SHTF What Rifle do you grab?

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  • omegared24

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 23, 2011
    4,747
    Ijamsville, MD
    In a SHTF scenario there are two types of people: those who have a gun and those who don’t. The rest is just details.

    True story.

    I have a friend that I'm building an AR for. He's learned quickly that it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

    He asked about prepping for disaster situations and we specifically focused on his situation. His neighbors aren't gun owners which means they are basically holding supplies for him.

    I know it's easier said than done but if you live in Chevy Chase/Kensington you're most likely a sitting duck without a gun and plenty of ammunition. My neighborhood...we'll be playing nice with each other.
     

    Racer Doug14

    Thread killer
    MDS Supporter
    Patriot Picket
    Feb 22, 2013
    8,003
    Millers Maryland
    I will be staying put in a SHTF situation. But, that truly depends on the type it is. Civil unrest I would be joining family in a bigger house and pooling resources. A long natural disaster would probably be the same. I wouldn't expect a foreign invasion. The Japanese and Germans weren't that dumb.
     

    teratos

    My hair is amazing
    MDS Supporter
    Patriot Picket
    Jan 22, 2009
    59,775
    Bel Air
    I have a place to meet and a group to meet with. It’s fairly well organized.
     

    Ammo Jon

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 3, 2008
    20,788
    Wonder if anyone has turned a storage unit into a place to bug out. Able to keep extra guns, ammo, food, etc.
     

    Occam

    Not Even ONE Indictment
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 24, 2018
    20,239
    Montgomery County
    Wonder if anyone has turned a storage unit into a place to bug out. Able to keep extra guns, ammo, food, etc.

    Not that most would know, but most prohibit exactly such things (as well as fuel, spoilable items, etc). And: at least a lot of those facilities have access controls that require power (and in some cases, internet connectivity) to get you through the gate. In a proper SHTF, I guess one might just crash the gate to get to your goodies. But remember that in a solid SHTF, there are going to be crews with Makita angle grinders working their way through storage facilities for easy pickings.
     

    Ngrovcam

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 20, 2016
    2,854
    Florida
    Gotta ask:

    I see several posts that specify taking a
    Ruger 10/22. I believe a good, reliable .22
    has to be in the mix...so, given how often
    it is cited in this thread, is the Ruger that
    good and so reliable as opposed to a lever
    or bolt gun? And, to extend that question to
    a handgun, which .22? Maybe a Ruger with
    a .22 and .22 Mag cylinder?
     

    Doctor_M

    Certified Mad Scientist
    MDS Supporter

    relatively solid video


    I have supplies for each member of the family in packs plus the dog... the cat is own his own... or he will be our first meal :)

    If you bug out as a family unit, you can diversify what you are carrying since no one gun is the answer to everything. Our four member family would probably set out with 2 ARs, a 12 ga, and a scoped .30-06, 2 9mms pistols, a judge, and a surpessed.22 pistol. That would cover a lot of bases. Survival, hunting, sniping, combat. Our most likely bug out location has extra ammo in all these calibers.

    But as others have said, I'm not bugging out unless I have no choice. We will stand a better chance of weathering the storm by digging in.
     

    Sirex

    Powered by natural gas
    Oct 30, 2010
    10,380
    Westminster, MD
    Not that most would know, but most prohibit exactly such things (as well as fuel, spoilable items, etc). And: at least a lot of those facilities have access controls that require power (and in some cases, internet connectivity) to get you through the gate. In a proper SHTF, I guess one might just crash the gate to get to your goodies. But remember that in a solid SHTF, there are going to be crews with Makita angle grinders working their way through storage facilities for easy pickings.

    Our storage unit got hit. We had a heavier duty lock than the unit management sold, so the theives cut right thru the latch mechanism. I mainly.had copier parts in there, bit they stole a couple stereo systems I had boxed up. Thank goodness they overlooked my boxes of Mugen rims. While I was there doing an inventory, I saw another guy a few units down pulling guns out of his unit, and looking thru his unit. Several units got hit. I don't think they ever found the culprits. I would not store anything but furniture and my parts from work. Definitely not guns, after my experience.
     

    TheBert

    The Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 10, 2013
    7,687
    Gaithersburg, Maryland
    And where would you find the available ammo? Walmart was pretty much cleaned out after one day of looting in Katrina.

    Gun stores would suffer the same fate.

    I am going to sit at home with spam cans of surplus ammo because it is too difficult to carry and too valuable to leave.

    Dead bodies. Never pass up a dead body without stripping it of weapons, magazines and rounds.
     

    Pale Ryder

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 12, 2009
    6,234
    Millersville
    I used to run a storage facility. Bad idea to store anything of value there. First you're prohibited from storing things like weapons, ammo, fuel, food, etc. Second even if surveillance is in place, given a SHTF event nobody is going to be looking out for your stuff.

    Most of what people put in storage is not "Storage Wars", most is crap like baby clothes, junk furniture, that sort of thing.
    Even if easy pickings, I wouldn't waste my time cutting locks.
     

    WildWeasel

    Active Member
    Mar 31, 2019
    468
    MI>FL>MD
    Gotta ask:

    I see several posts that specify taking a
    Ruger 10/22. I believe a good, reliable .22
    has to be in the mix...so, given how often
    it is cited in this thread, is the Ruger that
    good and so reliable as opposed to a lever
    or bolt gun? And, to extend that question to
    a handgun, which .22? Maybe a Ruger with
    a .22 and .22 Mag cylinder?

    I grew up with a Ruger 10/22 (and a Mk ll pistol as well...) in my hands. We would put hundreds, maybe thousands of rounds through it without cleaning it, and the only times it stopped was when the mags were empty or it was extremely fouled up. They're cheap, low/easy maintenance, reliable, and quite accurate out of the box, with options for takedown, pistol, suppressor ready, and target models. Unless someone had info about current production being bad, I personally wouldn't even look at the competition for .22s.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    I grew up with a Ruger 10/22 (and a Mk ll pistol as well...) in my hands. We would put hundreds, maybe thousands of rounds through it without cleaning it, and the only times it stopped was when the mags were empty or it was extremely fouled up. They're cheap, low/easy maintenance, reliable, and quite accurate out of the box, with options for takedown, pistol, suppressor ready, and target models. Unless someone had info about current production being bad, I personally wouldn't even look at the competition for .22s.

    Yeah I was anal about cleaning my 10/22 the first year or so I owned it. I had a fair number of ejection issues with stove pipes for awhile. Went through two different extractors. It helped. Still doing it. Finally with about 4 years and probably 3-4K rounds through it, it’s pretty much running 100%.

    Or at least I haven’t had a failure with a CCI round that is supposed to run a semi-auto. I get rare failures with other stuff now. Maybe 1-2 in 50 of Federal will stove pipe still. Same with some other brands, but it isn’t common.

    On the original topic, I’d bug in, not but out. I wish I was deep rural, but I am at least last most of the suburbs and on a decent patch of land near a state park. Lots of wildlife (which would probably be gone quick, I know). All my food, shelter, transportation and ammo is here. The house itself would be moderately defensible. Though probably not fending off a squad or an armed mob defensible (frankly other than a bunker or fort, what is?)

    If I had to run for some reason I’ve got 3 levels of bug out gear. My “honey throw the kids in the car and grab the hug out bags” stuff is a pair of backpack for me and my wife that have 3 days food for us and the kids, rain jackets/ponchos for everyone, first aid trauma kits, life straws, lights, batteries, spare socks, compass, state and local maps and some other goodies. I’d run and grab my go bag out of the safe along with my AR, 10/22 and P1.

    Safe go bag has 6 loaded PMAGs with M193 in them, and a pair of P1 mags with 115gr JHP UMC. Also are a pair of BX-25 and a brick of minimags. Some other miscellaneous survival gear, cleaning kit, binocs, etc. load the P1 and AR out of spare mags sitting loaded in the safe.

    Hand the 10/22 to my wife or oldest and keep the others for me (or hand the 10/22 to be oldest and P1 to the wife).

    If I had a little more time/helpers grabbing stuff I’d dig out my G17 (wife doesn’t know I have it, so it doesn’t stay in the safe assembled), grab the 6.5 AR, tent, food tote, and .50 cal but out boxes. In the later are 100rnds 6.5G, another 200rnds M193, 100rnds of 75gr gold dots, 4 G17 mags loaded with Remington 115gr +P golden Sabre, 500rnds of minimags and 100rnds of PPU 124gr NATO 9mm.

    Copious time and the sleeping bags, water jugs (10 gallons of distilled water), spare gas cans (2 gallons always, plus whatever is left in my 5 gallon can), solar charger, other tent, other backpacking packs and all of the various camping supplies and I’d probably grab my 6.5G can, M193, M855, .30 carbine ammo cans as well as my M1 and my Colt OP and some loaded speed loaders for it.

    Drop back to pretty much just the emergency run at a minutes notice stuff if we had to abandon our vehicle. Or keep it so long as we had the ability to use the vehicle.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    On the topic of bugging in, I have a generator, unfortunately that isn’t silent, but it is what it is and I am on four and a half acres. I keep enough gas on hand to run it for about 24-48hrs (minimum 24, but I also tend to have extra gas on hand for the mower and log splitter, so it could be another days worth). Once I get my old house sold I plan to get another generator. Current one is only 3.5kw starting and 3.2kw running. Which isn’t really enough except basics. I am looking at a 6.8kw running/7.5kw starting dual fuel generator and a pair of 100# propane bottles hooked up to it with the option of falling back on gas. With likely loads on the larger generator I could probably run it for 5-7 days straight on propane and then another day or maybe two on gas.

    But I wouldn’t run any generator constantly. An hour or two on and 4hrs off probably. Not run it at all at night. Fridge and freezers won’t defrost significantly with 8-10hrs no power. It’s also enough run time in the winter to keep the house warm. I have oil heat as well as oil hot water heating with a 550 gallon tank. In addition I have a wood boiler looped in and could easily keep the whole house heated all winter with wood and use zero or near zero oil (I’ve got about 3 cords split and aged right now and at least 4 more cords stacked, but not cut to the proper length and split. Plus plenty of trees on the property or near by). A fireplace and wood stove if I finally run out of fuel for the generator or didn’t want to risk the noise. I figure running the generator part time I could probably get 4-7 days out of my current one and gas or maybe 3 weeks with my future plan.

    That doesn’t include draining the vehicles or mower of gas. If I did that, I’d likely have another 1.5wks or running the generator constantly or 3-7wks running it part time.

    Also a well. A creek at the back of the property on top of that and a lot of water filtration.

    Depending on where in the year it is for how much venison and chicken I have left over and where the garden is, we tend to have about 4-5 weeks of food before we’d be scraping the bottom of the barrel. If it’s late fall add 3-4 weeks to that as we have everything from the garden canned and likely freezer filled with venison and chicken if we had meat birds.

    If it was early in the spring, we could quickly expand our garden to give us a lot more yield. Normally it handles about 50% of our veggies, beans, fruit and berries for the entire year including spaghetti sauce and tomato soup.

    I doubt we’d be able to go fully self sufficient for ever and ever unless humanity disappeared tomorrow otherwise or everyone decided to live in peace and harmony. Well, without warning and being able to stock up.

    Oh and we have 7 laying hens and will probably have 9-10 in a few weeks. That’s not nothing. About 5% of caloric supplementation and they can eat weeds.

    Also not included is the fact that I tend to have 150-200# of malted barely sitting around for brewing that I could make bread out of, barely soup, biscuits, etc. that would add around a month of food.

    I am assuming hunting and fishing would be out either because it wouldn’t be safe or that would all get stripped real quick.
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    Gotta ask:

    I see several posts that specify taking a
    Ruger 10/22. I believe a good, reliable .22
    has to be in the mix...so, given how often
    it is cited in this thread, is the Ruger that
    good and so reliable as opposed to a lever
    or bolt gun? And, to extend that question to
    a handgun, which .22? Maybe a Ruger with
    a .22 and .22 Mag cylinder?

    I like the 10/22 as a take down, to carry in addition to an AR.

    But for a child, there can be things to be said about a bolt gun.

    Lever guns are nice, but is something jams up, the are probably beyond the capability to be fixed in the field
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    Dead bodies. Never pass up a dead body without stripping it of weapons, magazines and rounds.

    Yeah, always amazed me in movies and TV, hero walks past all those he killed, and never picks up at least the ammo.

    Then later, of course, runs out.
     

    jrumann59

    DILLIGAF
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 17, 2011
    14,024
    Not that most would know, but most prohibit exactly such things (as well as fuel, spoilable items, etc). And: at least a lot of those facilities have access controls that require power (and in some cases, internet connectivity) to get you through the gate. In a proper SHTF, I guess one might just crash the gate to get to your goodies. But remember that in a solid SHTF, there are going to be crews with Makita angle grinders working their way through storage facilities for easy pickings.


    At least there makitas and cordless…...:innocent0
     

    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,818
    Not that most would know, but most prohibit exactly such things (as well as fuel, spoilable items, etc). And: at least a lot of those facilities have access controls that require power (and in some cases, internet connectivity) to get you through the gate. In a proper SHTF, I guess one might just crash the gate to get to your goodies. But remember that in a solid SHTF, there are going to be crews with Makita angle grinders working their way through storage facilities for easy pickings.

    ...until the batteries run down.
     

    jrhzn

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Aug 17, 2017
    280
    How much S?
    How big is the F, and which way is it pointing?
    How much time do I have to choose?

    Sort of like asking me; You have a job to do, which tool do you grab?

    My long gun of choice is a 12 gauge, single shot break action. My current everyday carry pistol is a Glock 22 with a .357 SIG barrel in it. I keep a Glock .40 S&W barrel along with a Lone Wolf 9mm conversion barrel in a bag in the car.

    Great response! one metric ton S, 42 feet of F, towards you, 1 hour.
     

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