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.
I may be wrong but I believe a .40 cal round is less than 0.0063" larger than a 10mm. Not much of a difference. Unless the .40 has a heavier projectile.
The .40S&W and the 10mm shoot the same size bullet. The .40 was the hottest thing out there for a while but is now dying a slow agonizing death. Still ammo will be available forever.
Hell of a lot better than throwing rocks, that’s for sure.
You would have to be really stupid to try anything in an auto that it is not intended to shoot.
Skeet. Exactly the intended application of a semi-auto shotgun I cited. (Well, I said trap...)
I also use semi-auto shotguns for waterfowl hunting.
But not for home defense.
Idiot or not, he’s right on the money with the m1a.
Agree with his choices except I carry a 3006 semi rifle or AR depending on situation, 12 ga semi Pro Series and a Glock 20 10mm which is my EDC. Stock up on ammo so you don’t have run to wallyworld when you shoot all 20 rds. AND a well concealed small backup. Reliable weapons, practice with them to develop muscle memory... stay calm and carry on.
Pay a guy to write, and he probably will.
He doesn’t give anyone else credit for being as smart as he is, and having their own ideas of “essential” firearms to own, and ammo to feed them. I remember empty ammo shelves for months on end, simply because Obama was in office. I’d like to think that President Trump will be re-elected, but I remember thinking that Obama wouldn’t be. There won’t be time for Easter egg hunts, and prices will get stupid if a Dem is elected
The van that was transporting them (all of them, I'm an honest man and would not hold back) were totally destroyed in the fire caused by the horrifying wreck the van was involved in.
None were recovered and alas...the insurance had lapsed, but the driver did survive.
But, if I DID have a few weapons, I would have a 1911 in all three configurations, i.e., Gov model, Commanders model and the Officers model.
I would have several lever action long rifles...with at least one being the 45.70, one being in .357, one in 30.06 and one in that old standby, .35 Rem.
I would have at least one Assault Rifle, uh, I mean an Armalite Rifle style, just for the ability to lay down enough lead to get out the back door, if need be, using the largest damned magazine, several of them, that I can find, a Rem 1100 with at least 3 barrels, an 870 with at least 3 barrels, and one of them fitted with changeable chokes.
And of course, just to be able to put a squirrel or rabbit in the cook pot, that old standby, the 10-22, two of them in fact, one with the plastic stock, stainless steel barrel, etc and the other wooden stocked, stainless steel with ghost sights.
I'd also have my S&W Model 686 at hand, which ammo matches the aforementioned long rifle in .357 and my Bond Arms derringer, with several barrels, at least one .45ACP, one .38/.357, one 22WMR and one .410/.45 Colt.
I would have at least one .22 handgun with interchangeable cylinders in .22 and .22WMR, for small varmint purposes and of course, even though I personally do not like them, several Glock pistols in 9mm, .45 and a 10mm, and of course two 92f's, which are worn on the outside but functional as hell on the inside.
I mean WERE, they were, as in past tense...
And for throwdown purposes, several RG Rohn potmetal Saturday Nite Specials.And one must have a sufficient quantity of ammo, enough, that theoretically, it would have to be stored on a ground floor because of the immense weight...theoretically, of course.
And then, there are the knives...and I cannot for the life of me remember why they were in that van, possibly on the way to be re-sharpened or something, but, be that as it may, all my knives are kaput, but I would conceivably have at least 5, if not more, good Stag handled Dozier style skinners, at least two bone handled bush craft style and probably 10 or 12, even though I personally don't care for them, Kephart style bush craft knives and 40 or 50 or so of tactical folders in Benchmade, Gerber, Al Mar, etc, etc versions.
But, alas, that is a pipe dream, as I previously related, all of my guns (and knives) were destroyed in that Great Fire.
Woe is me.
.
.
.
.
Seriously...what I have or do not have is nobody's damned business...but I firmly believe hard times are coming.
May not be in my lifetime, may not be bad for me even if it is in my lifetime.
But I am firmly convinced that we are going to have to fight for our country and that fight is going to be doorstep to doorstep, because these damned democrat assholes are hellbent on taking every thing they can from God-fearing, conservative, moral and honest folks like you and I.
Keep your powder dry.
What would you suggest for a 150 lb 50ish woman on a modest budget?
For all those same reasons the SKS is also hard to beat in practicality and reliability.
Everyone has their ideas on what is best. Cowboy carry is what helped the nation expand. (that would be pistol and rifle in same chambering). I like pump shotguns for rugged reliability. Revolvers rarely jam or fail.
The school paid for my ammo so I bought AA skeet and trap loads while experimenting using all my old odds and ends. I learned a few things plus have a whole bunch of Winchester AA shells in storage.
A few surprises. Although I used a Beretta skeet model, I also would try out others. I found out that there were a lot of guns which surprisingly worked fine for skeet.
An old Spanish side by side double was pure poison on those clay birds. The Benelli M1 Super 90 was also good but the recoil probably permanently injured my shoulder.
You are right about one thing. It doesn’t have to be a 12 gauge.
“ But I am firmly convinced that we are going to have to fight for our country and that fight is going to be doorstep to doorstep, because these damned democrat assholes are hellbent on taking every thing they can from God-fearing, conservative, moral and honest folks like you and I“
See my tag line.
L
The 3 best weapons, rifle, pistol, shotgun, the 3 weapons you are most comfortable & accurate with in calibers which will prove easily obtainable AFTER SHTF. Take your advice from police & military & ignore the rifle range know it alls, they don’t. Keep it simple stupid. Practice, practice, practice. If you are just now thinking of preparing, God help you, but better late than never.
BUMP
Also, I would put a 22lr in that mix. If it’s good enough for assassins, it’s important to consider.
I like the carbine...heh, Mannlicher Carcano...a collectors item for sure, though they do say even though it was inexpensive, it was reliable and could be accurate in the right hands.
I have probably 30% more volume of items in the bag than the guy in video does and it’s still light and compact enough to throw over your shoulder and go.
I know you asked Lurker. But if for some reason he can’t get the chance to get back to you I can offer a suggestion and why for your situation. :)
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.