Posted on 12/10/2013 7:24:30 AM PST by Carriage Hill
Which calibers do the Military and police use most? Those calibers are stockpiled in massive quantities. The 5.56 NATO round for a light rifle caliber. 7.62mm NATO (.308) would be a nice choice for a high powered round with fairly good trajectory and knock down power and if you need massive power... the .50 BMG is hard to beat and good for extreme range. There are many more fine calibers but if the SHTF... Cabelas is not going to be delivering nor Sportsman’s Guide nor Ammo Man nor Ammotogo.com nor MidwayUSA etc.
The MN is a formidable weapon, and I’ve shot a friend’s unit, but I still prefer my Leupold-scoped AR-10/ 7.62x51 over it.
Just looked at Midway - first page, at least, of all .22 lr, “out of stock”.
I’ve debated adding in 9mm and .40 due since they are so common.
> I just resumed buying and got several thousand rounds at $0.04 to $0.05 a round from Midway USA.
You must shop at a different Midway USA than I do;-{)
lol yeah I just posted that. I recently purchased a sig226 in .40 but haven’t decided if I like it better than the .45 acp.
If people would learn to reload, then we’d quit seeing articles like this one.
It isn’t rocket science, for cryin’ out loud.
I hoard various caliber sizes, even the ones I dont use.
Excellent bartering material...
For people who study reloading and ballistics tables, the .280 Remington is perhaps the single best round under .30 cal for hunting and long range work you can put together. Has been for a long time. With modern powders, there’s very little difference between a .280 and a 7mm RemMag now - maybe 150 to 250 fps at the muzzle.
There are more, better bullets available in 7mm/..284 than any other caliber out there now, including .30 caliber rounds.
On my ‘to-do’ list is building yet another Mauser into a .280 Rem.
The “right” weapon for post-SHTF requires some outside-the-box thought.
First, availability of ammo. Stockpiles, by definition, do run down. You might want to consider a muzzleloader and bullet molds for making your own ammo, since even the biggest stockpile will slowly evaporate with target practice, use, etc.
Second, what is the purpose of your weapon? For putting meat on the table or civil warfare? The venerable .22LR is great for harvesting meat but pretty lame for shootin’ looters. Hunters can get by with a single-shot (think muzzleloader again) while combat shooting needs a vigorous repeater.
Third, how is your privacy situation? The sound of a gunshot may bring some unwanted attention, especially if there are “federales” nearby looking for dangerous troublemakers like you. Seriously consider a bow for your hunting needs.
Finally, what ammo will you be able to scrounge as the years add up? Odds are you’ll be able to find more 12-gauge ammo than you will 28-gauge, more .223 than 7mm and more 9mm for the pistol than .44 Magnum. Plan ahead for “field” resupply operations if CWII drags on.
“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!”
Right you are, but we are talking desperation/survival. In such situations, we will be doing plenty of ill-advised things.
Oh, those are the prices, but every item I saw was “out of stock”.
“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.”
Desperate times, as a SHTF situation, may require desperate measures.
22 lr
9 mm
223 Rem
30 06 Spr
12 gauge
and learn reloading
In case of the “SHTF” I would stick to .223, 308, 30-06 as the rounds are more popular and are the most available. I can buy pulled bullets and surplus power much cheaper than these calibers. The snipers are going back to the 300 win mag with 250 grain bullets. We each have our favorites and surplus military equipment is hard to beat.
I do have an AK-74 and cans of the soviet stuff, probably 10,000 rounds.
And all sorts of other goodies, focusing on .380, .38, .40., .22LR, 5.56, 7.62, .308 and 12g shotgun galore.
But the question was, not what you have, but what, if you had limited options.
Remington 700 to ride into TEOTWAWKI? I don’t think my first or last choice would be a rifle with a known history of misfires. More like a Savage 10 in .338 Lapua Magnum. :-)
How does the 7mm-08 compare to it?
.22LR
5.56
.30-.30
.300 Win Mag
12 gauge
.223, 7.62x39 both good to have on hand.
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