Posted on 12/10/2013 7:24:30 AM PST by Carriage Hill
If you were going to pick a rifle caliber for a long term SHTF situation, what would that caliber be? For some reason I woke up this morning thinking about my 7mm express / 280 Remington, and how the panic buying in the first half of 2013 caused a shortage in ammunition supplies. When I got my Remington model 700 chambered in 280, I wanted something that was around the 270 or 30-06, and that would also work on heavier game such as elk and moose. In all honesty I put too much thought into picking the 280 Remington. While it’s a fine caliber, the price of ammunition has gone up so much that shooting has gotten downright expensive. With a box of 20 rounds costing more than $25, stockpiling is cost prohibitive. And let’s be perfectly honest, there is nothing the 280 Remington / 7mm express can do that either the 270 Winchester or 30-06 Springfield cannot do.
(Excerpt) Read more at alloutdoor.com ...
I stopped buying 22 LR nearly a year ago so that others could get supplies too (I’m not an altruist; it’s in interest as a free American to have more armed Americans and more new shooters in the country, and I already had a substantial supply). I just resumed buying and got several thousand rounds at $0.04 to $0.05 a round from Midway USA. It’s there, at a good price, if you shop around.
Note: 22 LR is at the top of my list for SHTF calibers. I can carry more ammo than I can survive to use, take down a zombie without waking every zombie in the county, and never, ever miss or even delay a shot to avoid getting thumped by the kick. Second on my list is .223 for similar reasons. Third would be 30-06, 30-30, or .308 because they are common and their energy delivered is so high. Outside the range of a 30 caliber, I hope there will not be much demand for shooting. Sorry, but I’m not going to buy, train on, or carry a .50 Barrett just for those rare situations.
Before jumping to that conclusion I'd suggest attempting to make decent arrows from recycled or raw materials. I've not tried it myself, but I suspect it's not easy.
Everyone should have at least 1 Mosin Nagant. Surplus ammo is pretty cheap. I know it’s highly debatable, but I love my AK too and the ammo is much cheaper than for that AR.
Scratch the AK, I didn’t realize we were talking about hunting.
LOL.
Great minds think alike... heh
Ditto that, and I add-in a .357sig.
“Old reliable”.
Its not hard to make arrows once you have the technique down and if you have access to the right wood.
It can be difficult to make an arrow you can shoot through a compound bow.
AR calibers thread that needle between the portability of ammo in the .22 lr range and the power of the AK round.
But... an AR and its ammo cost a lot more than buying a .22 and an SKS, with ammo for each.
Sage advice.
Mine? Suppressed Ruger 10/22 with a John Norrell trigger pack......quiet and 1200 rpm
Common is in; oddball is out and stupid to deal with in a SHTF situation. The empty weapon will be a useless doorstop soon enough.
Lead is very common in car batteries, but you really do not want to melt them down, there are a lot of nasties in there that will kill you pretty quickly. I make sinkers and all manner of lead fishing stuff, and i will not touch car batteries for this purpose. Find a different source!
Let’s get realistic. Best ammo? That which you have a closet full of which goes into a reliable firearm.
AK vs whatever. You have an AK with 2,000 rounds *each* of hollow point, 154 gn soft point and FMJ. Or you can have a 444 and 200 rounds.
Something reliable with a decent punch and a LOT of it.
I have a lot of bricks, bought years ago, plus it’s becoming more available as people stop hoarding ammo.
You think like I do. Add:
9mm
.40 S&W
and the list is pretty complete for common calibers. Maybe add .380
Oh, and 7.62x39
Exactly. I always wanted an AR, but can’t afford one lol. Guess I’m just jealous.
Then I saw what they wanted for 1000 rounds and that’s when I bought an AK.
In a complete “civilization breakdown” scenario the fellow that can make his own ammo will be the last one standing. You can get highly accurate muzzle loading rifles with scopes that have a never ending supply of ammo that you can mold and make yourself. Black powder is the Long Long term solution....
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