22, 9mm, 45, .223Rem, 30Carb, .30-30, 308, 30-06, 300WM, 762x39, 7.7Jap and 8mm is what I'd stick to. 7.7 would be very limited, but it shares bore diameter with the x39, so from a reloading standpoint its handy. Not a lot of brass around for it, but it can be formed from others. I sorta like .30cal.
personally, if it got to the point of trying to make black powder for cap & ball, i would switch to the trusty bow & arrow. it served the american indians well for centuries.
personally, if it got to the point of trying to make black powder for cap & ball, i would switch to the trusty bow & arrow. it served the american indians well for centuries.
You'd have to wait for everyone else's ammo to run out. Bow and arrow didn't work out too well against smokepoles.
You'd have to wait for everyone else's ammo to run out. Bow and arrow didn't work out too well against smokepoles.
Ahhh, but you can fire those high angle shots and have the arrow hit them BEHIND their cover. Maybe the bow and arrow should be examined a bit more!
And the 7.7 jap is truly a horrible idea. I'd rank it behind the 6.5 carcano in terms of something I'd want on me in a shoot or die scenario.
You're better off with a Swiss 7.5 or Swede mauser. Both ammos are available as surplus and from Wolf. But I'd rather get a 1903A3, since 3006 can be found at virtually any place in the world.
I think either 30-30 or 303brit are the good in betweens in reagards to modern vs primative loadings, both can do well with hard cast bullets and black powder.
Ahhh, but you can fire those high angle shots and have the arrow hit them BEHIND their cover. Maybe the bow and arrow should be examined a bit more!
Sort of a lightweight mortar...
Originally Posted by Balzac72
And the 7.7 jap is truly a horrible idea. I'd rank it behind the 6.5 carcano in terms of something I'd want on me in a shoot or die scenario.
Oh, I know. I'd rather have a 6.5 Swede, but the Arisaka was a bringback from WW2 by my Dad. Besides, it shoots well and shares bore diameter with 7.62x54R. It won't get shot much.
Originally Posted by Balzac72
You're better off with a Swiss 7.5 or Swede mauser. Both ammos are available as surplus and from Wolf. But I'd rather get a 1903A3, since 3006 can be found at virtually any place in the world.
Got the 03A3 covered, as well as a Garand. I toyed with the idea of a Swiss Schmidt-Ruben but I decided I should get more ammo for what I had already. Prvi Partisan is loading those as well.
Originally Posted by DiN_BLiX
I think either 30-30 or 303brit are the good in betweens in reagards to modern vs primative loadings, both can do well with hard cast bullets and black powder.
I can take or leave the 303. .30-30 is still a very common chambering and like the '06 can be found everywhere, at least in N America. Sucker kicks worse than the 03 though.
Like most of you here I have several firearms. I reload for nearly all except for my .25 and .32 autos. I just don't shoot them enough to merit the trouble to do so.
I have my favorite guns also. Right now and for the last several years my hands down favorite rifle is my Marlin 357 mag. It is not the most powerful or the most accurate at 100 yards but with the right loads it will do everything a 22 will do and is good enough for Elk if I get close.
It is the one gun I have the most supplies for. I have 4 bullet molds, a couple thousand jacketed bullets, lots of brass and primers. I have scrounged up 1400lbs of lead and have 20+ pounds of handgun powder. I can keep this gun running for a long time. Ammo is not too heavy and the rifle is shorter than my pump air rifle from Crosman. It will work on 3-15grs of powder so its easy on a pound of powder.
I also have 6 38/357 handguns to go with it. I have a 44 mag from Marlin also. It can do the same thing as the 357, I just don't have nearly as much kit to go with it.
My point is to pick a favorite and get stocked up for that one gun. I want to add that I have a good supply for all my guns. I just have the most for this caliber.
Blackpowder guns were brought up so I would like to say that if you have never tried one you are missing out. First they are lots of fun to shoot. Once you learn the proper way to load them they will suprise you with their accuracy. I tried making powder. Forget it. I just bought 40lbs of black and about 10lbs of Pyrodex and called it good. I also cast round balls and conicals for those guns. My BP rifles are all side hammer guns. No inlines for me.
Now about the Elk claim. Ross Seyfreid wrote an article about middle size BPCRs in Rifle magazine a few years ago. At the end of the article he told about using a 36 caliber rifle shooting a 160gr lead bullet at 1600fps and killing a cow elk with it. He got total penetration also. The 357 mag falls right in the same area of performance.
Of course no one should be without a couple of shotguns and all the .22s you can round up. Those are the "do all" guns of the shooting world.
the Arisaka was a bringback from WW2 by my Dad. Besides, it shoots well
What's the recoil like on it?
My Dad has one that his Uncle brought back ("Mum" intact), but no one's ever fired it (at least in the U.S.). I'm trying to get it (and him) to the range next time I visit, but having some first-hand knowledge would help my lobbying efforts. (he's not a long-gun guy)
My Dad has one that his Uncle brought back ("Mum" intact), but no one's ever fired it (at least in the U.S.). I'm trying to get it (and him) to the range next time I visit, but having some first-hand knowledge would help my lobbying efforts. (he's not a long-gun guy)
About like an '06. It appears to be an early war production rifle, ugly, roughly finished, but not last-ditch by any means. Mum's ground off. We put together some rounds using '06 cases, but they're a tad small and show swelling ahead of the case web.
I've got 3 boxes of really old Norma brass for it that I found in an old gunshop, and I just received a few hundred .312 FMJ boat tail bullets from Widener's to shoot in it and others. 7.62x54R light ball pulls.
Enforcer's comments about the SKS and MN (44) caught my attention.
A Mini 14 is also quite easy to carry around.
If a disaster hits and roving 'hoods' drive to the outer subdivisions and shoot at houses or cars, we can help protect not only our yards/streets but also other guys when their AR-15's jam , by using our very reliable Minis (14 or 30) and SKS.
Most in our area only have bolt-action hunting guns or handguns.
An SKS paratrooper or Mini should be easy to carry on a car's front seat, in times of Uncivil unrest. What is civil about it?
One unusual problem following an earthquake or major 'Al Qaida 'event: if we can not 'obtain' required pharmaceuticals (refrig. insulin etc) or maybe even a gallon of gasoline for weeks, some of our spouses (my wife) won't survive long, no matter how much ammo we have.
I'm not the most prepared if the SHTF, I'll be the first to admit that. I would probably narrow my choices down to these though.
Ruger Mini 14 NRA I just picked up a couple days ago so nothing to special yet. Have very little experience with the Minis so i don't know about mags and all that good stuff.
Ruger 10/22 with Luipold scope and Butler Creek 25 rd. metal lipped mags or factory mags only. Anything else for me is unproven.
Ruger M77 30-06. Can't remember what I have on it for glass but very accurate. I don't reload though so I would probably use Winchester Supreme ammo.
Glock 30 .45 ACP. I know it's not a full sized gun but it's my only pistol I have at this moment.
Legacy Sports Escort 12 Gauge. Probably used for bird hunting only.
Enforcer's comments about the SKS and MN (44) caught my attention.
A Mini 14 is also quite easy to carry around.
If a disaster hits and roving 'hoods' drive to the outer subdivisions and shoot at houses or cars, we can help protect not only our yards/streets but also other guys when their AR-15's jam , by using our very reliable Minis (14 or 30) and SKS.
Most in our area only have bolt-action hunting guns or handguns.
An SKS paratrooper or Mini should be easy to carry on a car's front seat, in times of Uncivil unrest. What is civil about it?
One unusual problem: if we can not 'obtain' required pharmaceuticals (refrig. insulin etc) or maybe even a gallon of gasoline for weeks, some of our spouses won't survive long, no matter how much ammo we have.
Interesting argument, especially when hood rats couldn't afford an AR15 compared to a cheap mini 14! And in the 6 of my AR15's, which I've used in CQB courses and general plinking with a couple hundred rounds per session, I've never had a problem with jamming. But I can guarantee you that based on the accuracy of my 3 minis compared to my 6 AR15's, I'd rather have a crappy AR15 that jams after one accurately placed magazine of ammo than 3 of my inaccurate mini 14's with unlimited loaded mags.
This could mark the beginning of another black hole of a AR-15 vs. Mini-14 "argument"...
The AR is likely more accurate, but in my experience the bolt carrier area will eventually, beyond a handful of magazines, junk up with fouling and eventually become hot enough to dry up much of its lube. The mini and gas piston ARs don't. Each is likely to eventually stop, but neither does very quickly.
It should be really handy, and soon it should be able to speak ten 'languages' (ten rounds) with an authoritative 'bark', at least to a swimming, feral cottonmouth snake or insurgent Tropicana juice jug down in the mud...
#1- Rem 870
#2- Mini 14
#3- S&W .357
#4- Ruger 10/22
These are the guns I have now, but I don't think I would grab the .22 in a SHTF situation. Mine jams way to much. But the first 3 are about as reliable as you can get.
why does your mini jam so much? You rarely hear that about a mini. What brand of mags are you using
if you have a firearm of any type - pistol, rifle or shotgun find yourself some like-minded people.
with them even a .22LR pistol/rifle or a break-action 20 or 12 ga is going to be a welcome site for sure particularly if you have your own stash of ammo.
I've got both of those for folks (family & friends) that may need a firearm - and more deadly arms for myself.
One thing I've noticed on these types of threads is everyone is recommending 12 Guage shotguns. However, no one mentions weight when carrying shotgun shells. If I fill up an ammo can with shotgun shells, how many rounds am I carrying, versus filling up the same can with .223? Also, which 870? I have the 870 Express Super, which fires 2 3/4", 3", and 3 1/2" shells. If you're going to scavenge shells instead of dragging around a ton of them, wouldn't you want a shotgun that can shoot any 12 Guage shell?
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markw76
. A good anvil never fears The Hammer. ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ! Semper Gumby كاف
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Ratshooter-ditto on your entire post
MN (44) caught my attention.
, by using our very reliable Minis (14 or 30) and SKS. 
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