Urban B.O.B.

[GPB]

A rifle would be better and if you can throw one in the trunk or behind the seat of your truck, that would be ideal.

My biggest fear of a disaster in a city is other people so I feel that a means of protection should be at the top of the list.

Just curious, why do you think a rifle would be better than a handgun in an urban situation?

 

[RancidSumo]

“The handgun is what you use to fight your way back to the shotgun or rifle you shouldn’t have left behind in the first place.”

-Clint Smith

The fact of the matter is that a handgun is not anywhere close to being as effective as a rifle. A rifle will give you a much more effective round and far greater accuracy at any distance.

Hornady 75gr TAP .223

Federal 165gr Hydra-shok .45 ACP

I know that if I ever need a firearm for self defense and I have the choice, I'll take my BCM AR-15 over any of my handguns.

 

[koyote]

I know this wasn't addressed to me- but


Generally, when people are looking at maximum firepower, you end up rapidly reaching the very real limits of handguns.

In general I prefer to avoid a need for firepower, but once you start looking at it, you run into very real facts like muzzle energy, range, sight radius.

I tend to think that firepower is the least important facet of the whole equation- that being said, I DO think it's important, but once you get into the idea of shooting people, you start looking at escalation. It's gonna get unrealistic fast, unless you have a company sized group of trained people moving to a definite location. Which is... unrealistic.

The goal here is closer to what you'd term infirltration or exfiltration, not confrontation. Having a firearm is being prepared, but having to use it means you've failed. May not be your fault, but it's a failure in the mission.

If it's just me and my pistol, that means my family is gone. I might not care about it in that case.

 

[JCavSD]

Here's a hard lesson my wife learned back in 1994. My wife was in an apartment building in the epicenter of the Northridge earthquake. She was rooming with one of her friends while going to Cal State Northridge. The quake was at 4:31 in the morning, and still pitch black. Two things that they didn't have and needed. First, they didn't have a flashlight. Second, because the doors were jammed closed, and they were on the third floor of the building and going out a window wasn't an option, they had no way out. Until a neighbor came along and broke down the front door they were stuck. You can't bug out if you can't get out, so always have some sort of tool for making an exit.

As far as interaction with other people, she says that people were really looking out for each other. They helped each other clear out of the building and get to a "safe" location during the aftershocks.

 

[longbow50]

I know this wasn't addressed to me- but


Generally, when people are looking at maximum firepower, you end up rapidly reaching the very real limits of handguns.

In general I prefer to avoid a need for firepower, but once you start looking at it, you run into very real facts like muzzle energy, range, sight radius.

I tend to think that firepower is the least important facet of the whole equation- that being said, I DO think it's important, but once you get into the idea of shooting people, you start looking at escalation. It's gonna get unrealistic fast, unless you have a company sized group of trained people moving to a definite location. Which is... unrealistic.

The goal here is closer to what you'd term infirltration or exfiltration, not confrontation. Having a firearm is being prepared, but having to use it means you've failed. May not be your fault, but it's a failure in the mission.

If it's just me and my pistol, that means my family is gone. I might not care about it in that case.

Agreed.......

A rifle is best, but you won't get far with that type of firearm in an urban setting. A large bore handgun is better than a small concealable variety of handgun, but again, there's that part about hiding it. Any visible firearm is going to make the survivalist a target of both sides of the law. I'd want to lay low and avoid human contact, not always easy to do in a city and it's best to blend in & look just like the rest of the people.

 

[RancidSumo]

.....

 

[ROCK6]

Hey Rock6, where did you get those battery holders?

Sorry for the delay...we have 9.5 hour difference from CST...

The battery cases are from Inanycase.com

I completely agree with Koyote. Although a rifle beats a pistol by a long shot, discretion is your ultimate tool to success. I like the compactness of a pistol or small compact carbine, but a pistol is something you'll most likely have on you if you are a CHL holder. Unless it was total government breakdown, I wouldn't want to be seen running through the backstreets with any rifle...keep low profile and keep moving fast.

You best defensive tool is you noggin...be prepared and always remain aware of your situation and surroundings; getting out of the high-populated areas needs to be your number one concern.

ROCK6

 

[BoxANT]

Guns, here's my 2 cents.

Rifle/Cabrine/Shotugn in the car, pistol on the person.

If you have to go on foot and there still is some LEO force functioning, then stick with the pistol.

If you have to go on foot and there is no LEO, take the long gun and the pistol.


Obviously (for more reasons than I care to list), a gun fight is the LAST thing anyone wants.

 

[Don Rearic]

Only the ignorant would claim the handgun trumps the rifle or the shotgun.

Yet, the handgun is concealable, even in the summertime.

Clint Smith is a great guy and his quote is intelligent but has to be put in the right context and I don't think it even belongs in this thread. That quote has taken on a life of its own, it's almost mindless now like the other forum chestnuts: "Never bring a knife to a gunfight" or, conversely, "Guns are for show, knives are for pros."

On the other hand, only the ignorant would think that in anything except "the end of the world as we know it" types of scenarios are you going to be able to walk, trot or run down the street with a rifle or shotgun and not get fired on by a National Guard Unit or, perhaps the Marine Corps...that's what happened to some knuckleheads during the L.A. Riots.

 

[Don Rearic]

Definitely need tools for destructive and nondestructive entry. Lockpicks and a good prybar will do.

That's fine if you actually know how to use them and you actually practice with them once a week. The skills are perishable to a large degree. Not a horrendous degree...but they are perishable...

 

[Loosearrow]

Besides firearms, I was thinking that my pump pellet pistol would be handy. You could hunt for birds or cat for food. Always plenty of meat there. Shoot birds while on roof tops. You could bait them in and harvest as needed. The sound of the shot could be muffled.

 

[C_Kyle]

Some of the urban E&E kit suggestions sound like burglary tools, which makes sense because you would need to perform some of the same actions.

 

[Don Rearic]

A multi-tool is a burglary tool if you get caught with it under the wrong circumstances.

 

[koyote]

Some of the urban E&E kit suggestions sound like burglary tools, which makes sense because you would need to perform some of the same actions.

absolutely- one of the main differences between urban and wilds is the barriers.

 

[MrCoffee]

A multi-tool is a burglary tool if you get caught with it under the wrong circumstances.

This is sooooo vaild these days..... have a friend that pissed off a cop, so they arrested him claiming that his CERT bag was a burglary kit.

If I may... back to Urban BOBs.
Outdoor Mazaine (the french one online) has closed it's door, but the archive is still available. http://outdoors.magazine.free.fr/spip.php?article61 is one article on BOBs in teh urban environment, and my favorite for creativity and for overall logical thinking for the urban areas is this one:
Part 1: http://outdoors.magazine.free.fr/spip.php?article171
Part 2: http://outdoors.magazine.free.fr/spip.php?article172

It isnt the kit that I was so impressed with, but the logical thinking about his environment that I enjoyed in both articles.

Firearms.... well, I don't have one in my kit.

 

[Karl B. Andersen]

Let me introduce you all:
http://www.survivalblog.com/

The links on this site are un-ending.

 

[Bushman5]

Here's a hard lesson my wife learned back in 1994. My wife was in an apartment building in the epicenter of the Northridge earthquake. She was rooming with one of her friends while going to Cal State Northridge. The quake was at 4:31 in the morning, and still pitch black. Two things that they didn't have and needed. First, they didn't have a flashlight. Second, because the doors were jammed closed, and they were on the third floor of the building and going out a window wasn't an option, they had no way out. Until a neighbor came along and broke down the front door they were stuck. You can't bug out if you can't get out, so always have some sort of tool for making an exit.

As far as interaction with other people, she says that people were really looking out for each other. They helped each other clear out of the building and get to a "safe" location during the aftershocks.

the stanley FUBAR is ideal for this :thumbup::thumbup:

 

[Don Rearic]

absolutely- one of the main differences between urban and wilds is the barriers.

Even certain bypass and picking tools would be at home back in the wilds. What if you had to access a road that was chain or cable locked? A cabin that was locked? Whatever...you can do it without destroying property and in the case of seeking shelter or passage, you don't have to leave anything. If you had to take some canned goods from some camper or whatever out there, you could leave money or an extra piece of gear like a SAK or whatever as payment, etc.

It's not about being a criminal, just about continuing to live.

 

[Don Rearic]

This is sooooo vaild these days..... have a friend that pissed off a cop, so they arrested him claiming that his CERT bag was a burglary kit.

What did he have in it? Do you know?

Thanks for the other links.

 

[Don Rearic]

Let me introduce you all:
http://www.survivalblog.com/

The links on this site are un-ending.

There is a goodly amount of information on his blog. I started my own to get a bit more in-depth on some things but not to the degree I usually put on my website.