One of the topics, and the topic that I want to touch on, is the choice in firearms to choose as your WROL/SHTF weapon. Of course, you have the guys who are all about the AK, and "It's the best weapon ever because you can do anything to it, and it will work, and the 7.62x39 Soviet round is the best as a man stopper" And those that have the big revolvers in .357 because that's the most reliable handgun, in a great caliber. And of course you see a lot of guys who choose 1911s, and Glocks in .40 S&W.
I agree that the AK is the best choice if you're looking for something indestructible, and the revolver is the most reliable choice. And I'm certainly not going to argue the effectiveness of any of the above mentioned rounds. HOWEVER (draws long breath), I am going to argue that those choices are a bit misguided. In my humble opinion, you shouldn't choose your weapon by brand or model, but by caliber. Of course, if you don't own a lot of guns, you have no choice to use what you have. But, if you do have a choice, your order of importance in picking out a weapon should be, 1. caliber, 2. reliability/durability.
In choosing calibers, there's really only a few choices. In handguns, the number one choice is 9mm. In rifles, .223/5.56. If you want a high powered rifle, .308/7.62. You could argue until your blue in the face about the effectiveness of these caliber choices, but it doesn't matter. Is the 9mm the most effective pistol round? No. Is the .223/5.56 the most effective rifle round? No. But I will tell you this: a handgun that you have in 9mm, with ammo, is more effective than a .40 S&W Glock without ammo. And no matter how many thousands of rounds you can store up before WROL/SHTF, depending on the circumstances, you do not know how long WROL/SHTF will last, and you will eventually run out of ammo, or become permanently separated from your ammo. So you will have to scavenge. And since 9mm and 5.56 are our military standards, as well as the standards of the entire Western world, you will always be able to find those rounds. If you lived in Russia, the 7.62x39 would be the best choice, but you don't, so it's not.Sure, the chances of WROL/SHTF lasting more than a few weeks, or months is low -- like New Orleans after Katrina, but if you're a prepper, you need to prare for WCS (Worst-Case Scenario). I would say, probably worst case scenario is Somalia. A complete and utter collapse of government -- a true anarchy. Or perhaps Rwanda-type situations are even worse, when there is genocide. My point is that in those situations, especially Somalia, there has been WROL for over a decade. Even if you had 10,000 rounds, in that amount of time, you would have either ran out, or perhaps been separated from your ammo. So, you definitely need a caliber that you can readily scrounge up. And the 9mm and 5.56 you'll be able to find on or near any military base. You'll also find it on bodies of military personal that you stumble upon, or even in abandoned military vehicles.
For handguns, I would say seconds are the .40 S&W, and the .45 ACP. A majority of law enforcement agencies/departments use the .40, some use the .45 (and also the .45 was our previous military standard -- and it's the most popular handgun cartridge in our country -- so there's a lot of that around.)
In sum, while there are better choices for self-defense, there is no better choice for availability. As the saying goes, Amateurs talk strategy, professionals talk logistics. And in talking about WROL/SHTF that could potentially last for an extended period of time, resupply will be crucial.
Good advice, there are too many armchair warriors investing in gadgets and weapons they are not trained or familiar with. Most violent encounters will be over very quickly, up close and very personal, not extended long range shootouts. A good pistol and knife,coupled with a shotgun will serve as a basic arsenal for the majority of people; anything else you can afford is a bonus, and provides a better edge.
ReplyDelete@Datam, thanks for the comments. I agree with you. A lot of those gadgets are bonus -- but a person needs to know how to use the basics, like a good old fashioned compass and map, for example. And they need to be very familiar with their firearm. Which is probably why I overlook the shotgun for home defense and self defense -- I'm a terrible shotgunner. It's a great tool, though. I should invest more time in training with one.
ReplyDeletegood post
ReplyDeleteHard to beat a versatile 30 caliber rifle - reduced loads for small game, full house loads for long range. In grubby times it'll probably boil down to 22lr which just two generations ago fed my family and the menu included venison.
@Whit Spurzon Thanks Whit, I appreciate it. I agree with you on the best utility round is and will continue to be the .22LR. We'll get more use out of it than any other round, as we hunt for small and even large game. For the sake of defending my caliber choices for this post, I did specify "self-defense" rounds, though. I do think on a day to day basis the .22 will get the most use, though. And hopefully we won't have to use the other rounds for self-defense. You know how that'll go, though. Someone will try to take something from somebody, and it won't end well.
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