Guns & Ammo
Back to our discussion on guns. Last post I suggested a 12ga shotgun as the first weapon everyone should have. If the gun will be used by a small framed youth or a small framed woman, you may want to opt for a 20ga. And if you are outfitting more than one person in the family, you may want to get each person the gun that fits them best. What I really want to talk about this time is ammo.
I am asked many times: "How much ammo do I need?" My answer: "Just as much as you can afford!" When the SHTF ammo will not only be useful for hunting and protection, there will probably be a market for in as a barter instrument. This is one of the reasons I suggest 12ga, it is the most popular guage out there. There will be many people who have a shotgun but were not forward enough looking to buy a supply of ammo.
Here are my suggestions. These amounts are for each shotgun in the household. If you have three shotguns, multiply by three. If you have both a 12 and a 20ga, you will need this much for each one. Number 7 1/2 shot, 200 rounds. Number 4 shot 200 rounds. 00 buckshot 200 rounds. Slugs 400 rounds. This gives you a total of 1,000 rounds of ammo for each shotgun in your household.
Now let us look at why I suggest these and how to keep them fresh. The number 7 1/2 shot is to be used for taking small game and possibly as a bedroom defensive load. It will do much damage at ten yards and yet will not ruin as much of the interior of your home. The number 4 shot is the one that could be reduced or even left out if cost is a problem. I use it for things like ducks and other fairly long range game taking. I would fill the other shot sizes first and leave this until last. Depending on what type of hunting you feel you will be doing will dictate whether you need it or not. The 00 buck is for takin turkey size birds and at close range even deer. The main reason I reccomend so much is that this is an excellent defensive shot. Outside of the house, at close range there is nothing better. This is especially true for many people that do not have a lot of time to practice with other ammo. 00 buck has a big enough spread to make hitting easier and each pellet is of a size that will do definate damage.
Now to slugs. This amount of slugs is primarly for people whose only weapon will be shotguns, but is not a bad idea even if you have a full collection of guns. They are great for hunting deer and black bear sized game. They can be accurate and deadly out to one hundred yards. This also makes them excellent defensive ammo. These will take more practice to hit consistantly but will give you an adequate defensive weapon. Not the greatest, but adequate.
Practice, practice, practice, that is important. There are two reasons to do a lot of practicing; one is to get to be somewhat of an expert shot, the other is to continuously rotate your stock so it does not get too old. If you have 200 rounds of a shot size, you only need to shoot up 25 (one box) every three month to rotate the complete stock every two years. This is not absolutely necessary as the ammo will last at least five years but I reccomend the two year rotation. You have three different sizes of shot so if you go out once a month and use up a box (25) of ammo, you will be right on target (in more ways than one). Get a trap thrower and work on moving target shots and do some hunting if possible. Both of these will better prepare you for what you may need to do later.
When it comes to the slugs you will need to use 200 per year to get the job done. This is not really a problem, at least for me. I feel that to stay proficient with a weapon you need to shoot that weapon once a month. That means that you only need to use up about 15 or 20 slugs per session. Before purchasing your complete 400 rounds, go out and purchase as many different brands as possible. Every shotgun is different and handles different slugs differently. Find the ones that are the most accurate at 25, 50, 75 and 100 yards and then go out and buy that brand exclusively. Continue to practice at those ranges until you are really good. You may even want to take your shotgun and go deer hunting. You might be surprised at how good a deer gun they can be.
Always rotate your stock. Date each box of ammo as you purchase it. When you use up a box of ammo, go out and buy a replacement. Always date the replacement and when you are going out to practice, always take the oldest date in you ammo stock.
Some of you may have seen different numbers in my many survival writings. I am not even sure what some of my archived columns state. The numbers in this post are my satest reccomendation based on much research i.e. other survivalists, writings, and my personal experience of shooting and rotation ammo. I hope I have not caused any confusion.
I am asked many times: "How much ammo do I need?" My answer: "Just as much as you can afford!" When the SHTF ammo will not only be useful for hunting and protection, there will probably be a market for in as a barter instrument. This is one of the reasons I suggest 12ga, it is the most popular guage out there. There will be many people who have a shotgun but were not forward enough looking to buy a supply of ammo.
Here are my suggestions. These amounts are for each shotgun in the household. If you have three shotguns, multiply by three. If you have both a 12 and a 20ga, you will need this much for each one. Number 7 1/2 shot, 200 rounds. Number 4 shot 200 rounds. 00 buckshot 200 rounds. Slugs 400 rounds. This gives you a total of 1,000 rounds of ammo for each shotgun in your household.
Now let us look at why I suggest these and how to keep them fresh. The number 7 1/2 shot is to be used for taking small game and possibly as a bedroom defensive load. It will do much damage at ten yards and yet will not ruin as much of the interior of your home. The number 4 shot is the one that could be reduced or even left out if cost is a problem. I use it for things like ducks and other fairly long range game taking. I would fill the other shot sizes first and leave this until last. Depending on what type of hunting you feel you will be doing will dictate whether you need it or not. The 00 buck is for takin turkey size birds and at close range even deer. The main reason I reccomend so much is that this is an excellent defensive shot. Outside of the house, at close range there is nothing better. This is especially true for many people that do not have a lot of time to practice with other ammo. 00 buck has a big enough spread to make hitting easier and each pellet is of a size that will do definate damage.
Now to slugs. This amount of slugs is primarly for people whose only weapon will be shotguns, but is not a bad idea even if you have a full collection of guns. They are great for hunting deer and black bear sized game. They can be accurate and deadly out to one hundred yards. This also makes them excellent defensive ammo. These will take more practice to hit consistantly but will give you an adequate defensive weapon. Not the greatest, but adequate.
Practice, practice, practice, that is important. There are two reasons to do a lot of practicing; one is to get to be somewhat of an expert shot, the other is to continuously rotate your stock so it does not get too old. If you have 200 rounds of a shot size, you only need to shoot up 25 (one box) every three month to rotate the complete stock every two years. This is not absolutely necessary as the ammo will last at least five years but I reccomend the two year rotation. You have three different sizes of shot so if you go out once a month and use up a box (25) of ammo, you will be right on target (in more ways than one). Get a trap thrower and work on moving target shots and do some hunting if possible. Both of these will better prepare you for what you may need to do later.
When it comes to the slugs you will need to use 200 per year to get the job done. This is not really a problem, at least for me. I feel that to stay proficient with a weapon you need to shoot that weapon once a month. That means that you only need to use up about 15 or 20 slugs per session. Before purchasing your complete 400 rounds, go out and purchase as many different brands as possible. Every shotgun is different and handles different slugs differently. Find the ones that are the most accurate at 25, 50, 75 and 100 yards and then go out and buy that brand exclusively. Continue to practice at those ranges until you are really good. You may even want to take your shotgun and go deer hunting. You might be surprised at how good a deer gun they can be.
Always rotate your stock. Date each box of ammo as you purchase it. When you use up a box of ammo, go out and buy a replacement. Always date the replacement and when you are going out to practice, always take the oldest date in you ammo stock.
Some of you may have seen different numbers in my many survival writings. I am not even sure what some of my archived columns state. The numbers in this post are my satest reccomendation based on much research i.e. other survivalists, writings, and my personal experience of shooting and rotation ammo. I hope I have not caused any confusion.
posted by Knifeman | 5:40 PM
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