Weapons. Defending the homestead part 3

Weapons. Defending the homestead part 3

For the last 2 news letters we talked about defending our “stuff” This week it is going to continue, And I think it will generate conversation. What weapons should the homesteader have? This list could be VOLUMES long and takes weeks to write. So to keep it short and realistic well just limit it to a few categories.

Small bore

Battle

And yes Bows

Small Bore. Want to start a fight in a local gun shop? Ask which is the best .22. Want it to get bloody? Ask if it is the Marlin 60 or Ruger 10-22.

Rugar 10-22

 

 

 

 

One of the most popular rimfires on the market. Reliable, fast accurate and durable. There are as many accessories for it as an AR15 and then some. 10 round rotary mag as standard. I’ve seen HUGE drum magazines for it

Marlin Model 60

 

 

 

 

Again one of the most popular .22 auto. Fast accurate and reliable very durable. 14 round tubular magazine. The Marlin holds 5 more rounds than the Ruger. But is slightly slower to reload. Speed loaders are readily available.

So why a .22 for homestead defense? To put it bluntly a .22 is deadly. More people die each year from .22s than any other caliber. Not because the .22 is more deadly. Because there are so many. Also a poor shooter would be able to keep 15 rounds of .22 on target much easier than the same in .223. Recoil. Now the AR series does not have a lot of recoil. But a person who has not shot a lot the old .22 may be more friendly. Also the .22 is a game getter. It is quiet efficient and in the hands of a marksman will drop almost every game animal on the continent. Am I advocating a .22 as a main personal defense weapon? No. But it is far far better than a rock stick and reaches farther than bare hands.

Shotgun.

Lets continue the fist fight in the gun store and talk shotguns. Remington 870. Mossberg 500/590 and the Benneli M3

Let me just say you can not go wrong with ANY of these shotguns. It all comes down to what you want to pay. The Benneli can hit WELL over $1000 bucks. The Mossberg and Remington can both be had for 500 or under
I’ve been asked of I could only have one of my guns what would it be. My 870 Remington. I can take Elk sized game to dove. I can take a man sized target down at 200 yards with it, And yes with proper ammunition a good shotgun can hit hard and accurately to 200+ yards

Benneli M3

 

 

 

Remington 870 ( My personal gun)

 

 

Mossberg 590

 

 

 

The shotgun is the most devastating weapon for close range work . With the proper ammunition, ( and there is TONS of it) it will stop just about anything on 2 or 4 legs on this planet. One other thing. Notice there is not a image of a pistol grip shotgun. They are useless, The butt stick on the shotgun gives tins more accuracy than a hand held gun can. And it is much harder to take away from you. Leave the pistol grips to the movies and video games. The shotgun with proper ammo and choke tubes is one of the most ultimate weapons made.

Battle Rifle.

Notice I did not say “Assault Rifle” According to Bruce H. Kobayashi and Joseph E. Olson, writing in the Stanford Law and Policy Review:

Prior to 1989, the term “assault weapon” did not exist in the lexicon of firearms. It is a political term, developed by anti-gun publicists to expand the category of “assault rifles.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        When I was in the service we sued the term MBR Main Battle Rifle. Ans its the term I use to this day.Enough of history. Let get the chains and knives bought out at the gun store fist fight is AK or AR. I’ll go one further. SKS

The AR platform.                                                                                                                                                                                                           Basic AR Platform

One of the most recognized MBR platforms ever. Fast Light and today reliable. There are modifications that will dazzle the mind. But at the end of the day the AR platform is an excellent choice for a MBR for the homestead. With proper shot placement the AR can and has brought down game form rabbits to elk. The low recoil makes it easy to shoot. The problems that plagued the 1st generation M16/AR’s are long gone. It still needs maintenance like all machines. I was talking to my friend Cope Reynolds at Southwest Shooting Authority a few weeks ago and was telling him “Did you ever think we would live to see the day that an AK or SKS would be more expensive than an brand new AR?” I’ve see AR;s go for as low under 500 bucks. Not on Sale!. My friend Lucca Zanna at AR 15 Shop has rifles starting at 499. And these are not low end cheap AR’s.

Basic AK Platform Century Arms AK47.

The AK Platform.
The AK 47 is an iconic rifle. It has served in every conflict since its inception in 1947. Almost totally un breakable it was designed for Russian conscripts to be able to operate and perform basic maintenance. It will function in every environment. The original AK did not have the accuracy of the AR. The newer modern American made ones still do not have AR pinpoint accuracy but it is much better than before. The AK fires the 7.62X39 round. It is available EVERYWHERE. Century Arms and others now make brand new AK’s. You no longer have to settle for 40 year old worn out firearms.

No homestead defense would be complete with a mention of the SKS. I personally love the SKS. It is my MBR The SKS predates the AK by a few years. The SKS was designed in 1943 and fielded in 1945 The AK was designed in 1945 and fielded in 1947-48. The SKS comes stock with a 10 round fixed magazine. It is very easy to change out to a 20 or 30 round fixed magazine. My reason for carrying the old heavy SKS is its method of loading. It is a top load weapon. If for some reason you lose your magazines for an AK or AR you are left with a 7 pound club. The SKS with its top load and with or with our a magazine can be loaded single shot very easily. Another reason is AK mags are huge. 30 round AFR mags are not small either. SKS mags are just plain stupid with that big duckbill on the end. I only have 4 20 round Tapco mags for my SKS. 80 rounds. Not a lot by modern standards. Most guys I know carry at least 6-8 30 round mags. But what I do carry is a pocket full of Stripper Clips. I can keep my SKS running as long if not longer than my buds that have to change magazines. Properly tuned up a SKS will have better accuracy than an AK and approach and AR. Don’t over look the SKS for a home MBR

My SKS

 

 

 

 

 

Bows

With all this talk about guns why am I talking about bows? One of the main reasons is there are preppers who for one reason or another can not own a gun. OK look SHTF the little law of a certain citizens not being able to own a gun flies right out the window. And no I am NOT going to be dragged in to a political discussion on the topic. There are some that their moral compass will not allow them to own firearms. Or consider that someday there may not be any more ammunition the means to make more around, This makes knowing how to use a bow more vital than ever. A broad head center mass will kill as quickly as a 30-06. One thing. Forget the silent kill of a bow. That only happens in the movies. Unless the arrow goes though the upper spine or though the head they scream. And loudly.

Longbow Compound bow or Cross Bow?

The long bow/Recurve Bow is the most difficult to master. But the easiest to make. A proper English long bow will penetrate most soft armor and is accurate to 50 yards in direct shooting and over 200 in indirect shooting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Compound bow is much easier to shoot. It drops its draw weight by over 50% making it much easier to hold on target. It shoots faster than a long bow with practice

 

 

 

 

 

The Crossbow. This is the most accurate. They can be equipped with optics and can range up to 75 to 100 yards. They are the slowest to fire. Most have a place for your foot to fit to pull the draw string. Cross bows are excellent choices for stationary positions The choice of bow is yours. It is a good idea to have one or three on hand

 

 

 

 

Pistols

Want to drag out the knives and handguns at Ye Olde Gun Store lets talk about pistols.

1911 or Glock? ( Going to run and duck now!)

 

I’m going to break the mold here. I don’t care what handgun you get. GET ONE. I love my G21. I also love my 1911. And whether its 9mm, .40SW .45acp .357 it doesn’t matter. In the auto pistol calibers there is not a lot of difference in the stopping power. Revolvers there is a difference. Just get a caliber and pistol combination you can handle .

I used to have cache’s buried around New Mexico. In them were Hi Point 9mm packed in grease a box of 9m ammo and other supplies. Why a Hi Point? They are cheap. Fairly reliable once broken in. And if for some reason the cache leaked or was found by another prepper. I was not out a bunch of money. I bought them from gun shows for about a hundred bucks. The hand gun is just another tool in the tool box. It is a tool that could potentially HELP you get to that tool box.
In all of this we failed to talk about the only real weapon here. You. Your mind. Your brain is the most powerful and deadly weapon on the planet. Everything else is just a tool. Take the time to learn how use it to defend your homestead, your family and yourself. I cannot emphasize enough training. Sure we can learn a lot from books.  But you have to have the first hand real world experience and hands on training in all your weapons. And going to the range , standing on the firing line and firing a box of ammo is not training.

 

Next time we’ll have a guest writer talk about defending yourself without your firearms.

 

4 responses to “Weapons. Defending the homestead part 3

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *