Posted on 11/08/2019 4:30:49 AM PST by Kaslin
Back in August of 2001, I made a trip to Walmart to pick up some items for the house. In those days, I always picked up one box of ammunition whenever I went to a store that sold it. I did this until both of my gun safes were completely full of guns and ammo. That day, as I was putting my ammo away, my girlfriend got a look inside one of my gun safes. Thus, she discovered for the first time that I had thousands of rounds stored away. She was appalled and asked why I owned so many guns and stored so much ammunition. I calmly told her that I wanted to be prepared when we were hit with the first large-scale terrorist attack on American soil.
Much to my disappointment, this revelation caused my girlfriend to scoff at me and accuse me of being “paranoid.” She even told family and friends that I was crazy. But just eleven days later, 9/11 happened. She later apologized for questioning my judgment. She realized what I already knew: It could have been much worse.
Make no mistake about it, folks. Terrorists will hit America again. There is also a serious prospect of either civil war or a Soviet-style breakup of America into nation-states in my lifetime. Indeed, it is exceedingly unlikely that America as we know it will exist when our children reach our age. If you think I am crazy, quit reading this column and return to playing your video games. The rest of the column is for those of us who live and operate in the world as it is but also prepare for drastic changes in our circumstances.
As we think specifically about which three firearms are best for dealing with large-scale civil unrest, it helps to imagine hypothetical situations. Imagine, for example, that a mob of Antifa “anti-fascists” decided to converge upon your town. In other words, imagine a typical weekend in Portland. Imagine further that the mob moved into your neighborhood and that they crossed your property line. Finally, imagine they were holding Molotov cocktails. Now entertain a question:
If you were to come walking out on your front porch to defend your home and family holding one firearm with another strapped to your shoulder and a sidearm, what would those three weapons be?
I’ve given this a little thought. Here are my choices:
Springfield Armory M1A .308. Many readers have been contacting me throughout this series to ask when I will recommend some sort of an “assault rifle.” I put scare quotes around “assault rifle” the same way a “progressive” puts scare quotes around religious liberty. There is no such thing as an “assault rifle.” Any rifle can be used to assault someone. And leftists cannot differentiate between an “assault rifle” and a normal one. So let us stop legitimizing their terminology.
In addition to those who are recommending “assault rifles,” many are urging me to recommend the AR-15. I am sorry but I do not own one. The closest thing I own to one is a Ruger mini-14. But I will not be recommending that firearm. It is the least accurate rifle I own by a long shot (pardon the pun).
Instead, if visited upon by a violent mob, my semi-auto rifle of choice is Springfield’s civilian version of the M14. It can be fed with a 10 or 20-round magazine. I prefer 10-round magazines. This keeps the weapon light and maneuverable. Plus, it is all I need. I also prefer the 18-inch compensated barrel version of this rifle rather than the 16-inch version. It is loud and it kicks. Be forewarned: This is a man’s weapon.
Benelli M4 Tactical 12 gauge semi-auto. Please do not assume that I am going to go for the M1A first in a crisis situation. I am likely to reach for a semi-automatic 12-gauge tactical shotgun in order to create my own little safe space. If I do, it won’t be a Mossberg 930. I am sparing no expense and instead going for the more reliable Benelli M4. I cannot say enough good things about this shotgun. If you ever shoot one, you will understand why the price tag is so high. It is worth every penny.
Glock Model 20 10mm. Many readers were expecting that this slot would be filled by the Browning hi-power chambered in .40 caliber. Indeed, that would have been an excellent choice. However, that weapon is no longer in production. So I am defaulting to a favorite of mine. It has enough power to drop a black bear. It can even be used to hunt wild hog. Indeed, its knockdown power is similar to that of the .41 mag revolver. Best of all, it has a 15-round magazine capacity and is offered in a compensated barrel version, which helps to manage recoil. Some will say that this selection, like my first one, is overkill. But you won’t see me taking any chances if I have to reach for any of these weapons.
Hopefully, this column series has provided a useful example of using the First Amendment to preserve the Second. We must do that in order to delay as long as possible the necessity of using the Second Amendment to preserve the First.
Well, here’s what I got: M1 carbine, zglock 17, Walther P38, Mannlicher Carcano. But I’ve only got 2 hands.
There’s a reason (or several) the M-14 had such a short career.
Apart from the idea of using it to shoot members of a mob at close range from your front porch (wrong tool), and the praise that it is a “man’s weapon” (lots of actual men who went through MCRD San Diego or Parris Island had trouble with it), the overkill of the .308 round, again from your front porch (he chose the scenario) - why not go with the United States Rifle .30 cal M-1?
I mean, if you are going to LARP, and you don’t want an AR-15 with a bunch of good to go 30 round mags on your front porch Jack Daniels brand side table, why not the best?
Why an AR? Same ammunition as the police and military, cheap enough to ensure continued proficiency training.
Why a 12 ga Pump? 12 ga is the most popular gauge, pump will feed and fire anything including Federal and Aguila mini-shells. Semi-autos are great for the trap range and three gun competition, but can be too ammo finicky to trust when your life is on the line.
Why a Glock, and specifically a 26? Glock is the most common handgun in America, bar none. 9mm is the most popular caliber. And the 26 can use ANY Glock double-stack 9mm magazine ever made. Ammunition is cheap enough to ensure continued proficiency training, and Glock magazines are a dime a dozen and stone cold reliable.
He’s watched too many movies and still adheres to the idiotic trope that leftists will pee their pants at the sight of his stern face and a gun.
Those guys will be armed too. More than one.
The dumbest gun owners in this scenario will be the first gone because they know nothing beyond “I gots muh gun”.
He’s got a gun safe full of the stuff. Why wouldn’t he choose it?
He didn’t help his case by beginning a paragraph with “ hopefully,” either.
If such a scenario ever played out, and as several have mentioned, the front porch is a stupid place from which to fight.
That said, if I had to pick three I’d go with an AR-15, a scoped .308 bolt action, and a full-sized 9mm double-stack. If I actually owned any guns. Sticking with the same calibers as our National Guard troops makes more sense than his choice.
...my Delta Elite is my favorite side arm...
...but...
...although it offers everything you would want in a side arm...
...just too hard to find ammo...
...in a SHTF scenario...
...I’ll take one of my mines as to be able to acquire ammo...
...just mtcw...
If I could go back 140 years to Ogden, Utah, I would tell young John Browning to not worry about inventing automatic firearms. they are just too unreliable.
Armies will never use them, just too unreliable.
Bkmk
He can choose it, I won’t. Ammo goes fast in a critical situation. I don’t want to be on an Easter Egg hunt for 10mm when the horde is bearing down on my location.
If we do have a societal breakdown, it would seem necessary to have weapons that work well under adverse conditions. If choosing, I would use a Mossberg pump 12 gauge with 00buckshot. An AK 47 in 7.62 for a rifle and a Model 1911 45. All reliable easy to field strip and clean. They are best for close range work, but that is where the fight will be.
Armies will never use them, just too unreliable.
Did you happen to notice that two of my three recommendations were semiautomatic firearms?
I said specifically the 12 ga shotgun. Clearly you have no experience with running mixed loads in a semiauto shotgun, and do not comprehend what a Federal or Aguila mini-shell is.
I think the idea of resupplying your ammo supply from anything other than the store or a friend is foolish.
Already have what you will need and that almost certainly means at least one .22LR.
Any AR configuration in 5.56.
A good bolt action scoped 308
Any pump shotgun in 12 ga.
Any hi cap 9mm handgun. In a SHTF scenario, your handgun is just an avenue to your long gun.
Any good reliable 22lr rifle/handgun.
What these armchairs never consider is ammo availability, and how much ammo you can transport on your person.
Mr. Adams has a budget much bigger than we do.
An M1A base model is over $1,000. Same for that Benelli. And it’s hard to pick a more expensive or hard to find pistol caliber than 10mm.
For what he’s spent on these guns I’ve outfitted both Mrs. L and myself with quality AR rifles with optics and dozens of spare magazines, Mossberg 500 shotguns and a selection of barrels, cases of 12 gauge ammo of various types, thousands of SP .223 rounds, 2 Springfield XD type pistols, extra magazines, and thousands of :45 cartridges both FMJ and HP.
We also have a membership to a private shooting club where we can (gasp!) actually practice outdoors a couple of times a month. Professional private instructors offer steep discounts on training to club members. And we take advantage of it.
There are monthly 2 Gun and 3 Gun shoots, IDPA, IPSC, and less formal but no less useful events. We have access to a 600 yard range as well. That costs us around $350 a year. What a bargain.
Personally I’d rather have 2 decent AR rifles, a pile of magazines, and a couple thousand rounds of ammunition than a single M1A. Factory mags for that bad boy are over $50 a piece. You can get 4 AR Magpuls for that if you shop around.
If you need a .30 caliber rifle, and you DO need a .30 caliber rifle, go pick up a Savage bolt gun for $500-600, toss a decent scope on it for another $400 or so, and put the rest of the cash into ammunition and range time. You’ve still spent less than Mr. Adams AND you’ve gained some skill.
10mm is a fine cartridge to be sure. But quality self defense ammo like Hornady is over $1.00 a round. Similar ammunition in 9mm is 20%or 30% less. You do the math. Then there’s the availability of spare parts for that fancy 10 mil Glock. Try finding a barrel or springs when TSHTF, let alone extra magazines.
Springs for that M1A in a WROL situation? Good luck with that. Ditto firing pins.
I don’t know why he’s sneering at the Mossberg, either. Yea, Benellis are great. Awesome shotguns. And they run $1,700 or so. The 930 is half that. There’s a whole lot of 12 gauge ammunition and range time in that delta. A Model 500 pump is even less. And the US military has been using that shotgun for well over a decade.
For less than the price of a single Benelli M4 we have 2 Model 500s, field barrels, slug barrels with scope, self defense barrels with ghost ring sights, slings, and cases of ammunition to practice.
Would I love to have one of each of the weapons Mr. Adams has on his list? You betcha. But I subscribe to the “2 is one and 1 is none” school of thought on these matters. I’d rather have more guns, magazines, spare parts, and piles of ammunition, and TRAINING myself. If Mr. Adams can afford all this then God bless him.
But for us and our personal situation if there are mobs in the streets threatening me and mine I’d rather go out the door with an AR, 6 magazines, a .45 pistol and the confidence that Mrs L is backing me up with a scoped bolt action she can use effectively at ranges beyond what I can reach.
As always my opinions are worth exactly what you paid for them.
L
Most folks cannot afford $2K for a Benelli shotgun. I have an 870P-Remington. Off the police line. Quality control assured. Approx.$700.
The M-14 is too heavy for many guys, much less girls. I carried one all over Ft. Polk, La. in the 60s. Cumbersome. I find my AR-15 Colt LE much easier to carry/fire. And ammo is everywhere.
10MM ammo hard to find. I stick with 9MM. Glock 19 and 26. Also, a couple of .45s.
I just might have an idea. I taught skeet for two years at the University of Southern Mississippi, am a certified instructor by both the NRA and State of Mississippi.
You would have to be really stupid to try anything in an auto that it is not intended to shoot.
So, you won’t be dropping $5K on his essential picks, and ammo to feed them?
We have 2 of those little rifles and 4 Ruger 25 round magazines for each. I put some Nikon BDC glass on them. Wicked accurate out to 100 yards or so. They live next to the spare tires in our cars.
GMTA and all that.
L
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