I've got to agree with Owlhoot. I'm not as old as him, but I've been thru a few things that tried hard to kill me, so it's not that big a deal. I decided long ago that I don't want/need to live in a world where killing people is a way of "life".
Our culture certainly has changed. When I was a kid, I had a few old relatives who lived on ranches in remote places.
When the people would leave for a trip into town, the house was left with certain preparations. There would be a good stock of prepared food left in the 'fridge. Fresh bedding on the beds, and plenty of wood by the banked fireplace. The idea was that if someone wandered in who had been lost, they would need this stuff. The doors were left unlocked.
Cars were always stocked with canned goods and water, along with first aid stuff and extra clothing. This, because it was not uncommon to meet someone along the road who was broken down or crashed, and in need of this stuff. You carried a large caliber revolver in case you came upon a large animal that had been hit by a car.
That ain't the way of it nowadays!
I have a bit more ammo than I can carry. My car can carry all of it, and my other bug out gear, but my car is most likely only a one way ticket, for maybe 400 miles.
I only have one 870 Express with 200 rounds of buck and slugs, and that's about 40 lbs. in the OTG case that holds it all. I have only one P-95, with about 5,000 rounds of ammo, and 5 mags. The 9mm is packed in bags and heavy duty fanny packs with 500 rounds in each. It's all tried and tested handloaded 124 gr. JHP that would blow your Glock to little pieces. If I can't move all of my ammo into the car fast enough, even just a couple of those bags is a good amount.
My "MBR" is a pair of Ruger 10/.22 CRR carbines. One has a good 4x scope, and the other has the fiber optic sites. My "go to" ammo bags for those are more heavy duty fanny packs, with at least 550 rounds in each, plus 4 factory mags. For larger stocks, but still very mobile, I use a handy bag I found at Walmart that holds 4 bulk boxes, for 2,200 rounds in each of 4 bags.
And that's it for guns and ammo.
You may scoff at the .22 LR, but the Rooskies learnt different in Chechnya. I've spent many years observing the shooting habits of others. What I see is that most are just not of the mindset to do much of anything but burn ammo, with little regard for "placing" any given shot. In my own testing with water jugs, wet phone books, slimy mud, and critters, I find that a fast double tap with an accurate .22 is just a bit more devastating than a single shot from a hot 9mm HP, out to about 60 yds. Beyond that, the wound channels are too far apart, so you don't get the conjoined path. The double tap isn't always necessary though. With my scoped CRR, I can hit a clay pigeon reliably out to about 150 yds. One .22 round to any major joint, artery or the face/neck will cause that guy to stop chasing me. He doesn't have to die. He just has to stop giving me a hard time. With a .22, there is no muzzle flash, and if there's much noise around, he won't even know where it came from. It doesn't matter what he has, if he doesn't know where to aim.
I try to keep my car outfitted all the time for a 1 week long emergency. My motive is to get through an accident in the hinterland, because I like to wander around in search of photos out there. I did it for the first 2 years here in Nevada without any guns at all, but I keep meeting up with wacko people who think it's cute to harass people with their guns. Again, I don't have to kill them. The idea of any return fire at all is not what they had in mind, and it motivates them to relocate. Fine by me.
Times have changed, indeed. Never underestimate the capability, or the stupidity of a stranger.
), or NWO "Blue Helmets", or whoever else might pose a threat, won't last long.
