Your End of the World Gun Collection

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K

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I made mention elsewhere that if necessary I could be totally happy for the rest of my life with no more than about 25 firearms. I then set out to see, like I usually am with the topic, if I was lying to myself.

So I made this list under the precedent that if I could only have one firearm for the rest of my life, it would be #1, and if I could only have two, it would be #s 1 and 2, etc.

I found that I had to prioritize in regards to what I would need to firearm for. It turned out that the first priority was self-protection if the SHTF. I thought the M1A1 would be good, and I could hunt with it for food. If things became good enough to actually leave the house, I would want the S&W J-Frame.

One through nine are basically for survival, hence, once I hit number 10 and I am actually able to enjoy the firearms as more than tools, I want a friggin' Blaser.

I originally did 10 rifles, 5 shotguns, 5 pistols, and 5 revolvers. There are now 11 rifles, 4 shotguns, 5 pistols, and 5 revolvers. I combined the four categories into one list as my last step.

So on and so forth... I'm pretty sure that I can legitimize the selection and placement of every single one, so if you're surious, ask.

Anyway, it was quite a bit of work, but feel free to make your own.

Designations:
I - Rifle
S - Shotgun
P - Pistol
R - Revolver

1) I - Springfield Armory M1A1
2) R - Smith & Wesson M&P 340 CT
3) I - AK-47
4) P - Kimber Ultra Covert II
5) S - Customized Remington 870
6) I - Thompson Center Encore (Barrels - .204, .45/70, .300 Win. Mag, & popular rifle calibers.)
7) R - Colt Python
8) I -Marlin Golden 39A
9) S - Benelli SuperNova
10) I - Blaser R 93 Stutzen
11) P - Browning Buckmark Hunter
12) P - Sig Sauer P226 Elite Stainless
13) I - DPMS Mark 12
14) I - Barret Model 95
15) I - Customized Ruger 10/22
16) P - Rohrbaugh R9
17) P - Kimber Grand Raptor
18) S - Browning Citori XT Trap Gold w/ adjustable comb
19) R - Smith & Wesson Model 29 (Blued – Long Barrel of course)
20) R - Smith & Wesson Model 500 Hi-Viz Interchangable Compensator
21) I - FN FS2000
22) I - Blackpowder Kentucky Rifle
23) S - Mossberg 930 SPX
24) I - Remington XR 100 Rangemaster (.204 Ruger)
25) R - Ruger New Vaquero (7.5” in .45 LC)

I could actually probably do without those last three, for sure the Vaquero. Anyway, there it is.
 
Handgun.

The ability to have on person a concealed gun if matters get bad is my first firearm priority.
First knife priority is a small, non-locking, slip-joint, with carbon steel or CV blades.


One may not be able to stay where they are, and being able to blend in, be mobile in travels, is real important to me.

The ability to hide this handgun, or transfer to a trusted person is important to me as well.

Being able to evade secure settings, with like kind, I again want a handgun and that knife.

Like some mentors that had/have some experiences in areas where they could not have guns, and dealt with checkpoints and other matters...

"With these, I survive[d], and with these, I can also get what I need".

One mentor for instance, used small caliber Berettas semi auto and a less than 3" closed pen knife...

Not a "what if" instead the real deal...
 
The true end of the world SHTF is when we run out of ammo ...
Click to expand...

Don't worry, there's plenty of cellulose in t.p. and lots of nitrate otherwise in the S.

Remember Kirk and the Gorn?

gorn.jpg
 
Bare necessities
1. AK-47
2. Saiga-12
3. P220 SAO
4. P239 SAS

I could come up with 25, but really it would include all sorts of firearms I dream of owning.
 
For something end of the world? I'd go with two .357 Magnum Ruger Blackhawks with a 9mm Conversion cylinders. Between 9mm Parabellum, .38 Smith and Wesson, .38 Special and .357 Magnum, I'd be set on handgun ammunition. For a backup, gimme a Smith and Wesson Model 60 2" .357 Magnum, and some comfy grips for using the hot stuff.

An Uberti .357 Magnum lever-action carbine, a Beretta CX4 carbine, and a Remington Model 700 in .308 Winchester make up the reach out and touch someone set (the Uberti and the CX4 would do close-up rapid fire, the Remington takes care of dangerous things further out).

Six guns, two of which can handle three calibers, and two carbines which can handle those three calibers, and a serious rifle for some reach. An efficient arsenal.
 
If the world's going to end, why skimp? I'd want:

Browning M2
Two State Arms Rebel .50s
A couple PKMs
Three of whatever super duper bolt rifle Zak Smith drools over
Half a dozen 18" M1As
Two Krinkovs
Two Mossberg 500s
Half a dozen 1911s
Half a dozen P3ATs

Plus suppressors for most all of them, a shipping container of belts and mags, and two containers of ammo.

I guess that's a bit over 25, but it's close. :evil:
 
I was trying not to make it about the END OF THE WORLD completely. I originally came up with the list with the idea of me marrying some broad that made 25 my limit, and me trying to figure out how to have all of the bases covered.

Of course, maybe the end of the world would be more fun.
 
EOTWAWKI tools:

- Gerber multi-tool

- small, reliable, accurate .22 handgun
- easily concealable, cheap and readily available ammo, would do in a pinch for defense but would probably be used more for collecting food

- 12 gauge (short barreled pump would be ideal but a single shot would do in a pinch)
- ammo is big and heavy so this would be used more for a "get out of town" defensive weapon. I'd load up on buck and slug, however would avoid as much confrontation as I could. Remaining ammo could be used for collecting food. If the end of the world is anything like Katrina, I expect this to be confiscated by the first LEO I encountered hence the .22 handgun mentioned above.

Hopefully I'll have some stash of firearms out in the country somewhere, maybe close to some sort of pre-built shelter...? In that stash I'd like to see a healthy supply of ammo for the following:

(make and model not as important as caliber and action as long as it is reliable)

in order of importance:
- 12 gauge pump; probably an 870 (ghost ring sights)
- .308 bolt action rifle (scoped with BUIS)
- .223 semi; AR-15 or variant (scoped with BUIS)
- .22 semi; 10/22 or 795 (scoped with BUIS)
- various handguns from .22 to .45

I was going to get into detail about what supplies and clothing I have ready as well but since this was started as a gun question, I'll keep it to that. :)

Matthew
 
sm, why the choice of a non-locking knife?

I ask because when I was 11, I closed a knife on my hand and haven't owned a non-locking knife since.
 
I remeber about 25 years ago, Guns and Ammo used to feature the occasional survivalist article, and they had an end of the world (Dec. 21, 2012) gun list. I always thought it was interesting that the list included an air rifle, a percussion revolver, and a black-powder shotgun. It makes good sense, though.
 
To the original poster:

How much does the ammo weigh for the 25 guns your going to have at SHTF??? In tons,pounds and ounces please:D:D

jj
 
Personally, I like my 45-70 for true EOTW problems. This caliber was designed for black powder and black powder is FAR easier to manufacture once the supply of smokeless runs out.


.....


Why do I feel like I need to take off my tin foil hat and get a shower now?
 
Pimers?????
Click to expand...

Yes, but primers existed before smokeless, as well. It will take some doing to get those right but the materials are also easier to obtain and create than smokeless powder...


Please stop! I feel dirty knowing I have actually thought about this!
 
With or without Kirk's t.p.?
Click to expand...

Hey, whatever he used, I know it wasn't TP. Don't you watch Star Trek? NO ONE goes to the bathroom in the future. I always just assumed they'd evolved beyond it.
 
I'm sure most of you have been here, at least through JWarren's sig, but www.zombiehunters.org has a lot of really good EOTW/SHTF information. The biggest things to think about in this situation is:

Availability of ammo - It will start becoming very valuable as it is used up/hoarded, and the manufacturer's stop producing.

Reliability over accuracy - I know accuracy is very important, but when the SHTF you are not going to have time to clean your custom match rifle or 1911 that can shoot a mag through 1 hole, or take it to an armorer or get spare parts when it gets jammed up wit ha little mud and dirt.

Portability - Unless your plan is to bunker down in your pre built fortress, than you aren't going to be able to take 25 guns with you. Of course if you are prepared enough and have stockpiles of ammo and food, and 10 foot concrete walls and a moat, then that sounds fun too :)

Concealability - When you have to make the long hike to a safer destination after "whatever" has gone down at your current location the last thing you want is to be the guy carrying a rifle slung on your shoulder. Weapons will become a very valuable commodity and resource, and the antis who didn't believe in them before will quickly change their minds and go to great lengths to acquire them. It's easy to say "I'm prepared to shoot anyone to protect my stuff", but they won't come up and try to rob you with a knife. They will run you down with a car, or take you out before you know they are there. A handgun or a compact rifle or shotgun is better in this instance.

When the EOTW happens, we won't all know it right away. Society will slowly crumble over many years, and people's thinking and behaviour will also slowly revert to a much more feral and instinctual mindset. I would recomend getting away from people as soon as you have an inkling that "$#it" is going down.

If you want a good example of how it will really happen, read "World War Z" by Max Brooks. It's a zombie book just to warn those of you who dislike that kind of stuff, but it shows how society slowly collapses, instead of the "one town outbreak" that we always see in the movies. If the "it" that happens is a nuclear bomb in NYC, I know that nothing will really be different in my small little SoCal town, so for a true EOTW to happen, it has to be something pretty major.

For the record, my 3 choices (currently anyway) are:
CZ P-01 w/ .22 Kadet kit
Reminton 870 w/ 18" barrel and folding stock
Keltec SU-16 OR SAIGA .223
 
I could get along quite well with a single-action revolver and a lever-action rifle in .41 or .44 Magnum caliber, and a good .22 rifle...with the .22 being the most useful. A good, strong fixed-blade knife, a hatchet, and collapsible entrenching tool would round it out.

Right now, it looks like a Remington Rand or a GI Colt...a Winchester '94 in .30-30, and a Henry .22 rifle will get the nod, since I don't own a SA revolver and a levergun in the calibers mentioned...though I may rectify that someday with a .41 levergun. I've got a M-58 Smith in near mint condition. :cool:

Of course, I wouldn't sell the .45s, though. Always good to have an old slabsides handy.
 
IMO yours looks like a collection more than a battery of useful arms.
Not that I have a problem with that - it's just that realistically a guy is only going to need so many.

My line of thinking is that to be well armed (not to be confused with well equipped) I'd feel comfortable with the following. I also think they should be bought in this order unless an impending ban caused you to buy the AK before the CZ-452 just so you could get it.
Anyhow...

1. Centerfire handgun that you're comfortable with. Although almost any other choice is better than this in terms of usefuness or power, you also can't just sling your Mossberg 590 and go into town to buy some flour. But you can stick a Browning Hi-Power in your waistband and conceal it pretty well. It also would be an effective deterrent out to 100 yards. Not ideal but it will cover a lot of what a shotgun or carbine would do as far as defense goes.

2. Rimfire rifle of your choice. Ammo for them is still the cheapest and doesn't take up much space. You can fill a .50 cal ammo can with .22 ammo for about $100 - that's about 4K rounds. It is underpowered but if you have to hunt it will take game up to the size of deer with good shot placement. It could also be used for defense if need be. When I was a kid I could hit small rocks at 150 yards with my dad's old Remington 512 and it's open sights. At that range a 14 year old with a box of thunderbolts and a decent position could make life very uncomfortable for an attacker. They also don't make nearly as much noise. A .22 rifle is severely underestimated.

3. Centerfire rifle of your choice. They have range and power that the handgun and .22 don't. If I knew I was going to have to fight I'd want a rifle. For the $250 that you'd pay for a Marlin 30-30 or even the $150 it would cost for a Mosin and some ammo, it's hard to come up with a reason to not own one. But I don't think they are quite as important as the handgun and .22. Others will disagree.

4. Ammo. As much as you can afford without letting other things go. I'd like to have an ammo can full for each caliber I have and probably two for the .22. And I'd like to add another can for each gun I add. It is expensive and hard to make that happen but in my dream world I'd have at least that. Preferably more.

5. A shotgun. I prefer 12 gauge. I don't want one for hunting because the rifle and .22 are more effective for that. My uses for a shotgun are for close range defense so most of my ammo would be buck or slugs. IMO, they are just the best tool for that. I'd keep some birdshot around just because you never know when you may need it, but it's mostly a defensive tool. I'd want a hundred to two hundred rounds of ammo for it but no more. Again, others will disagree. Shotguns do have my respect but if you have a .22 and a handgun and a rifle, you have most of what the shotgun would be used for taken care of so it is kind of supplementing all of your other guns.

I may also choose a compact handgun in the same caliber as my primary handgun for this choice. There is a lot to be said for a handgun that can go anywhere you can.

6. Don't forget cleaning supplies. I'll admit that I'm kind of weak on this. I've been known to use motor oil as a lube and t-shirts for patches. My guns do still get maintained but I would be smarter to just invest some money into $20 worth of dedicated cleaning supplies.

IMO, if you want more than that you might be well advised to either add parts, more ammo, or more mags. I also like the idea of redundancy for at least the rimfire rifle, handgun, and centerfire rifle if the money is there for it. If you break one you still have another and the broken one becomes an almost complete spare parts kit. I kind of try to stick to a "standardized" system.

I think I could do pretty well with just 4 guns and if I added a 5th it would probably be a very concealable handgun. That's what I'm kind of trying to do with my collection right now. It needed thinned out and rebuilt to be more practical so that's what I've been doing with it. Money is tight for me so I'm not there yet. But I am working on it and hope to be "done" within the next couple years.


To me, a collection of 25 guns is about 20 more than I would ever need (15 more if you add a spare of each). That's thousands of dollars that could have been invested for ammo, magazines, useful accessories, night vision, food, water, dental work, antibiotics, making your vehicle more reliable, gasoline, a generator, tools, property in the country, blankets, or a whole lot of other things that would make your likelyhood of actually surviving a bad situation a whole lot more likely.

OTOH, I also wouldn't ever try to talk someone out of owning 25 guns. I love guns too so have at it.
And it is your money. At the very least, if one quits you'd probably still have something you could replace it with and something else that would use it's ammunition. And you'd have enough that if you really got hard up maybe you could trade a 1911 and some ammo for a stake in someone's farm (assuming you could trust them).

As for me, I do want a couple more guns and some more ammo. But I have to admit that first I should get a couple more blankets, a good sleeping bag, a couple essential tools, some food that is stable for long term storage, a little dental work done, etc.
After all, you'll have to eat, sleep, and drink just about every day whether it's SHTF or not. But I can't imagine you'd need to fight that often.
 
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