WEAPONS FOR THE SUBURBAN PREPPER

American Partisan ^ | February 7, 2019 | NC Scout

[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)

[Travis McGee]

With a 3X scope, co-witness with irons is not really an option.

[Travis McGee]

Yes, the Burris AR-332. They also make a 5X version, but I have no experience with it.

[P.O.E.]

Kind of like the Aztec obsidian macuahuitl

[Travis McGee]

I am a huge fan of air guns! Can’t imagine not having them. So useful, for no signature and cheap ammo. A lifetime ammo supply for just a few bucks.

[Travis McGee]

I have one of them on another scope I”m not using, maybe I’ll swap it out.

[tet68]

One should always keep in mind that the firearm you have
is more important than the one you wish you had.

[Joe 6-pack]

I bought the Burris for my AR10A4 with the intent of it being a stopgap until I could save up enough for an Elcan Specter. Once I started shooting with the Burris, I decided to just save my money and stick with it. Like you noted in your original post, I am highly reluctant to use, and have never purchased a sighting system that was totally reliant on batteries. Throwing 147 gr FMJ out of a 16" barrel, I'm not really going for distances that require more than 3X and I like the wider field of view and the compact size of the Burris.

Also, right after my purchase, I over-torqued a mounting bolt and snapped it. I called the Burris customer service people and they sent me two...at no cost :-)

[Nachoman]

I’m really wishing at this point that I hadn’t bought into the .40 crazy a couple of decades ago.

Why? Law enforcement has proven it effective on unarmed black teenagers.

[Who is John Galt?]

The above example is just a garden variety collection to illustrate the concept of redundancy.

If anyone knows about "redundancy," it is yours truly...

;^)

[Who is John Galt?]

I’m all 9mm all the way today.

Some folks prefer to diversify their 'investments' - in no small part, because leftist politicians in this country have a proven track record of copying foreign gun control laws. Several other countries (including our neighbor to the south?) have outlawed civilian possession of firearms and ammunition in "military" calibers (like 9mm). Pushing that kind of a ban here would mesh with the leftist propaganda about semi-auto firearms being "weapons of war"...

[unread]

"I would add a quality air rifle in .22 cal for hunting small game for food."

I have a Sheridan blue streak in 20 cal. I didn't realize how long I've had the thing until just now, about thirty years or better... Wow, time sure flies when your having fun.. :) It does a wonderful job on rabbits and squirrels. I do highly recommend it..

[Hot Tabasco]

Air rifles are under rated and never mentioned in prepper firearms but they're the cheapest and quietest to use for small game in suburban environments.......

FWIW, I now have a PCP Daystate Huntsman in .177 and I love the heck out of it......Yes, it and the necessary accessories are expensive but worth every penny.

[gundog]

So, flat-top. then. Thanks.

[unread]

"I’m really wishing at this point that I hadn’t bought into the .40 crazy a couple of decades ago."

Yeah... I really have a thing for the .357 sig... That baby really cooks.. :)
But in hard times, I guess it'll make a fine paper weight...

[wgmalabama]

I disagree with that. Can you imagine 5 people with 4 25 round mags shooting out of 10-22. 500 rounds in about 60 seconds. Kids and women in SHTF scenario. While long range fire and battle rifles attack from othe angles in a home/area protection plan. Just a thought.

Normal defense - kill lots of possum and raccoon in the chicken coop with the .22lr. Chickens don’t complain about caliber.

[patriotman1776]

Just for the record, that isn’t the author. I am. Never knew about this forum until someone passed this post along so I figured I would create an account just to clear his name so he didn’t get blamed for such a terrible article :)

[Justa]

"At my age with my eyes.... I can't make out indistinct targets in brush in low light."

May I suggest a Saiga-12 or Bennelli with drum mag and bipod?

Or you could go full bad-vision mode

There's just something about a large-bore weapon firing at high cyclic rate.

[lapsus calami]

 

 

The writer dismisses .308/7.62mm NATO out of hand for long range shooting - so how far does he see the conceptual ranges to be?

 

The flipside is the usual pile-on that the 30 caliber is 'too much gun in town' & 'only suitable for long range shooting in open country' is either ignoring or ignorant of the practical tactical roles. Such as being the minimum caliber (308-311) for use in immobilizing non-hardened up vehicles with. Also prime for decisively immobilizing occupants in the passenger compartment of said vehicles if need be. The 223s don't really cut the mustard at that, well unless there's an M249 handy you could hose it down with. The other is turning moderate forms of cover that other small arms calibers can't efficiently defeat (if at all) into mere concealment - the 7.62 NATO will perform well at that. Anyone who anticipates such threat scenarios being a possibility in their given area/situation should upgrade their arsenal.

 

 

[Travis McGee]

I’ll bet that belt fed gets pretty warm!

[Chainmail]

Well, darn..It's good of you to come forward - and it takes some heat off of your valiant defender (who wanted me to re-read your article, as if the first time wasn't hard enough!)

What are the scenarios you envision for such a discussion? Since any event that would cause the United States to melt down into anarchy would immediately cause China to "intervene", are you envisioning a "Red Dawn" sort of scenario?

I am pretty firmly on the side of people who consider this a childish fantasy. If our governmental system melted down, there far too many powerful state actors who would sweep into the vacuum.

Obviously too, I disagreed with your dismissal of the 7.62mm NATO: it's common, available, penetrates cover effectively (brick walls, heavy brush, sandbags, vehicles - even concrete gravestones) and is as accurate as the platform you fire it from. During my youth, I broke the range record at Puuloa Rifle Range by firing 34 consecutive V-ring (5 inch circle) bullseyes at 600m with match M-14, iron sights. I'm pretty sure the record stands today.

I carried the M-14 for 17 months in combat and refused the M-16 when those things showed up - luckily for me.

I think we both run on with words, don't we?