Next Steps: Thoughts on Basic Survival Weaponry

From Habcan:

My Gunny used to say that the most important weapon you could have was your brain and its mindset. After that comes hardware - practical hardware - the kind you most like have already. And let me say right from the get-go, you do NOT need to go out and spend a fortune to arm yourself for survival! Oh sure, you CAN, but you don’t NEED to.

I had a pal many years ago who was completely happy with his choice of an inexpensive .22 single-shot rifle. His rationale was that he was an excellent woodsman/hunter, and the quieter little .22 would feed him while a big ‘kaboom’ just draws unwanted attention. He went further to say that if TSHTF, one quiet shot would get him any more-sophisticated weapon and its ammunition carried by an enemy so unfortunate as to pursue him in his own AO. He just stocked up on .22 shells, particularly those of the subsonic variety. His logic is irrefutable.

A survivor MUST have a .22 - the simpler the better, so breakdown is a non-worry. You can chop both ends off it for easier concealment if you need to without compromising its effectiveness. A surgically-placed .22 will take even a moose or black bear.

Ask an Indian. Or ask these guys – they too recommend the .22, in the form of a pistol:


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And that firearm is a heavy barreled, match grade, .22 caliber pistol. Barrel lengths vary from 5-10 inches, the longer the barrel the better. These are not the types of pistols that you buy at a pawnshop or at a farm sale. They are tricked out, highly accurate weapons systems. With or without optical sights the pistols have rifle like accuracy. RUGER and Smith & Wesson make the two most common models carried. The preferred finish on the firearm is stainless or after-market weatherproofed camouflaged coating. Many cadre have red dot scoped sites, which increase the abilities of the firearm. Many will shoot a golf ball at 35 yards easily and quickly. If the batteries go dead in the wild places, it is just a turn of a screw and the scope comes off. The batteries are the size of a nickel and weigh less than a dime. Constant run time is over three days. The standard match grade target sights are already sighted in and ready for the worst. These weapons are not cheap. Many cost more than standard combat handguns after the modification are added on. To add to the package a powerful tactical flashlight is mounted under the barrel (Streamlight or Surefire). Why a flashlight? When a red or amber lens cover is added it becomes a nocturnal game-getter.
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A survivor MUST have a knife. Yes, a big Rambo knife will do what a small knife cannot, but it draws attention and in a pinch you can dress out a deer-sized animal with a 2” bladed pocket knife: I have done it, on a bet. Have a knife.

A survivor MUST be able to stay warm and cook. To have fire in the simplest fashion, get a BIC. Get a five-pack! A Bic and a can of hairspray is a flamethrower. That can be useful if the need arises.

Boston’s Gun Bible has all you need to know about more-sophisticated armaments within its ample covers. Get it and study it, and make your choices, based on YOUR requirements.

Some will tell you that you MUST have a semiauto Main Battle Rifle. Well, maybe that is true if you plan on going into battle, or defending a base you have retreated to. Carrying one will draw a lot of attention. A survivor will appear as the unremarkable ‘Grey Man’.

More about that later on.