kBob
Member
Using the search function and looking around I came across a number of SHTF threads over the years.
The thing that got me was the number of folks looking for "the perfect battery"
Oh some folk had about as many guns in their home arsenal as the local PD and spent their air time talking about what amongst their huge collection they would chose.
I rather like the ones where folks have a battle rifle and 600 plus rounds of military ammo and 200 rounds of sporting ammo......and a 12 gauge "fighting shotgun" with a huge assortment of shells in Buckshot, Slug, and multiple bird shot sizes......and a .22 rifle .....and a string of gun bearers apparently.
What amazes me is the tendency of the SHTF threads to be boiled down into a p***ing contest about what is the perfect SHTF rifle.
In a lot of my projects around the house I would never finish unless my wife once again kicked me in the butt and reminded me that "Perfect is the enemy of good enough!"
It is absolutely true that a Anshutz sporter of whatever type with the same ammo will likely out shout your Dad's Marlin bolt gun from the early 1960's........but chances are you won't do any better with one than the other.
You see simply buying "the best tool for the job" does not get the job done. That customized FN FAL in .308 is not likely to do a bit better in the hands of most folks ( and perhaps even worse) than a AR-15 midlength carbine you put together from a kit because that what you could afford.
Yes, yes, I know you went to 18 training insititues and trained with everyone that ever wrote a magazine article about a tactical rifle...... but even here in the heart of gun bunny country most folks aren't you.
Folks if you are concerned about TEOTWAWKI (The End Of The World As We Know It) be it socio-economic collapse, nuke spasm, aliens of zombie pork lips Consider what you have, not what you wish you had.
The very first consideration is not what guns you want, but what you have. Is a Marlin 336 in .30-30 as good as an M1A? Shoot if you do not have the M1A and do have the Marlin 336 it is a billion times better! How much long term storage food can you put up for the cost of a new M1A?
We can argue the merits of on .22LR semi over another until the heat death of the universe......but if you already have A .22 Semi auto that works, what sort of water filtration device can you buy for the cost of a new "better" .22.
The best rifle to have when the SHTF is the one you are already very well practiced with and know well enough to trouble shoot minor stuff.
How about if we discuss instead how to TRAIN for "its never what you expect" instead of spinning wheels about what might magically save us?
I will start and then let others chime in, but remember this is about what you can do, not what you can buy and look longingly at.
What used to be called snap shooting.....unsighted, pointing of a long arm is often over looked. As a society we have become so invested in sights that even shotguns forget that in the position most first shots will be fired anytime and any where the ability to point is more important than the ability to aim at rock throwing ranges. The US Army during the VN war adopted a sysem they called QUICK Skill and Daisy air rifles called Quick Skill and about a million shotgunners called shooting. A more or less head up position from the standing position looking over the shoulder arm at the target. It is VERY fast.
Not as accurate as an aimed shot for certain......hey at 25 meters a young feller with good eyes and no nerve issues can shoot one inch groups all day, shoot hit a match box at 25 meters every time. Unfortunately it takes time to do that. A person practiced in Quick Skill can hit a sheet of note book paper at that range every time......but get that first shot off in half the time. Guess which shooter if those two meet wins a gun fight? Guess which hunter gets the shot at the scarce rabbit they need to feed their family as it dashes into the brush when every body and their brother has culled all the bunnies to speak of and they are even more skittish than usual.
If I was serious about long arms and SHTF I would spend time developing those point shooting skills.
What? you don't have a place that will let you shoot your .44 mag Henry Lever gun like that? Get an air rifle and practice with that where you can. BC (Before Children) I would practice in the hall of whatever apartment or house we lived in with a plain old "Red Rider" sort of Daisy. Guess what? IT did transfer to shooting a "real" rifle......yes even one with a pistol grip. BTW when I saw on of the old Crosman AiR15s at a yard sale I scooped it up and yes I think it helped improve my ability to "snap shoot" THINGS WITH PISTOL GRIPS ( and a part that goes down)
What you.....personally.....can do will be more important in a SHTF situation than what you have to do it with.
This make sense to anyone?
So what do you think a rifleman should spend time on for after the great Solar Flare?
-kBob
The thing that got me was the number of folks looking for "the perfect battery"
Oh some folk had about as many guns in their home arsenal as the local PD and spent their air time talking about what amongst their huge collection they would chose.
I rather like the ones where folks have a battle rifle and 600 plus rounds of military ammo and 200 rounds of sporting ammo......and a 12 gauge "fighting shotgun" with a huge assortment of shells in Buckshot, Slug, and multiple bird shot sizes......and a .22 rifle .....and a string of gun bearers apparently.
What amazes me is the tendency of the SHTF threads to be boiled down into a p***ing contest about what is the perfect SHTF rifle.
In a lot of my projects around the house I would never finish unless my wife once again kicked me in the butt and reminded me that "Perfect is the enemy of good enough!"
It is absolutely true that a Anshutz sporter of whatever type with the same ammo will likely out shout your Dad's Marlin bolt gun from the early 1960's........but chances are you won't do any better with one than the other.
You see simply buying "the best tool for the job" does not get the job done. That customized FN FAL in .308 is not likely to do a bit better in the hands of most folks ( and perhaps even worse) than a AR-15 midlength carbine you put together from a kit because that what you could afford.
Yes, yes, I know you went to 18 training insititues and trained with everyone that ever wrote a magazine article about a tactical rifle...... but even here in the heart of gun bunny country most folks aren't you.
Folks if you are concerned about TEOTWAWKI (The End Of The World As We Know It) be it socio-economic collapse, nuke spasm, aliens of zombie pork lips Consider what you have, not what you wish you had.
The very first consideration is not what guns you want, but what you have. Is a Marlin 336 in .30-30 as good as an M1A? Shoot if you do not have the M1A and do have the Marlin 336 it is a billion times better! How much long term storage food can you put up for the cost of a new M1A?
We can argue the merits of on .22LR semi over another until the heat death of the universe......but if you already have A .22 Semi auto that works, what sort of water filtration device can you buy for the cost of a new "better" .22.
The best rifle to have when the SHTF is the one you are already very well practiced with and know well enough to trouble shoot minor stuff.
How about if we discuss instead how to TRAIN for "its never what you expect" instead of spinning wheels about what might magically save us?
I will start and then let others chime in, but remember this is about what you can do, not what you can buy and look longingly at.
What used to be called snap shooting.....unsighted, pointing of a long arm is often over looked. As a society we have become so invested in sights that even shotguns forget that in the position most first shots will be fired anytime and any where the ability to point is more important than the ability to aim at rock throwing ranges. The US Army during the VN war adopted a sysem they called QUICK Skill and Daisy air rifles called Quick Skill and about a million shotgunners called shooting. A more or less head up position from the standing position looking over the shoulder arm at the target. It is VERY fast.
Not as accurate as an aimed shot for certain......hey at 25 meters a young feller with good eyes and no nerve issues can shoot one inch groups all day, shoot hit a match box at 25 meters every time. Unfortunately it takes time to do that. A person practiced in Quick Skill can hit a sheet of note book paper at that range every time......but get that first shot off in half the time. Guess which shooter if those two meet wins a gun fight? Guess which hunter gets the shot at the scarce rabbit they need to feed their family as it dashes into the brush when every body and their brother has culled all the bunnies to speak of and they are even more skittish than usual.
If I was serious about long arms and SHTF I would spend time developing those point shooting skills.
What? you don't have a place that will let you shoot your .44 mag Henry Lever gun like that? Get an air rifle and practice with that where you can. BC (Before Children) I would practice in the hall of whatever apartment or house we lived in with a plain old "Red Rider" sort of Daisy. Guess what? IT did transfer to shooting a "real" rifle......yes even one with a pistol grip. BTW when I saw on of the old Crosman AiR15s at a yard sale I scooped it up and yes I think it helped improve my ability to "snap shoot" THINGS WITH PISTOL GRIPS ( and a part that goes down)
What you.....personally.....can do will be more important in a SHTF situation than what you have to do it with.
This make sense to anyone?
So what do you think a rifleman should spend time on for after the great Solar Flare?
-kBob
