AND, if you have an accurate rifle you can have an effective range of about 130 yards. With the right rifling and the correct bullet weight(about 60 grains)you can extend that out even further. .22s are highly underrated.
I researched this matter longand hard waaaay before the elections in 2008..
From the “Guns in America 1994” survey:
“The NSPOF-based estimate for the total number of
privately owned firearms is 192 million: 65 million
handguns, 70 million rifles, 49 million shotguns,
and 8 million other long guns (exhibit 4). Of the
handguns, 48 percent were revolvers, 40 percent
semiautomatics, and 12 percent were reported as
“some other type of handgun” by respondents.”
“...68 percent of handgun owners also owned at least one rifle or shotgun...”
I started building my cache...I mean “collection” before the “ammo rush of 2009” kicked in...I wrote down different possible SHTF scenario(s) and analyzed those taking into consideration my family composition (wife, teenagers), residence (suburban, siding construction, open corner, easy access to main arteries and hwys), etc...Then I researched about the most common PISTOL round used by LEA in the USA (9MM), Federal LEA’s (.40). NATO countries use the 9MM ball round (international war rules). Then I thought about what is the best selling battle rifle in the USA (AR-15)/the US military standard round (5.56/.223 Remington). Then I factored in that there are 70-100 million of AK-47 rifles in the world using the 7.62x39mm round. Yet, I felt that I could not ignore the fact that many hunters in North America (as well as snipers) prefer the .308 Winchester/7.62x51mm round, and that Ruger has sold ZILLIONS of 10/22’s. Let us no forget the trusty .38 Special revolver, easy to conceal, and great for backup weapon and females due to low recoil.
Last but not least, the most common home defense weapon in America (I just made that up!) is the .12 GA pump-action shotgun... (which almost all LEA agencies have (I also made that up!! LOL)...
Bottom line for me was to:
1. Be able to hole up inside my property, defend my neighborhood (with extra ammo and weapons to lend to TRUSTED neighbors), to be able to “procure” ammo should I ran out (doubt it...;>), being able to find replacement magazines, ammo, spare parts, etc ANYWHERE in the USA should I have to bug-out, well...you get my drift.
Sooooooo, after watching “Red Dawn” and “Jericho” many times over...I decided to concentrate on the following “delivery platforms”:
AR-15 + 5.56mm/.223 rds - for neighborhood defense/medium range/
AK-47 + 7.62 rds - for swarms of zombies, in case we get invaded by Cubans or the UN....
10/22 + .22 cal rds - for my teenagers, for assassinations, etc, squirrels, birds, rabbit stew...
9MM semi-auto + 9mm rds - CQB/home defense
.38 Spl 6-shooter + .38Spl rds. - back up, wife / safe-room
.12GA - CQB/safe room/bed room defense.
Of course, lest you forget, just like your car cannot run without gas (or vegetable oil, if you have a modified diesel >)), you need BEACOUP ammo AND magazines to feed your machine...comprende???
As it says on the box “ Range one mile, be careful/ (22LR)
9 mm HP was scarce for a while