I have a question for those of you with SHTF guns.

[cameron.personal]

I could be out the door with a loaded and functional rifle before the 911 call connects.

 

[rfurtkamp]

The Aussie surplus 308 that was out came in cans that miraculously hold 8 FAL or G3 mags. I have one of each loaded and in ready access. Guns in safe have loaded mag, empty chamber, and web gear & belt compatible pouches on slings that hold 8 20 rounders for the FAL. My G3 bag on a sling holds 10 loaded, but the HK-51 is lighter and special-purpose.

I thought about the full web gear thing, but I wanted something I could get into five minutes ago -grab and run, and this worked out fine.

The FAL mag carrier is I believe some sort of W. German surplus gas mask carrier or something equivalent, and the G3 is a dual pouch for some sort of grenades, probably 40mm. Net cost was next to nothing at the surplus store + some time to figure out what worked where.

My trunk FAL has one of the 8x20 mag satchels next to it as well.

Figure I'd rather be prepared than wrong.

 

[odysseus]

Sometimes by ghillie suit gets in the way of my typing and I tend to surprise the neighbors while taking the garbage out....

 

[dmftoy1]

LOL . . . . . .sorry, can't quit crying because I'm laughing so hard at that one . . .




I keep 3 loaded pretty much all the time. Just part of the cleaning ritual. I never know when my neighbor might show up and want to go shooting so I keep them loaded so I can grab them as I go running out the door like a little kid at Christmas.

Have a good one,
Dave

 

[Luomu]

Sometimes by ghillie suit gets in the way of my typing and I tend to surprise the neighbors while taking the garbage out....

By the way, do any of you ever worry about magazine spring life? I mean, do you fill the mags up to capacity or what? I have allways liked big magazines for the reason they can be downloaded 10-20% and still have useful number of rounds at hand.
And speaking from experience, even AK and SigSauer magazines lose spring tension after being fully loaded for long periods, (a few years).

 

[chopinbloc]

I put 200 rounds on strippers for my SKS, when I go out shooting, the session probably ends when I have shot them all.

don't mean to rag on you but i hope you never actually expend all rounds and go home empty. i try to make sure i always have at least my carry weapon loaded but usually i keep one full mag for the rifles for the trip home.

Luomu,
no, i don't worry about it. when i go shooting, i randomly pick a couple mags from the ones that stay loaded all the time and i haven't had a problem yet.

as for the original question, all my mags stay loaded except when i'm using them. as of now, that means 16 loaded mags for three ars (i'm planning to get more mags) and a couple thousand on strippers in bandoliers. about a dozen loaded ak mags and three cases of the yugo surplus that comes on strippers. about a dozen mini14 mags. twenty loaded mags for the m1a various and sundry pistol mags and the shotgun stays loaded with four buckshot and one slug in the tube (slug's first), six buck on the sidesaddle, four slugs and one rubber buckshot on the sidesaddle. this is in addition to a floating supply of several thousand rounds in various calibers. i have a plate carrier with plates with two mag pouches that hold 8 ar mags each, a holster for the g22, a blowout kit with quicklot, iv bag, lines and needles, field dressings, tourniquet and scissors and an hydration bladder with inline filter. i have a surplus gas mask. in a purse type pouch. i don't have any good way to pack the ak, mini, or m1a mags. i keep a large (huge, really) fannypack from cabella's in my truck with lots of essentials including two four pocket bandoliers with 30 round mags. the guns in the safe are stored with the hammer down and a full mag inserted and locked. the guns out of the safe are locked and loaded with the safety engaged if they have one.

you know, it doesn't seem like that big a deal until i start talking about it and then i realize HOLY CRAP! there's no way i could need or use all of this. and i still feel unprepared. don't get me started on the jerry cans full of fuel and water or the stacks of way outdated MREs (i remain convinced they can't ever really go bad). is there something wrong with me or is this reasonable?

 

[beerslurpy]

And speaking from experience, even AK and SigSauer magazines lose spring tension after being fully loaded for long periods, (a few years).

Not my experience. AK mags can easily be rebuilt, but I've never known them to fail, even after years.

 

[browningguy]

I keep mine loaded just for trips to the range, don't worry about zombies here in Texas too much but you never know about those Chupacabras. Currently ready to go shooting with:

Pair of .40 High Powers with 6 mags, 10 rounds ea.
Pair of 9mm High Powers with 6 mags (4 x 13 rd., 1 x 17 rd., 1x 30 rd.)
Witness P 9mm with 2 mags, 16 rounds ea.
Sub2000 9mm with 4 x 33 round mags and 1 x 10 round
FN49 with about 600 rounds of milsurp on stipper clips
SKS with 300 rounds on stripper clips
Then:
Su16 with 4 x 30 round mags, 2 x 20 round mags and 2 x 10 rounds
.50 Beowulf AR with 1 x 7 round mag (big medicine for Chupacabras)
6x45 AR with 1 x 20 round mag (all the mags can be switched among these 3 guns)

Plus misc. hunting rifles, target pistols etc.

 

[kfranz]

You don't need to keep loaded mags around for zombies. They move slow you'll have time to load up.

The new model fast moving zombies will eat your heart out before you can load more than a couple of rounds.

Mags and ammo seperate demonstrates a lack of efficiency and a poor use of space. Springs do not wear out from sitting, they wear out from cycling. Just ain't no good reason to have unloaded mags.

 

[FatBoyAl]

Since I live in California...

I have my Red Ryder full of BB's. Extra can of BB's next to it (undeclared as extra BB's are not allowed). All BB's of course are stamped with my name, kids names, my address and SSAN. I also have a slingshot (one rubber not attached as per law). Plus three unsharpened plastic knives.

I feel ready. After all, everyone else here only has the same thing. Right?

Right?

 

[thereisnospoon]

The silly-ness of it all....of course I keep the twin .50s mounted in their ultra-secret turret disguised in the roof (think James Bond bad guy lair). There is 27 feet of linked ammo in each gun and stacks of cans of rounds ready to go...the goblins will tremble when the sirens and flares go off, but will bow down before me as I mount the seat and rack the bolt(s) on the mothers...


Seriously, of course I keep a bug out kit ready, including mags and reloads in a Tacyical Tailor plate carrier....got plates?

 

[Ian]

I try to keep at least 500 rounds of ammo loaded in M1 clips, as much for convenience going to the range as anything else. I also keep a 40-round bandolier of good defensive ammo with my Garand, and an 80-round ammo belt nearby as well.

 

[JFrame]

I have a loaded 6" S&W 686, a Glock 27 with 2 loaded mags, and two J-frame snubbies to keep the zombie hordes at bay while I calmly thumb .357 cartridges into my Winchester Trapper lever gun, all the while slugging down shots of Jim Beam and chronicling my exploits into my mini-cassette recorder...

Flip180 -- to answer your question seriously, I don't keep any long guns ready. Guess I'm screwed if I need to drop the zombies at +100 yards...

 

[rbernie]

Every handgun that I own is stored fully loaded - ain't nuttin' more useless than a firearm that's not loaded. In addition, the BOB contains an AR and three 30-round magazines loaded with M193 ball.

 

[m39fan]

My Glock is always loaded for "bumps in the night" along with 5 spare 17rd. mags. My FAL sits in the safe with one loaded mag (separate) and 8 more in an Israeli LBV for a total of 180rds on tap and more boxed ammo close at hand. I'm adding more mags as I'm able. My "second line" equipment includes an AK with 5 30rd. mags and 10 20rd. mags, and a new AR with 3 mags. None of this includes my wife's gear! I guess if it comes time to bug out, my truck better be running!

Take Care!

 

[Luomu]

Ahem, I apologize if this is somewhat off the original topic.

I've done a year in Bosnia w/SFOR peace-keeping mission back in -98-99. During that time I came across a handful of mags with dead springs, both 7.62rk62(basic ak47 mag) and SigSauer P226. Some would not feed at all, or only a coupla rounds and then stop. Admittedly, we are not talking about a large percentage of failure here when counting all the mags in Battalion. But, we were only issued 3 AK mags, and 1-2 pistols mags per man. So if, for example, your only pistol magazine fails while you really need it, it could spoil your entire day? I was lucky to get good magazines for my guns, however. Further, I've never had a magazine fail in any of my personally owned guns.

The problem seemed to me that people keep mags fully loaded all year round, then the next person who inherits those magazines, does the same, and so on and on it goes. At some point in the mission some springs just failed. But, that's just my experience, so feel free to take it or leave it.

 

[1911 guy]

Thank you, Uncle Sam!

I kept all my 782 gear. Holds AR and 1911 mags just fine, since it was designed for them. Keeps lots of other neat-o stuff handy, too.

 

[mmike87]

I have six loaded AR magazines in my safe, clipped together in pairs. I suspect that in most SHTF scenarios there is SOME prior warning that the fan blades are about to be soiled, so no I don't keep my AR "at the ready".

-- Edit: I DO however keep an HK USP Tactical in .45 "ready" as my home defense handgun.

 

[mmike87]

You don't need to keep loaded mags around for zombies. They move slow you'll have time to load up.

Have you seen 28 Days Later? Not too slow, there. Quite fast, in fact.

 

[Essex County]

This SHTF crap gets to me. Sometimes in nice not to hear it. I'm ex military, have a H-Bar and a tactical carbine. I use the both foe plinking and 'yotes and may or may not have mags loaded at any particular time. I have a LULA and tons of ammo. If you live in a delusional world where Zombies are going to break down your door at ANY second I feel sorry for you. Get over it or relocate............Essex

 

[Too Many Choices!?]

What use is a NON-loaded gun?

Makes a niffty paper weight ? Loaded mags? I am tripping over them !! Loaded mags are a good thing, as are Too Many Choices!?

 

[mmike87]

This SHTF crap gets to me. Sometimes in nice not to hear it. I'm ex military, have a H-Bar and a tactical carbine. I use the both foe plinking and 'yotes and may or may not have mags loaded at any particular time. I have a LULA and tons of ammo. If you live in a delusional world where Zombies are going to break down your door at ANY second I feel sorry for you. Get over it or relocate............Essex

I doubt (hope) anyone here REALLY thinks Zombies are coming. I always took the "Zombie" stuff as a fun intellectual exercise. It's healthy to be thinking of things and discussing them ... that's how we learn from one another.

 

[Dr.Rob]

Another advantage of the pump shotgun... 4-5 rounds can be loaded and at the ready in the time it takes to partially load a magazine of a semi-auto rifle. Rounds can be continuously 'topped off' while in use. Shells weigh a bunch tho.

I bought a nice LB vest that holds 4 AK/AR mags, a pistol holster + 4 spare mags and a 12 shot 12 ga pouch... which should be more than enough for most encounters. Pouches can be moved/adjusted to taste... ie replace 12 ga rds with fanny pack first aid kit, etc.

Don't know what to put in the grenade pouches permanently attached to teh vest.

 

[Brian Williams]

I keep a box of 357s next to my 1894c they can be shoved in real quick

 

[444]

"This SHTF crap gets to me."

So why read the thread, let alone post in it ?