have a 10-22 setup with dot sights, underbarrel flashlight and laser for nocturnal visitors to our duck coop.
Sure, I have a series of Mausers for the hell of it.
Without sounding like a jerk (hard for me, I know,) I'd like to unpack that paragraph just a bit.
9mm is effective, safe, and cheap, but .38 is effective and cheap, implying it's not safe?
Taking defensive loads for both into consideration, not target or plinking loads, the 9mm ballistics are greater than .38 spl. .38 spl is closer to .380 in ballistics, so overpenetration vs. the 9mm is not an issue. Nothing wrong with that, the .38 spl is a fine defensive round, and I carry 125 grain +Ps in my J-Frame, but keep in mind that case length does not equal powder charge. The .38 spl case was originally designed for black powder, which is why it is so big. 9mm was a smokeless powder round from the start, which is why the case is shorter.
https://homesteading-guide.com/%EF%BB%BF-38-special-vs-9mm/
.357 Magnum is a different story, however, and is usually more powerful than 9mm in defensive loads. So perhaps you were referring to .357 when you said .38?
Anyone who would even have a prayer of shooting at that distance is already a very experienced and practiced shooter and they already know exactly what type of firearm and ammo (most likely self loaded match grade) they need and want. For the typical shooter and certainly the novice focusing on a gun with the ability to shoot true at that distance is a fools errand. A bolt action or even semi-auto chambered in 308 or 30.06 should take care of all your needs and the ammo is widely available. One should take care, though, in shooting such a rifle in urban or even suburban areas - it would be quite easy to take out someone you didn't intend or even see.
.
Why the .22?
“2nd S#!t hits the fan world. If the world falls apart then it doesn’t make much difference which ammo is cheaper or easier to get, you will only be able to have what you have. There is no way I will be using ammo for barter I will be keeping all I have and looking for more.”
I have seeds for barter. I can plant enough food for the next 30 growing seasons.
Yep. And in Georgia you hardly ever get a shot out past 100 yards. AR15 and AK backed up by a Mossberg 500 tactical shotgun and two Ruger .9mm semi autos. Back it up with a Ruger 10/22 and a couple of revolvers in .22 and .38
Got a model number on that scope, or link?
Interesting article. I’ve become a bit of a fan of the 9mm world, with the new Ruger carbine to supplement my other toys.
I’m really wishing at this point that I hadn’t bought into the .40 crazy a couple of decades ago.
(sigh)
Anyway, thanks for all you write - interesting stuff, always!
I just picked up a Burris AR-536 (like the one in your post) for my SCAR 17s. Haven’t got it out to the range yet, but I can already tell it’s one sweet scope.
I like your strategy. I've got a dozen firearms, in only six calibers:
.308
5.56/.223
40 cal
9mm
12 gauge
22 cal
Wifey brought home five new ammo cans the other day, and I intend to top them all off.
The .22 rifle doesn't have a role in home defense, but in the context of prepper and surviving it definitely has a role. It's one of, if not the most popular gun and round. Ammo will be plentiful and is cheap to accumulate. Very useful for varmint killing and hunting. The ammo could also be used for barter.
Do you stock heirloom seeds?
So many good choices, so little time (and so little space left in the boat for my next lake trip).
1. Some sort of 12 gauge. I liked my Remington 870. It’s reliable, and I don’t mind the trivial delay to work the pump in contrast to a semi-automatic. Warning - as I discovered on my latest canoe excursion, they don’t float. But you need a shotgun regardless of your location/situation. Recoil? I like the reduced recoil loads for those who don’t want the kick of a regular 12 gauge.
2. Every decent person should have an AR. For most of us, that’s an AR-15, for some it’s AR-10, or both, but just about all of us should have at least one with some version of holographic sight. Cheap AR-15s and expensive ones have the same muzzle velocity, the same rate of fire, and only small differences in accuracy and comfort. Similarly, cheap and expensive holographic sights have different visual quality, but that hardly matters inside 200 yards.
3. We all need a .22LR rifle. It can be bolt, semi, lever, or whatever, but everyone should have a rifle that can be used for 100+ rounds of practice a day without noticing the hit to the wallet. The same for a .22LR pistol, whether semi, revolver, or something else.
4. We all need a handgun. For some people, that’s a wheel gun (I’m learning to like those, at least with the SA/DA choice). For some it’s the 1911 we trained on, or a Glock, or some other semi. People will argue .45 v. 9mm, magazine capacity v. stopping power, but what really matters is that you practice with it enough to hit at the relevant distance - and that you can and will carry it when and where you might need it. The S&W 500 and Desert Eagle are great for stopping power, but they have limited utility for concealed carry.
5. I think everyone should have a scoped bolt-action rifle. Perhaps a scoped lever rifle, but something meant for thoughtful and accurate longer-range shots, rather than rapid fire.
6. If you live in squirrel/bunny country, an air rifle is fabulous. I get lots of target practice for under a penny a shot, which is even less than .22LR. I take one squirrel or bunny on a regular schedule, just to stay in practice on that skill (and on the follow-up recipes).
Some of my choices:
- Classic 12 gauge Remington 870
- Ruger 10/22 takedown, integrally silenced, with a red dot
- Colt .22LR revolver with iron sights (sadly, I need reading glasses for maximum accuracy with that fabulous firearm)
- Glock 17 with RMR optic, Les Baer 1911 in .45 ACP and with tritium sights
- Browning BLR Lightweight in .308 with a nice Leupold scope
I still love my 40s. I just picked up another one last week.
BFL
That raises an excellent point. During the last ammo shortage under Obama, you couldn't find 9mm at Walmart (where I lived, at least), but you could often find .40 S&W. During that same period, Walmart tended to have zero .223 or .308 on the shelves, but did have 6.8 SPC, .300 Blackout, and steel-cased 7.62x39. So, one possible approach is to have a handgun that will fire 9mm OR .40 S&W, and a rifle that can handle a NATO cartridge OR an alternative. It's often as simple as swapping the top half of the firearm (and maybe mags), and the additional parts usually cost less than buying a second gun...
It only took the election of odumbo to leave local shelves empty of ammo for what seemed like years.
C/o Travis McGee ..
(as long as you don't live in New Jersey !- my editorial comment )
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.