Goblin
Member
You might find some useful info in this monograph.It was written a few years ago for the Modern Survival E-magazine.
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You might find this interesting!
BASIC FIREARM SELECTION
FOR THE BUDGET MINDED
A few months ago I was perusing a popular gun mag and came across
an article whose author was lamenting over having to sell some of his gun collection in order to raise money for something or other … I forget what. I was sympathetic. I felt his pain as if it were my own…that is until he stated his heartache was caused by his inability to decide which of his 200 guns he could do without! That’s right!!! I said TWO HUNDRED!!!!! That’s not a collection ,it’s a National Guard Armory !
Unfortunately ,if you’re like the average person with a family income of $42k ,your collection will have to be slightly more modest and less stress inducing, since most of your money is invested in things like house payments, food, and other such luxuries. That being the case, we must establish some criteria based on the limited funds available for assembling our minimum firearm needs. Most commonly, the categories that must be considered are hunting, target shooting, and home defense.
The most economical way to approach the problem is to try to select low priced firearms from quality manufacturers which can serve more than one function. You know, kind of like using a hammer to drive a nail and adjust the idle on your lawn mower. For example, let’s look at the pick for a (and I mean “A” as in one) hunting rifle, the 30.06.
Unless you’re an editor for a gun magazine or your last name is Capstick, big game safaris are not on the to-do list. You are going to need a rifle that you can use to hunt white tails, varmints, elk, or the occasional Al Qaeda guy that wanders by. The 30.06 is available in 13 different ballistic configurations ranging from a 55 gr. Accelerator at 4080 fps, to a 220gr load at 2410 fps. These ballistics will meet any needs of the average hunter, even if you have a great weekend in Vegas and decide you need to bag a black bear. Also, 06 ammo is more available than boots in Texas.
As to which rifle to buy, keeping in mind our budget restraints, the list of manufacturers offering 30.06 chambering for a reasonable price is as short as a Marine haircut. Two that meet our needs are the Remington model 710 and the Savage model 111f. Both are listed right around $400, but you can often find them on sale at the larger retailers for less. I chose the Remington because it comes with a Bushnell 3-9x scope mounted and bore-sighted. At the range, it put 3 rounds into a group ,at 100 yds, that could be covered with a silver dollar ( ok…almost! ) and I only paid $350 on sale! Both the Remington and the Savage have synthetic stocks and very sturdy actions. Either one would be an excellent choice for the budget minded.
The other gun we need for hunting is of course, the shotgun. I would suggest that a pump action in 12ga. would be the way to go. Pump actions are generally less expensive and the 12ga. ammo comes in many different shot sizes and power levels that will work for all your shotgun hunting needs. Also, if you purchase a second barrel 18 or 20 in. long, you can easily switch barrels and have a great home defense weapon. This will provide the multi-purpose usage required for tight budgets. There are three models that will meet our needs for economy and versatility. They are the Mossberg 500 sporting pump, the Remington 870 express, and the Winchester 1300 Ranger. All three come with interchangeable choke tubes and dual slide bars. They list for less than $360 and are often found on sell for less. Any of these models will easily suffice for most any hunting outing with the correct shell choice.
Next let’s discuss target or recreational shooting. With range fees going sky high, taking the family out for some fun shooting can cost a bit . You need to be able to shoot long enough per session to make the range fees worthwhile. The best way to do this is to go with .22 rimfire. This ammo can be had for $3.50 per 100 rds and can be easily handled by most members of the family. To send this fodder down range, I would pick an auto loading rifle. They’re really fun to shoot, easy to load, and for the beginner, the ability to maintain the site picture between rounds will enhance the learning process. As for price, Charles Daily, Marlin, Remington, and Savage all have offerings at less than $200. For our multi-tasking duties the .22 works great on small game such as squirrel and rabbit. Not so great on lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! But good cheap fun for the family and the occasional rabbit for the pot.
Our next category, home defense, is not as clean-cut as the other categories because of the many variables involved. Such as what are your local laws regarding firearms in the home?, what type of firearm are you competent in using?, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. (sorry Mr. Brenner, wherever you are ). Be sure to check with your local authorities for any applicable regs. All that being said, the best home defense firearm is the shotgun as mentioned above. However, if you are prepared to practice diligently and know the danger factors involved in having a handgun in the home, this is an alternative we can explore.
Based on reliability, cost of practice ammo, and easy learning curve, I would strongly recommend a .357 cal. Revolver with a 4 inch barrel and adjustable sights. The .357 is an established problem solver. But more importantly, you can practice with much less expensive .38cal ammunition. A box of these will only cost about $7.00 if you go for the 158 gr lead round nose fodder. As long as you put a cylinder full of .357 through the pipe each practice session, the difference in power will not effect your accuracy or your six-pack quota.
The 4in. Barrel will be an asset in the multi-purpose reqm’ts we are looking for because a handgun of this size can be used as a backup for your hunting outings. Load the first two chambers with shot shells for snakes and the rest of the cylinder with whatever round you like the best, and you’ll have the perfect back-up for most back country scenarios.
Let me stress the importance of maintaining any handgun in the proper state of safety required by the state you live in. Failure to do so could really, I mean REALLY!!, drop you into the grease big-time.
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of adjustable sites on a handgun. Let me tell you why. I was at the range one day throwing rocks at my target because I had run out of ammo, when the guy next to me took pity and offered to let me shoot his brand new revolver. This particular example had fixed sights so I asked how it was shooting. (That’s gun guy talk for “How accurate is it?). He said it was hitting at 2 o’clock at 7. (More gun guy talk meaning it’s shooting high right at 7 yards ). When I popped off 3 rds they hit high left! What this means is that $400 was spent on a handgun that does not hit where you point. That’s a big waste of money. Every shooter holds a gun differently. Every shooter looks down a barrel differently. The only way to compensate for these variables is to have sights adjustable to your particular shooting style.
So which model do you buy? The cost of new handguns produced by quality manufacturers has gone through the roof. My solution to the problem was to shop the used market. In my part of the country, gun shows are as common as pick-up trucks, so I spent some time looking around and found a Smith and Wesson model 686 with a 4in. barrel and adjustable sights foe $250. SWEET!!!. This example is so smooth ,I can put 6 rds in the center at 10 yds in rapid fire mode. You can’t beat that for effective fire. Seriously, I’m not yanking ya’.
In conclusion, let’s go to the tote board. If you purchased the firearms I have recommended, you will have spent about $1200. Now keep in mind, these are listed retail prices. Finding good sales could reduce your initial costs. Also ,as an alternative, you could shop the used market and realize even more savings. But be sure to check any potential purchase carefully for condition before you flop down the cash. Try to find a local guy that will stand behind any firearm you buy for functionality. Don’t let salesmanship fog your brain. Stick to your goal and you can have a perfectly suitable firearm collection at a low price.
Plse visit the site below!
http://www.UrbanSurvivalStrategies.Forumsland.com
_________________
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You might find this interesting!
BASIC FIREARM SELECTION
FOR THE BUDGET MINDED
A few months ago I was perusing a popular gun mag and came across
an article whose author was lamenting over having to sell some of his gun collection in order to raise money for something or other … I forget what. I was sympathetic. I felt his pain as if it were my own…that is until he stated his heartache was caused by his inability to decide which of his 200 guns he could do without! That’s right!!! I said TWO HUNDRED!!!!! That’s not a collection ,it’s a National Guard Armory !
Unfortunately ,if you’re like the average person with a family income of $42k ,your collection will have to be slightly more modest and less stress inducing, since most of your money is invested in things like house payments, food, and other such luxuries. That being the case, we must establish some criteria based on the limited funds available for assembling our minimum firearm needs. Most commonly, the categories that must be considered are hunting, target shooting, and home defense.
The most economical way to approach the problem is to try to select low priced firearms from quality manufacturers which can serve more than one function. You know, kind of like using a hammer to drive a nail and adjust the idle on your lawn mower. For example, let’s look at the pick for a (and I mean “A” as in one) hunting rifle, the 30.06.
Unless you’re an editor for a gun magazine or your last name is Capstick, big game safaris are not on the to-do list. You are going to need a rifle that you can use to hunt white tails, varmints, elk, or the occasional Al Qaeda guy that wanders by. The 30.06 is available in 13 different ballistic configurations ranging from a 55 gr. Accelerator at 4080 fps, to a 220gr load at 2410 fps. These ballistics will meet any needs of the average hunter, even if you have a great weekend in Vegas and decide you need to bag a black bear. Also, 06 ammo is more available than boots in Texas.
As to which rifle to buy, keeping in mind our budget restraints, the list of manufacturers offering 30.06 chambering for a reasonable price is as short as a Marine haircut. Two that meet our needs are the Remington model 710 and the Savage model 111f. Both are listed right around $400, but you can often find them on sale at the larger retailers for less. I chose the Remington because it comes with a Bushnell 3-9x scope mounted and bore-sighted. At the range, it put 3 rounds into a group ,at 100 yds, that could be covered with a silver dollar ( ok…almost! ) and I only paid $350 on sale! Both the Remington and the Savage have synthetic stocks and very sturdy actions. Either one would be an excellent choice for the budget minded.
The other gun we need for hunting is of course, the shotgun. I would suggest that a pump action in 12ga. would be the way to go. Pump actions are generally less expensive and the 12ga. ammo comes in many different shot sizes and power levels that will work for all your shotgun hunting needs. Also, if you purchase a second barrel 18 or 20 in. long, you can easily switch barrels and have a great home defense weapon. This will provide the multi-purpose usage required for tight budgets. There are three models that will meet our needs for economy and versatility. They are the Mossberg 500 sporting pump, the Remington 870 express, and the Winchester 1300 Ranger. All three come with interchangeable choke tubes and dual slide bars. They list for less than $360 and are often found on sell for less. Any of these models will easily suffice for most any hunting outing with the correct shell choice.
Next let’s discuss target or recreational shooting. With range fees going sky high, taking the family out for some fun shooting can cost a bit . You need to be able to shoot long enough per session to make the range fees worthwhile. The best way to do this is to go with .22 rimfire. This ammo can be had for $3.50 per 100 rds and can be easily handled by most members of the family. To send this fodder down range, I would pick an auto loading rifle. They’re really fun to shoot, easy to load, and for the beginner, the ability to maintain the site picture between rounds will enhance the learning process. As for price, Charles Daily, Marlin, Remington, and Savage all have offerings at less than $200. For our multi-tasking duties the .22 works great on small game such as squirrel and rabbit. Not so great on lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! But good cheap fun for the family and the occasional rabbit for the pot.
Our next category, home defense, is not as clean-cut as the other categories because of the many variables involved. Such as what are your local laws regarding firearms in the home?, what type of firearm are you competent in using?, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. (sorry Mr. Brenner, wherever you are ). Be sure to check with your local authorities for any applicable regs. All that being said, the best home defense firearm is the shotgun as mentioned above. However, if you are prepared to practice diligently and know the danger factors involved in having a handgun in the home, this is an alternative we can explore.
Based on reliability, cost of practice ammo, and easy learning curve, I would strongly recommend a .357 cal. Revolver with a 4 inch barrel and adjustable sights. The .357 is an established problem solver. But more importantly, you can practice with much less expensive .38cal ammunition. A box of these will only cost about $7.00 if you go for the 158 gr lead round nose fodder. As long as you put a cylinder full of .357 through the pipe each practice session, the difference in power will not effect your accuracy or your six-pack quota.
The 4in. Barrel will be an asset in the multi-purpose reqm’ts we are looking for because a handgun of this size can be used as a backup for your hunting outings. Load the first two chambers with shot shells for snakes and the rest of the cylinder with whatever round you like the best, and you’ll have the perfect back-up for most back country scenarios.
Let me stress the importance of maintaining any handgun in the proper state of safety required by the state you live in. Failure to do so could really, I mean REALLY!!, drop you into the grease big-time.
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of adjustable sites on a handgun. Let me tell you why. I was at the range one day throwing rocks at my target because I had run out of ammo, when the guy next to me took pity and offered to let me shoot his brand new revolver. This particular example had fixed sights so I asked how it was shooting. (That’s gun guy talk for “How accurate is it?). He said it was hitting at 2 o’clock at 7. (More gun guy talk meaning it’s shooting high right at 7 yards ). When I popped off 3 rds they hit high left! What this means is that $400 was spent on a handgun that does not hit where you point. That’s a big waste of money. Every shooter holds a gun differently. Every shooter looks down a barrel differently. The only way to compensate for these variables is to have sights adjustable to your particular shooting style.
So which model do you buy? The cost of new handguns produced by quality manufacturers has gone through the roof. My solution to the problem was to shop the used market. In my part of the country, gun shows are as common as pick-up trucks, so I spent some time looking around and found a Smith and Wesson model 686 with a 4in. barrel and adjustable sights foe $250. SWEET!!!. This example is so smooth ,I can put 6 rds in the center at 10 yds in rapid fire mode. You can’t beat that for effective fire. Seriously, I’m not yanking ya’.
In conclusion, let’s go to the tote board. If you purchased the firearms I have recommended, you will have spent about $1200. Now keep in mind, these are listed retail prices. Finding good sales could reduce your initial costs. Also ,as an alternative, you could shop the used market and realize even more savings. But be sure to check any potential purchase carefully for condition before you flop down the cash. Try to find a local guy that will stand behind any firearm you buy for functionality. Don’t let salesmanship fog your brain. Stick to your goal and you can have a perfectly suitable firearm collection at a low price.
Plse visit the site below!
http://www.UrbanSurvivalStrategies.Forumsland.com
_________________
