So you now have your 6-C's covered with the exception of weapon choice. If you have been around guns for awhile your choice of weapon will have already been made. This post is not intended for those readers. It is directed at the newer survivalist just starting out. After reading a bunch of articles and blogs on this subject I can tell you that if you went out and started buying up what they suggest you could easily drop 5 G's on ammo and guns. In my opinion this would be an absolute waste of at least 4 G's. Here's Dr. J's suggestions and reasoning:
Goals: Short range defense and hunting capability
Recommendations: If you can only buy one gun, get a shotgun! Why? Simple to use, simple to clean, simple to maintain, and simple to troubleshoot. In addition it is easier to learn to shoot well with a shotgun than it is to shoot well with either a handgun or rifle. Choice should be directed towards your families personality and make up. I am a 5'8", 155 lb male. As such you would think that a 20 gauge would suite me well. However, I have been shooting guns since I was small and prefer the power behind a 12 gauge. It's a little big for my wife, but she has proven that in a pinch she can handle the gun adequately. As long as the weapon fits you and can be wielded without awkwardness it will work. As a general rule you should be able to hold your rifle with the butt comfortably gripped, finger on the trigger, and the butt tucked into your forearm when bent at 90 degrees. For survival situations I would also recommend a pump shotgun over a break-action or automatic (less chance for malfunction - KISS) and would recommend a 6 or 8 shot capacity. My favorite overall survival shotgun for the money is the Mossberg Maverick 88 security version as seen above. It is a reliable, cheap and simply built rifle that is available in 20 or 12 gauge, is interchangeable with Mossberg 500 parts and chokes, and has a multitude of accessories to enhance function. At the least you should throw on a sling, flashlight, and ammo butt saddle (total cost for gun and basic features: $300). Add in a 28" barrel and a few extra chokes + 1000 rounds of ammo (birdshot, #4, 00, and 100 rounds of slug) all for a total cost of about $800. Now that's a simple choice.
Final thought: Don't let the media and Hollywood fool you. Shooting an animal or human with a shotgun is not going to send them flying through a window or across the room. In fact ammunition choice will have a great deal to do with outcome in a survival situation. There is a balance between ammunition penetration and stopping power that must be considered. In my home the last thing I want is to over-penetrate and end up sending bullets into my neighbors house or my kids rooms, at the same time I want to stop any perpetrators before they have a chance to get to my family. Birdshot is meant for birds and small game (squirls, dove, etc). #4 shot is generally used for rabbits, ducks, etc. BB/BBB are generally for turkey. Buck shot (00) is for larger game like deer - and would work well as a overall good home defense shot choice although you may get some over-penetration so placement is key. I prefer 2 3/4" 00 for this application as it kicks less and recovers easier to place second shot on targe. Slugs are meant for larger game (deer, elk, etc) but does not remain very accurate beyond 50 yards in a short barrel (100-150 yards in rifled hunting barrel. Check out this simple cartoon as a good guide for shot choice.
Finally, shotgun spread is not what you likely think. The actual overall spread out of an 18.5" barrel with 00 shot is approximately 1" per yard traveled. If you in close combat situations 10 yards may be a long distance. Realize that that will equate to less than 1 foot of overall spread (that's less than the body width of an average sized male). Point: You still have to aim to hit something.
Dr. Jekyll
No comments:
Post a Comment