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So What's Your Go-to-Caliber for SHTF?


Sharpshooter

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You've got two different ways to look at this.

1. The mechanics of society continue to work. You have your choice of pretty much anything that the ammo companies make.

2. The mechanics of society don't work anymore. Your only choices are what you can scrounge up, whether it's from a big-box store or anywhere else.

What do you think?

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Interesting. As much as I love some  of my less than common rounds, in hindsight,  wish I would have  built my arsenal around  a very few common & widely available calibers & HEAVILY stockpile them. SHTF, doubtful supplies would continue to be produced so I'll base my choice on scrounging. 223/5.56 for rifle. Not my 1st choice but think it would be the more common round found in any kind of quantity now days. 2nd choice for rifle would be .308. Very popular round for hunting, should be able to find some easily, though in smaller quantities .  I have several platforms & ample ammo for both rounds I mentioned but if parameter for this exercise is only choose one, I'd have to stick with 223/5.56. Lighter weapon to carry,  lighter ammo to carry allowing more to be carried on person & fair chance of picking up more while pilfering. 

 

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I’ve built my base around 7.62x39, 9mm, 5.56 and 308. Now I can add the random schit. If any ammo is available to be taken from the fallen, it’s going to be the basic stuff. The guys with the oddball rounds will likely be doing most of the taking. 

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22 minutes ago, DNP said:

I’ve built my base around 7.62x39, 9mm, 5.56 and 308. Now I can add the random schit. If any ammo is available to be taken from the fallen, it’s going to be the basic stuff. The guys with the oddball rounds will likely be doing most of the taking. 

Yup, I’d only add 12 ga and 22lr for me

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SHTF... ? so are we SHTF from government collapse, or are we SHTF from  extinction event or pandemic ? so in other words are we being combat ready or survival mode?

Combat ready.. it is 5.56 all the way you can carry twice as much 5.56 as you can 308 now if you are over watch 308 or whatever caliber you like for long range add to that 22lr and maybe shotgun for me no shotgun it is not a weapon you will carry everyday but with a 22lr you can hunt and carry lots of ammo but my point is there is a huge difference between running and gunning and digging in in the mountains and feeding yourself, I also think it is foolish to think you are going to stay home unless you have huge support...

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22 minutes ago, Magwa said:

SHTF... ? so are we SHTF from government collapse, or are we SHTF from  extinction event or pandemic ? so in other words are we being combat ready or survival mode?

Combat ready.. it is 5.56 all the way you can carry twice as much 5.56 as you can 308 now if you are over watch 308 or whatever caliber you like for long range add to that 22lr and maybe shotgun for me no shotgun it is not a weapon you will carry everyday but with a 22lr you can hunt and carry lots of ammo but my point is there is a huge difference between running and gunning and digging in in the mountains and feeding yourself, I also think it is foolish to think you are going to stay home unless you have huge support...

At my age I wouldn’t survive long running and I know the woods around here and what I could trap and harvest. I would dig in, protect what I have and barter what I don’t need for what I do. And realize my life expectancy just got significantly reduced. If you are near water buy a good gill net and store it away.

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If we are talking "survival" 22LR fits the bill nicely.  I can take just about anything with it in these parts but will move up a notch for deer.

If I'm going to have to defend myself primary weapon will be one of my AR-15's,  probably the one in the pic below with one of my Eotech's on it, secondary will be my Smith and Wesson M & P 2.0.  My back-up/off duty is currently either my S & W 38 revolver or Hellcat outfitted with their new 15 round magazine.

Retiring from the CSI job end of this year which will end a long career in LE working now for three different agencies.  I started WAY back in the late 1970's and continuous service one place or the other till end of this year, then throwing in the towel.

Got some really BAD news yesterday, an old friend passed away.  We were stationed together from 1999 till 2003 when I retired.  We stayed in touch until just before the Pandemic started.  I has just thinking about him the other day and was going to call.  Got a call instead from a Reservist that came Active Duty and worked with us for a couple of years after 9-11.  Freddy was just about in tears when he told me the bad news.  Mr T and I did investigations together out of the same office and rode around together just about every day in a big black Suburban.   He will certainly be missed and the World is a lesser place without him in it.......we'll raise some shots of Four Roses for you in Elk camp in October........

IMG_1836.jpg

Edited by Cliff R
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.22 LR , .22mag. .223, 3030, 308, 3006, .50 BP muzzle loader .410, 20ga, 12 ga, 32acp,380,38sp,  9MM,,357mag,.40,.45  3/8" ball bearings. (sling shot) K-Bar, tomahawk, crossbow could be considered. I learned to scatter stuff around from a moonshiner uncle in Missouri, he kept qt. jars of white lightning scattered in the woods, hid in leaves and under rocks, he said "Jest in case!"

Is anyone keeping dynamite, c4, det.  cord and blasting caps ?....Why not?

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Firearms wise I got all the common calibers covered along with components/reloading set up. A few less common caliber firearms and components, shotguns(12ga,.410) blackpowder( .50 rifle,.36 revolver), Archery( compound, crossbow)

11 hours ago, mrmackc said:

Is anyone keeping dynamite, c4, det.  cord and blasting caps ?....Why not?

None on hand but know where it's kept( mining, logging) 

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If I can truly only have one...  7.62X51 / .308...   

  • Capable of taking almost any game in North America
  • Provides range and knockdown superiority over the other two ubiquitous battle rifle cartridges (5.56X45 and 7.62X39) - yes - I know it is heavier too.  
  • Readily available in any NATO country.
  • Functions in a wide variety of relatively available rifles ranging from battle rifles, to hunting rifles, to tactical tack-driver bolt guns. 

That said - you can bet that I can keep more than 1 - and when the SHTF there will be .22LR, 5.56, 7.62X39, 7.62X51, 45-70, 12ga, 9mm, and .45ACP stuff in the bug-out box.   🙂

 

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45 minutes ago, BigNate said:

If I can truly only have one...  7.62X51 / .308...   

  • Capable of taking almost any game in North America
  • Provides range and knockdown superiority over the other two ubiquitous battle rifle cartridges (5.56X45 and 7.62X39) - yes - I know it is heavier too.  
  • Readily available in any NATO country.
  • Functions in a wide variety of relatively available rifles ranging from battle rifles, to hunting rifles, to tactical tack-driver bolt guns. 

That said - you can bet that I can keep more than 1 - and when the SHTF there will be .22LR, 5.56, 7.62X39, 7.62X51, 45-70, 12ga, 9mm, and .45ACP stuff in the bug-out box.   🙂

 

I forgot .300WM in my longer list above.

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8 hours ago, BigNate said:

45-70,

You just turned me on...   :laffs:   I have a 45-70 handload that you need to shoot...   :banana:

7 hours ago, BigNate said:

I forgot .300WM in my longer list above.

Bring that thing down here, too, brother.  We're shooting those things at the mile.  :thumbup:

So far, it's just been me and @JBMatt - so adding another person into the mix will be great!  Other people have pulled the triggers on those two guns - but nobody else with enough-gun has brought one out, since we started doing this...

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45/70 was my "go to" caliber for decades.  I've been shooting and hand loading for them dating clear back to the early 1980's.  My favorite load is a 300 grain Remington hollow point backed by a full charge of Reloader 7.  I've taken scores of Whitetail Deer with it and Elk out West.  Haven't had a deer take another step on a good hit and no Elk has made it over 30 yards hit in the good stuff.  Most just drop right where they were standing.

I've tried heavier bullets a few times and still have some LOOSE teeth from that deal....NO THANKS!  A good friend  handed me his Ruger #1 once in 45/70 with a custom 500 grain hand-load.  I touched off one round, picked my glasses and hat up off the ground and gave it back to him.........and it still hurts 30 years later!!!

Sadly I retired both of my 45/70's a few years back and moved to a 450 Bushmaster.  It doesn't have quite the whack of the 45/70 but I like the platform a LOT better.  Completely 100 percent weatherproof, lighter and semi-auto for much quicker back up shots.  Hornady also got their chit together when they got in on that deal with Bushmaster.  I've never seen any commercial cartridge in a semi-auto platform be that accurate.  100 yard groups will pretty much all be in the same hole if you do your part!.........Cliff

IMG_2125.jpg

Edited by Cliff R
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On 8/30/2021 at 8:44 PM, 98Z5V said:

You just turned me on...   :laffs:   I have a 45-70 handload that you need to shoot...   :banana:

Bring that thing down here, too, brother.  We're shooting those things at the mile.  :thumbup:

So far, it's just been me and @JBMatt - so adding another person into the mix will be great!  Other people have pulled the triggers on those two guns - but nobody else with enough-gun has brought one out, since we started doing this...

It's just an old Ruger 77MK2 - long skinny barrel in a synthetic stock (first rifle that I ever bought myself).   It weighs nothing, kicks like a mule.  I put a Timny trigger in it - and that helps it - but it's no target rifle.   I guess I could get some long heavy .300 WM match rounds and see what it will do... 

 

Looks just like this (other than the optic)... 

29585963_1.jpg

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