Random gun thoughts

[Dav Harzin 675]

Random gun thoughts
Starting with y2k preps there are many many people that will try and convince
you that you need "X" amount of ammo for your rifles, and "Z" amount for hand
guns, etc. I have yet to see anyone come up with a reason for these
recommendations of amounts. I also hate it when Im asked how much ammo is a
bass minimum. the real answer is "as much as you can comfortable afford". For
crips sake, don't spend the kids lunch money on ammo, and don't hawk the dog
for that extra box of 45.
Yeah I know this is easy for me to say because I have a gun store that calls me
to borrow a few thousand rounds. But the truth is that you can only carry so
much. And if you have an invading force coming down the street, you'd be foolish
to try and take them all on from your home. If you own a firearm for home
defense, then you need to look at how many rounds your going to fire each time
someone breaks in, and how many times do you see this happening. If you worry
about TPTB kicking in your door in the middle of the night, then chances are that
no amount of ammo will save you. Do you expect open combat in the streets? If
this does happen, then I honestly hope that you have a good hiding place,
because you and your family vs an invading force aren't good odds.
Im not going to bother with what the best firearm is to have if you can only have
1, 2, 4, etc. Those topics can and will be debated until the end of time, and as
long as you have something that your comfortable with, and is reliable, then
it/there the gun(s) for you. As a whole the statistics for distance are; Less then 25
feet for handguns, and less then 85 yards for rifles, in an urban environment.
There is little need for a rifle that will shoot the center out of a life saver at 500
yards in the city. If you have a handgun that will hold 2" groups at 25 yards, then
you have an accurate handgun, and one that you should be proud of. But that's
well beyond the range that you'll most likely need it at. Personally, if I have to
shoot at something past 50 feet, then I want a rifle. (Ill get into match accurate
handguns in a bit) What if all you have is a handgun, and need to make a shot
out past 25 yards? Well then I hope you thought of that before the situation came
up, and that you had a chance to practice shooting at those ranges... a lot.
The concept of taking firearms off of dead enemy troops is a great concept on
paper. If you get a hold of a M16, do you know how to use and care for it? What
about an AK47? And then there are those spiffy belt fed machine guns. Now is
the time to find a friend that has the civilian versions of the most likely weapons
to be encountered, and learn how to use them. Chances are that it will be either
M16s or AK47s that you'll find. On the civilian market these would be the AR15
and one of several names for the civilian legal version of the AK. Now is the time
to get to know these weapons, not when you pick one up in the field. Ohh yeah,
about those spiffy belt fed machine guns. You'd bee best served by knowing how
to unlink the ammo for use in a weapon you know how to use.
Match accuracy and tight groups are a great thing at the range. But in the real
world, the tighter the group, the tighter the gun and tight guns aren't real reliable
when they start to get dirty. There is a great debate over which of two semi
automatic rifles id the best to have in a SHTF situation. Im not going to get into
which they are, or which I feel is better. I have both, and like them for different
reasons. The biggest thing I hear about why one is so much better then the other
is group size at 100 yards. If you have a automatic rifle that will shoot 1/2" groups
at 100 yards, Im happy for you. But in the real world, are you going to carry a
$1500 11 pound rifle and the shooting bench into the field with you?
You'd be amazed what happens to those groups when your shooting from the
shoulder while being shot at. Look at it this way. If TSHTF and your heading for
the hills, would you rather have a Ferrari, or a Jeep? Personally, Ill take rugged
and reliable, over high performance. The same holds true with handguns. If you
have the chance, take your weapons of choice out and run 500 rounds through
them in one range session, just to make sure they'll hold up. Granted if TSHTF
you'll put more then 500 rounds through it between cleanings, but 500 rounds is
a good number to start with. Plus after 500 rounds you should have a good feel
for the weapon, and it will be broken in by that point.
By: Stu
Peoples Republic of Denver

[RevRifleman 1,512]

I maintain at minimum my standard load out at all times (10 standard AR15 P-Mags and 7 M14 20rnd mags).  That means, if I'm out of ammo for plinking... I still have around 400+ rounds.  But, it's a do not touch unless there is an emergency commodity.