SHTF Gun

Thank you gentlemen. It's amazing what a guy will do when he is young and has not learned better.:D


In fairness, there are lots of good ideas here and like some said, it depends on what the situation is. The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear SHTF is a organized invasion of some sort. However it may be a urban problem of starving bands of people who want what you have and if you have a chance to defend your home without the likely loss of your life or your families life, then maybe you can stand and fight. You will have to make the call and it's good to have a plan for likely emergencies. If you can get into the wilderness of sorts and survive until organized resistance can be brought into play, IMO that's your best course of action and what I would do. If you do have to fight, you may want to be as quiet as you can.:thumbup:
 
udtjim said:
Thank you gentlemen. It's amazing what a guy will do when he is young and has not learned better.:D


In fairness, there are lots of good ideas here and like some said, it depends on what the situation is. The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear SHTF is a organized invasion of some sort. However it may be a urban problem of starving bands of people who want what you have and if you have a chance to defend your home without the likely loss of your life or your families life, then maybe you can stand and fight. You will have to make the call and it's good to have a plan for likely emergencies. If you can get into the wilderness of sorts and survive until organized resistance can be brought into play, IMO that's your best course of action and what I would do. If you do have to fight, you may want to be as quiet as you can.:thumbup:
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VERY good advice!:thumbup:
 
Jim,

Thanks again for your input, and for defending our country! As you probably know, most of us, if not all of us here have a true, deep appreciation for what all of our armed forces vets do, and have done for us.

One of my best friends is currently in ST8. Mind if I use your "young and have not learned better" comment on him next time I talk to him? :D
 
If it was home defense, it would be my Remington 870 with a 20" barrel, and my 3" S&W .44 magnum loaded with Winchester 44 special Silvertips, a round my wife and daughters are comfortable with. For trouble a bit farther away, my Remington 700 Varmint .223, for a makeshift sniper rifle. Actually my youngest daughter is LEO, and would prefer her Glock. If out and about, I would say my scoped Ruger 10-22 sporter, and Ruger Standard model .22, there`s no such thing as having too much ammo.

John
 
That`s why I prefer the .22, weighs a lot less than the others. If there`s a rickety bridge, this fat old man aint gonna cross it! :eek:

John
 
This is always such an emotional topic with plenty of passion...everybody has a different idea of SHTF along with varied personalities, backgrounds and situations. Once you define it for yourself, you'll better be able to prepare. There's so many factors and to apply one tool to all is fool-hardy. Are you at home? Urban or rural area? With family or friends or solo? Are you traveling via car? Heading home or to a safer area? The cause of the S Hitting the Fan can be so varied from a local neighborhood problem to a state-wide crisis (rioting/Katrina) to a national crisis of a crashing market and the ensuing chaos of hording or looting.

Personally, I think there's a SHTF scale and the first level is always being aware and prepared regardless of your location, activity or situation. From there it just escalates as should you decisions making process and defense posture. A pistol is not always the preferred weapon of choice, but it's one that should always be accessible. Shotguns rule the home and are quite adequate for game-getting, but a rifle is the premiere tool. A simple .22LR (pistol or rifle) should always be considered when you need low-profile. I agree with Jim that silence is your best defense...keeping a low profile and avoid being a target. However, when the threat presents itself, I will give no warning...it's about survival not showing an "escalation of force". My ROE is pretty simple; don't look for a fight, but be aware of everything around you; once threatened, strike hard, fast and with finality. Ambushing the intruder is a great way to survive any SHTF scenario...it's about life (mine and my family's) not legality or mercy; I’ll leave that to God.

ROCK6
 
I guess if the SHTF I'll stick with my Marlin 39. I've had it since 1967 and I'm used to it. Plus as said, .22 ammo don't weight much. I've always loved the Marlin lever action because of the few moving parts and being able to take it down in a couple seconds for a quick clean.

If I can have my K22 Smith as well, I'll just consider that gravy on the potatos.
 
If it 'hits the fan' and you're able to stay at your home, then the discussion becomes a moot point. You can use any firearm you like with as large a supply of ammo as you like.

If it has really hit the fan and you're not able to stay at home, then you need something you can travel with. If disasters like Katrina taught us anything, it's that you'll be rounded up into government shelters as quickly as possible. It also taught us that the law becomes a little less blind and a lot more totalitarian.

More simply put, someone walking around openly with a longarm is inviting trouble with authorities. Or worse yet, they are inviting attention from folks who may feel like trying to take such a valuable possession from you, by force of numbers.

That means whatever you carry for protection had better be concealable first and foremost. The obvious first choice here is the pistol. It's easily hidden, and easily brought into play. Good choice.

Most of us here would also feel a lot more warm and fuzzy with a long gun too, though. If strapping it over our shoulders isn't gonna happen, that leaves keeping it in a package, or just having a compact weapon. A package/bag like one of those folding chair bags is a very intelligent example of how to conceal the presence of a long gun.

If you just want something compact, that leaves only a few choices. A pump shotgun is great, as a folding stock can really reduce the length. They are also reliable and robust, and easy for a less well trained member of your family to work with intuitively.

On that same note, an AK-type rifle provides similar benefits. Rugged, reliable, compact, simple controls. But you also get some higher capacity and longer reach. It can be made to be brought into action relatively quickly from a backpack,etc.

akand1911.jpg


I know on a survival forum we all immediately imagine running into the woods where we would be most comfortable and living off the land. But half the country has a backup plan that involves 'running to the woods'. It'd get awfully crowded out there in a hurry, especially with everyone a little 'on edge' and wary of others. Aside from this, hunting and fishing will be a little more tricky with hundreds of people going after the same meat you are. (Unless of course you're lucky enough to own your own, well bordered property.)
 
IMO, .22LR is good for survival. But for a "reasonable" SHTF situation, I'll take the 12ga pump. I say "reasonable" because "SHTF" can mean many things to many people. I'm comfortable with the 12ga for pretty much anything other than military invasion. In which case, I'd probably bury the firearms for later use.

Ammo bulk really isn't much of an issue. In any realistic scenario, if 25-50 rounds isn't enough, 200 probably won't be enough, either. Kind of a grim reality, I think.

FWIW, I'm not particularly scared of the sound of my 12 ga being racked. So I won't assume an assailant will be scared either. If I have to chamber a round, I fully intend to use it.
 
I think the key here is that SHTF can't be trained for, unless we define it. And, there are as many SHTF situations possible as there are people on the earth.

Perhaps, as is starting to develop, everyone defines their particular scenario before describing their chosen arsenal.
 
Reminton 870..much stronger reciever than the Mossberg , I would post IMHO..but I am stating a bonified fact!
 
My SHTF scenario is two-fold -

1. I'm in the big city and something bad happens and I need to leave to get home. For that, I have my Keltec Sub2000 in .40, my Glock 22, my Glock 30, and my Keltec P32, along with assorted other equipment.

2. I'm at home and I have to go to the big city because something bad has happened, to retrieve family (kids) who live there. Then I would take my AR, my 870, and my Glock 17.

Andy
 
Brian Jones said:
I think the key here is that SHTF can't be trained for, unless we define it. And, there are as many SHTF situations possible as there are people on the earth.

Perhaps, as is starting to develop, everyone defines their particular scenario before describing their chosen arsenal.
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I agree. The thing is, like in any survival situation, folks rarely get to define the terms of their SHTF scenario. Prepare for foreign invasion, and you may be up a creek when the region gets flooded, or leveled in earthquake. This is the sort of uncertainty that must be prepared for, not necessarily a hardware based solution such as "gun x vs gun y". More like how to roll with the punches.
 
SHTF. I'm very comfortable with my .357. It will kill most things on the planet, all things in north America and shoot a heck of a lot farther with deadly energy than most people would believe. I practice a lot and can shoot it well. If it comes down to last ditch I want it. If I have the luxury of a long rifle the .223 mini-14 would be a good choice. And if wishful thinking is allowed I hope I have my wife with me with her own pistol and rifle. She's a pretty good shot and braver than I ever thought of being.
:)
 
Go ahead and use that Brian.:D

There has been a lot of talk of late of a world wide food shortage. To us here in the USA it seems pretty unlikely but a failure of the money system or anything that would disrupt the food supply could get real ugly real fast. Starving people are disparate people and many would not hesitate to take what they can where they can. This would certainly hit the urban areas first but the rural areas would be next. Other than a storm of fantastic proportion, that is what I see as a very possible scenario.

Chances are if we are ever attacked, it most likely will be a modified Trojan horse situation where combatants already here through illegal entry over several decades could be the culprit. Impossible?? I hope so.

In any event, it's better to have a plan that you will never need than no plan at all. First and foremost, never think that it can't happen here. History is a notorious repeater.
 
udtjim said:
Other than a storm of fantastic proportion, that is what I see as a very possible scenario.

Chances are if we are ever attacked, it most likely will be a modified Trojan horse situation where combatants already here through illegal entry over several decades could be the culprit. Impossible?? I hope so.

In any event, it's better to have a plan that you will never need than no plan at all. First and foremost, never think that it can't happen here. History is a notorious repeater.
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Jim,

This is one of the things and the realities that I have talked about quite a bit with a group of like-minded folks that I occasionally dent primers with.

I believe that several of our imminent threats are already within our borders. Not pointing fingers to any particular ethnic groups at all but history should be looked at - such as where Castro and Guevera trained prior to their moves to infamy.

Our open borders are an issue.

A few moved across the border time after time in small quantities and then moved into locations with instructions to gather weapons (not necessarily military-style weapons) but basic street level (low cost) firearms and then move to form larger groups when deemed ready could cause a huge disruption. It isn't really that difficult to end up outnumbering local government.

Storms and Katrina-style natural disasters and failed responses are really the most imminent threat to most - the "lawlessness" that results afterward when government services fail and the unprepared become desparate are one of the biggest threat.

Hidden threats within our borders are here.

One thing most need to think about when "planning" is the protection of the family. Most of us could hardly run off into the woods and leave our families behind.

My preps changed completely when my son, now a toddler, came into our life and I must deal with the reality that my wife may become the one who has to handle him while I protect them and myself and deal with situations - most likely alone. Of course she will also be armed but would be defensive.
 
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